Three days have already passed since they left Fitonwich. The sun was shining brightly, casting an orange glow on the leaves.
"It's so hot today!" Layla yelled, lying on the carriage's roof, her limbs spread in all directions.
"You up there! Look around! There always might be something that wants to kill us all! I've seen too many escorts like this!" Electra firmly called from the driver's box.
"Sorry, Elie!" Layla smiled, sitting up and looking around.
Orion was sitting on the back of the carriage, swinging his legs above the moving ground.
The door opened, and Elaine peeked her head out. "Layla, Layla! Can you get me up there to you? I want to catch some fresh air!" She asked kindly.
"Alright!" She leaned over the roof, reaching her arms to Elaine.
Elaine grabbed her arms and let her pull herself onto the roof. "Thank you! Here's a sandwich!" Elaine offered Layla a sandwich.
"Oh...! Thank you! Now that I think about it, I was kinda hungry!" She took the sandwich, sinking her teeth into it with a pleased expression.
Elaine had two more sandwiches, she leaned over the roof again, poking Orion's head. "Here!"
He looked up at her curiously. "Hm? What's here?" He asked.
Elaine smiled even wider, putting the sandwich in his mouth. "The sandwiches for hungry adventurers!" She giggled.
He took the sandwich in his hands, smiling at her. "Oh, thanks. You're really kind, Elaine."
She nodded and then leaned over the other side of the roof, dropping another sandwich on Electra's lap. "And you also must be hungry, Electra!"
Electra looked down at the sandwich and then up at Elaine. "Yeah... whatever." She rolled her eyes.
Elaine stretched her back, sitting down next to Layla. "Sooo... how is it going with your little infatuation?" She asked quietly, making sure that Orion can't hear her.
Layla blushed slightly. "I'm disappointed with myself... Even after all those things you told and taught me... I can't bring myself to even take the smallest step!" She grabbed her hair in frustration.
Elaine pulled Layla's hands away from the hair. "No, no, no! Not the hair!" She huffed.
"I'm pathetic, no? I'm struggling with doing such easy things..." She looked down at her thighs, sighing deeply.
"I don't want to be mean... but you are pathetic, Layla! Even Lancelot is laughing at you when he sees how you are constantly failing to do anything! I mean, you can't even cook a steak over a fire without anyone helping!" Elaine was slightly disappointed.
Layla looked at her with an awkward smile. "I thought that you'd try to brighten me up! You are really, really mean!" She softly tackled her, tickling her.
Elaine burst out laughing, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry! P-please stop! Haha! I'm sorry, Layla! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She shifted around the roof like an animal.
Layla stopped, sitting up with her arms crossed.
Elaine was panting, wiping her tears as she sat up. "Okay. Let's redefine your relationship with him again.
Electra pulled on the reins, slowing down the carriage.
"Are we stopping?" Orion asked loudly, hopping down from the carriage.
Electra nodded, stretching her arms. "Yeah. We're nearly out of food, and the horses are tired. Unless someone's gonna pull a whole boar out their ass, we will need to hunt." She paused, smirking. "What? Scared that we will be eaten alive during the night, hatchling?"
"Go the hell, Electra," Orion murmured.
The carriage's door opened wide, and both Alaric and Lancelot walked out of it.
"Electra's right. We've only got three carrots left." Alaric said firmly.
"I don't think that anyone wants to fight monsters and bandits fueled by rabbit snacks, right?" Lancelot added dryly, and then he smirked. "But if it's food you need, then worry not! The great hunter Lancelot shall grace the forest with his bow!" He said dramatically, shooting an arrow from his imagined bow.
"You lost your bow two days ago, when you were trying to shoot a wolf from the carriage's roof when we were passing a river, genius," Elaine said without even looking at him.
He paused, blinked, then looked back at the carriage. "Father! Have you seen my bow?"
Alaric sighed softly. "You already forgot? You dropped it into that river back then."
Lancelot opened his mouth in disbelief.
"Right! Guess we're hunting with sticks and sarcasm! Yay! I dreamt of something like that!" Layla said, hopping down from the roof with Elaine in her arms.
"Thank you, Layla," Elaine said softly, getting off her arms.
They unloaded their things near a small clearing beside the road.
The area was surrounded by trees, many trees in fact.
"Layla and I will hunt," Electra said, pulling a small dagger from a purple portal that appeared in front of her. "Hatchling, set up the campfire. Keep it small. We don't want to attract unwanted guests, that's the least you can do~"
"Guests like what?" Lancelot asked with a wide, cocky grin on his face.
"Wolves. Bandits. Monsters. Whatever. Use your imagination," Electra spat, walking toward the woods.
Orion frowned. "Hey! Why are you two going to hunt, but I am the one who sets up the campfire, huh?!" He yelled in frustration.
"Out of all people here, you are the last person who would be able to hunt something. But not because you're weak... I mean, you are weak! But the point is that you wouldn't be able to hurt an animal, hatchling." Electra said without even looking at him.
Layla smiled, running after Electra. "We will be right back in no time!" She yelled.
Orion scowled. "Stupid bitch!"
It was already dark, the only light source was the campfire they'd built.
Elaine was placing stones near the fire for when Lancelot returned with a bundle of twigs.
Orion was preparing the place where they would change guards at night.
"See? All that wood and fire is here because of me! I am the master of survival." Lancelot smirked.
"You just found dead branches on the ground. You didn't just discover fire, silly." Elaine rolled her eyes playfully.
"Jealousy doesn't suit you a bit, sister." He walked up to her, dropping the twigs in the place they belonged.
"It's not jealousy. It's pity." She joked.
Before Lancelot could respond, Alaric raised his hand. "Shh."
Orion looked curiously in the direction Alaric was looking.
There were footsteps, very loud, not even a bit cautious, and not human.
A growl came from the forest.
Orion immediately reached towards his belt, right where he was keeping a dagger.
Lancelot and Elaine backed up to the fire, both of them afraid.
"I GOT A RABBIT!" Layla shouted with happiness, holding a bloody, dead rabbit by its ears, her hands covered in blood.
Elaine sighed deeply. "Layla, for the love of God, I thought you were a bear, or even worse! Just don't scare us like that!"
Layla pouted. "Me? A bear? Awww! I'm too adorable for such a creature!"
"Haha! You were scared, Elaine? Hmm! Just remember for the future that you don't need to be scared around me!" Lancelot yelled proudly, tho his legs were shaking like jelly.
Electra stepped out from behind Layla straight into the light, not holding anything.
"We are roasting." She said firmly, pointing at the fire.
Layla dropped by the fire, nuzzling herself into the ground. "It's so unfair! I barely did anything, and I'm still tired! How do you do it, Ellie!?"
Alaric looked at Electra curiously. "It took the two of you so long to catch a single rabbit?" He sighed.
"Worry not, Sir," Electra smirked.
A portal appeared by the fire. Dead animals started to fall out of it, and to put it simply, there were lots of them.
Alaric was stunned, his mouth hung open in disbelief. "I guess that's the reason Maeryn recommended you, haha..." He laughed nervously.
Lancelot stared at the portal in amazement. "Special Magic..." He murmured.
Orion sat down next to Layla, poking her cheek with a flask. "Drink before your brain fully dries out~" He smiled.
"Very funny... ha ha!" She sat up, taking the flask and punching him softly.
He smiled. "Hey! Not with those bloodied hands, stupid~!" He punched her back even softer.
Elaine watched the two of them in silence, smiling to herself. She nudged Lancelot and tilted her head in their direction.
"See?" Elaine whispered. "She's making small steps, but she's trying."
Lancelot looked at them, smirking.
Later, it was already midnight, the full moon high in the sky, casting a silver light on the forest. Everyone was sleeping by the fire. Electra was sitting in the guard place that Orion had prepared earlier, observing even the moving leaves.
Orion woke up next to Layla. He yawned and got on his feet, walking over to Electra and sitting down next to her. "It's my turn now...Youu should take a nap..." He yawned again, rubbing his eyes.
"I'm alright here, go sleep and don't bother my ass." She hissed.
He frowned, looking at her with an annoyed expression. "Okay. What the hell is your deal lately?! I get it! We never had a healthy relationship, but lately it's been getting even worse! Like, let me do my damn job!"
"Oh, please! Just shut the hell up and go to sleep, hatchling!" She groaned, pushing his shoulder softly.
"If you really wanted me gone, then you would just knock me out! Just tell me what's the matter with you, Electra! Have I done something to hurt your already oversized ego?!" He shook her in frustration
She stared at the campfire, her eyes were tired, and she didn't even fight back. She took a twig, putting it into the fire. "Do you want to hear a story?" She asked softly.
It was the first time he had heard her speak in such a tone, he was stunned. "For real? You will-"
"Just say yes, dumbass!" She groaned.
He nodded softly. "Yes, I want to hear a story."
Her expression saddened as she stared at the fire. "There was once a young girl in a big family. The girl was the third oldest out of all the seven daughters her parents had."
"The girl lived a happy life, played with her sisters every day, studied everything that her father wanted to teach them, we could say that she wasthe happiest kid alive."
"The family lived in a big house, away from any civilization, but it didn't bother her. She loved her family, but there was something wrong... her two older sisters started doing weird things."
"The girls wanted to see the world, meet new people, and search for something they didn't know they already had."
"The girls craved it so much that they started arguing with their parents about the smallest things."
"The girl always followed them around as she was looking up to them, but she never agreed with any bad word that any of her older sisters said towards her parents." Electra gripped the twig tightly, breaking it in half.
Orion didn't dare to say anything, he wanted her to keep going no matter what.
"Running away wasn't an option for the rebels as their loving mother always brought them back home."
"One day..." She paused and took a deep breath. "The girl overheard her sisters planning something sinister... she couldn't believe her ears... the plan was... to kill their own parents and run away..."
"The girl was terrified, her legs trembled, her heart raced, and the sisters found her eavesdropping. They didn't hurt her, in fact, they just stared at her, telling her to go and tell everything to their parents."
Electra teared up, making sure that Orion could not see her face, tho her shaky voice had given out everything. "But the girl was too afraid, too afraid of her sisters hurting her! She didn't want to be hurt, and so she was quiet." Her voice was a little louder.
"Her sisters thought that she was agreeing with them, and so they planned everything out, to the tiniest detail."
"No matter how much she wanted to, the girl couldn't stop her sisters, she couldn't convince them that it's a bad idea..." She started crying softly. "And because of the girl's weakness... the seven sisters lost their parents..."
"The girl tried everything to get those memories off her mind, but the only thing she was doing... was letting more and more people die, over and over again... she got used to it, good at it and in the end... just like her sisters... she was enjoying it..."
Orion himself teared up, hesitating whether he should try to reassure her or not, but then out of nowhere she hugged him tightly. Her touch was cold, almost as if he were hugging a corpse.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry for being like this towards you! It's just... I see my old, weak self in you... I... I can't stand it! I can't afford any weakness...! I just... I... I don't know what I want anymore... I'm ashamed of things I've done... but I just can't stop doing them... I'm a victim... of myself..." She cried in despair.
He hugged her back softly, also crying. "I understand you, Electra... Ten years ago... my whole family... Sister Almyra... and everyone else... they say they died in a fire... but I remember everything... it was a demon who killed them all... only I and Layla survived... but I promised... that I will protect her... so no matter how much will it hurt me... she needs to be happy... I want to be the best I can... I'm aware of my weaknesses... that's why I strive to become stronger... and stronger... to guarantee the best future for us... so Electra... you can always be a part... of our little family, no?" He smiled weakly, hugging her even tighter.
She leaned away, looking into his eyes with happiness, uncertainty, and guilt at the same time. She felt her heart start beating faster, and faster. "For the first time in eleven years... I feel like something can change... for the better..." She wiped her tears, nodding softly. "...I'd be happy to..."
Unnoticed, there was a goblin watching everything from the bushes, its eyes glowing yellow and no pupils visible, tho it didn't attack.