Alorne ✔️

Chapter 21

I don't know how I did it but amidst the chaos, I have reached Beorn and Belethrorn. People around us are screaming and trying to kill us all, claiming we are evil and possessed. Clearly, they have forgotten everything about Galdor, Harlan and everything magic related. Instead, they made up something about witches, which seems odd to me. 

I get shoved into the arms of one stranger who pushes me down to the ground. I scramble back up, the crowd now parted away from me. The looks of mothers with children, hiding them behind their backs and judging me with disgust written all over their face. It hurts. The way the dads point their weapons at me, even though some aren't weapons at all. It hurts. How will the Galdor expect me to save Alorne from a threat I have yet to learn if all the people inside said lands see me as a threat?

How?

I spot the young woman that helped me get dressed earlier today. She watches the scene unfold from a dark alley. We make eye contact. 'This way,' she motions. Without thinking I sprint in her direction, hoping Beorn and Belethrorn will follow. She leads us to a small ally a couple of streets away from the square, through a hidden door inside a house. I trip quickly as I didn't see the tiny stairs that lead up to the room above us. Maybe I should've let my eyes adjust to the dark.

I stumble up the tiny stairs and enter a small, cosy livingroom with mustard yellow walls. Behind me, Beorn and Belethrorn tumble through the secret door. Panting they sit up, leaning on their hands or knees as they try to catch their breath. The young woman enters the home behind us and seals the secret entrance with a bookcase. After a soft click, she turns to look at us with a curious expression. When I finally regain the ability to breathe I'm able to ask the question that's been lingering on my mind for a while now. I watch the woman with new found curiosity, who is she to need a secret door inside her home?

"Who are you?" I ask her after I caught my breath. She smiles warmly, her smile reaching her eyes.

"Fawnaya, please call me Fawn," her voice delicate and soft and without any traces of an accent like mine. She must be some sort of high born.

"You don't talk with an accent," I point out. 

"I'm the daughter of the commander of the court guard," she states proudly. The pride on her face as she speaks of her father can't be missed. My gaze shifts back to the bookcase. If she is a daughter of a commander why would they need an escape route?

"My father made a lot of enemies carrying out orders from the court, I am an easy target," she answers my unspoken question. "I'm really sorry about your dad," she turns to Beorn and he mumbles a thank you.

"Why are you helping us?" Belethrorn stands up and eyes the surprisingly large woman. She looks him in the eyes and smiles.

"Because I know you aren't the traitors. Something doesn't add up in this city, in this land." She talks slow, choosing her words carefully, "I want to know what." Throrn narrows his eyes at the woman.

"Why would you want to leave this city? As the commander's daughter you must have a life in luxury," he aks her warily. She shakes her head in response.

"As I said, I have to look over my shoulder every day because I am an easy target. I can never go out without altering myself. I can never be myself because if I am, it will get me killed. So I would quite like to get away from this place." Her expression hardened, muscles in her jaw flexing.

"Can you fight?" I ask her. Fawns gaze flickers over to me.

"Of course," she scoffs, "I am the daughter of a commander. Of course, I know how to fight."

"I think it will give us an advantage to have a skilled fighter among us, she could teach us skills to survive. What do you think Beorn?" He doesn't answer and instead, he turns his back to us. I look at Belethrorn and he shrugs. I jerk my head towards Beorn, telling him silently to comfort the guy. He gets the message and carefully approaches him to comfort him in his mourning phase. Fawn watches the scene with great confusion.