Strena The Lost Princess Arc Part Three

Reborn

They were both settled on the ship and it was sailing. The girl knew that there was no truing back now.

“So, what name should I give to anyone who asks?” she asked.

“Well, I had been thinking about that long before I came back. I thought of many names, but only one suited and hat it Strena. The name of the Goddess of assassins bounty hunters. Although I am yet to come up with a sir name.” he admitted.

She thought for a moment.

“How about Az.”

“Why?”

She looked away, trying not to cry.

“To remind myself who I am, and-and-what I must n-n-never s-say. “ she felt her voice shake as her suppressed tears.

“Strena Az...” he muttered with a smirk. “Yeah...That does have a good ring to it. Good pick!”

He pat her on her back. Strena smiled weakly.

“Thank you!” she said as she could feel her tears forcing her way out of her eyes. Instinctively she leaned in to his side, forgetting who she was beside. That was until she felt a punch in her stomach. Which not only snapped herself back into reality but also shocked her.

“Look I will tell you once, if I catch you crying again, I will give you something to cry about.” he threatened as he gripped her by the bend of her neck. “Do you understand?”

She nodded as she shook in fear.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes! Yes!” she cried.

“Good.”

With that, Strena stopped crying. She spent the voyage in the same cabin as him. In the nights she woke up from nightmares of Zaryb killing her parents, she would scream and then break into tears. She would then be hit by Zaryb. In the quiet moments during the day she would spend time gazing out at the ocean. Wishing that her parents were beside her, just to see the beep blue sparkling thing. It looked so pretty and whenever she would see fish jump up out of the sea and she would see even more of the beauty of the place, as the splash gave the illusion that part of the ocean turned into crystal. Something that she wished that she could tell her parents about this, but no, they were dead. She knew that she was going to be raised b their killer.

Why did he let me live? Why is he doing this to me? She wondered as she felt a shiver realising that she knew that she would not like the answer.

Then, after a month they stopped.

“Come on Strena! Time for us to go to your new home.” he called.

She became alert.

“Comming!” she called as she ran after him. The doc was almost made of wood. She then walked down the ramp and onto the doc, she then turned to see a multitude of green met her eyes. She looked up and pointed at the trees.

“What are they?” she asked.

He looked up with a look of empathy in his eyes.

“Trees.”

“But they look nothing like-”

“They are a different species.”

Srena frowned as she followed him and her head turned to a fat peachy woman, covered in cotton.

She looked down to her blood soaked, golden night gown.

She followed him to a tavern that had white walls, that, for some reason hand its stone was all broken up and with purple painted wooden frames as if it was the only thing that was keeping it up. She looked up at an image of a beautiful woman with a scar going half way down her pail face and broken by her deep blue eyes. She was at a table eating a black thing on her plate.

“That's beautiful!” she said out loud.

Zaryb looked at it and his eyes tensed as a melancholic looked entered his eyes.

“You know what...You're right! The Blood Pudding is beautiful. Too bad the people inside aren't!”

He then opened the maroon doorway and placed a hand on her back and pushed her in as he entered. She then heard a loud roar as she was about to try and hide but was pulled away form him. She felt someone pull her hair back.

“'Ello kid!” a man shouted drunkly.

“Woah! Didn't expect you to be cute!” said another.

She looked at Zaryb foolishly expecting help but he was already at the bar. He looked at her and raised his wooden mug to her. Her horrified eyes tensed in anger. As she felt someone tug her away from the drunken man and as she looked back she saw a man cutting her hair!

“What-”

“What! You ain't gonna need it!” he remarked.

“Grelio! Stop!” said another pail woman with eyes the colour of crystal and hair the colour of fire. She did not even know that someone had hair colour like that. She aggressively took the knife from him and then put an arm round her and then looked at her.

“So you're eyes are mixed-matched too? I wonder, did your father have them too?” she asked gently as she pulled out a brush.

Strena looked over to Zaryb. He looked back at her and gave her a nod, almost as if he knew the question that she had been asked. This, she interpreted as him giving her permission to tell her the truth. So she knew that the only thing that she could not do it tell them her real name.

“Yes, yes he did.”

She heard a snip.

“What colour was the one that was not blackly brown?” she asked.

“Well,” she closed her eyes as she thought of his face. “it was a pail purple. Like those flowers out there!” she pointed.

“Lavender.” she said as she finished her back. She turned around and looked at her and then stroked the two front sides of her hair. “Hmm.”

“What?”

“Close your eyes.” she said.

Strena closed her eyes.

“”What's your name anyway?”

“A-”

No!

“Srena Az.”

“Strena eh?” she said as her eyes slid over to Zaryb. “Yeah, that name does suit you. Say, I wonder if you're gonna end up like her...”

She said as she sniffed and pulled back.

“There.”

She opened her eyes as she felt something prickling a her forehead.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked.

“Well, Zaryb's been planing this one for years and when he found out about you, he made a deal with him to let you become one of us.” she said.

“What? Who?” she said in alarm.

“I think it's best if you ask him.” she said as she ran over to him. She told him everything.

“One, yeah it's true that you are going to be like me and that thing I will tell you about when I know that you're ready.” he said. “Although, Nigica has worked her magic as per usual. So I think that they would have something better to change into, after all we'll be setting off soon. I want you to tail me and soon you'll see what your new life will be all about.”

She nodded. Within the hour Nagica had her cleaned up and dressed her in rough jeans and a long sleeve black jumper and a black body warmer. She felt better after that. They were soon back at the door.

“Good luck and let Strena be by your side!” they chanted as they left. She ran after him.

“What did-”

“It's what the bounty hunters say to wish the other luck on their hunt.” he explained.

They waked and walked and walked. Strena felt her feet hurting but knew better than to complain. No, that would have led to another hit from her parents killer. It was in these moments that she realised just how unsure that she was of him. Sure he had killed her parents and hated him for it, but after finding out what she did, she just could not put her finger on why he was doing this, nor why she had to know when she was older.

“So-” she said as she cut herself off, wondering if that would be a mistake.

“What?”

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Well there's a witch that has been disturbing the local village, and there's a hefty price on her head.” he explained.

She frowned in her confusion, but knew better than to voice it.

They soon came to runes of some old place made of tall white stones and overgrown vines eating away at the remnants of the place.

“Where-”

“Shh!” he snapped as he pressed his hand around her mouth. He gave her a warning glance as he continued. She nodded to show hat she understood. He relaxed and placed his back to the wall and pulled out a dagger. She did the same, but she was nosier. He looked at her but he did not scold her this time.

Don't make a sound. Pretend that this as another day that your steal extra chicken from the cook. She thought, trying not to be too scared. They came to jaded wooden double doors. Zaryb slipped in. Seeing this she did the same. He then quickly pressed his back against the wall. She followed. The place was getting darker and darker so they kept one hand on the wall before them.

Then she found a wall in front of her. She could see Zaryb ahead of her, carrying on, like there was not a wall even there!

Her heart started to race until she could no longer hear it. She started to tremble slightly, but it soon became violent. Her legs shook until she fell. Suddenly she felt her energy and strength begin to slip as she tried to get up. She slipped as her muscles gave into the unnatural fatigue. Her heart started to get heavier and heavier. She tried to call out for help but her voice and mouth would not move an inch! She tried to look for Zaryb but he was no longer in sight.

“What a beautiful child!I recognise that face. Aren't we a long way from home?” came a young voice that sounded lyrical and like ice.

She tried to ask her who she was but she could not.

“Shh, shh, don't move.” she giggled as she felt her cold arms around her. “Let it happen.”

She stroked her cheek like a mother but knowing who this woman was she tried to break free, but her stroking was making her feel tired and sleepy. She felt her heartbeat becoming slower and slower. She felt her eyelids get heavier and heavier. She tried to force herself to move, but it took her all her will to resist her as she opened her mouth and managed to get out of her grip. But then she fell and felt even more tired than ever. She was soon back in her arms.

“No, no, no. Let yourself fall asleep. It'll be easier for you.” she whispered as she started to stroke her nose.

She started to go dizzy and her vision became blurry. Her eyes closed. Then she heard the sound like a whip and Zaryb got more blood on her. It took her a while for her to wake up. The first thing that she noticed was the blade beside her. It was the most beautiful thing that she had ever seen. It's hilt were two crimson intertwining dragons with their pointy tails merged together as the weight. And their curved wings were the guard. The scabbard was of a constellation of stars that she had never seen before.

Then she spotted Zaryb above her.

“Wha-”

“It's called Orion. It's one of the relics that came form the time before The Black.” he explained. “And it's yours.”

She looked at it and then reached out her hand and took it out and looked at the black blade.

“Orion?”

“Yeah, it's a god of hunting in another world.” he explained.

“What happened?”

“The witch put a magical wall between us.” he explained. “I was able to use the bonding braces to get back to you.”

She nodded as her eyes closed.