The white haired girl

Soon after Kodesh had finished the plate of rice and chicken broth prepared by the white haired girl, he went outside and sat by himself in the balcony. The three helpers were in close proximity and so were the three travelers who by the look of things were also lodging there.

He had a lot of questions to ask but didn't want to be too forward and end up being suspicious. He was not just in any foreign land, he was in the land of his sworn enemies so he wisely opted to stay quiet as a stone and eavesdropped on their conversations.

He learnt that the white haired girl's sister was called Dandelion and the servant male was called Dennis.

The two girls were mirror images of each other except the hair color ofcourse.

A short while later the white haired girl broke the ice.

"So you are also going to the banquet?" She asked in a soft voice.

The girl was lovely, affable, approachable and sociable unlike her raven haired sister. Just like the color of their hair, their personalities were also totally opposite. Way too opposite for mirror twins.

With less than a second to think of an answer, he responded under his breath.

"Yes."

He wasn't too sure if it was the right answer but from what he had already overheard from the three travelers, there was some sort of celebration they were going to attend at Oakland.

"I would love to go too but as you see it's very busy here." The friendly girl said while the mean, dark haired one rolled her eyes.

"At least you are making some money." Kodesh replied.

After spending so much time alone in the wilderness, he thought he had lost all communication skills but he was not doing too bad.

"Yes though our grandma doesn't give us much." The girl responded with a dejected voice.

"Why doesn't she? He inquired and immediately a gloomy expression was forged upon the girl's face.

Seeing the girl being uncomfortable, he immediately changed the subject.

"Anyway when does the banquet start?"

The girl thought for a second before she could respond.

"About an hour before sunset. You can go earlier so you can have a good seat." The friendly girl advised, the somber look already replaced by a bright smile.

"I was planning to go early in the morning." Kodesh muttered.

"There are things I want to do before the ceremony." He added.

"Okay in that case then you have to sleep early. I will wake up early too and prepare you breakfast before you leave" The amiable girl responded warmly.

"That would be very sweet of you." Kodesh responded.

The girl was just unusually kind.

'Does she have a crush on me?'

'Nah! She doesn't, don't get ahead of yourself.'

Feeling a bit more comfortable to ask the nagging question, he tried his best to not sound suspicious.

"Do you, by any chance have heard the story about Samson?"

"Oh that vile man. I have heard a lot about him." The white haired girl responded.

"His tomb is at the hills of Ziha."

"Why?" She asked curiously.

"I wanted to see it and cut his hair." Kodesh responded and the girl broke into laughter.

"You must hate him so much that you plan to cut his hair." She said.

Well Kodesh was telling the truth. Samson's power laid in his hair and since he was going to impart from Samson, it was more or less the same as cutting his hair.

The genial girl continued orating.

"If that part of the region wasn't heavily guarded I would have long done that."

"Heavily guarded?" Kodesh inquired.

"Yes don't you know?" She responded. a nonplussed expression visible on her face.

"Where are from by the way?"

'Oh crap! I think I blew my cover.' He thought to himself as he was trying to make up lies.

"My family lives on the plains stretching towards the Redwood kingdom."

"My mother is of Oakland descent and my father is of Redwood."

The girl thought for a while and responded.

"Okay, the army camp is at the hills of Ziha. Well only those who had not served in the army for more than five years camp there."

"They are not allowed to enter the city gate or even marry and have children."

"Only after they had completed the five years of service are they allowed to enter the city and have families of their own."

"Oh I think I have heard about that." Kodesh said.

"What direction is Ziha?" He asked.

"A few kilometers south of Nomia."

From the village of Nomia, Oakland was south west, so he would have to head south to the hills, then west to Oakland.

A while later the crimson sun descended on the horizon, and fatigue overwhelmed him. Dragging his weight to his room, he prepared his blankets on the ground and rested on his back. I must say he was really tempted to sleep on the broken bed.

As he was resting, he began to ponder about a few things.

'If the old woman is not paying the three helpers then why can't she at least buy a new bed and a new chair.' He thought as he cast a gaze to the sagged bed and the fragmented chair.

'Anyway at least I have a roof over my head.'

A moment later he was pondering about the white haired talkative girl. She seemed to have diarrhea of the mouth but as soon as Kodesh asked her about the old woman, her demeanor changed.

'What is happening?'

'Is the old woman their grandmother or what?

'She did call her grandma.'

'Anyway it doesn't concern me.'

With that he thought of his family and immediately tears streamed down his face.

'Hold on mom, dad, bro, sis.'

'Tomorrow I will come and rescue you.'

That was the last thought that his mind could form before it blurred out and fell asleep.

Through out the night, his mind, body and soul were restored by the peaceful night sleep.

^^^ Waking up invigorated and rejuvenated, he showered and changed into clean clothes. The convivial white haired girl had already prepared him a generous breakfast of bread, eggs, cheese and hot tea so he helped himself and said his goodbyes.

"Until we meet again." The cheerful white haired girl said and Kodesh nodded.

"What is your name by the way." Kodesh asked.

"I will tell you the next time." She responded and went back inside the lodge.

Kodesh had a feeling that destiny had something in that girl. And when she said, "until we meet again" it was more like she was decreeing and declaring that they will meet again than just a wishful chatter.

Anyway they are on warring sides so they would most likely be trying to kill each other, the next time they meet.

With that he traversed south and before long he was in the outskirts of Ziha. The main camp was on the other side of the hills so he wasn't going to face thousands upon thousands of warriors. However, some were patrolling the peripheries of the hills.

Kodesh had seen a few of them but thanks to his concealing aspect and the dark of the night, he had remainied undetected and easily sneaked past them surreptitiously. He learnt that six warriors patrolled an area of about two kilometers and with that crucial piece of information, his covert operation was going smoothly.

But he was still as apprehensive and cautious as ever. His family's safety relied on his success today so he didn't let anything cloud his mind not even the confidence he had on his abilities.

He knew first hand how brutal and ruthless the Oaklanders were. They are savage beasts and they would do just about anything to protect their lands and the three kings. They are like wild bees that viciously attack anything that comes too close to the honeycomb. And just like bees, they too are suicidal maniacs. Has he come too close to the honeycomb?