Kapitel 11: Nightmares
Tucking her sick grandfather to bed, Oriana munched on the remaining bread and went to fetch a basin of water from the barrel outside. She then went to her own room to change into fresh clothes. After lighting the candle on the side, she removed the long cloth wrapped around her head, freeing her long hair from its tight bun.
Afterwards, cleaned herself with wet cloth, her tender and soft skin coming into sight. She tied her long hair loosely with a ribbon and removed her baggy clothes. Her hands then did quick work on the fabric wrapped around her chest, hiding those peaks from giving away her real figure.
Freed of bondage, a silhouette with a womanly figure stretched against the wooden walls of the room.
Though they had been living in the village for three months, no one had discovered that Oriana was a girl. Be it her manner of speaking or actions, she had thoroughly convinced the people she was but pretty-looking boy yet to hit puberty, despite her being twenty this year.
Due to their circumstances, her grandfather raised her as a boy, and if not for her body and her name, even Oriana herself would have forgotten her real gender.
Wearing fresh clothes, she leisurely stretched her neck and limbs, before plopping to bed. Just as she rolled on the thin mattress, she realized a mass of reddish brown hair covered her face. She combed it away with her fingers.
"I did not realize my hair had grown this long. Shall I cut it?" She idly played with a strand. "It is less troublesome to keep it short, but I don't have the heart to cut it. It's soft enough to serve as a pillow."
As she lay on bed, she could not help but be thankful for their kind neighbors. It eased her to think that even if she were not around, there were people she could trust to look after him.
Thinking about heading out tomorrow, Oriana was sorely reminded of the knife she had lost to that good-for-nothing noble named Arlan.
She remembered her grandfather's words.
'This knife is one of our family heirlooms. I am giving it to you as a gift since it is your tenth birthday. It will help you to stay away from nightmares.'
She clenched her teeth as she recalled that noble's arrogance.
'Since the day Grandpa gifted it to me, I never let it leave my side, but that brat….because of him, for the first time in years, I am sleeping without that knife with me. I can only pray I won't get those nightmares but…' she sighed. 'Just bear it for a night. Tomorrow, I will get it back from him.'
----
That same night, Arlan was restlessly tossing in bed. A thin layer of sweat covered his forehead, his hands clutching the bed sheets, his brows creased as if he was seeing an unsavory memory.
"Mother, where are you…?"
A small boy about five or six years of age was walking down an empty hallway of the palace, searching for his mother at the dead of the night. It was unusually quiet, not a single maidservant or knight in sight. The boy found himself entering his mother's chamber, only to witness the most horrifying scene a child could see.
A masked man holding a sword that pierced his mother's stomach.
"Mother!!!" the boy screamed.
Seeing the boy, the masked assassin's first response was to kill the witness. However, he could not pull out his weapon from her body—the woman grabbed the hilt with the strength of a mother fearing for her child's life. WIth that brief exchange, the assassin could only flee out of the window.
The boy, frozen in shock, could only helplessly watch as his mother collapsed on the floor, her gaze never leaving his.
In those lifeless eyes, there were tears of guilt and relief—guilt for leaving her young son to fend on his own and relief for protecting him, even if it was for the last time.
It was a memory that would forever sear into the mind of that small, innocent boy.
The boy wanted to reach out for his mother, but all of a sudden, everything around him disappeared. and the crying boy was shocked to find himself standing at the edge of a cliff.
Before he could understand the situation, a gust of wind knocked him off his feet. An enormous flying creature with fiery red eyes towered over him. The creature was so massive, those eyes were all he could see, though golden scales seemed to flicker in that darkness.
A deafeningly silent roar came out of the creature's mouth, sending him tumbling down the edge. The small boy could only flail in fright as he fell deeper and deeper down the endless darkness.
A sense of overwhelming despair filled the young Arlan, knowing for some reason that death awaits him at the bottom…
"Little flower, don't be scared."
A soothing voice of a woman pulled him out of the darkness, wrapping him with fuzzy warmth. His surroundings were a patch of soft colors, and he felt great comfort as he heard her melodious laughter.
"Did you miss me, little flower?"
He felt her caressing his head. A sweet voice, a gentle touch, but could not see the face of their owner.
"Are you happy to see me?"
It was a one-sided conversation. Only the woman could speak, and Arlan found himself unable to respond. He was content though, as if listening to her talk was the most natural thing in the world.
But it was a happiness cut short.
The woman was swallowed in darkness, leaving him helpless and alone. The ground underneath him gave way. This time, there was no one to save him. He was plunging down to his death.
Arlan woke up like a drowning man gasping for life. His entire body reeked of sweat, his breathing ragged, and he could only force his trembling body to sit up in bed and bury his face in his hand.
Once he got his emotions back in control, he rested his back against the headboard and closed his eyes.
'It has been so long since I had this nightmare.'
It was a memory that haunted him since childhood. He clenched his fists as rage began to burn deep in his heart.
'Mother, I will make sure to find both the assassin and the one who plotted to kill you. I will never rest till they suffer, they'd rather beg me for their own death. I vow that they will regret being born in this world.'
This was not the first, and probably not the last, that Arlan dreamed of this nightmare. Though the pain of his mother's cruel death did not lessen, it no longer visibly upset him as it did to his younger self.
His thoughts drifted towards the female voice in his dream.
'I wonder who she is. Whenever I have a nightmare, it feels like she comes to comfort me.'
That voice neither belonged to his mother nor his sister, nor any of the women in the palace. It was impossible for Arlan to not recall a woman he had met, not to mention this woman was close enough to him to casually touch his head.
'Why can I not remember her face?'
Whenever she appeared in his dreams, she was shrouded in mystery, with only her voice as his lead.
'I need to find this woman too. How can I ignore the woman who never fails to comfort me during my darkest time?'
------
On the other side of the forest, within the wooden cabin of a nameless village, Oriana had curled herself into a ball. Her body was trembling, her hands covering her ears as if she didn't want to hear anything.
An expression of horror colored her face.
'Esmeray…Esmeray…'
A deep, menacing voice, as if it came out from the hollows of a cave, kept calling out that name, sometimes whispering, at times shouting. It was a disorienting experience, the source of the haunting voice giving birth to the suffocating darkness wrapping itself around Oriana.
'Esmeray, return to us. You have to return.'
'Come back where you belong, Esmeray.'
"Go away…" she mumbled in her sleep. "Leave me alone…"
'Esmeray, wait patiently for me. I will come for you… It is but a matter of time…'
"No, go away…please…" she continued to mumble as tears rolled down her eyes. "Go away—"
With a loud gasp, Oriana woke up, her hands on her chest as her heart was racing so fast, it hurt her ribcage.
It was as if she had discovered air for the first time after suffering from suffocation. Her long hair a mess, Oriana sat up in bed, rubbing her arms as her shoulders trembled in fear..
'This nightmare again.' She took deep, steady breaths to calm herself. 'Who is this man who keeps calling me Esmeray? It does not feel like a memory, more like someone trying to speak to me in my dreams…'
She moved her hand under her pillow to check for her talisman. It was empty.
'My knife, where—'
Only then did she recall it was taken away from her.
'I need to get that knife back. I hope that noble brat keeps his promise and gives it back tomorrow. I can't stand having this nightmare every damn night.'
It didn't take her much time to collect herself and she lay back in the sheets, staring at the wooden beams on the ceiling. She could not sleep— or more like, she dared not close her eyes, scared to hear that haunting voice again.
'Let the sun rise early, let the morning come fast. Let this darkness disappear soon.'
Kapitel 12: Boots
The moment Oriana spied the first rays of sunlight seeping through the cracks of her boarded up window, she shot out of bed with dark circles around her eyes. She could not wait to start her day.
Though the lack of sleep made her body heavy as a rock, it was better than suffering from that suffocating nightmare.
'If only there is no such thing as sleep…'
She began putting on clothes—a pure black long-sleeved undershirt secured at the waist with the belt, followed by a loose-fitting jacket and a pair of baggy trousers and sturdy hunting boots. Afterwards, she pulled her long reddish brown hair into a tight bun, before wrapping a black cloth around her head, leaving only her unadorned face uncovered.
The young woman Oriana disappeared, replaced by the herb-collecting lad known as Orian.
When she stepped out of her room, she found her grandfather already awake and preparing their morning meal.
"Good morning, Grandpa," Oriana greeted the old man, who was carrying a woven basket in his hand.
"Good morning, Ori," the old man replied with a crinkly smile. Seeing those shadows under her eyes, he scolded her, "Why are you up early? You should have slept a little longer. Weren't you tired yesterday?"
"I slept well, Grandpa, and now I'm bursting with energy." She noticed the basket. "Are you going to get vegetables?"
When he nodded, she took the basket from him. "Let me get them then."
There was a small plot of land in the backyard of the cabin where they could grow vegetables.
The old man could only helplessly shake his head as he headed out to light the firewood in the extended kitchen in the front yard..
It was an ordinary morning for Oriana and her grandfather. After eating, Oriana would have the old man drink his medications, and they would either do some basic chores like mending clothes, cutting firewood or tending to their vegetable garden, or talk about herbs and medicines.
Oriana became interested in the study of plants due to the old man's condition. Before his health deteriorated, the old man was a mercenary, and he taught Oriana everything he knew about wild herbs. Though she did learn how to differentiate herbs from her grandfather, most of her knowledge was learned from books available in the market as well as from personal experience.
She soon got her grandfather to rest while she busied herself checking which herbs were missing in stock for the old man's medicine. She made a list to buy for when she returns to the city later.
"Orian, are you in?" a small, somewhat shy voice called out from outside. A brown-haired girl around the age of eleven or twelve was peeking at her from the doorway, looking at her with admiration. She was a bashful girl with heavyset features, no doubt her build would grow similar to her mother once she reached adulthood.
Oriana looked at the timid girl with a smile. "Come inside. What brings you here, Rina?"
The girl obediently entered and stood in front of the table where Oriana was arranging herbs.
"Mother asked me to call you to our house," the girl replied.
"Anything important?" Oriana asked while immersed in her work.
"Not sure," the girl replied.
Oriana stopped what she was doing and wiped her hands clean before leaving her house to go to the wooden cabin opposite to hers. The cabin where Aunt Gwen and her family of four lived was twice as large as her own home. There were also two chickens running around in their front yard.
"Aunt Gwen? Rina says you called?"
Just as Oriana entered the warm home, a familiar scent filled her senses.
The woman approached the dining table and gestured for Oriana to come close. "Have a taste, Orian. My husband brought back apples from town last night so I made some of them into sweet apple pie. Eat it while it's still warm."
"Thank you, Aunt Gwen!"
Oriana happily accepted the offer and started to eat the delicacy with relish. Rina sat opposite to her, staring at Oriana's face.
Under such intense scrutiny, Oriana touched her own face. "Is there dirt on my face?"
"No," the girl answered as she turned away, yet her eyes kept on glancing at Oriana.
'Orian is so handsome and polite, while the other boys in the village are ugly and dirty and mean.' Rina sighed inwardly. 'When Father chooses my husband in the future, I will surely ask him to marry me off to Orian's family. It would be nice to have Orian as my husband.'
Oriana would have laughed had she known what the young girl was thinking.
Just then, a person entered the wooden cabin.
It was a tanned young man about eighteen years of age, with a pair of deep-set brown eyes and messy tangled hair that touched his broad shoulders. He was a muscular guy, and the open area of the dirty white short tunic he was wearing showed the lines of his strong chest. A longbow and a quiver of arrows were slung over his shoulder, the most favored weapon of a hunter.
"Luke, you are back early!" Aunt Gwen said as she looked at her son who handed over a bag of fruits to her. "Where is your father? Is he back as well? You must be tired, come eat."
Rina's older brother, Luke, turned his eyes towards Oriana. "You are here?"
"I sent some of the pies to our neighbors, but I have to call Orian over since his grandpa, Old Phil, is not allowed to eat sweets," his mother answered.
Luke sat on the small stool next to his sister.
Seeing that the little girl did not even notice his arrival, he lightly hit the back of his sister's head. With Oriana in the room, it was nothing new to see this behavior of his sister.
"Ouch, brother! You are so violent!"
"Get me water," he ordered her, voice firm that she could not disobey him. She immediately ran to get water.
"How was your hunt yesterday, Luke?" Oriana asked him.
"Good," he replied. Unlike his chatterbox of a mother, Luke was a man of few words.
Rina passed a cup of water to her brother before turning towards Oriana. "Father and Brother caught a wild boar along with a handful of pheasants yesterday and earned a lot from selling the tusk and the meat to the butcher in town. Last night, they brought a new dress for me. Let me show you!"
The little girl immediately pulled out a dress from a wooden chest. It was a dainty yellow dress with ribbons on the skirt. "How is it?"
Orians admired the dress. "That's beautiful. You will look like a fairy princess in it."
Rina could help but giggle. "Should I wear it now and show you?"
Luke glanced at his sister. "Don't bother Orian."
Rina's face fell, and she put the dress back with a big pout on her face. Meanwhile, Luke stood up towards a drawer and pulled out a large sackcloth bag. He passed it to Oriana. "This is for you."
"For me?" Oriana blinked in surprise. She put the pie in her hand down and curiously opened the bag. It was a pair of new boots.
Oriana eyed the young man munching on a slice of pie. "Boots?"
Luke simply nodded, and his gaze deliberately glanced in the direction of Oriana's feet. She was wearing sturdy leather boots, but they were visibly worn out from use, the part near the left ankle even torn and fixed with a thread. Though it would not affect mobility, such a damage would make the wearer uncomfortable if it gets wet.
"Thank you so much, Luke," she replied happily. "I will make sure to return—"
"A gift for you," he interrupted her, "You can throw away the mess you are wearing."
Oriana was touched. For so long, it had always been her and her grandfather relying on each other. She could not even remember the last time she received a gift from another person.
Checking out the boots on her feet, she realized they were really not in a good condition. She pulled out an awkward smile. "I…was planning to buy a new one but I simply didn't get the time."
Luke didn't reply to her as he continued eating while Aunt Gwen said, "Orian, which reminds me, I called you here to take your body measurements."
Oriana looked at the woman in shock. "M-Measurement? Why?"
The woman explained, "I am making new clothes for my children. There is more than enough spare fabric to make one for you as well. It's been three months since this village was founded. Back then, my family and yours happened to meet on our way to this forest. I remember seeing you wear the same clothes everyday. I understand the black fabric is good for camouflaging in the forest, but you are a dashing young lad— you need to wear some nice clothes from time to time."
"That is very sweet of you, but I am fine, Aunt Gwen. In fact I grew too attached to wearing this kind of loose clothes, so much that I won't feel comfortable if I wear others."
However, the woman thought Orian was merely being polite.
"You don't need to be hesitant to get help from me, Orian. I understand there are no ladies in your family who pay attention to these things for you. But I am here, it won't take a time to make clothes for you. Why don't you try wearing one like Luke's?"
'Like Luke's?' Oriana faced the muscular young man and could not imagine herself wearing such clothes. A single layer of clothing, a snug tunic that showed off not only the top half of his chest, it also emphasized the taut muscles of his strong arms.
Oriana paled at the thought of exposing her slender arms and her thin feminine body. Not to mention the chest area…
"Let me get a measurement," the woman came to her, holding a strip of marked fabric. Oriana stood up from her place as if she was hit by lightning.
Orian stepped back, inching towards the doorway. "Aunt Gwen, I just remembered I am concocting medicine in the pot and I cannot let it boil unattended. For measurement, how about I send you a shirt of my size? I need to leave!"
Oriana hurried out of their home even before anyone could say a word.
Gwen was about to call her back, but Luke stopped her.
"If he doesn't want to, then don't push him, Mother."
"I was just trying to be…"
"I am sure he understands your concern" Luke interrupted to which his mother could only shrug.
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