THE ANCIENT HUNT

WOKEN UP

Shael was woken up by the sound of serial knocks delivered on her room's wall by the governor's son which interrupted her deep sleep. She couldn't say the exact time she fell asleep but she knew it was late in the night, she couldn't sleep because her mind was filled with the thoughts of everything that had happened to her and how much she missed her original space.

"Why is he calling for me this early morning?" she grumbled as she rolled off the bed and reached for the clean cloth and water she always keep in her room, she dipped the cloth in the water and mopped her face clean before dashing out to meet her oppressor called master

"You asked for me" she said coming into the room

"Yes I did, how can you sleep so deep? I have been calling you for ages" he responded and she rolled her eyes

"I slept late thanks to someone" she replied and he stretched his neck forward

"and that someone is me?" he asked pointing to himself but she just cleared her throat instead

"What do you have for me?" she asked looking away

"Get ready, we are going somewhere in the next ten minutes" he instructed and she bowed slightly before leaving the room

She got to her room and rushed to bath and dress up within the minutes, she also got ready and stood by his door for him to come out. He didn't state where they were heading and just walked in front while she followed and didn't question him either.

They walked out of the house and headed towards the town where they walked through the market and every other places, she took her time to look around because she haven't had the time to walk around the town ever since she found herself there. she was amazed to see the market so big and filled with pretty things

"Do you like this hairpin?" he asked picking it up and placed it beside her hair to see

"I can't use such a thing, I'm a nobody" she complained and pushed his hand away but he placed it again

"Who said you are nobody? I'm giving it to you as a gift so whoever question you should meet with me instead" he replied and placed it in her hair before pulling out the mirror on the table for her to look at herself

She saw herself in the mirror and couldn't help but see the image of the palace, she remembered when she was dressed by people and not herself in the most expensive adornments and jewelries thanks to the King

"I don't think I deserve this" she replied pulling it out of her hair in surprise but he took her hand gently

"Take it, it's the gift of making me sleep soundly yesterday, it's been ages I slept that deep and happily" he said with all seriousness and she wondered what he meant by that

"You are always happy though, happy to the point of oppressing others" she muttered to herself as she clutched it between her palms but he just smiled instead

They were still walking to where she knows not when they came across the group of his friends, he stopped to greet them and they asked who she was

"She's my personal maid" he replied and they all whistled

"Oh! you have gotten yourself a new one, she's hot and beautiful though" one of them looking like a kid giraffe and that made her irritated

"You should learn how to control your mouth" another countered closing his mouth with his hand

"I didn't say anything wrong, he's such a playboy" the friend insisted and the other friend smacked his head

They talked some more while she waited there as if she was invisible before they all split up and went on their way but she couldn't get the lines of the giraffe friend out of her head

What could have happened with his previous maids? did he buy them hairpins too just to sleep with them? did he play with their hearts and discard them when he no longer needed them? will he do the same to her? she kept thinking and looking at him as they head back home but she didn't want to jump to conclusion, she will see what happens with him

*****

Adahy has been taking care of Ahiga, tending to his wounds and making sure to give him his medicine for weeks but he didn't wake up even though his vitals and body was now okay. He had finished tendering to him that morning and rose up to get some meat in the bush, he went to the bush for hours and caught a fox which be brought back home but couldn't find Ahiga no matter how much he searched for him when he went to check up on him in the room where he laid him down

"Where is he?" he muttered as he went out of the room and the house to find him

He went to the back of the house and searched everywhere but could not find him, he was about tracing him to the town when he heard a crashing sound from the back, he looked back to see him rolling down the small mountain behind the house and he hit his head on a big stone lying below the ground, immediately he fainted

"you shouldn't wander around when you have just woken up, are you trying to kill yourself?" Adahy scolded as he rushed to help him up

He carried him back to the room and tendered to his wound with the fresh one he just acquired, fed him his medicine and waited for him to wake up which he finally did the next morning

"I need water, water!" he called out as he finally woke up and Adahy went to bring some for him

He gulped it down and belched before looking around to see where he was and he sighed as he saw that he was still in the house where he woke up the previous day

"I still found myself here" he lamented and Adahy raised his eyebrow to ask what he meant by that

"What do you mean you still found yourself here? were you trying to run away when you rolled down the mountain?" he asked and Ahiga looked away in guilt

He had woken up when Adahy stepped out for hunting and wondered where he was, he looked around the house to see different equipment and weapon for hunting and fighting which scared him, he was afraid that he has been kidnapped and trapped in the house against his will so he carefully scanned the house but when he saw that he didn't see anyone, he thought it was his chance to escape so he found his way to the back of the house and climbed the mountain there, he was trying to hide from him when he saw him looking for him and held to a tree branch to hide but the branch gave way and sent him rolling to the floor

"You thought I kidnapped you?" Adahy asked in disbelief and he slowly nodded

"What of the others? did they deliver the scroll successfully?" he asked anxiously facing the poor hunter who knew nothing about what he meant about the scroll

"The scroll? and the others? who are they? what do you mean?" Adahy asked looking at him in confusion

"When you found me, didn't you see other soldiers putting on the same cloth as mine? did any of them not hold the scroll?" he asked again and Adahy tilted his head

"I didn't see any soldier aside you, I found you half dead trapped between the rocks and brought you here for treatment, you have been unconscious for weeks and no one have come to find you or ask of you, I have even concluded that you don't have any relatives" Adahy replied

"Why would I not have any relatives? of course I have! I have Morgan and Aditsan" he countered strongly

"Good for you that you have but none of them have ever searched for you so you don't have at this point" Adahy replied and it burned him

"you talk too much for someone who just woke up, don't you have any pains? you are perfectly fine? your body doesn't hurt?" he asked checking him out but Ahiga scurried away from him

"I am fine and nothing is wrong anywhere, how dare you touch my body?" he yelled covering his body with his hands

"It's fine if you don't have any pains then, I should get back to what I was doing" Adahy remarked and stood up to find his way out

Ahiga sat in the room for close to an hour trying to think about what could have happened to him at the hunt, he wondered why he was at foreign land with an unknown person taking care of him, why was he found in between the rocks? All these thoughts were flashing through his head before his stomach grumbled to signify that he was famished.

He managed to stand up and went to the kitchen where Adahy was picking herbs, he stood there for some minutes not knowing how to approach him but when his stomach roared in hunger for the second time, he had not choice but to summon courage

"Can I please have something to eat?" he asked leaning on the door

****

Ever since the market day, Shael made sure to put a boundary between her and the master's son, she would serve him what he wants or how he wanted but made sure no other feelings were attached. The governor's son noticed this but didn't question her because he understood the reason why she was like that, also he likes her and doesn't want to force anything on her, instead he wants to show her his genuine feeling.

He was out of town with his father one afternoon while she was in her room when one of the maids burst in the room

"The young master said to meet him at the mountain side now" the maid said and Shael stood still for some minutes before answering

"Meet him there? why? he didn't tell me something of such" she countered

"Then how would I know if he didn't tell me too? he said to meet him there now" the maid replied and stomped out

She dressed up and went to the said mountain side but what she found was not what she expected, she got there and was waiting for the young master when someone approached her from the back and knocked her out before carrying her off