THE EAR ARCHER Part 1 (Completed) #wattys2022

IMPACT

The guards unshackled him leaving him alone with the princess and her maid.
Gob was flabbergasted, the princess smiled at him knowingly.
"Please take a walk with me" the princess pleaded politely.
"Of course" Gob replied tentatively
Gob walked quietly beside the princess
"My name is.....? "
"Safara" Gob cut in
The princess smiled
"Did you equally do your homework? "
"Nay my lady,  Sefth mentioned you".
" I see"
The princess nodded subtly to her maid.  The maid in turn produced a pineapple from her basket.
She held the fruit to Gob.
The smiled and retrieved her dagger from the sheath strapped to her thighs.
"Sefth perceived I would poison him so he had me eat it first. Sema impressed me with his dagger skills. I wonder what you will do".

Gob looked at her amused.
He received the princess. He didn't bother peeling the pineapple, all he did was divide it into two halves.
He handed a part to the princess. The princess didn't smile
"Not impressive at all"
Gob chuckled.
"Get in line princess, I never deliver on expectations"
The princess smiled
"Am a stark opposite of you then. You see, I always deliver".
"Your father must be proud". Gob replied sarcastically
"Why am I here princess" Gob asked sternly bored of the vexatious small talk.

"Honestly" the princess began.
"You are here because I dreamt about you".
Gob shrugged
"Is that supposed to mean anything? "
"it means either of two things"
"Which are? "
"You are my soulmate or the person who kills me".
Gobs blood froze
She was going to kill him, that was certain.
"I guess the pineapple was my last meal. I would have preferred cinnamon soup out of sentimental reasons".
The princess smiled

"Am not going to kill you".
Gob looked at the princess amazed.
"Is that wise? " Gob asked honestly
The princess considered for a while.
"No but if I kill you and it turns out you we're my soul mate then I will be lonely the rest of my life".
"Risky " Gob honestly commented.
"To be thorough, how sure are you about this soulmate and killing you nonsense"
"Am an Arathani"
"Arathi what? "
"Arathani"
"What's that supposed to mean? "
"Four thousand years ago, the goddess Aithia ruled this village in human form. Like every other, she fell in love with a mortal. She was so deeply fond of the mortal. The great goddess couldn't perceive her consort held nothing but disdain for her.  She broke the sacred law of the gods and bore the mortal a child.

At an opportune moment, her consort stabbed her with the dagger of men.
She was immortal so she couldn't be killed but the power of the ancient artifact banished her from the realms of men forbidding her from taking human form again. Out of pity for offspring, the first Arathani.
She graced every Arathani with a  vision of a man who would either love the Arathani truly or the one who would kill her".
Gob clapped.
"Excellent story telling ".