The Gryphon's Bond

Chapter One

Chapter One (Edited)

Anna held her hands inside the wash basin, the cool water rushing through like a river, washing away the dirt sullied by the dishes she had cleaned.

She pulled her hands out, her skin puckered by their time in the water. She never would've realized that a family like hers used so many dishes in a day. If everything had gone right, she never would've found out. Anna's birthday would be in a week. Unfortunately, no animal had yet bonded with her. Her mother hated her for it, thinking she was a shame to the family.

As a punishment for a problem Anna could not control, she would do the chores as if she were a staff member. It would've been fine, if the staff would treat her as if she weren't dirt stuck on their shoes. They acted as if Anna deserved worse, as if she should be incarcerated or exiled. As if she were to be treated like the unbonded, the criminals and thieves with no bonded animals who roamed outside the city.

In a week, I guess I will be one of the unbonded, Anna thought.

But she wasn't an unbonded, she knew that. The unbonded were pyschopaths that no animal would dare bond with. Creatures would run at the sight of them, fleeing in terror.

The animals around Anna never ran from her, in fact, the animals respected her. Even the great lion seemed honored when he was petted by Anna. Anna's father had been proud, saying, "Even the lion is humbled because of your presence. I know that you will one day bond with a mighty creature. Who knows, maybe you will one day bond with a pegasus!" She had felt so proud of herself.

Then as the years passed, her friends and people her age had bonded with their creatures. Until only she was left unbonded.

As her birthday approached, she was treated like an outcast. It would grow worse every passing day. Her mother despised her and her father was silent around her. A life outside the city seemed inevitable.

Anna slapped the dish water because of her angry thoughts, causing the water to splash out of the basin. She didn't care, though. She didn't care because it didn't matter. To her family, she didn't matter. She was only a black spot, a stain on their perfect and well-respected reputation.

If only my brother were here. Anna thought. Her twin brother wouldn't cast her out. He was a kind man with a soft heart underneath the warrior exterior. Her father had sent him to the military base as soon as he had graduated from their training. "Make a name for yourself, boy," he had told him, "Don't come back here unknown."

Had Anna been a man, she would've followed his footsteps. But, even though she had also gone through the training, as every citizen was required, she had been kept at home.

She knew that he would've done everything to help her. But, in the end, he couldn't have helped Anna. He would've been there just for comfort.

Anna heard footsteps approaching the kitchen and she quickly began washing the dishes.

"Anna, are you in here?" Asked an annoyingly familiar female voice.

Anna groaned as quietly as possible.

Not her, please, not her. Ugh!

Bess walked into the room with a lion, her bonded animal, trailing behind her.

"What do you want Bess?" Anna asked, not bothering to with any pleasantries.

Bess walked up to the counter, looking slightly sheepish, "Well, mother wants you to run to the market. She wants you to buy the usual blackberry wine we drink."

"Oh, I'm the delivery girl now? Is that it?" Anna replied rudely.

"I'm very sorry, Anna. I've been meaning to tell that to you. I know I haven't been treating you nicely. Before I was adopted into this family, I was an outcast. But, you were there for me. You were kind and caring to me even though you didn't have to be. And with what's happening to you... it's just unfair." Bess stopped, unable to continue.

"A-anyway," she added with a stutter, "I just wanted to say that." For a split second, she made eye contact with Anna. Then she turned and left.

Anna stood there for a moment, her hand still holding one of the dirty dishes, astonished by the confession Bess had given her. She dropped the plate and dried her hands before heading to her room upstairs to change.