I wake up, and someone has taken the gag out of my mouth. Sistine is standing over me. She had grabbed my wrists. I noticed a bright red mark on her face, and I remembered that I thrash around in my sleep.
"Are you alright, love? What happened?" asks Sistine. She holds my head in her hands until I steady my breathing. Things like this had never happened before except with Leon.
"I have nightmares," I say," of my sister Lorela's death. I scream and I don't like scaring people." Quite true. I rarely told anyone about Lorela.
"So you weren't attacked?"
I shake my head. "How did you hear me?"
She shrugs. "Years of living with wolves, I guess." Like me. I feel a surge of warmth, that I can trust this girl. I've grown up learning not to trust anyone; yet, I trust Sistine.
"That's incredible! Why did you live with wolves?"
" "I'm not exactly sure. I don't remember anything except blurry images of my parents faces. I remember my brother vividly, though. His name was Hagen. I have nightmares about seeing him beaten to death in the streets. As much as I've never wanted it to be true, I've began to accept it."
"Your brother was killed? Do you know why?"
"All I remember is the man yelling, 'Where are they'. I don't know anything else. The only clue of my family is this locket." She pulls the circular locket out of her tunic, opens it, and takes out the paper. The paper is delicate; it almost reminds me of a letter from Lorela I have. I finger the cursive slowly.
"I don't know how to read, but for some reason, I've always known what it says. 'We'll come back.'"
"You've stayed here ever since."
"What choice did I have? It was stay here or have a thief reputation everywhere. It's not that I try to be a thief. I just- am."
"Well, for a thief you're pretty trustworthy." I wink. I've met many thieves, but none like Sistine.
"Thank you."
I smile. "I know how it feels to be you. I don't remember much about my past either. I've had a strange life." True. I don't remember anything up until Lorela and Ben found me. I didn't even know English or what my age/last name was.
I shake my head, not really wanting to elaborate on it. It's how I got my scars. I stand, and hold out my hand to Sistine. She grabs it and I pull her up.
"What do you say to a little late night dueling?" I ask.
"You're on," she says, grinning while twisting her knife. I pick up my sword from the ground and give it a swish.
"On guard!" My moves are graceful and purposeful. This was what I was trained to do. Sistine ducks and rolls to not get hurt. I lift my sword and she sallies behind me, knocking me to the ground. I swiftly stand and elbow her in the face. She stumbles back, and before she can get her bearings, I swing my sword and accidentally graze her right cheek.
"I am so sorry!" I exclaim.
Sistine quickly drops to the ground and swipes her leg, throwing me to the ground. She then scrambles up and puts a barefoot on my back and her knife on the nape of my neck.
"It's perfectly okay," she replies, a hint of humor in her voice. She backs off and helps me up. We shake hands.
"Well played, Sistine."
"Please call me Tina. Same to you, Naidia." I bow my head humbly, and we both look at the rising sun.
"Please call me Naid."
"We should get back to Alton." "Aye. We don't want him to miss us for too long." We both laughed. It was going to be a interesting day.
However, I'm still wondering. Why did Sistine look for me?
It's not like I've known Tina for a while. I've barely known her for a day.
Yet she already knows some of the most important things about me. She doesn't know about Leon, but that I can tell her later.
We walk in silence. By the time we get back to camp, Alton is awake.
"Where were you two?
"Dueling."
"This early in the morning?"
"Yes."
Alton looks at both of us like we're crazy. I smile back at him, and Tina just laughs. We make an odd bunch, the 3 of us. A Captain, a Lieutenant, a thief. All different people who's paths intertwined. Like Leon and I.
*Flashback*
"Captain Lorela, we have caught a thief."
A young Naidia looks up from her books as her sister Lorela is called.
"Lore-Lore, can I come with you?" asks Naidia.
"Sure..just don't get lost."
"Yay!" They both stand up, and Lorela takes the lead. They go deeper into the palace. Finally, they arrive at the cell.
In the cell, a green-eyed, red-haired, tall boy stands in the cell. He looks to be only about 14.
"Leon. What did you steal this time?"
"Nothing."
"Then why are you here?"
"Fine. I stole a necklace.."
"From who?"
"Someone."
Naidia steps out from Lorela and looks at Leon.
"And who might this girl be?"
"My sister, Naidia."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Naidia."
Naidia doesn't speak. Instead, she runs up the stairs, and runs right into Alton.
"What are you doing, Naidia?"
"Getting away from them."
"Them?"
"Lorela and someone."
"I'll assume that since she is having a conversation with him that he is Leon."
"I think that's what she said his name was."
"Yep. Well, at least you've met him. He gets arrested a lot."
"Odd."
*Flashback End*
It was paths like that. Paths like Tina and mine. Regina and Charles. Alton and Lorela.
Paths like that can change everything. Paths that can intertwine with people you never knew you would meet. Paths that could lead to heartbreak or friendship.
Like Leon and I. 2 people who were never destined to meet. Leon had written a poem once, just to describe us.
"Only thieves kiss with their eyes open,"
She said to me
As I held her hand.
I never knew that
How she could know
So much about me.
A thief
And a Captain
Both young
Both in love
Both different.
I always loved that poem.
Remember the games we used to play, Leon?
Remember the days with Clever?
Remember when we went to the forest?
Remember when we sat under a tree, cloud-watching, and you told me you loved me??
I miss you Leon. I miss you a lot.
I miss everyone. This is the longest, since I've met them, that I've been apart from a lot of them. I miss all of them, Leon, Marnie, even Beth.
But I must keep moving, to find Regina. Finding Regina is the only reason I met Sistine; I owe so much to having to find her.
Alton. He hasn't mentioned anything about finding Regina. He's just acted like this is normal. This is not normal. This is not just a regular day where we go on quests to save the Duchess.
This is not normal.
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