It was dark when Ambrosia woke up. She was laying in a tent, covered with animal fur, all alone. Her eyes fixed on her surroundings, but she found nothing. The tent was small, possibly meant for two or three people, but she was alone. Her body hurt, and she was sure the wound on her head had reopened. She groaned and turned over to the side. Her dress was gone, she was only wearing a white cloth which covered most of her body. A sudden bang came from the outside, making Ambrosia flinch. The tent zipped open, revealing a girl with golden hair. She was wearing a dress even prettier than the one Ambrosia had. She was smiling at her, and Ambrosia assumed that the girl wasn't here to hurt her. She wouldn't be surprised if she was, though. Ambrosia had learned the hard way that the most innocent looking humans could be the most dangerous.

"Here, take this dress. Lady Artemis says that the dress you're wearing is tarnished by man's touch. You need to be cleansed for the ceremonial, Anaya will come shortly and take you to the altar." The girl handed her the dress along with sandals. The huntress climbed back out, leaving Ambrosia alone. In the past two days, so many things happened to her. She was supposed to be in her cell now, either looking after the baby or getting ready for the working day. Instead, she was wrapped in luxurious furs, waiting to get dressed for a ceremony that would turn her into an immortal huntress, bound to serve a goddess until someone or something killed her. Ambrosia crawled out of the furs and grabbed the golden dress. She found that her underwear and bra were still on her. She had heard the words from the woman who got her ready on the arena and made sure to remember them. She had learned more words in the past day than she would ever learn if she was in the cells. Maybe all of them were names of clothing and beauty products, but words were still words. She slipped into the dress, the material clinging to her body.  The cloth was soft, even softer than her previous dress. It fit her body tightly, but at the same time clung around her body. She smoothed the material, sighed, and sat down on the furs again. The sandals the huntress brought matched the dress, and they were the most beautiful shoes Ambrosia's eyes had ever seen. When she put on the sandals and dress, she had no other choice than to wait for Anaya, the girl the huntress had mentioned. Now that she had time, she ran her hand over her forehead and noticed that even though it hurt, the surface was smooth. The gash was gone, and when she checked her busted lip, it was healed on the outside. It hurt, but she couldn't see feel anything, even a bump. She assumed it was just godly magic, she couldn't find any other explanation. She ran her hand across the furs, and wondered what kind of animal it once was. A deer running through forests? A wolf? She didn't know how any of the animals looked like, but she knew some of their names. Ambrosia had always listened when she could, hence the reason why she knew more than the other humans in the cells. The only thing she had always wanted to know was to read and write, but that was impossible without someone with that knowledge teaching her. Her thoughts was interrupted when the tent zipped open and a raven-haired girl marched inside. Unlike the girl before, her eyebrows were furrowed and Ambrosia could swear she was a fire in her eyes. Without speaking a word, Anaya motioned Ambrosia to follow her. Ambrosia scrambled up to her feet and ran after her. The huntress walked fast, and Ambrosia could barely keep up with her. She couldn't process her surroundings, but she saw a fire and a few girls around it. Not many people were there, barely two dozens, but Ambrosia noticed no males. That was logical, Artemis never fought for human boys, or even have any contact with them. Ambrosia bumped into Anaya's back and stopped. They were standing in front of an altar, similar to the paintings she had seen on some walls of the cells. Earlier humans had books, with pictures and stories, and they passed on for generations even after those books were taken away. 

"Lady Artemis is waiting inside. The ceremony for the name giving is not needed for you, Lady Artemis decided you can keep yous. You talk in your sleep, did you know?" She mocked her and walked into the altar. Ambrosia stood dumbfounded but snapped out of it when Anaya called her name. It was the first time she heard anyone other than herself call her her name, and it felt strangely good. She shrugged her shoulders and ran up the stairs leading to the altar.

Ambrosia's breath hitched in her throat when she entered. The altar was magnificent, lit with candles, decorated with statues and paintings. Huntresses were standing next to Lady Artemis, with frowned eyebrows and clenched jaws. Their sharp eyes were fixed on Ambrosia, and she felt like she would suffocate if someone didn't come to her rescue. The blonde girl who brought her the dress smiled at her faintly and motioned her with her eyes to approach Lady Artemis. Ambrosia felt her armpits sweat when she took a step towards the mighty goddess. Nothing happened, so she continued until she was standing in front of her. She kneeled in front of her and waited for Artemis to speak to her. Her honey voice broke the silence, and she said the words Ambrosia dreaded the most.

"Ambrosia, Do you promise to refrain from any kind of love, be loyal to me till the end of your days, and become my huntress?

Ambrosia felt sweat trickle down her forehead. What other choice did she have? Become a huntress or die?

"I pledge myself to you, Lady Artemis."

****

Our Lady Artemis :)

Yes, this is the end. Even though this was meant to be a full book, I realised halfway through  it just didn't work for me. I'm a procrastinator, and it takes me approximately a week to write 2,000 words. Besides, I think this story is better as a short. I want to thank to whoever got to the end, because if people like this story, maybe there's a chance for me in the future.

This was a wonderful journey and I want to thank TriciaDehler for it. :)

Love,

Talia