A young girl hugged against the tree she was hiding behind. It made her feel safe, and from here the girl could clearly see the dark haired woman in the open space before her, sitting on a large moss covered log with her hands in her lap and eyes closed.
The dark haired woman was in contrast to the small girl who waited just as patiently, watching the trees behind the woman. The girl had blonde hair which came in swift curls down her straight back, and a round curious face. Her eyes were as blue as the sky was that day, peeking through the leaves of summer as if also peering into the forest below.
The girl had heard about how honourable it was to be an Araman and catch a Unisayan with a knight of Verxia, as this woman was doing now.
Not much detail had been given to the small child about what would happen after the Unisayan was paralyzed by the Araman’s touch. They had thought it would be inappropriate for her to know at such a young age.
The royal adviser, Dergen, had disagreed. He had insisted upon taking the girl to see a Unisayan hunt personally. The King refused at first, but slowly wavered as he always did under his advisors dominating presence.
The advisor was only young but had learnt well from his father before him how to manipulate people; including the nobility of Fardonmeria, the name of the four great kingdoms of the land. One of which, the young girl had heard, had been lost many years ago, although its castle by the sea still stood tall, if you could find where it was hidden.
Suddenly, anticipation tightened the girl’s stomach when she saw something silver moving closer in the trees. The woman had sensed it too and she opened her dark eyes but did not turn to look. Then, slowly out from the trees, came a Unisayan.
The girl suppressed a gasp of surprise at how magnificent the animal was. It was pure white, sleek and agile in the way it walked towards the Araman, who sat as still as a statue on the log.
The creature did not hesitate to lay its beautiful head in the woman’s lap. She stroked its glossy silk mane, but did not look in its eyes. She was looking up at the knight, waiting silently in the tree above for her signal.
The concealed girl would have seen him too if she hadn’t been so engrossed in the mysterious animal before her. She yearned to stroke it, to feel close to what seemed like nature itself. Life itself…
She felt herself shuffle closer and didn’t prevent the slow advance forward… until it happened.
She saw from her half obscured position the Araman’s delicate hands move slowly from the Unisayan’s mane, to its almost glowing horn, blue and glittering. Then both the woman’s hands were wrapped around it tightly.
The creature stiffened and became paralyzed by the Araman’s touch. Only then did the woman’s dark eyes meet the Unisayan’s. But it wasn’t looking at her. It was staring at the girl, now paused a few steps into the clearing, who watched in horror as a silver tear fell down the Unisayan’s cheek to the soft ground.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared the knight next to the two figures. Brandishing his sword, the handsome man walked closer and brought down the silver blade in a majestic swing. This time the girl did gasp, but she was not heard over the smash of breaking glass which echoed around the forest.
But it wasn’t glass that was broken. It was the sound the Unisayan horn had made when the man’s sword smashed it from its core. Though the sound was deceiving, for the horn did not appear cracked when the young girl saw it as both knight and Araman passed her when the deed was done.
She saw the knight hold up the undamaged horn in victory, then lift the Araman into his muscular arms and they kissed passionately as they walked back to camp. The girl, unnoticed by both of them, took a step into the clearing towards where the abandoned Unisayan body lay.
It was still as magnificent in death as it had been in life. She was definitely too young to see such a thing.
Not hearing the approaching footsteps behind her, the girl did not turn. Instead, she continued to stare at the Unisayan. Lifeless and hornless. Silently she decided a disgraceful deed had taken place here.
One she did not intend to repeat.
The footsteps that had been approaching behind her stopped. She became aware of someone stood beside her. A strong hand fell on her shoulder.
“You are to be part of this, Raliena.” A voice said in her ear as the hand squeezed her slightly. She looked up at the young man stood with her. It was Dergen.
He was too close for comfort as usual and had a sleek charm about him that unnerved the young girl. Dergen was older than Raliena, but her approaching coming of age meant the consultant's intentions towards the girl, was often warily whispered amongst the castle staff.
“It is an honour and your duty. You were born into it. And you will relish it.”
He walked away after these words, laughing to himself, leaving Raliena to her haunted thoughts. After a moment, once he had gone, she walked closer to the Unisayan. Tears ran down her cheeks.
Falling on her knees in front of it, Raliena stroked its silky mane with shaking hands. Tearing a piece from her underskirt, she cleaned the silver wound around the Unisayan’s head. The place where the horn had been was now an open gash, as if it had been ripped from the creature, like a tree ripped from its roots.
Blood seeped through the cloth onto her hands but she got the lesion clean. She discarded the silver blood stained cloth and laid her tear wet cheek on the Unisayan’s hornless head.
Raliena straightened up again, still on the ground her emotions took over, making her cry and grip the grass either side of her with blood stained hands. Vowing that, whatever happened, she would not put a Unisayan through this.
She did have a choice…
In that state, it took her a while to realise her hands were glowing slightly. She saw them out of the corner of her eye and thought it was the blood at first. But when she held them up before her she discovered that it wasn’t the blood. It was her hands.
Once she had gotten over the initial confusion she noticed that the wound on the cold body before her was also glowing in the same perplexing shade of blue.
Without thinking, Raliena put both hands onto the injury. It felt slightly warm and increased in temperature as the glowing intensified. She had to close her eyes from the brightness and as she did, she felt the gash sew itself together.
Behind her eyelids, Raliena saw the light die down, so she opened them slowly just as the Unisayan was opening its eyes too; stirring from near death.
It was alive.
Raliena pulled her hands away quickly. Scared and excited at what she had just done. The Unisayan then stood up, it looked around in confusion then down at the kneeling girl on the floor.
Silently it bowed to her. It seemed grateful at what she had done for it and it was still just as beautiful even without a horn.
Still in awe, Raliena watched it gallop into the forest and leave her on the now warm grass staring at her new, healing hands.
A gift from the blood of purity.