“Oh, Aelis! Look!” Rosalia gripped Aelis’s cotton, worse for wear tunic due to the extensive damage from giant bee attacks and monster beetle wrestling, and she pointed. By now, Aelis’s vision had broken into a thousand pieces of a sparkling hallucination from dehydration along with starvation, and so she had to make a great effort to follow the line from Rosalia’s finger to the thing at which it was directed. Rosalia’s excitement was hardly matched by Aelis’s; they had been travelling for four days in the northern direction without much avail, and she began to wonder if Otto hadn’t just played them for fools and taunted them with the hope of survival.
She squinted with some skepticism against the glinting rays from a daybreak sun peeking out from behind winter-darkened branches and stubborn leftover leaves. I wouldn’t have been the first time that Rosalia had pointed something out in the distance that had looked like a silhouette of some hint of civilization. Aelis couldn’t blame her. More likely than not, Rosalia was probably just as delusional as she was; and the condition of her foot had only worsened since the day of their escape from the orphanage. Although Rosalia hadn’t made a sound of complaint, her face was pale and her lips tightened every time the inflamed limb grazed the floor. The travelling did the injury no good.
Aelis abandoned her attempts at locating whatever it was Rosalia had gotten excited over to help her lean against the tangled, snow-dusted roots. Aelis looked searched Rosalia’s eyes, her brows furrowed in concentration, reading the other girl. “I don’t see anything, Rosalia.” Aelis’s lips were set, pursed with worry. They had been stopping more frequently not only because of the worsening swollen ankle but because the cold had been sapping their strength in steady, parasitic sips. She hooked her arms under Rosalia’s to help her down, but weakness had taken its toll in her limbs and muscles; her arms and knees gave and both girls crashed to ground with a muted thud against the spiraling roots and the surrounding sea of more trees.
“Sorry.” Aelis had no energy to even lift her head from Rosalia’s shoulder.
“It’s alright,” Rosalia said dazedly. Pain was nothing now; it used to come in increments, but by the third day, everything hurt with a constant pain, and so more hurt would go unnoticed. Without thinking she held Aelis closer. “It’s alright, Aelis. There’s a city,” Rosalia had to pause to catch her breath, “just a little further down.” She smiled with sadness hanging upon the corner of her lips and buried her face into the crook of Aelis’s neck, and breathed in the scent of blood, sweat, grime, and a hint of calla lilies. So it really was her scent.
Tears sprung to Aelis’s eyes, “But I don’t see anything.” They weren’t going to make it even after all of the running and dragon-fighting and beetle-wrestling and dying. Aelis clenched her jaw tight until they became sore, using all of the will that was left in the crevices of her mind to stop herself from sobbing. It was hopeless. But for now – and perhaps it was just the thirst for human contact – Rosalia’s embrace was comforting; there was warmth even though her limbs had long been stiff with cold, and she held on even tighter.
“There really is something,” Rosalia breathed against Aelis’s neck, “it’s true, this time...” If they hadn’t been so close, Aelis doubted that she would have heard the trailing statement. She felt Rosalia get heavier against her and the arms around her slacken their hold.
“Rosalia,” Aelis mumbled. No answer. Aelis snapped to attention and broke herself from Rosalia and called out to her again. Rosalia was slumped over. Aelis spoke louder, “Hey, you can’t sleep now – it’s not safe.” There was a waver in her voice. Aelis propped Rosalia’s limp form against the tree and shook her gently, “Rosalia?” A knot formed on her throat as she wracked her brain for answers. Her eyes darted back and forth, looking for signs of Hostia or other hungry beasts, like dragons, lurking beyond the thick tree trunks and protruding roots.
Quickly, Aelis pushed Rosalia further into the crevice between enormous tangling roots, tucking Otto’s cloak behind the unconscious girl’s arms and legs. The cold air had been nippy before, but against bare skin, it was biting. She gulped and exhaled a shaky breath, her entire body shivering, and could barely reach her arms out to haul herself up. Water. There had to be water somewhere. She strained her ears for any sounds of dripping, any hint of droplets, but it was the end of winter, and the land was still a frozen waste.
Aelis was also reluctant to leave Rosalia’s unconscious form – Hostia weren’t picky about whether their food was fresh or frozen. She looked around frantically, only managing to put messy footprints in the snow and wishing that she had survival skills other than pickpocketing. Her eyes widened at a sudden realization. With great effort and a grunt, Aelis hoisted herself up upon the upper layer of the roots. After regaining her balance, she bent forth and extended her shaking hands into small indentation between roots, cupping a handful of snow.
Her breaths were coming in hitched, broken puffs of white. The snow burned her hand with cold, numbing them further as she tried to stay her hand. Aelis slid back down to where Rosalia lay with a graceless thump, and brought her hands to her torso, warming the snow. By the time the snow had melted, half the water in her hands had slipped between her fingers onto her shirt, and when she brought her cupped hands to Rosalia’s chapped lips, the water had been shaken out of the makeshift cup.
Aelis hissed in frustration and made a second trip up the roots. After slipping to and fro and several near heart attacks, she managed to collect a larger handful of snow. Aelis tumbled back down and dreaded what she was about to do – it’s alright; she’ll use exhaustion and hypothermia as excuses for this mad decision. The snow touched her quivering lips, and Aelis took a bite, squeezing her eyes shut from the imminent brain freeze and teeth numbing sting. It melted in her mouth, but she held it there with clenched teeth that staunched the chattering.
As soon as it melted, she parted Rosalia’s lips with her thumb, running their along its seam. Aelis sealed Rosalia’s chapped lips within her own, transferring the slightly warmed liquid in small amounts. But most of the water had trickled down onto Otto’s cloak. Aelis shuffled into a more comfortable position propping a leg against a sturdy root for balance and held the handful of snow close. Her hands felt like they were being crushed by a giant piece of cold iron; her fingers had become swollen and red, and they were so stiff that she was inclined to speak for them to move. She supported the back of Rosalia’s neck this time and tried again.
Aelis pulled back in relief as Rosalia’s eyes fluttered open. “Rosalia!” Aelis beamed, “You’re okay!” Rosalia blinked up around her, still disoriented and drifting between unconsciousness and delusion. Aelis wiped her grinning lips upon her arm.
“Aelis? What happened?” Rosalia’s blinked, looking around to grasp her bearings. She brought a hand to her lips at the unfamiliar but welcome moistness – where had the other girl managed to happen upon water? Knowing Aelis, Rosalia decided that she didn’t want to know and would instead just be grateful. When she tried to sit up, her arms failed her, and she ended up slipping back down against the tree.
Aelis turned around, feeling ambitious, and motioned for Rosalia to hold on. If nothing else worked, Aelis would simply carry the other girl around. “Hold onto the cloak, too,” Aelis half-turned to Rosalia to speak. After a moment’s hesitation, Rosalia obliged. With a grunt, Aelis rose to her feet, fighting the pressure upon her knees and thighs, the new weight on her back threatening to topple them both to the ground. “Where’s the city,” Aelis huffed..
Rosalia could only point. She wondered where Aelis had gotten the second wind; she sure could use one now as well to have herself the embarrassment of having to be piggy-backed around. Refusing to be a piece of baggage, Rosalia wrapped the cloak about herself and Aelis, covering the girl’s chest as best she could.
They had travelled well into the night and had only rested when Aelis’s endurance failed. Aelis couldn’t tell what time it was, but there was a hint of light blue to the east, and the sound of birds broke the silence of the night. There had been fewer Hostia sightings as they travelled further, so Aelis took it as a good sign. When dawn finally broke, they heard it first – the tolling bell that signaled sunrise, then the sound of cart wheels began to clatter against cobblestone, and it was as if, slowly, the world came to life with the sounds of people shouting orders and clanging armor and doors opening.
“Rosalia, look! We’re close! Is it okay? Can you hold on? I can’t carry you if you don’t hold on,” Aelis said with excitement, prompting Rosalia to look up and nod. With a grin, Aelis stepped into the clearing. The city walls were hardly grand; there were cracks and seams that ran across and over the crumbling stone and every so often, a piece of stone would loosen and clatter to the ground. Aelis glanced up, reveling in its height. There wouldn’t be petty trespassers. But if a hand went into that little crevice there, and a foot over there, with a little leaping –
“Aelis! Pay attention,” Rosalia scolded and pointed to guards at the gate. Aelis reluctantly took her eyes off the aged wall and glanced at the guards.
Aelis, turned to whisper, “They’re checking papers.” Aelis thought for a moment. “Hey, just, pretend to be passed out – but don’t let go! I can’t carry you myself,” she said without thinking.
Rosalia rolled her eyes, “No, Aelis, that’s not going to work.”
Aelis blinked, and looked at Rosalia with a hint of disappointment. “What? Why not?”
“Look,” Rosalia gestured to a man clad in armor removing a weeping middle-aged woman with child. “No one needs more homeless.”
Aelis frowned. “They can’t just do that, can they?”
Rosalia looked at Aelis with pity. “They can do as they please,” she said coolly. “Now, drop me.”
Aelis looked at her with an incredulous expression. “What?”
“Did I stutter? Drop me, Aelis— Ow!” Rosalia glared up at Aelis, who looked back at her with complete innocence.
“What?”
“You know what. You get in when you get the chance.” Rosalia looked at Aelis in a new light – she supposed she deserved being tossed to the ground.
“What about you?” Genuine concern and skepticism shone through Aelis’s cinnamon eyes.
Rosalia gave her a sly grin through pale exhaustion. “I’ll be fine.” She fumbled with the top couple of buttons on her blouse. Sighing in frustration she turned to Aelis, “Aelis. Tear my blouse – just a little though, these buttons.”
Aelis gaped at her, “Er…okay.” Shakily, she leaned down, and took the shirt in her hands and popped the buttons. Rosalia screamed – something in between shock and fear. “What?! What’s wrong?” Aelis jumped back in panic, her heart almost popping out of her chest.
Rosalia jerked her head and motioned for her to hide as the cry earned the attention of one of the guards. Aelis grabbed the cloak and dived back into the woods, watching, when the guard sped his way to Rosalia. She watched in amusement as Rosalia began sobbing.
“I—I was attacked. It was a man, he ran.” Rosalia’s sentences were broken by artfully placed hiccups and hitches in breathing. “L—look! He, tore my shirt.” A few more carefully placed stutters and the guard had helped her up, staring at her chest, then looking away, and glancing back again. It was apparent that this one was a new recruit – his eyes were too full of life and honor, Aelis decided. She peeked out a little more daringly from behind a tree as he helped Rosalia to his partner.
The gate guards seemed preoccupied with the pretty damsel describing the alleged attacker, so Aelis took the chance to scale the wall. It wasn’t anything that was new to her, but she was unsure of whether her body would cooperate for such a feat. She threw the cloak around her shoulders and tied the string, looping it with un-deft fingers. The dagger, Aelis kept at the tie of her tunic. Taking a few hops to shake out her muscles, Aelis loaded her legs, and leapt, reaching for a sturdy looking protrusion.
It was harder than she expected. Aelis kicked her toe into the wall for traction. She was stuck in a quasi-dangle of sorts, her foot sliding gradually as her grip waned. With a thrust of power, she stretched for another jutting stone, and gained some footing. It was uncomfortable and slightly disconcerting that grains of gravel came off at the wake of her grip. She scanned the remaining height of the wall for her path and leapt. Her movements were as graceful as they could have been for starved human being, but they were familiar and automatic.
She was gasping for breath when she reached the top, pushing herself up to peer over the edge and swung her leg over the wall, seeing that the coast was indeed a back alley. Without the energy for another climb, Aelis opted for a faster means of travel and jumped. In ordinary circumstances, she would have been able to land with grace, but as soon as her feet hid the dirt floor, her knees buckled, landing her on her rear. She winced and muffled a groan. Rosalia was waiting.
Aelis fixed the cloak to cover the massive bloodstain on the front of her shirt, wrapping the large piece of cloth around her front like a towel and using the rope about her waist that held her tunic to tie the cloak. All around, people bustled – some were peasants, she figured, they were unarmed, regular folk. But other wore armor – not uniformed ones – their appearances were mercenary-like, but clean. There was, however, one thing in common of these folk; they had a dagger similar to the one Otto had given her attached to their belts or hip or back. It was as if it was some sort of emblem to be respected; even the patrol guards saluted these folk.
She tailed one of the mercenary folk to take a closer look at the item – it wasn’t the same. Hers had no crest etched upon it. The man hurriedly shooed her off. After a moment of thought, she pulled the dagger forth and slid it carefully into her makeshift belt, only allowing the hilt and some of the blade to glint in the morning sun. She looked around a little more, spotting a fountain in the middle of what seemed to be the city square and rushed over to clean herself. A quick double check for dirt and grime confirmed that she was somewhat presentable, so Aelis rushed to the front gate, recognizing Rosalia’s voice.
“But, this is the only family I have! Please, sir, surely you could let me through!” Rosalia had her grip on the guards shoulder more for balance than effect. Clearly the two guards had no clue what to do with an “assaulted” female.
“I’m sorry, miss. You just don’t have documentation…” At least he was consistent.
“But—“ Rosalia started.
“Sister!” Aelis bounded to the girl and tore her from the guard, pulling her into a tight, affectionate embrace. Rosalia looked surprised at Aelis’s brushed up appearance before pressing her face into Aelis’s shoulder with a cry. “I thought you were dead! You were supposed to be here two days ago – I sent letter back, too. I was hoping that you had postponed our arrangement instead of— ” Aelis feigned a look of shock. “What happened?” She turned to the guard with her own faux tears, “What happened to her? Oh she looks like – You saved her, sir?”
Without waiting for a reply Aelis smiled at him, “Thank you! I’ll be sure to let your commander know!” She feigned a concerned turn towards Rosalia, showing off the glint at her hip.
“Y—you’re welcome, miss.” He turned to his partner and lowered his voice, “Serdic…” The guard glanced at his partner in recognition, mouthing the word “Latroci.”
The other guard nodded to his partner then at Aelis. With a flirtatious smile he said, “You’ll have to forgive my partner Harry. He’s new.”
“No worries. Thanks for your help!” Aelis rushed Rosalia through the gate. Her heart was felt as if it was about to burst; they could very well have been locked up and killed. As soon as they were out of earshot and sight and safely into an abandoned alley, Aelis and Rosalia slumped to the ground with a sigh of relief.
Aelis felt Rosalia’s familiar weight against her shoulder. “I didn’t think we’d get in,” Rosalia laughed.
Aelis exclaimed with a disbelieving laugh. “You were the one with the idea!” Aelis pouted, “I don’t believe you. Giving me the harder job…” Aelis glanced pulled out the dagger to observe it casually. “Maybe, I’ll let you go get the food and water this time.”
Rosalia on shifted her weight closer to Aelis – this feeling had become familiar. “Sure, if you want to starve to death.”
Latroci. Aelis wondered what it meant, holding the dagger against the sun. She shoved the thought from her mind at the sound of Rosalia’s even breathing. They could still die without food and water. Aelis dug through some garbage, finding unwanted straw. It was better than nothing. She spread the straw about Rosalia’s sleeping form and made her way into the city. For now, she would be a thief.