Chapter 40: The Ghosts in the Woods

"What is wrong with you?"

I decided to leave the dinner after my great and life-changing revelation. I almost regretted it! The foods served for the dinner were completely delectable and I wanted to taste them all but the prolonged speech that took the place of a grateful prayer made me lose my appetite. I guessed I would take the grilled meat and fish anytime for as long as I like the company with me on the table.

I saw my mother stood from her seat at the corner of my eyes and few seconds later, I heard her hurried steps following me. She pulled me back by my arm and I braced myself for a mild confrontation.

"They asked for a story, I gave them one," I answered casually. I felt the need to be cautious in dealing with her. Considering how loyal she was to the mainland and favour of the Westons, she might not take my side.

"Regardless of it being true, you were disrespectful back there. Have you forgotten who you're talking with?"

I wasn't able to answer right away because of the sudden realization that hit me. I looked at her frowning.

"You knew? All this years, you knew that Threy was alive and now a pirate?" I asked.

This caught her off-guard. Suddenly, the table was turned - I was now the one confronting her with my probing eyes. Before I could ask another question, my father approached us and he looked completely unhappy.

"Adelene, Primrose," he called.

I waited until he was only few steps from us. He regarded me with disappointment in his eyes before turning to my mother.

"Send Primrose back to her room. We will leave early tomorrow morning," he announced.

"Father -" I almost protested. The thought that I would be moving farther away from the sea deepened the cut inside my chest.

"We'll discuss your behaviour once we get back home, young lady. For now, I'll just tell them that you're stressed and pressured in your defence. Being held captive for a long time must have taken a toll in you," he said.

I didn't answer. I just turned my back to my parents and walked to the room with a heavy heart. To my surprise, I fell asleep right away the moment I hit the bed. Maybe my body missed the steadiness, the softness and comfort of my surrounding that it succumbed to this temptation. When I woke up, my mother was already inside the room and preparing the clothes I should be wearing. I stayed with Tarnus and the guards and soldiers of the East Land while my parents talked with Lord Magnus and the other representatives of the other lands. They assumed that I wouldn't be able to handle formal meetings for now because of my condition. And as I met the eyes of those people who were present during dinner the other night, I had come to realize that they thought I had gone crazy.

But I wasn't and I was perfectly myself when I said what I had said the other night. Whatever they fed the people about the disappearance of Threy Weston, they were all lies. Hopefully, I shook some sense into them with my announcement and people would start to wonder about the real story behind it. And as for myself, even though I had spent time with the missing Threy Weston in the pirate world, his reasons of leaving the mainland was still vague for me. I was hoping that this bomb I dropped in front of them would somehow lead me to answers. I had vowed to the Skull that I would be brave - I would be brave until we meet again.

After almost half an hour of saying their farewells, my parents finally joined us and settled on the large carriage. They demanded that I should sit with them inside but I had already chosen a fine stallion so I insisted that I would be riding with Tarnus. The latter assured them that I would be safe with him and having a great confidence with my friend's abilities, they allowed us to travel outside.

Tarnus discussed the situation quickly with the general who would lead the party back to the East Land. I couldn't hear them but then, I saw the general nod and commanded the troop for formation. Tarnus settled beside me and never left my side as I stayed few meters behind my parents' carriage. I could feel his eyes on me and I preferred to watch my surrounding instead of confronting his stares.

"You've heard of it, right?" I finally said, unable to contain the discomfort. I turned to him and he averted his eyes. We fell behind the group to have a little privacy in our conversation. Maybe Tarnus even signaled the sweepers to keep their distance from us.

"I didn't," he said a little bit quickly.

"Oh! So, you didn't hear about how I ate all the meat on the table and didn't share with anyone that's why all the guests are bad-mouthing me," I continued.

He looked at me, frowning. "That's not what I've heard, Lady Primrose -" He stopped abruptly and sighed when he realized that he fell on my little trap.

"Threy Weston and I may not be good friends but he would never be a lowly pirate. He knew how the West Land was fighting against them for a very long time. Why would he be one of them? It doesn't make sense," he said.

I took offense with the word he used to describe the pirates but decided to let it go. Getting him on my side and believe in me was more important at the moment. I knew that he was loyal to the East Land - to the mainland.

"It didn't make sense to me as well when I saw him standing proudly in his pirate clothes, and daggers and guns clinging to his body like they were part of him and with those familiar but cold and stormy gray eyes. But I saw him with my own two eyes - he was there! I talked with him - I touched him." My voice fell silent as I said my last words remembering the times we spent together. Heaviness tugged in my heart and I realized how I was yearning to see him again.

I saw Tarnus' brown eyes darkened. "If you're telling the truth, he probably died during the battle, Lady Primrose," he said in a formal tone.

I flinched at the coldness in his voice and thought that maybe, there would be no chance of him understanding me. I couldn't even understand myself why I was defending the person who chose to leave me and not come back - the person who broke his promise - who broke my heart.

"I believe you," he suddenly said. I looked at him and gone was the darkness in his warm brown eyes. Somehow, his words brought comfort in me - telling me that I wasn't alone.

"You could say that the pirates are pure, innocent angels brought to us from heaven and the sea monsters are real and you defeated all of them while you were out there, sailing at the sea - and I would still believe you. I'll always be by your side, Lady Primrose," he continued.

The thought that he believed in me brought warmth to my heart. If we weren't riding on our own horses, I would have thrown my arms at him and hug him tightly. "I thought your loyalty is for the East Land," I murmured.

He let out a short laugh and sighed. "My loyalty is always with you," he answered.

It didn't solve all of my problems or even answer my questions. But knowing that someone wouldn't leave my side helped me in lifting up some of the darkness that clouded my heart. It helped me in seeing clearly. Having someone by my side was like having a lamp to light my path.

We were soon joined by the other soldiers and I listened to them sharing stories about how they had fun at the sea. Living in the East Land made it hard for us to travel near the ocean and swim on it. I also appreciated that they chose not to talk about the recent battle. I was afraid that if they start talking about how they killed the pirates, I might pull someone's sword and continue the battle. Oh, I don't even know how to swing a sword appropriately!

They were talking about how they managed to catch a huge fish when my eyes caught a group of people walking on the other road far from the wide one we were taking. Squinting my eyes, I stopped to look at them. Tarnus followed my gaze and before I knew it, soldiers from our group approached them and steered them away. I caught a glimpse of the rag-like clothes they were wearing and some of the children they were travelling with seemed to be malnourished. They all had a tired look on their faces and as much as I wanted to leave the road and go to them, I couldn't. I had nothing that could help them at the moment.

"Who are they?" I asked Tarnus.

"Travelers," he answered.

His tone was flat and uninterested. I decided not to ask more questions and we stayed silent on our way to East Land castle. After hours of travelling, we had finally reached home. I breathed deeply as I looked up at the huge castle standing in front of me. The enormous gate was finally opened and it was waiting for me to enter it. It felt like it all happened yesterday when I was just playing on its ground and would welcome the visitors with cheerful grin on my face, and the pirate world was just a dream that visited me one, cold night and left me with a lonely, heavy heart.

"The East Castle is glad to have you back, my child," my father said standing behind me and pushed me gently to step forward.

Stepping on the grounds of the East Castle was like stepping on the Main Land for the first time - it felt different. It was like I had been there before but it wasn't the same anymore. Of course, it was still home, it was just that this time, it had new colors in it - new vision, new understanding.

I nodded quietly as the staffs in the castle greeted me cheerfully. Even my cousins and other relatives were there to welcome me back. I found myself growing tired in the middle of the event so I decided to go to my room and rest. It was already late in the afternoon when I decided to prepare myself and go out of my room. I missed wearing Erasmus' comfortable clothes and seeing that I had nothing in my closet like those, I picked a simple dress.

Tarnus raised his brow when he saw me walking to the barn wearing a dress and a pair of leather boots. I let out a faint smile as I saw Argos standing beside him. He was still a piece of male beauty and I felt Tarnus' eyes on me as I touched the beast.

"He's always waiting for you to come back," he said behind me.

"I'll ride him then," I answered and prepared to mount on Argos. I gasped when I felt Tarnus' strong hands on my waist and lifted me up effortlessly. He gently positioned me on the saddle in few seconds.

"I'll go with you," he said and was about to get his own horse when I stopped him.

"No," I said. "I want to go alone this time," I insisted.

"But -"

"Don't worry about me. I'll just be fine," I said and grabbed the reins and kicked Argos on his side as we dashed to the forest.

I was welcomed by the familiar speed and fresh scent of the surrounding. It was far from the salty air in the sea and it brought memories of the times when I was still innocent of the knowledge about pirates - of the world beyond the world I was living in. Argos' speed made me feel free and I wondered if it's how the captains of the ships feel as they run their vessels. There was contentment in knowing you have something you can control - something that is yours. I was lost in my thoughts and I didn't realize that I got deeper and deeper in to the woods. The path started to get unfamiliar and as I tightened my grip on the reins and Argos slowed down, I began to feel that someone was watching me.

I looked around cautiously, making myself aware of the surrounding. There were huge trees around me and the tall bushes are making dark shadows in every corner. I stopped at the clearing and tried to turn Argos back to the path when I suddenly felt it. I was able to dodge the arrow that almost pierced my heart. It made its way passed me and struck the nearest trunk.

"Come out!" I called loudly to my attacker. I knew that I wouldn't be able to have a fair chance of escaping if I was surrounded and the only way to deal with this peacefully was a negotiation and know their possible location. I couldn't risk of escaping and bleed to death on my way to the castle while I had hundreds of arrows buried on my back or worse, harm Argos on the first day of seeing him again. And aside from that, the place being unfamiliar was already not in my favor. Right, there was a low chance of me surviving this attack.

I caught a movement behind a thick bush and I focused on it. Whoever attacked me, there was a possibility that he was there, hiding and waiting to strike again.

"Come out or I'll signal for my soldiers to help me and find you," I threatened. I was hoping that my attacker had not realized yet that I was alone.

It only took a few seconds before a young girl appeared from behind the bush and hurried in front of me. Her clothes were just like the ones the travelers from earlier were wearing and she had a bow and arrows hanging on her back. Her blonde hair was braided messily and her brown eyes looked at me with the same fierceness as a warrior should have.

"I'm alone. You don't have to look for my companions. I beg you - my actions had nothing to do with them." She begged and fell to her knees. I noticed the firmness in her voice even though she was begging. I knew that she was facing me not because of fear but because she didn't want me to touch her companions.

I dismounted the horse and approached the girl. She looked at me, confused, as I motioned for her to rise.

"Do I look like a deer for you to hunt?" I asked, calmly. I must not forget that she just shot me with an arrow just a while ago.

"Absolutely not! Your horse, however, could earn me silvers," she answered without blinking her eyes. She wasn't intimidated at all.

"You're a thief," I concluded, frowning.

"And what of it? It's not like your morals could make me live," she retorted rolling her eyes.

I looked at her dumbfounded. I lived with a bunch of thieves for a long time and I understood their ways of living - it was for their families. But it was Main Land and the four ruling families and the councils made sure that the citizens were taken care of and helped them in improving their lives. This girl, at a young age, must be stealing and killing for personal and selfish reasons.

"You're so young. How many lives have you taken just to get a bag of silvers?" I asked, disgusted and unable to believe.

She didn't answer and I wasn't sure if I would like to hear it. She started to turn away and I didn't know what got into me. I should have just let her go at that moment but instead of letting her away, I grabbed her arm and turned her back to me.

She glared at me and then to my hand that was firmly holding her arm. "Let go of me," she demanded in a threatening low tone.

But she was just a girl and if her purpose was to threaten me then I wasn't scared. She was like a child lost in her path, I couldn't just let her wander around and steal from people.

"You have to come with me to the castle," I said and tried pulling her. Right, how are you going to do that? I tried to push aside the sarcastic voice inside my head.

Her expression changed when she heard about the castle. The fiery in her eyes faded and it was replaced by fear.

"I didn't kill anyone. That's the truth! I lost my family while travelling this morning and I just couldn't find my way to them. I swear, I'm telling the truth!" She was on the verge of crying and that was how I saw through her tough façade.

My expression softened and I loosened my grip on her scrawny arm. "I believe you," I said.

A single tear dropped from her eyes as she looked up at me. "You do?" she asked.

"Yes. If I'm not mistaken, I think I saw the people you're looking for this morning. I just don't know where they're heading," I answered. She sighed in relief when I finally let go of her arm. "However, I still need you to come with me to the castle," I continued which brought back the tears in her eyes.

"But why?" she asked.

"It's going to be dark soon and I don't think it will be safe for a child like you to wander around the forest alone at night."

"I'm thirteen. I'm not a child," she retorted.

"Still, you'll be safer in the castle."

"I doubt that," she scoffed.

I had no idea why she seemed to hate the castle that much. It would be my chance to ask her questions. If there was one thing that I've realized with this unexpected meeting, it was that I had never really completely known the Main Land - or the other facets of this land. And right at the moment, I vowed to discover more about these ghosts that were haunting the darkness of the woods.

"I promise you'll be safe there," I assured her.

Together, we mounted Argos and the beast took us to the castle as if it absolutely knew how to bring its owner back home. I received confused stares when I entered the gate of the castle and I felt the young girl cowered behind me. She must felt uncomfortable with the attention she was getting.

We were welcomed by a group of maidens by the entrance of the castle and I pushed the girl gently towards them.

"Give her clothes and a room, prepare her for dinner," I instructed with the same authority I used whenever I needed them to do something urgent.

The girl looked at me with a hint of fear and confusion in her eyes. I touched her hand and squeezed it gently. "I'll see you at dinner and then we'll properly introduce ourselves to each other. For now, I need to have a talk with my parents," I said and smiled at her.

She nodded and I motioned the maidens to bring her. I turned and walked to the other direction where I knew I would see my father and the other councils. I pushed the large door open and just like what I've expected, they were lounging and talking over a cup of tea. They straightened when they saw me walked in to the room.

"Lady Primrose, how was your little trip outside the castle," one of the council members asked. Lord William was my distant uncle and I always saw him in the castle talking and planning with my father about politics and communication with the other ruling families.

"Interesting," I answered. "I came across a feisty lone wolf and I decided to bring it home."

They weren't able to answer right away and so I took the chance to sit on the chair in front of them.

"You aren't serious, my child," my father commented.

"I am," I immediately replied. "However, that is not entirely the point of my intrusion. I have a little demand to make and considering that I've been out of the East Land for a long time, I hope that you're going to grant me this one."

My father and the other council members fixed their ears on me. It wasn't the first time that I asked for something and they were probably expecting me to say that I wanted to have another horse or a journey to the West Land or leadership training with the Frost Family. And most of the times, they approved my requests because it was either for my personal development or the Crimson Family would benefit from it. I breathed deeply before laying my card on the table.

"I want the captive pirates from the recent war in the sea transferred to the East Castle," I stated.

And for the first time, there was no sign of amusement in their eyes. They just looked at me blankly as if they didn't understand what I was saying or couldn't believe what I just said. But when they saw that I was deadly serious, my father stood up and looked at me furiously. I guessed it wouldn't be easy this time.