"Apologies, Miss, we are following orders from the royal house," she said.
"We're Sunbeam soldiers, assigned to survey the area and relocate the commune's residents to the nearest safe community.
"Odd thing is, nearly everyone's already gone, It's a small village, yes? But finding a young woman alone in a family cottage… "How were you not harmed Miss?"
"Why didn't you leave?"
"Where is your family?"
You all need to evacuate now."
Annika had seen this point was a lost course, she was cornered under her own truth, she stammered
"I.. I do not have anywhere nor any family relations to go find."
"Surely a lady like you should have someone".... one of the soldiers jumped in, "Sir Alhearaah?" He called.
"What is it?" The woman responded backing Maurice and still running checks in the house.
"They was a rumor of a witch in the woods perhaps she is the one. He lowered his voice slightly.
"I am no witch, I couldn't bear such accusations at this point in time". She interjected.
"Do tell why your home was attacked not too long ago and you manage to survive." The soldier retorted
"I was at the library and was merely lucky."
"All shops and stalls has being closed since yesterday that's in the inclusion of the library, luck is what a witch would say, dont you think?" The soldier pressed.
"I wouldn't know since I am not a witch and why would I destroy my own home if I was a witch." She grimaced to the implied accusation.
"Some sort of ritual and you had to play the victim because you know you can't out run the royal hunters."
"Enough chatter, Bellman, witch or not, the time to hunt witches is long gone," said the woman who returned with the wolf."
"You have to vacate this area. It's not safe, whether you are willing or not, ma'am, I advise you to go inside and gather what's important to you," Allaeraah declared.
Her unwillingness was plastered but she couldn't continue to be thoughtless, walking back the woman called.
Miss..?
It's Annika.
-_-
Dallas...Uhmm I mean Annika Lanai.
"I believe this creature is yours, Miss," she said, gently placing the wolf cub into Annika's arms.
"Prepare yourselves. We leave Hermosa now," one of the men announced.
Annika followed the soldiers toward the forest edge, her pulse still unsteady from the sight of her ruined home.
Was she expected to haul everything she owned out of Hermosa on foot? Relief came when she reached the line of carts. A large, sturdy wagon stood waiting, already crowded with others who had salvaged what they could.
The cart was spacious enough to stand without brushing shoulders. She settled against the wooden side, clutching the wolf cub as the wheels began to turn.
"Witch."
The whisper cut through the cart. Eyes flicked toward her, then away. Indifference wrapped around her like a second cloak. She shifted to the outer edge, near the open air.
Perhaps this was for the best, she told herself. A new place, a new life. A chance to earn a name other than "witch" or "whore." At nineteen, maybe she would finally find some meaning.
Annika knew she had nothing to lose. She had left nothing behind in Hermosa. If she was honest, she had only been afraid to start over, even though she could have afforded it years ago.
Her family had passed two years ago. "A lonely, sad child," some villagers called her.
"A girl with no motivation," others said.
"A waste of such talent," the village artist had lamented.
Perhaps now she would take her first real step toward living. Or sink deeper into the pit she had carved for herself.
Exhaustion took her within hours. She dozed, her head knocking against the cart's frame with every rut in the road.
When dawn broke, most passengers were old men and women, their faces lined with fatigue. The cold shoulders remained.
They had traveled well beyond the Hermosa route. The sky was clear morning blue, and some of the other carts beside them were nearly empty.
"Wake up now, girl. We're at Caruso Town," a soldier barked, banging on the cart. "We stop to feed the horses and rest. Unless you wish to take shelter here."
Annika blinked awake. Only she and an elderly couple remained.
She knew little of the wider land beyond books and hearsay. Stepping down, she left her things in the cart and wandered into town. The streets bustled. Merchants shouted, children darted between stalls, and the air smelled of bread, smoke, and sweat.
A pair of men noticed her. Coarse, sneaky, their eyes too quick. They bumped into her hard and snatched the small coin pouch she kept for emergencies. She staggered but said nothing, thinking it a callous accident.
This was not the kind of town she wanted, where gossip passed for entertainment.
She didn't realize she had been robbed until the men were gone. She stood there, oblivious, still taking in the noise and motion.
"Drama," she murmured to herself. "Perfect place to suit Lady Nadal. A perfect bit of gossip to keep the town bright."
Annika turned. A woman moved through the street of traders, her presence drawing both admiration and suspicion. Annika recognized the expressions on the townspeople's faces. Curiosity. Wariness. But one was new: fear.
"Not a great way to judge a town you barely know," said a voice behind her.
Annika spun around. It was the female soldier from Hermosa. Allaeraah had followed her.
"My apologies if that was offensive," Annika said quickly. "I'm not entirely wrong to say that a town like this thrives on gossip and rumor. I speak only from experience."
"This town is rich," Allaeraah replied. "It produces raw materials directly for the capital. Because of that, it has suffered many attacks. It is one of the kingdom's vital strengths, and it has paid for that in blood. How the people cope is their own business. Their hunger for entertainment of any kind," she added with a faint smile, "you might call it survival."
"Oh," Annika breathed, guilt rising to her cheeks. "I never knew. Apologies for my rudeness, sir."
"Please, call me Allaeraah. Or Arah." The soldier's mouth quirked. "I'm often known as a commander who never drops formalities. No one wants anything to do with a female commander unless it's business or a report."
"They are scared?" Annika asked.
"Yes. Being me can be hard sometimes, but I enjoy it very much." Arah sighed. "I thought to spend a few minutes with another woman near my age while the men have their time."
"We may never see each other again. And besides, what's work with no fun?" Arah smirked and nudged Annika, who smiled back, tentative.
"Let's find something to eat first," Arah said.
She led Annika to a small tavern. After they finished, they headed back toward the carts.
"Thanks for your company, Miss Annika," Arah said. "Maybe on our next meeting, we can actually be friends." She paused. "I think I know a suitable town for you. I hope a small change in hairstyle doesn't trouble you," she added, offering a quick smile before pulling her scarf back into place.
Annika beamed, climbing back into the cart. The elderly couple was gone. Only her cub remained. She fed it with the scraps she had tucked away.
The ride lasted until early evening, the sun sinking low and casting gold across the horizon.
A neighboring village, close to the capital. A wealthy, well-known state. Her final destination.
How would she afford to live here? In places like this, everyone minded their own business. Wasn't that the life of the rich? Would she be treated with indifference here again, or something worse?
The caravan stopped as soon as they reached Brunswick Town in Hrunalia.
Her belongings were set at the side of the road. Guards patrolled at a distance, and soldiers stood at attention at Commander Arah's request.
"I wanted to thank you," Annika said, her voice thin. "I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I don't think I can fit in here. I'm only a village girl. I've never been beyond Hermosa. I can't possibly fit in or afford it, even if I wanted to."
"I've already thought of that," Arah said. She reached into her cloak and handed Annika a thick piece of tooled leather.
Annika turned it over. It was a badge, the Sunbeam crest embroidered in gold thread, with a name and rank stitched beneath it: Commander Allaeraah Karlsrnuvhe, Com' Allae Karlsrnuvhe.
"Do not worry yourself, Miss Annika," Arah said. "You won't be alone."
"Go to the library, be a teacher be a trader, if you wish, with that badge, you have more than a great chance to start a life."
"This is… much. Annika said.
"I was thinking of returning to" She was interrupted.
"I will be leaving now, Miss Annika. I hope we'll meet again."
The group was gone, Annika exhaled, relief and exhaustion in one breath.
Her next task was finding an inn, she didn't realize she was already standing before it; Ikea Malm Guest House.
Another sigh escaped her, this one was gratitude.
She dragged her luggage inside and booked a room for two weeks. Pets weren't allowed, especially wild ones but an exception was made for the cub, with the agreement of a purchasing their cage.
She freshened up, climbed into bed, and pulled out the book she'd borrowed from the library in Hermosa. She needs to return it here, she'd have to register it at the state library. It wasn't hers, of course.
A commotion stirred at the entrance that morning after she treated her cub , but it didn't seem serious.
At the state library, she showed the badge. A guard scanned her, then led her upstairs.
"You must be Lady Annika," an old man said, gesturing for her to sit. "I got a message from the capital this morning." He poured her water, then turned to his desk.
"I hear it's a job you seek here. At the library?"
"Yes… is it a problem?" Annika thought there might be no vacancy, or that he was cornered because the order came from Arah.
"Not at all, I was only wondering what honorable woman would waste her time in a library instead of chasing gossip or proclaiming her ties to the royal house. You could choose something more lucrative than a lowly librarian. The governess, Maesters are here, yet you chose to be a clerk…
"I don't think you understand why I'm here," Annika said. "I'm here for work that I know, work I find interesting. A job I can treat like a craft, Mr. Knapp. Lady Arah's letter must have stated why I chose this."
Mr. Knapp's stern face broke into a proud smile.
"Apologies for my unfiltered words. We get many accomplished females here with endless demands. I'm amazed to meet a woman with a definite purpose. An interesting woman, come with me."
Annika followed him when he told her to come.
"This is Inu, one of the bookmen, he'll show you around.
Your job, precisely, is to collect books and stack . Sometimes you'll train, collect rare texts, gain knowledge, even write your own, learn maps and create some for yourselves when you follow the reasercgers for landscaping. He said looking around
"But for now, you stack books. You're under Research and Collection."
"Thank you," she whispered, moving off with Inu.
The library was massive, one tour wasn't enough to see it all.
After a few weeks she had moved into the staff quarters. In the library she had insisted on learning mapping instead of just basic library ethics, researches.
Scholars practiced alchemy there too. She learned fast, sharpening her mapping skills with every scroll she shelved.
"That's not how it's done," a clerk's voice came beside her as she dropped a book over.