The Prophecy;The Chosen Ones;Chapter Two

Chapter Two

         Fourteen years passed, and Salic grew older and wiser. Her lovely personality and soul spread out no matter where she went, and those who knew her mother, knew that she had been reborn. The little three-year-old Ramis had carried from his home to Lore had now turned into a bright, young lady who all loved and admired. Her lovely, curly brown hair danced every step she took, and her deep, brown eyes smiled and shone like the stars themselves. The Gods had given this girl the beauty of good, and she was noticed no matter where she went.
         Ramis was still working hard at the inn, as innkeeper, waiter, and even helper. He had now gotten married to a bright young woman, named Retuni, and they had now two sons. Salic still knew nothing about the tale, nor of his promise to his father. But she was an eager listener, and many storytellers and fortunetellers had visited this inn, so she had heard plenty stories about a Prophecy and its importance to the world. Somehow she felt it important to know about this particular Prophecy, and its background, so she had started studying sorcerers and their story, knowing them all by heart. Ramis wasn’t all too happy about her interest in tales and stories of the world, but she didn’t care. She needed to know, and nothing was going to stop her in finding it out.
         Her best-friend, Edrana, Virla’s daughter, was just as interested, and as children they had pretended to have magical powers, and that the neighborhood’s boys, Zaron and Raytev, were their protectors. These four children had grown up together, and were closer than water was to the earth. It was a joy looking at them, no matter how much Edrana went on Zaron’s nerves, and no matter how much Salic teased Raytev.
         Salic had met many strange people in her life, but the strangest one she was sure she’d never forget. He was an old man, always warning her and telling her to be careful. He never showed his eyes, and always wore his gray, well used linen hooded cloak. His hood was always covering the face, and he mostly kept for himself, besides from when he was talking to Ramis. Salic found him frightening at times, especially since she didn’t even know his name. He had been a customer at the inn as long as she could remember, but he wasn’t there often.
         One day he was back, riding a horse this time. His back was still bent and crooked, as if he was carrying a large and heavy bag on his back. Salic was the one who greeted him, no matter how much she’d rather not. It was raining, and the man was all wet. “Welcome back, sir,” she said. “Let me take your horse for you.”
         He quickly turned his head toward her, his hood barely covering his eyes. “Be careful, my Lady. Be ever so careful as thou hath ever been before! It will happen soon, I tell thee! Sooner than thou canst imagine. So be careful, my Lady. I’d hate for something to happen thee,” he said with his hoarse, tiny and squeaking voice. He moved closer to her, and she could feel her heart beat faster for every step he took. “Always watch thy back. Thou can never know who’s behind thee.” Then he stepped inside, limping.
         She watched him walk inside, carefully following him with her eyes. She didn’t know what he meant, but she didn’t want to find out. When the door was shut behind him, and she was sure he wouldn’t come back, she pulled her hood over her head and walked over to the horse. “Come with me, you beautiful horse. That man won’t be sitting on your back for a while, so don’t you worry. I’ll take care of you.” She smiled, and led the horse away. She really loved animals – especially eagles and wolves. She’d do just about anything to be able to fly in the sky like an eagle, or run through the forest like a wolf.
         Inside, all was as it normally was on a rainy night like this; crowded and noisy. For the first time it was Edrana and Salic’s turns to be waitresses together with Virla and Salic was not pleased. She knew the old man was sitting in his regular corner, watching her every step. She got chills down her back by just thinking about it.
         “There are many travelers here tonight, children, and some of them will get very drunk, so you’d better be extra careful. You never know when one of them will jump up and grab you by the arm,” Virla said as she walked beside them. Then she smiled gently at them. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.”
         Salic took a deep breath, looking at every face that was to see. All of them seemed to look at her with great expectations, as if they knew she was new to the job. She glanced over at Edrana. They both smiled, looking just as nervous, and took one step forward. It was now or never. If they failed now, they’d never have the courage to do it again, and they both knew that, but they found comfort in being there together. They took another step and then went separate ways, just like they had been told.
         The way Salic was heading, was somewhat in the same direction where the old man was sitting. She could feel his eternal stare, and that didn’t make her feel comfortable. But she had to go in, just ignoring him, and do her job. She looked ahead, hoping to find something to catch her attention.
         Right in front of her was a table that caught her eyes. There were two men sitting at that table, talking and laughing out loud. She felt strange – sick, somehow, as if the sight of them meant something to her. She frowned as she took small, gentle steps toward them. One of them turned his head, his brown eyes meeting hers at once. He frowned as well, and his eyes seemed to study her as she approached, as if he felt the same she did. His short black hair was hanging just below his ears, untidy and tangled, and at his right side there was a tiny, almost invisible, white stripe. His face was thin, but long, his cheekbones dominating his looks. He was not at all unattractive; his small nose and thin eyebrows making his face look mild and gentle. His clothing was the clothing of a traveler who barely had time to stay in one place more than an hour, and she could clearly see the sword he had in the hilt at his right side. He wore a green tunic, had a brown robe hanging over the chair he was sitting on, and he was wet all over. He waived her closer. Still with very small steps she approached.
         “Hello there, little one,” he said in a playful and gentle voice.
         She nodded back to him smiling, glancing over at the other. He was dressed with the same as this man, just as filthy and just as wet. He had no hair at all on his head, and the light from the lamps on the wall were reflected on it. His eyes were steel gray, and they looked cold and merciless. He was much taller than the other man, and his structure was thin yet dominant and strong, his shoulder wide and his head somewhat small. He seemed serious, and it was quite unbelievable that he had ever laughed at all. And there was something about his face, in his looks, that made Salic want to back away. There was something there that really frightened her, for he seemed so evil. And his scars didn’t make it better. He had one large scar under his right eye, reaching just above his upper lip, another right over his left eye, and one across his nose. She could see hints of many more, but the light was so dim that she couldn’t be sure.
         He smiled at her then. “Don’t look so frightened, child. I’m not half as dangerous as I look.” He looked at the other man again. “At least not when I’m in a quiet inn as this.” Salic’s soul fell at ease. His voice was softer than the softest silk in the world, it was so comfortable to listen to that she could have fallen asleep at anytime, and she forgot all about his face.
         She smiled with them. “Will there be anything more to drink?” she asked politely, giving them a reason for approaching them.
         They glanced at each other, smiling playfully. “Us?” the first man asked. He laughed a little. “Is this your first time, little one?”
         She felt embarrassed, but nodded as a reply.
         “I figured as much, since you offered more ale to an already over-drunk man.” He smiled. “Come stand on the table. You’re such a sweet girl that I’d like to make a toast!”
         “No, I don’t think so.”
         The bald man laughed. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. He’s not going to harm you,” he said.
         The first man stood up, walked over to her and lifted her onto the table. “Now, just stand there, and let me do the talking.” He smiled as he turned over to the crowd. “Everyone!” he yelled. “May I get your eternal attention, please?”
         They all looked at him and at Salic. She had never felt sillier.
         “I’d like to introduce– Eh–” He turned and looked at Salic. “What’s your name, lass?” he whispered.
         “Salic.”
         “Right.” He turned back to the crowd. “Sorry about that,” he said to them. “As I was saying, I’d like to introduce Salic to you all! This is her first time working as a waitress – at least here at The White Maiden.”
         The crowd whistled and applauded, laughing.
         “Yes, I know. It’s hard to believe! This young lady could have been everywhere before she came here! And I’d rather wish she was!”
         Once again they laughed, making Salic feel like sneaking off the table, hiding in some dark corner.
         “But I want you all to be kind to her, for she caught my attention – and my linking, if I may add. This girl has a lot of courage! I should know; she tried to offer me more ale!”
         The crowd seemed to like this man’s jokes, for they laughed almost at every word he said.
         “Now, I just want to say one more thing and all of you can get back to your drinking.” His face turned serious. “I’ll be watching this girl all night, and if I see anything that’s to my disliking, I swear on my friend’s bald head that I will kill that person! Any touching, any comment that’s not normal, any unpleasant stares, and I will give that person the worst torture in his life, and that’s a promise.”
         All the men in the room went totally silent. It seemed like they knew that no matter how drunk this man was, he was always able to fight and win. Some of them even seemed frightened, and took their eyes away from Salic the moment this man finished his sentence.
         “That’s all.” The man took a last sip of his ale and turned over to Salic, smiling. Then he politely bowed and reached her his hand. “Let me help you down, my Lady,” he said.
         Stunned by what he had said, and terrified of what he was capable of doing, she could do nothing more than take his hand and let him help her down.
         “I’m sorry about the cruel way to say that,” he apologized as he sat back down again. “It’s just that I noticed the way some of these sick men where looking at you, and I felt it my responsibility to help you.”
         She felt a little flattered, and smiled to him in appreciation. “Thank you, sir,” she said, hoping her voice wasn’t shivering as much as she was.
         “My pleasure.” He smiled back and looked at his friend. “Besides, my friend and I needed something to laugh of later. This is just our way of making good memories.”
         Salic found herself laughing. “I guess that’s a no to the drink, then,” she said.
         They both looked at her. “You really got courage, lass. Keep that up, and you’ll be the history’s greatest woman. You see, young girls like you would run if I looked at them.”
         “Partly because of his reputation, of course,” the other said, smiling evilly. “But mostly because of his bad looks.”
         Salic laughed. “Let’s just say I had to walk up to you. I don’t know what sort of evil drove me, but I had to.”
         They both laughed. “And that doesn’t matter, lass. I must say I enjoyed introducing you.”
         She smiled, blushing a little. “I hope the two of you have a pleasant night, and that you enjoy your stay,” she said as she turned to leave.
         When she had her back toward them and had walked a while, she heard the bald man say; “I like this place. We should come here more often.”
         Her first day passed fast by, and the old man had taken his eyes off her the moment she stepped on the drunken man’s table. She was quite satisfied with her work, and really enjoyed it. Her first day hadn’t been half as bad as expected, and no matter how tired her feet where, she could do nothing but smile.
         But her happiness passed away when she ran into Ramis. He had obviously heard about the incident earlier, and he as not too happy about it. His face was red, his peaceful blue eyes seemed to glow in anger, and he was not at all gentle with her when he pulled her away from the customers’ eyesight. “That was quite a stunt you pulled there,” he said, his normally calm and sweet voice turning cold and hard.
         “It wasn’t my fault, Ramis! He lifted me onto the table against my will!”
         “That’s no excuse! You shouldn’t have talked to him in the first place!” He looked around him, as if searching for someone. “Do you know who that man is?”
         She shook her head, looking down.
         “That, my dear soon-dead-sister, was Ymar, or the Slaughter, as someone calls him. He’s one of the world’s most dangerous men! I want you to stay away from him.”
         “But he helped me. He’s not a mad man! He just wanted to help me.”
         “No matter what, Salic, I want you to stay away from him. You got that?”
         She looked down at the floor. “Yes, sir, I got that.”
         The man, how Ramis called Ymar, came around the corner, walking straight in Salic’s direction. He smiled as he looked at the little girl. “Is this man bothering you, sweet Salic?” he asked gently.
         “No, he’s my brother,” she replied, not looking up.
         “Oh, how nice.” He kept smiling, reaching out his hand to Ramis. “I’m Ymar–” He got no longer, for Ramis interrupted him, as he had a habit of doing.
         “I know who you are.”
         He looked a little disappointed, pulling his hand back. “All right. Then you also know my reputation, I believe.”
         Ramis nodded, pulling Salic closer to him.
         “Well, I just want to say that I have no intentions of harming your sister, and the reputation is nothing but a word. I can assure you that I’m not as bad as that.”
         “I won’t take chances.”
         Ymar looked down at Salic. “Are you sure he’s your brother?” Then he looked up at Ramis again. “You know the rumor, and the story, so tell me, is your sister still alive?”
         Ramis looked puzzled.
         “If I had been as brutal and violent as the rumors say, your sister would either been dead by now or on the back of my horse, soon to be dead.” He moved closer. “Trust me. My only interest to lift your sister on that table was to give many of those sick, drunk people something to think about. And if I hadn’t, your sister would have been ruined for life. Or do you rather prefer having drunk, old men staring at her body all day?”
         Ramis gave it a thought.
         “I thought as much.” He reached out his hand once more. “Like I said, I’m Ymar of Ysavgard, and I am very pleased to meet you.”
         Ramis took his hand, shaking it. “Ramis,” he replied shortly.
         Ymar smiled. “That’s more like it.” He looked down at Salic again, smiling. “You got one brave little sister, and you shouldn’t worry about her too much. She can probably take good care of herself.” He started walking toward the stairs, patting Salic’s head when he passed her, smiling. “I’ll return to my room now, but if there should be any sort of problem, my friend is sitting at the table – or more likely sleeping.” He laughed a bit, walking passed them. “Good night to you both,” he said as he disappeared behind the turn, leading up to the rooms.
         Just then Edrana came over to them, looking tired and angry. “I can’t wait to sit down and put my feet on the table,” she said, her voice sounding as tired as she looked. She smiled as she looked at Salic. “But it was fun. Especially for you, I guess.”
         “It was special, yes,” Salic replied.
         Edrana laughed, shaking her head. “I’ll be in my room.” Then she also walked up the stairs.
         Ramis looked down at Salic. “So you were right, but that doesn’t give you the right to do that whenever it suits you. If I see you do something like that again, I’ll make sure you won’t have this job for long.” He turned away from her.
         Annoyed as she was, and angry as she felt at his last words, she could do nothing but let him leave. She knew there was no point in trying to argue with him, so she didn’t even want to try. He was an overprotective brother, and everyone knew it. She couldn’t even go out the door without telling him where she was going, what she’d be doing and who she was with. He was like a hawk; always watching her and never far away from her. It could be really bothering at times, for she felt imprisoned. She felt she didn’t have the freedom that all her other friends had.
         She shared a room with Edrana; she always had, but that wasn’t any problem at all. The two of them where like sisters, and they could talk about anything. Edrana was the one person Salic was sure she could trust, for she knew that she would keep a secret to the end. So this night they talked each other to sleep.
         The next day the sun was shining again, and most of the costumers had packed their things and left the inn, making it a quiet place once more. Raytev and Zaron, sons of Cart and Kerim, the neighborhood’s blacksmith and baker, came over early at day, like they always did, asking for the two girls. Of these twins it was clear that Zaron was the stubborn and easily annoyed one, while Raytev was the calm and funny one. They were not identical twins, in looks, but their mind often said otherwise. Zaron had short, curly hair, blond, and blue eyes that so often seemed as cold as the winter. His eyebrows were thick and much darker than his hair. His face was squired, and his cheekbones were very visible. He was a somewhat tall boy and his shoulders where wide, making him look more like a grown man than a boy who had just turned eighteen.
         Raytev was quite different, and if one didn’t know it, it would be impossible to guess that he was Zaron’s brother. His hair was long; some of it reaching just below his chin and the rest just above his shoulders, and it was deep red. His eyes were green and were calmer and much warmer than Zaron’s. There seemed to be a peace in him that his brother had nothing of.
         They reached Salic and Edrana’s room, knowing very well that the two girls were sleeping tightly in their beds. They snuck up to each bed carefully, Zaron to Salic’s bed and Raytev to Edrana’s, grinning evilly at each other. Then they placed their hands over their heads of the girls, getting ready to wake them up brutally. “One, two, three,” Zaron whispered. “Bo!” they both yelled as they placed their ice-cold hands on the girls’ faces.
         Salic and Edrana sat up immediately, jumping at the touch and the yell of the twins. They looked around and saw Raytev and Zaron laughing while holding their hands on their stomachs. Salic and Edrana both felt the same, and jumped out of bed, attacking the twins. Salic caught Zaron instantly, but Raytev ran away. “Hold Zaron,” Salic said to Edrana while she was getting ready to run after him dressed in only a nightgown.
         She ran with the speed of a leopard, feeling her anger replacing everything else in her. She caught up with him just before he reached the stairs, jumping over him so that he fell over, with her landing on him. In the fall she turned him over, pressing her arm against his throat, demanding an apology and a promise never to do that again. He stood up, his face and eyes expressing puzzlement that she never had seen before. It was then she realized that she had caught up with the fastest boy in the neighborhood, and almost strangled him. “I’m sorry, Raytev,” she stammered, looking just as puzzled. “I– I don’t know what came over me.”
         He swallowed, turning his head away. He scratched his head, then, and started laughing. “It’s all right. I guess I found my mach!” he said, looking straight at her. “And I deserved it.”
         When they turned around, they saw that Ramis and Ymar where looking at them. Ramis seemed angry, while Ymar was simply smiling. “You have a fighting skill as well, I see,” he said. “You’d better be careful, you know. I don’t think you want to kill the boy.”
         She laughed. “No, I just got carried away, that’s all,” she replied.
         “Well, Ymar is right, you know. I don’t think Cart and Kerim would have been too happy if you killed him,” Ramis said, seeming to lighten up a little.
         Salic and Raytev looked at each other, laughing, passing Ymar on their way over to Salic’s bedroom. She did feel a little guilty, for it wasn’t her intention of strangling him. She was just lucky that he was as forgiving as he was, for had it been his brother, she’d be one friend shorter.
         When she was dressed and had left her bedroom, she almost walked into the old man who arrived the day before. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said.
         He seemed to search her. “Art thou alone, my Lady?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.
         She looked puzzled at him. “Yes, I am. Why?”
         “Come with me. I need to show thee something.”
         “How do I know you won’t drag me away from this place?” She placed her arms in cross, looking angrily at him. “No, I won’t come with you.”
         “But, my Lady, ‘tis very important that thou come with me. I sense something dangerous is about to happen.”
         “If so, the only danger I see is following you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have something I need to take care off.” She started walking pass him, feeling nervous and afraid.
         “After the incident last night, I am surprised thou art alive, my Lady,” he said as he grabbed her arm, turning her over to his direction again. “Thou need to come with me, and we do not have much time.” He pulled her closer, put one of his old, wrinkly hands over her mouth, and started walking toward his room. She was terrified, and tried to scream so that someone heard her. But there was no point. The gray hand seemed to be soundproof, for no one came to her rescue. Not even her overprotective brother.