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Not a bad plan...
"Nah, mom's probably wondering where I've gone." She replied.
They took a single step forward before David threw his arm to the side blocking his sisters' path. His eyes scanning ahead. She saw the worried look on his face. And opened her mouth to speak when he put his finger to her lips. A gesture to be quiet Ashleigh secretly hoped he could do the same with his mouth one day.
"Get underneath that overhang." He growled pointing to the cliff behind.
Ashleigh scurried quickly to where her brother was pointing, he already had his bow drawn and arrow pointing forward, his muscles straining to hold the tension... his back muscles tight and rippling underneath his tight shirt.
"Here." David growled, reaching into his pocket for a quick second and throwing the knife in the ground ahead of his sister. "Try not to hurt yourself."
She crawled and grabbed the knife watching her brother as he brought the bow back. What danger could he sense? Enough to give her a knife? His knife...
She held the cool metal, it was sharp that was apparent when she poked the point to find out if it actually was. His favourite hunting knife... she sighed.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" A male voice laughed coming out of the brush, David instantly trained the arrow to the man's heart.
He heard more scuffling. Three more men came out of the same brush each brandishing a weapon, two bowmen, one knife man and another holding a club. All grinned and laughed as they saw their prey.
"Hey sweet thing." The leader taunted looking behind David and to Ashleigh who was now cowering under the overhang, shakily clutching the knife in her hand as if it were the last thing on earth.
"Go near her and you're dead." David growled.
All four men laughed, a stomach laugh, as if they actually found his threat a joke. The leader walked forward until his chest was actually touching the arrow David was straining to hold. As quick as a flash the man grabbed the arrow and pulled it from David's grasp before snapping it like a twig over his knee.
Again, all four laughed, the leader stayed in direct contact with David as the other two of the goons circled to his side flanking him, the other went around his back.
He felt a searing, agonising pain in the back of his leg; he had been smacked by the club. He dropped to his knee and looked up. Only in time to see a fist hurtling towards him, he tried to block the attack with his hand but the man was too fast. The fist collided with his jaw and with a gut wrenching thud David dropped to the floor. He turned his head to see his sister cowering in the corner, fear in her eyes. He had to do something... she was in danger.
Lying on his back he punched the leader in the side of the leg that dropped him to his one knee, and was about to land anther punch to the jaw when one of the man's goons booted him in the kidney... hard. He exhaled all his breath as the boot made contact only to be treated to a stomp to his stomach. He groaned, and like a school yard fight, everyone joined in booting and punching David's sore body lying on the ground. He had no defence; four men crowded around him punching and kicking in random areas meant all he could do was shield his head and hope not to die... at least for his sisters' sake. He turned to his sister and shouted, "RUN!"
She took off into the forest, but was chased down by two of the goons. David could only watch as he saw his sisters' blonde hair flailing in the wind as she headed for the thick trees. A boot collided with his chin and blackness took everything.
David groggily groaned and sat up on the ground. His sister!
Dizzy and nauseous he stood up and looked around him, the gang of lovable creeps were gone but so was his sister. She didn't know the land like he did, she could be lost... or worst...
He kicked the thought out of his head. He scanned the ground for his weapon but it was missing, they must have taken it.
With no balance, a splitting head ache and a body battered and bruised he half jogged and half walked to where he saw his sister run. Her tracks were older now; the mud beneath no longer moist and disturbed but settled and dry. Minutes old not seconds. He did his best following her footprints in the dense undergrowth. Sometimes she would sharply veer right or left, other times she would run through a bush and leave no tracks till he found them again.
He lost her tracks. Where was she? Panic hit his heart and hurt him more than any jumping could have done. He closed his eyes and focused. His heart... her heart... his heart... her heart. He may not understand it, or even like it, but the heart bond remained and with the pink line of energy leading forward he knew if he followed that invisible line of magic he would find her... and that's precisely what he did.
Ashleigh cowered back into a tree, trapped like an animal as the four aggressors advanced, all grinning. She swung the blade gripped in her hand wildly hoping to keep them back, but it was futile, they jumped back out of the way and then re-advanced. Three of them carried bow and arrows and all she had was a knife. She knew the man ahead, the leader, carried her brother's bow and felt back to how he had been beaten, a tear streamed down her face. Even amidst the pain of being brutally attacked he still managed to care enough about her, enough to snap her out of her fear and run. She swung the knife again and cried to herself.
"Help!"
David heard the plea and took off in a sprint running blindly ahead, blood rushed through his veins as he headed to his sister. His head throbbed as if there was a bomb in his brain, his leg was on fire and his ribs were slowly falling off but he carried on relentless.
Finally he saw her, cowering against a tree, tears running freely down her face as she swung his knife like a girl possessed. No one noticed him; they were too busy trying to claim their prize. In a quick movement while sprinting ahead he managed to lean down and swipe a small rock off the floor. And with the impact of a train he swung the rock in his hand against the closest man's head. With a bone crunching thwack and a trail of blood linking rock to head the man fell to the floor. No one ignored him now.
With red in his eyes and anger in his heart he grabbed the fallen man's bow and released an arrow from the man's quiver. In three quick successions he: grabbed an arrow, released, grabbed and arrow, released, grabbed and arrow and released. They all struck.
They may not all have been fatal shots but all arrows hit home. One had struck the leader in the chest and knocked him to the ground -- he was dead. The other two hit both men in the thigh and dropped both to the ground to clutch at the new foreign entity to their bodies. As he ran past to his sister he booted both men in their chins' knocking them both unconscious.
David ran to his sister and embraced her. Like two long lost lovers they embraced wrapping their arms around each other. David stroked her hair down her back as she cried into his chest soaking the front of his shirt.
"I'm sorry." She sobbed as he tried to calm her. She dropped the knife from her hand and ran her hand through his hair and over his back.
"You have nothing to be sorry about." He said lifting her chin with his finger and looking into her eyes.
"I do. If I hadn't come along this wouldn't have happened." She sobbed, but stopped crying.
He wiped a tear from her cheek, "This is not your fault."
"But..."
He kissed her. Not hard and not passionate but nothing like what a brother should for a sister. But neither-the-less they kissed. His lips pressed against her, her hot breath mingling with his. Her arms wrapped around his neck and his wrapped around her waist. Gently he lifted her off the ground in his arms while she giggled into his mouth.
It was the perfect kiss, nothing vulgar or dirty; it was all loving and caring.
Ashleigh melted into his arms as she kissed. It startled her when he cut her off mid-sentence but it was the perfect way to stop her worrying. It that moment nothing else mattered... it was just her and her brother.
The kiss lasted precisely thirty seconds before they broke it off. Though neither wanted to end the kiss they both stopped and looked into each other's eyes. In the middle of the forest surrounded by unconscious and dead bodies they were oblivious to all the dangers surrounding. David smiled as he ran his hand through her golden hair, the sun had really brought out her look, no longer was she 'pretty' now she was beautiful.
"You're bleeding." Ashleigh stated, running her hand though his hair and inspecting the gash on his forehead.
"I'll be fine. Are you okay?" He asked.
She nodded her head.
"Did they do anything to you?" He asked a fear creeping up inside.
She shook her head. Relief.
Wiping his cut head on his shirt the two siblings walked back home together, both with a smile on their face. They may have lost the deer but they had found each other. David held her hand as they walked through the trees smiling as their heart bond grew bigger and brighter.
They neared their home and before they entered the door David let go of his sister's hand. It was a pain to break their closeness but they didn't really want to give their mother the wrong impression... if there is one more than kissing your sister.
Their mother sat at the kitchen table waiting for them to enter, beside her on the wooden table top lay a hunk of blood red meat. She had a huge grin on her face despite the large amount of blood and cuts on David's head.
"What's the special occasion?" David asked nonchalant.
Their mother stood from the chair and clapped her hands together, it was actually quite unnerving to see her so happy.
Gleefully she walked to his sister and hugged her, "I've found you a man."
Chapter 4: Tears
Ashleigh pulled out of her mother's hug, "W-what?"
"The earl's second cousin, Jerome." She said gleeful.
"When?" David asked piping up and receiving a shocked look from his sister.
"One month time." She said re-embracing her daughter.
"'One month time the test shall begin.'" David muttered sharing a knowing look with Ashleigh
"What was that?" Their mother asked.
"Nothing."
Ashleigh could not hug her mother back, how could she; she had just been told that she was to be married... and after the kiss she just shared, even if it was with her brother -- new feelings stirred in her heart.
She felt like crying. She did, tears burned down her face soaking her mother's arm.
"What's the matter dear?" Their mother asked breaking the hug.
"I-I don't want to get married." Ashleigh sobbed. Her eyes darted to David's and then back to their mother's. One look at her eyes and David felt her pain. Desperately he wanted to be at her side soothing her. He wanted to embrace her and let all her worries drift away as he holds her, regardless he didn't move.
She pushed Ashleigh away and stared incredulously at her daughter. Her eyes bulged and temper flared. "What do you mean you don't want to get married!? I chose a good man, a decent man, he'll take care of you and you'll be provided for!"
"I don't want to get married." She sobbed tears flowing freely.
David stared at the scene unfolding in front of his eyes. She had done it... found someone of nobility to wed her daughter, his sister. But emotions played havoc within... what did he care she was getting married? It was his sister; she was to be married so they can be happy... so why did it hurt to hear the good news? He watched the argument slightly afraid to intervene; he had been on the receiving end of a curse before and didn't want to jump in again, unless his sister was in danger. He saw the sorrow and upset in the beautiful hazel eyes... and fear.
Ashleigh was a wreck. After sharing a kiss with her brother in the forest not moments ago and now the news that she was to be married... it was too much. Freely she cried. She saw the anger in her mother's eyes and it made her recoil slightly. She didn't care when she was torturing her brother a couple days back so would she care now?
But the kiss lingered in her mind... she couldn't get married now... she wouldn't. A slight temp of anger flared.
"I don't want to get married." She said calming down her sobbing. "I won't get married."
She never saw the backhand as it slapped her skin leaving her face burning. Her hand instinctively went to her face to hold where her mother slapped her. She flinched as she saw the same hand coming back to hit her again.
It never struck. David had watched as their mother backhanded his sister and anger flared in his soul, never again would she hurt her. When he saw the same hand come back for more he couldn't help but stop her. Energy inside buzzed in response to his emotions and before he could think about the consequence of stopping his mother in her fit of rage he cast a spell.
Her hand stopped mid-air obstructed by an invisible barrier. His sister regained her composure aware of the hand mid-air stopped. Ashleigh stared at her brother, his hands glowing red.
"Do not touch her again!" David growled.
Their mother stared back, death in her eyes, slowly she regained her sense. Calmly she lowered her hand, "Fine." She stated.
She pointed a finger at her daughter, "But one way or another; you will get married!"
She stormed away.
Ashleigh stood where she was afraid to move. She never moved when David came behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Slowly she turned around in his arms and cried freely into his chest, for the second time that day they were together again; their heart bond glowed softly...
There was no talk that night from anyone in the family, the awkward between Ashleigh and David about their kiss played on each other's mind but they kept it silent, and the use of magic on their mother kept David from talking to her -- he was still upset about her hitting his sister. Ashleigh was quiet all night to everyone; her life was now officially a mess.
Chapter 5: The book's meaning.
David had stayed awake all night. That kiss... his sister... new feelings... the warning 'One month's time the test shall begin'... everything played on his mind.
Their mother had been the first to bed leaving Ashleigh and David alone... uncomfortable. David had retreated after that, and shortly after and sobbing up the stairs followed his sister. He followed the heart bond, it still glowed strong. At the moment it shone downwards, his sister was downstairs.
It was time to bite that proverbial bullet. Down the stairs his sister was sitting at the table learning. His mother was outside the back garden using magic to do something, he didn't pay attention. With awkwardness he sat beside his sister.
"What you doing?" He asked more than anything trying to spark a conversation.
"Learning." She replied never looking up.
"What you learning." He said again talking in a childish manor.
"For god's sake David, maths okay? I'm learning maths; yeah I know you already know it. You're smarter than me. I'm thick okay, I mean I can't even do this and they teach this when you're five." She snapped at the start turning her rant into a sob.
David put his arm over her shoulder, "Hey." He said lifting her chin with his finger, like so many times before, looking into her hazel eyes. He held her hand and stood up "Come on." He pulled her away from the table and up the stairs to his room.
She sat on the edge of the bed beside her brother, her head on his shoulder as she stared at the wall.
"You're not thick." David said.
She cried. Not just the tears streaming down the face but full crying, sniffling, throaty crying. David held her closely as she cried into his chest while he repeatedly soothed her. He smelled so good, she thought.
"Why are you so good to me?" She asked rhetorically, sobbing.
"Because you, Ashleigh, deserve nothing less than the best." He replied.
She looked at her brother, his gorgeous smile, she leaned in close eyes closed... and felt nothing.
"Come on, let's study." He said quietly, afraid that he ruined the moment -- he had.
But she didn't want to leave as she stayed and sat on the floor. "So what we doing today?"
"Time control." He said giving one of his heart breaking winks.
She followed his instructions as he taught her how to control time. No actual thing as controlling time but it is possible to make it seem like time was slowed enough to make faster decisions and movement. Not actually anything to do with altering time it was more of a trick to alter the perception of a persons' sense to believe time was slow.
It was a fun lesson as she watched David move his body in slow motion and then later in a super-fast speed.
For the rest of the day they learned magic in his room, he taught her many things jumping to random lessons rather than a structured time plan. They both had a great time teaching and learning. It was a pleasant day rather than brooding in awkward silence. Even at dinner their mother made pleasant conversation about how she was learning mortal lessons.
Two days before wedding.
The day stared out like many of the days before, in the morning he helped her study her mortal lessons, maths, history, English, science, art (her favourite) and everything else he could think about. She was a good student and listened to everything her brother told her. Occasionally she would become upset about not understanding but with patience and calmness he brought her back and taught her.
They had spent much of that morning sitting at the table while David taught her how to divide numbers. She didn't understand most of it at the beginning, how could two numbers be inside another? But through her brother she was able to learn how to do it.
Finally after fifteen minutes of learning they stopped the lesson.
"What you got planned for today?" Ashleigh asked.
"I got Déjà vu" David mocked.
She smiled. Beautiful.
"Umm... I was going to go hunting." He replied.
Her eyes lit up. She gleamed a smile.
Instantly he knew her mind working. "Oh, no. You are not coming." He said over-pronouncing the word 'You'.
She gave him a sly smile and held his hand, "Please...." She drew out the word.
"Nope."
She knew there would be no arguing if he really set his mind on it, she hoped she saw the resolve in his eyes.
She gripped his hand tighter, "Please, big brother."
He set his voice and tried to sound solid, "No."
She sighed, "Please."
Pain wrecked his heart. The last time he had taken her she had been taken, more precisely ran, but she had been frightened and hurt. He could never do that to her again.
But she insisted and he knew if she kept asking he was going to give in, he could never resist her.
"Please." She begged more.
"No."
"I promise I'll stay by you the entire time, if you tell me to leave we'll go straight home."
Tempting offer...
"Please." She begged drawing out the word.
His resolve crumbled.
He sighed.
"Fine." He snapped and immediately regretted it; he wanted her to be with him, but not to be in danger. "You can come. But and I mean but if I say you go home you do. No questions asked, you trail your pretty little butt and get out of there, with or without me."
She blushed at the comment 'Pretty little butt', but agreed. He thought about my butt.
The siblings had gone into the trees not far from their house. Not exactly out specifically for hunting the two just took a leisurely walk. It was a fine day, the sun was out and the birds were singing. Ashleigh walked side by side with her brother. Suddenly he stopped in front of a large tree blocking his path.
