My Way To You

Ariana jumped over the fallen people and weaved her way around the others. She hoped that she could lose the guards if she lost herself within the crowd. "Stop! Someone stop that girl!" She heard them shout from behind. "Anyone who helps apprehend that girl will receive 10 gold pieces!"

Ariana internally groaned as she saw the people around her freeze from the news. In a matter of seconds the people who were initially afraid of her changed the looks in their eyes, from fear to desire. They now saw her as a weak prey ready to be hunted.

h.e.l.l she was ready to turn herself in for that amount of gold. It would mean enough funds to buy the best ingredients to treat the entire staff to feast for a year but she just smirked instead. Her value was only going to increase with time, so 10 coins would be nothing. She picked up her pace and started to dodge expertly. The crowd started to gang up on her in an attempt to intimidate her. Ariana used her hands to propel herself upwards as men dived towards her.

She side stepped and tripped the women who dared to wrap their claws around her. She ran forward not knowing where to turn, as an army of civilians and soldiers closed in on her heels. Her feet pounded the cobble stone road violently as she searched for any areas she could use for cover. When she finally caught sight of her salvation, a river!

As she approached the water she realized that the river was not normal. It was wide, it had an irky dark blue colour with an ominous, green and white glow that streaked through the water.

Further to the right of her location were guards strategically placed in front of a giant bridge. On the other side of the water was a grand building that stood proudly overlooking the city.

Ariana had no time to admire the building, she needed to get away and her intuition told her the river was her best option. She summoned all the strength she had into her legs and lower her center of gravity to pick up speed. She heard the stamped of people start to slow down but this did not deter her from her goal. "It"s the cursed water!" People started to shout as the come to a stop.

"Get her! Stop her!" She heard others shout as she placed her foot onto the edge and pushed herself forward. "20 gold pieces for her capture!" She heard another shout while others shouted their concerns for their own safety. She felt the cloak gently lift up into the air as she soared. "40 gold pieces!" Was the last thing she heard before her body impacted the water.

Instantly cold water swallowed up her body as she started to sink. She clawed at the darkness trying to fight against the unforgiving waters as she was dragged downwards. The cloak started to strangle her as fear started to take hold. Her lungs were screaming for air when it happened. The light started to illuminate the darkness. Ariana felt calmness rushed through her body and dared to look downwards.

The small lights drifted up to her face and seemed to gently kiss her cheeks before they disappeared. A memory flashed by, she knew how to swim and the tiny, fluff b.a.l.l.s of light provided her more oxygen. She untied her cloak and watched as some b.a.l.l.s of light gentle guided the cloak to the surface.

Satisfied with what she saw she starred to swim forward. The ominous lights started to illuminate the way and she wondered why her little fluff b.a.l.l.s only disappeared when they touched her. As she was reaching the other side a new memory emerged.

....

I am clutching a rock with my small hands as I try my best to not swallow the raging water hitting my face. A dark skinned girl with white hair and green eyes had streaks of tears running down her face, as she tried to find a way to me.

"Princess! Princess! Please hold on a little longer! I will save you!" Yelled the little girl, she looked no older then 8 years old but I did as I was told. "Big sister *** ... cough... please save me!" I yelled as I struggle to keep my head above water. "Princess grab my hand!" The girl yelled back as she reached her hand out, she had tied herself to a st.u.r.dy tree and walked against the rapids but couldn"t make it far enough. "I"m scared... cough.... cough."

"Don"t worry princess the bad people are gone, you don"t have to be scared, just reach out and grab hold of my hand. I will protect you!" The big sister called as she stretched herself out. I hugged the rock one last time before I let one arm go and stretch out. The big sister looked so relieved when our fingertips touched but the relief only last for a fleeting moment. There was a horrible cracking and thunderous sound was starting to get louder and louder by the second.

The big sister"s eyes became wide and filled with despair. "No... princess..." Was the last thing I hear before waves of water came crashing down.

.....

Ariana hauled herself out of the water, coughing as water ran down her face and onto the ground. She didn"t know how long she was under but her breath had almost run out after the little lights had completed their task. She could barely hold herself up and plopped herself face first into the ground. She rolled onto her back so she wouldn"t try to breath in dirt. She looked upwards and saw a beautiful, blue sky. She smiled to herself and then let out a small laugh as she brought her hand upwards and pushed the wet hair out of her face before she pa.s.sed out.

Ariana felt cold when she woke up. She had no idea how long she had been out for but she knew it was late. The blue sky she saw before she pa.s.sed out started to turn twilight. She sat up and groaned. Her body was feeling stiff and her chest ached. She needed to find out where she was and track down her mother. She placed one hand onto the ground as support as she curled in her legs. She tried to lift herself up onto her knees but found the task very difficult.

Out of breath she was able to finally get herself to stand, she took a look around and saw that there was no one. Just a small cliff and the proud building she saw earlier. She dug her shoes into the dirt and grabbed some roots that were hanging out. She pulled herself upwards, making sure that every few inches she made a new hole with her shoes.

When she saw the top of the mini cliff she reached upwards and anch.o.r.ed her nails and fingertips into the ground. She used all her might to pull herself up and onto the gra.s.s. She huffed and puffed as looked over the edge. She figured she climbed 6 feet but it felt like 30 with the pace she went.

After a moment of rest. Ariana got up and looked at the horizon. The sun was starting to set, it was beautiful, the bright, orange glow emitted from the sun streaked outwards as hues of blue, pink and purple danced and blurred in the sky. She turned around to face the building, she walked up to it and placed a hand onto the red brick.

She was determined to find the entrance of the building without getting caught. She kept low as she walked through shrubbery, branches tugged and pull the fabric of her dress. While others scratched and cut her fair skin. As she moved forward she caught sight of the bridge from earlier. With delight she moved out of the shrubbery and raced towards the bridge.

"Get your hands off of me!" A familiar voice shouted causing Ariana to stop dead in her tracks. "Something has happened to my child and you couldn"t give a d.a.m.n! You are a worthless human being, a worthless pile of horse sh*t! I hope we never see each other again you deranged, old hag!" Ariana felt her eyes water as she turned towards the sound, with a small giggle she rushed towards the voice.

"Mother!" She shouted as she ran. Lady Zula stopped resisting immediately and turned her head. "Mother!" She shouted again. Lady Zula"s bottom lip started to tremble and she elbowed the guard who was holding her. "Ariana!" Lady Zula"s called back into the night air. Ariana ran with all her might until she could finally see Lady Zula.

"Mother!" She yelled as she jumped into Lady Zula"s arms. "Where have you been?! You stupid child I was so worried about you!" She yelled as she rubbed her cheek into Ariana"s hair. "I"m sorry! I"m sorry! I"m sorry!" She cried as she clutched onto Lady Zula"s back.

"You! Women, is this your missing child?!" One of the guards yelled as he placed a hand onto Lady Zula"s shoulder. Lady Zula"s eyes grew wide with anger, she raised her arm and smacked the guard"s hand away. "That"s right! No need to trouble you any more. Just let us leave I won"t bother the "grand council" any longer." She spat as she stared him down.

The guards looked at each other and reached out for them. "You are to come with us little one." Lady Zula tackled the guard down but he was st.u.r.dier then he looked. "Ariana run!" She shouted as she struggled to keep him in a sitting position. Ariana shifted her stance, brought her hands up and slammed her palm into the bridge of his nose. A horrible cracking sound came from the impact.

They other guard grabbed Ariana"s hair and pulled her down to her knees. "You little b*tch!" He yelled and slapped her face. Lady Zula shifted her weight and brought her leg in and once swift movement, kicking the guard in his junk from behind. "Let her go!" She yelled as the guard released Ariana"s hair.

Soon more guards ran out onto the courtyard and surrounded the two. "What is the meaning of all this?" Someone said with a dignified voice. The surrounding guard instantly saluted as the straighten up their backs. "Mongrels your Chief commanding officer, the honourable Countess Drake just asked you a question!" Shouted another voice. Some guards parted and a fair skinned man, with a clawed scar on his left cheek that extended down to his jaw line , walked forward.

He looked around the same age as Lady Zula, his hair was cobalt grey and slicked back, his eyes were amber in colour, he had a square jaw, thin pursed lips and a permanent furrowed brow. Behind him was a dignified lady. She wore tan coloured riding pants, a red military blazer adorned with golden shoulder ta.s.sels, and medals of honours. On her right lapel was a golden phoenix with 5 stars above it, a white ruffled blouse with a blank tie and golden b.u.t.ton where a knot should have been.

The women had a stern face and a pointed nose. Her hair was a dark brown, her skin was slightly tanned while her lips were a deep red. Her red coloured eyes were a little slanted and narrowed as she gazed at Lady Zula and Ariana. "You old hag was this your doing?! Trying to trap us in the Capital!" Lady Zula said as she slowly stood up. Once she was able to stand tall she grabbed Ariana and pushed her behind, acting as a barrier. "Just let us go and we will forget about the adoption paper work."

Countess Drake raised a well defined eyebrow. "Forget about the paper work? In what world do you live in? As a member of the esteemed Drake family you should know that we abide by the laws of this civilization... but then again you chose to a.s.sociate yourself with the wrong crowd and found yourself on a shameful path. Honestly if you acted more like your cousin Gregory and worked hard, you could have done more with your life but instead you became a wh*re and even opened a wh*re house... what"s more is you gave birth to a b.a.s.t.a.r.d and now you want to bring in another "child" into our family lineage. Honestly can you ever not disappoint me?" She said in a courtly manner.

Ariana balled her hands into fists and started to grit her teeth. She couldn"t take this woman"s tone. "My mother is a saint compared to an old, wrinkled, prune who has her men chase down a child!" She shouted. Lady Zula instantly paled and brought her arms behind her trying to keep Ariana in place. "What did she just call me?!" Countess Drake said as a visible vein started to violently pulse above her right eyebrow.

"A prune!" Ariana shouted even louder. "Prune! Prune! Prune! People can preach all the want on how good a prune is for you but at the end of the day all it"s just a wrinkled up thing that makes you sh*t!" More veins appeared around Countess Drake"s face and neck while some guards couldn"t hold their composure anymore and tried to m.u.f.fle their laughter. "Vice Captain Gregory Drake, please bring that child before me." Countess Drake hissed between her gritted teeth.

"As you command!" Gregory shouted as he saluted. Gregory swiftly moved forward and slapped Lady Zula hard enough to send her flying a few feet into the air. Ariana"s eyes became wide as she watched Lady Zula"s body soar and land onto the ground in an awkward position. "Mother!" She shouted as she tried to run towards her but caught sight of Gregory"s hand trying to grab her.

She deflected his hand and brought her right arm back. She took a few quick steps forward, brought her fist upwards and hit Gregory"s jaw from below. The impact caused Gregory to fall backwards, his back arched as his eyes grew wide, Ariana straighten up her back and watched him hit the ground. "Touch my mother again and I will claim your life." She said coldly.

The temperature around Ariana dropped a few degrees as she looked at Gregory"s body sprawled on the ground. She let out a small "tsk" sound. "Chauvinistic p.r.i.c.k." She said she walked away from him and towards Lady Zula. Ariana bent down and brushed back some hair that got loose from her braid. "Mom?" She called out in a small whisper.

Lady Zula moaned a little and Ariana let a sigh of relief. She helped her mother sit up and saw that her cheek was already swelling. In a daze, Lady Zula patted down Ariana"s bangs and gave her a weak smile. "Let"s go home." She said but Ariana could feel the fire burning in her heart. She shook her head as she helped Lady Zula to her feet.

Now that Lady Zula was standing on her own, Ariana moved away from her and walked proudly up to Countess Drake. The night air was already cold and breezy and the aura that Ariana was emitting made it feel worse. The Countess made no indication if she was affected by the change as Ariana stared her down through the small gaps of her bangs. "I said you are a prune. I will never acknowledge you as my grandmother, I will never acknowledge you as the mother to Lady Zula and I will never respect as a human being." She said as she stopped a good foot away from the Countess.

Ariana saw what Countess Drake was going to do. She stood her ground, closed her eyes and waited for the impact. Countess Drake was quick and no one saw when she had struck her but they knew that she did as they could hear the echoing of the slap.

Everyone was surprised that Ariana was still standing, the breeze gently moved her bangs enough for Countess Drake to catch a glimpse of Ariana"s murderous gaze. Ariana spat out some blood then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I let you hit me once out of the fact that my mother came out of your womb... there will never be a next time."