The Broken Ones 1:2

Chapter 1:2 -Ana

Upset voices was carried through his dream and as he understood that he had fallen asleep he quickly sat up from his drowsy state on the armchair and saw Ana marching in his direction and the guard he had posted outside her door, hold by the arm in a hard grip. The guard seemed to shiver in fear of Ana and Soi wondered, a bit curious, of what could possible have happened.
-He claims to be one of you, Ana said and shook the guard’s arm.-I found him behind my door and I almost killed him in surprise. Now, is he one of you?
Soi looked astonished at the two of them.
-Yes, yes, he is. You almost killed him? Soi looked doubtful.
-Sir, he attacked me, the guard said. –Overpowered me.
-He?
-Yes, him, the guard continued and pointed at Ana. – He’s strong as an ox.
-What were you thinking, posting a new guard outside my room when I hardly recognise you, Ana cut off.
-I was just taking a break, Soi was dumbstruck and confused, was Ana a man or a woman.
-Well aren’t you a good guard, Ana sneered. -If you do that again you can forget about guarding me. I didn’t want nor do I need you to begin with, I was just being polite to the mayor in accepting you.
She released the frightened guard’s arm and walked away. The two guards watched her departure before Soi found himself and got up and followed. She didn’t get far, her walk was slower than it had been earlier that day and Soi saw that she was dragged her left leg a little behind her.
-Is something wrong with your leg? He asked gently.
-No.
She picked up the pace and was heading to the west gate.
-The practice area is at the west gate, am I right?
-Yes.
-Then let’s go practice, I need to let off some steam.
As they arrived Soi was greeted by fellow guards and was soon handed a sword and urged to fight with some of them. Soi looked at Ana, but she didn’t seem to care and just watched the men who were practicing.
-Are you going to join in?
-I will.
Silence.
-Can I start in the meanwhile?
-I’m not stopping you.
She sat down at the edge of the area with her right leg folded beneath her and the left stretched out before her. Soi left her and begun to practise with the men. His opponent was a strong built man about ten years older than himself and not many could stand the strength of his blows when he begun swinging his sword. But Soi had already figured out his weakness, he was a tad slow in the footwork and weak on the left side. The first minutes they both dragged on the fight, his opponent swung and Soi skipped to the side and struck him playfully on his left side. The opponent got more and more irritated and slowly lost his temper and put in more effort to each strike. After twenty minutes of this dance Soi didn’t need to skip anymore, his opponent was weary and with a simple tug he lost his sword and the fight was over. The man picked up his sword and shook Soi’s hand and admitted his defeat.
-You always get on my nerves, Soi, skipping away like a rabbit and then striking like a snake. If you just could stand still so I could beat you up, you wouldn’t be hopping like rabbit.
-If you work on your footwork I wouldn’t have to stand still, Soi smiled and the man returned his smile with a friendly grin.
He fought against a few other men and won and by the time the sun begun to set he decided that he was done for today and went to sit down beside Ana. But she wasn’t there. He looked around and cursed himself for not being observant enough. A hand was placed on his shoulder and he spun around to face Ana, still covered in the hood. She held a sword in her left hand and he could almost mark out a smirk from under the hood.
-Are you ready for a real fight? She said and he could hear the sarcasm.
The men around them had also noticed the hooded stranger who now challenged one of their most skilful fighters. Soi himself, was a bit astonished, could she really fight? Ana held up the sword on her eyelevel and measured it and then tossed it in the air.
-It’s not what I am used to, perhaps a bit too heavy, but I think I’ll manage. So, are you ready?
She didn’t wait for him to answer before she attacked and he quickly had to defend himself. At first it was slow and testing but Ana soon speed up the tempo and Soi really had to defend himself. He realised that she was far more experienced than the other men and himself for that matter. She was fast and limber and the leg didn’t seem to bother her at all. At one time he wondered if she had faked it to fool him. And as the guard had said; she was strong. Maybe she really was a man after all. A name was just a name.
She pushed him away and now he really could see her smirk as the hood had slipped back a bit.
-You think too hard, just fight, she said mockingly.
He attacked her but she skipped away just as he had done earlier to the other opponent. She laughed and waved teasingly at him to try again. He did and this time he caught her hood. It was thrown back and Soi stopped abruptly and watched her shocked, which gave her the opportunity to knock the sword out of his hand and him to the ground and then stood towered over him. She had long hay-coloured hair and cold grey eyes.
-What? She glared at him, not enjoying his gaping.
-You are a little girl.
-And still you couldn’t beat me, she cut back.
Their audience was as struck as Soi but did laugh at her retort. Ana stretched out a hand to help him to his feet. On his legs he opened his mouth to ask another question but was erupted by the piercing roar from the woods. Instantly nervous and fearsome glances were exchanged among the men and no one seemed to know what it was or what to do. Ana took the command.
-Go back to the town immediately, she shouted and begun limping in that direction.
Soi followed and she gripped his arm and pulled him close.
-I need my staff, it’s in my room by the bed.
He hesitated but she pushed him forward and he run back to the pub and fetched her staff. When he returned a monster had appeared from the forest and was pacing back and forth at the edge of the woods. Ana stood on the line between the first houses of the town. Her whole body was stiff of tension. Soi approached her and gave her the staff while watching the beast.
-What is it waiting for?
-Me, Ana answered quietly. –It wants me to attack first, to leave the city behind and attack. You see, it can’t cross the border of the town so it needs me to cross it before it can attack.
Soi watched Ana’s profile in the setting sun, her hair was like light gold blowing in the wind and her face was stern and serious. Not the expression he would expect from a little girl. She suddenly turned her back on the beast, pulled the hood up to cover her face and limped back to the Fair Lady.
-What about the monster? Soi asked.
-It won’t do a thing.
The beast screamed into the sky in response.
-Are you sure?
-Quite, we survived the night, didn’t we?
-You mean it was there yesterday as well?
She kept walking.
-Then what did you need the staff for, if not to fight it?
-To support me, of course.
Soi discovered that she limped seriously and was leaning heavily on the staff for support.
-What has happened to your leg? He said and put her arm around his neck to help her.
-Nothing has happened, it is as it always was. I am weary.
-But you didn’t limp earlier this morning.
-That is because I disguised it.
-Why would you do that?
They approached the pub entrance and Ana retrieved her arm and straightened up. Soi opened the door and she walked in, without a trace of limping. The mayor was placed in front of a full table and waved them closer.
-Ah, Ana, let’s eat. He clapped on seat of the chair beside him. –I hear the monster’s out of the forest.
-Yes, but he won’t get any closer.
She sat down beside him, leaning the staff against the chair and placed a large amount of food on her plate.
-If you persist, the mayor laughed happily and emptied his glass of whiskey. –Soi, sit, sit. Eat you as well. It has been a good day’s work today.
Soi sat down opposite to Ana and watch her pile of food in suspicion.
-Are you going to eat all that?
-Yes, she crooked one eyebrow.
-But you hardly ate anything for breakfast and you didn’t eat lunch.
-Wouldn’t that explain the abundance of food now, then? She ended the discussion and turned to the mayor. –I can’t work with him, she said and nodded in Soi’s direction.
-I’m sitting right here, Soi replied sternly.
Ana ignored him and the mayor laughed.
-May I ask why? He smiled at her.
-He asks too much. I don’t have time to answer all his silly questions.
-Hey! Soi objected.
-Soi- asking questions, no really what he is known for.
The mayor let out a breath filled with whiskey.
-I really wish you would bring him with you. I would feel much safer if you do.
Ana pouted for a minute but settled with a deep sigh.
-I will, much to your and his regret, I can promise you.
-Oh come now, the world ain’t that dark.
His face filled with small wrinkles when he smiled and he sipped from his refilled glass. They ate in silence and the pub was soon full of people who waited for the music to begin. Laughter and the smell of alcohol filled the air. The musicians begun to play and the temperature in the hall rose as the dance begun.
The mayor stood up and scouted the room for the best place to sit for the rest of the evening. Ana rose after him and grabbed his arm and he swung back to see what she wanted. The smile was drained from his face by the stern look on Ana’s face.
-You forgot to mention that Sam was here, a week ago.
-There is not much to say, Ana. He didn’t visit me and he only stayed for a couple of days. I thought he would return, so I didn’t make much out if it.
-But you didn’t meet him?
-No.
-But you were aware that he was here.
-Yes, though he tried to hide his presence here, which I don’t really can make out why.
-Did you survey his activities in town?
-I did.
-Where did he go and what did he do?
-He went to that pub, where you two usually assembles, the Black Eye or what’s it called, and met up with the pub owner. To the extent of my knowledge he left something their, a box. We haven’t been able to collect it yet.
-He left a necklace to me.
-Then it was two boxes, ‘cause the description I got was that it was large. Large enough to contain a sword or a spear.
-I’ll get back there tomorrow then. Alone.
She gave Soi a meaningful glance, well aware that he had overheard the whole conversation.
-I suppose that tomorrow is your day off then, Soi, the mayor said and gave him a look which spoke otherwise.
-Yes, sir, Soi nodded, knowing with whom his loyalty lie.
The mayor seemed pleased and turned to face Ana.
-I suppose you want to recover from today’s adventure.
-Adventure? I wonder what you’ll call a sunny day then. But you are right, I need to rest. And Soi, there is no need for you to guard my door all night. Go home and sleep instead, and we will meet in the afternoon again.
Ana took her staff and walked away with her head held high. If Soi hadn’t seen her limp before he wouldn’t have noticed how her left leg dragged a little. She did her best to walk as straight as possible. He thought of what the bar owner had said earlier about Ana leaving a sign and he understood what the man had meant.
He stayed a bit longer after Ana’s departure and took part in some dances and in the laughter with fellow guards. The talking subject soon found its way to Soi’s defeat, which he had forgotten all about, but now faced the embarrassment of being beaten by a girl.
-Oh, she must be something special. Did you see how she moved?
-Yes, and her hair, that is not a common colour in our parts.
-A girl! That she even could fight! Hope our ladies here don’t occupy themselves with weapons, who will then cook?
There was a general outburst of laughter both from the males and women.
-But Soi, didn’t you bring her to practice area? Didn’t you know she would bring you down?
-Such a young girl…
The guard from lunch joined in and soon understood of whom they were talking about.
-It was a girl?! A little girl? But she was so strong, I thought… I really thought she was a man.
Another burst of laughter and the men clapped the young guard’s back in sympathy.
-But how can she be so strong?
-Maybe she’s a broken.
An agreeing mumble spread among the guards, but Soi didn’t know what they were talking about.
-She did have a staff.
-Mm, yes.
-She uses that to support herself, Soi cut in.
-Well, there you go, then. And you are her guard? I do not envy you, fellow.
Soi didn’t understand a thing of what they were talking about but the topic soon changed and he felt how tired his body had become so he decided to leave for his home and bed.

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J.L.Frick