Chapter 15: Liam's POV

We made it gang :D

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We get rudely awoken before the sun even rises, the old man crankily yelling at us to get up. We all stumble groggily into the main room, barely dressed. The man hardly says anything before shoving us out of the house with a basket full of food. We stand there, shocked for a moment, before making our way to find Amber. And just as the first licks of the sun are seen over the horizon we fly away into the early morning.

We fly all day, not even stopping to eat. I had been dubbed the map keeper and was directing Amber in the right direction, though there wasn't much to do as it was pretty much just "fly east."

We laugh and talk. Not really about anything in particular, just stupid conversations and deep thoughts that mean nothing. We sing songs, we tell stories. All until the sun sits low in the sky. Only then did we look for a village, finding one not long after, nestled on the bank of a large river snaking through the countryside.

We swoop in, landing just outside the buildings. Without a second thought I jump down and start jogging towards the road.

"Liam!" Kate whisper-yells to me, still standing by Amber.

"What?" I ask, turning back. She frantically gestures for me to come back.

"What are you thinking?! Come back! We don't know if these guys are hostile or friendly." She gives me a harsh look, Reid standing behind her. I wave her off and continue moving. Everyone we met has been completely welcoming, granted some are a bit too welcoming, but nice nonetheless. Why would this town be any different?

I enter onto the road between two run-down buildings, the street a heavily treaded dirt path. I hear pairs of feet behind me, signaling my comrades had followed me. Almost immediately I realize something is off about this town. The buildings are worn, even rotting at some points. The streets aren't bustling, they're almost barren. What shops there are are scarce, their supply even scarcer. An invisible cloud of tense silence and almost….misery hangs like fog over the road. Though the people were more concerning than the houses and shops. Their scornful faces bore straight through me into my soul, as if each one of them held a personal grudge against me. They look at each of us as if we are their enemies. Their gazes contemptuous make tiny cracks on my heart appear. What happened here?

I slow my gait, glancing back at my friends. They look at me with the same amount of caution and concern I had shared with them. I let them catch up with me fully and start walking in Amber's shadow, trying to hide in the darkness of the coming night.

"We need to buy some stuff." Reid says, leaning in to whisper it. I glance at her messy hair, the long strands on the top of her head draping across her face to indicate her gender. She hadn't switched yet. I nod.

"What do we need?" I mutter back. She glances to Amber's back and the supplies strapped there. "Some fresh water really. And new bedspreads." She reports. I nod, extracting a few good coins from my pocket, counting them in my palm.

I advance one a stand, seeing fabrics behind the lady behind the counter. I place the coins on the rotting wood, looking up at the scornful woman.

"Three of those fabrics please and one of those." I say, pointing at her supply. She squints her eyes at me, her piercing gaze focusing on my eyes. I shift uncomfortably, a now familiar feeling blooming in the pit of my stomach.

"What's your name, boy?" She spits the last word out with such contempt it feels as if she's insulting me. Just the way her eyes trail up and down me makes me self conscious of everything. It makes me conscious of the split in my eyebrow, the strands of golden brown hair that had escaped my ponytail, the rough edges on my hastily sewn patches, my lean body, my long legs, the very way I hold myself.

"L-Liam." I stutter out. "Just the fabrics is all, then I'll be on my wa-" She cuts me off.

"Last name?" Her voice is gruff and hollow, in the same way my alcoholic and cigarette-loving father's had been. Great, yet another thing to make me uncomfortable.

"Why do you need that?" I ask, playing with the hem of my shirt. I hear the light and rapid footsteps of Kate grow near. She's come over. She's here. I'm not alone. Calm down, you're ok. The lady slams her hand on the desk, making my flinch backwards.

"I said, what's your last name, Liam?" She spits my name out like a bite of a bad apple.

"Emm-Emmerson m-ma'am." My gaze files on the dirt of the ground. I see Kate's shadow behind me in the dark. She's here. It's ok. You're ok. I tell myself to calm the feelings in the pit of my stomach.

"You're…." I glance up at the lady. Her eyebrows raise in surprise and her eyes widen. Her mouth hangs open as if she gave up mid-word. "You're the prince….YOU'RE THE PRINCE!" She shouts loud enough for the entire village to hear. I shrink back, Kate immediately stepping in front of me, her hand on her sword.

I glance around at the people, and watch as individually their heads slowly turn in my direction. Their gazes turn sour and resentful, if they weren't already. Their eyes burn with a new found rage. What's going on? Why is everyone so mad?

The next few events happen so quickly I barely even comprehend them. Dozens of townspeople fling themselves toward me, including the merchant lady. Kate unsheathes her sword with lightning speed and knocks many back, but a few latch onto me. More people stream into the chaos, jumping on me as well. I can faintly register the roaring of Amber and the shiiing of Kate's sword, and even Reid yelling.

The people latch onto me, their hands raking at my clothes. Their fingernails scratch at my arms and legs. I kick and punch but they keep piling on. I scream and thrash, desperate to get away from the claustrophobic horde. They scream and yell at me, accusing me of things I didn't know I had done.

"Down with the royals!" One calls. "The Queen and Prince deserve to suffer in Cato's Land!" Another one yells. "Give us our crops back!" They scream. "Where's our food?!"

I recall a year ago, in the midst of winter, a certain town woman had set up a hearing with Sage. I stood next to my sister as she listened to this commoner plead with her to send crops to her village, for they'd have run out of rations and their children were dying. Sage had sent grain and other non-perishable foods over there, but they had been irresponsible with how they spent their food and came crawling back. But that harvest had been unkind to us and we were barely hanging on ourselves, and could not offer any more food to the village. Is this that town? Did the people still hold a grudge? Such an intense one they would want us dead?

I hear screams as Kate slices through flesh, desperate to keep me from dying by the bare hands of these people. Please be nonlethal. I think to myself. Don't kill these people.

I feel another hand grab my ankle, and I start kicking and bucking, my cries growing desperate as fingernails break flesh, tearing holes into my delicate skin. They rip my clothing, pull at my hair. I close my eyes tightly, refusing to open them as they claw at the sockets. The body mass creates what feels like an oven, cooking me alive though the sun was now gone and the bitter cold had set in.

The grip on my ankle tightens and pulls at me. I pull back. Then, the hand turns into a wet moisture, followed by a gentle pressure. Next thing I know, I'm hanging upside down above the horde of livid townspeople. They scream and throw their belongings at me. I glance at my legs to see Amber holding my ankle in her mouth. She hovers above the ground as Kate and Reid climb onto her. She looks down at me, her cat eye pupils holding concern. With a huff I bend at the waist and manage to grab her neck. She drops my foot and I climb onto her back. With a strong flap of her mighty wings were sent into the dark sky.

We land not a few minutes later, basically collapsing into a clearing. Amber hauls herself into a lying position; barely able to move, exhausted from all the flying then the fighting. I crawl over to her, followed by Reid and Kate.

Kate rummages in Amber's bags before producing a first aid kit and kneels in front of Reid. It was then I realized the state she was in. Cuts and scrapes line her face and limbs like me, but a large wound leaks blood from her bicep, and many bruises are starting to form on her platinum skin.

"Oh Reid…" I mumble, looking at my friend. I glance down at my own body, studying the cuts and scrapes that drip blood. "That'll need sowing…I'll need to fix that seam…" I mutter as I analyze my jacket.

"Oh no. Oh no!" I shout, looking around frantically as the area is lit up with the light of a flame. I glance at Amber who had ignited a pile of leaves.

"What?" Kate turns to look at me.

"A pin! My favorite pin! The one for Sage, that says 'sis'?" I ask, she looks blankly at me. "It's gone! Oh goddesses it's gone! Those crazy people must have raked it off. Oh no! Why that one oh-" She cuts me off.

"Really?" She says, her fists clenched at her sides and her face tense with anger. I falter, looking fearfully at her. "Really Liam?" Her voice shakes with frustration.

"Look at her!" She gestures to the battered Reid in front of her. "We could have gotten killed! You could have gotten killed and you're worried about a pin?!" I recede back, glancing at Amber for support, who I only just now noticed is fast asleep. The fire crackles under Kate's chin, creating an eerie affect to her anger.

"We only got like this because of your naivety! Because you can't accept that not everyone is good. The world is just sunshine and rainbows to you, isn't it? Well news flash! It isn't. There are bad people Liam. So for goddesses sake have some caution every once and awhile! Not everyone wants to be your friend, and not everyone likes you. It's about time you grow up and accept that if you don't want to get up killed out here." She finishes with a final shout and turns angrily back to Reid to finish her first aid job.

"The pin was all I had of Sage out here…" I mutter to myself, bringing my knees to my chest. I see Kate's shoulder loosen a bit and I notice her eyes flick towards me. Reid notices this as well and gives me a look that says "She's sorry, she's just too proud to admit it." For some reason, I don't believe her.

After all, Kate's right. I'm nothing but a pacifist loser. I need to grow up if I want to keep them alive. This isn't New Eladea anymore. This is uncharted territory. I need to stop being so childish.

With a frustrated flick of my wrist I brush a few droplets of blood away. They land on my jacket, creating a crimson red smear where my pin once was.

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Word count: 2076

Soooo how'd you like it? Have your views on any of the characters changed over this? Theories for what might happen in the future? Maybe ideas on what you want to see in the future? (Not necessary just curious) love you guys!

Cya next week!