Katherine

A new morning had come to be with a sunrise on the horizon. The dawn of the Sabbath was upon the island. The chirping of birds could be heard throughout the beach as they welcomed a new day. The fire that provided warmth and strong flames the previous night, was now dwindling and losing its spark. Without the boat in sight, Katherine awoke first to what little remained of the fire only to realize that she had cuddled with the one whom she called Davian whilst they lay on the sand. Her first reaction was a smile. Once she attempted to stand, Daniel woke from his slumber.

"Good morning," were his first words of the day.

"Good morning to you too," she responded with the dagger in her hold. "Are you hungry?"

"I am." With a great grumble of his stomach, he was tempted to kill the horse and eat it.

"We still have a little bit of fire. If you can get another fire going, I can cook some fish."

Little did the boy realize what was about to happen. Katherine stepped into the water, spotted a fish, inhaled a breath, and immediately attacked the fish with the dagger. Womp! Within less than a minute, three more fish joined the other fish on the dagger. With a dagger full of fish, she threw fish into the dying fire and stepped back into the water to stab more. Daniel stood in his spot in awe of this violent girl. How was she able to catch fish like this? He had yet to get a new fire going.

"What are you waiting for?" the violent girl asked with a new collection of fish in the fire that needed rebuilding. "We need to get this fire burning."

"How were you able to kill the fish the way you did?"

"It is actually quite simple. My father taught me how to kill with a dagger. Come here and I will guide you."

He did just as she commanded him and joined her with both of their feet in the water. Giving him the dagger, she positioned his body to be completely straight. Yes, the girl was touching him. Was it possible for him to focus on what he was supposed to be learning?"

"The first thing you must know," instructed the girl he knew as Kassandra. "You must stand straight and hold proper balance. Holding balance can be complicated and it takes much practice. You will certainly not master it in one day. Now close your eyes."

Close his eyes? This seemed strange. How could anybody catch a fish with their eyes closed? Yet, he did as he was told hoping that at least one fish could be caught. Thankfully, he was also no longer being touched. Perhaps focusing would not be hard.

"With your eyes closed, listen to the sound of the fish swimming around you. Pay attention to nothing else. Think of the fish as your enemy. You must understand who your enemy is. You must know how the enemy will act before they act. Once you do this, you can stab a fish with the dagger."

With Daniel's eyes closed, he took a breath, stood straight hoping to keep balance, and ignored his surroundings. It was not hard to listen to sounds coming from the water. The fish could be heard. And without another thought, an attempt to attack a fish had been made. Sadly, he missed and stabbed a seaweed. Katherine could not help but laugh. In response, the boy threw the seaweed into her face. Daniel was now the one laughing.

Within a short moment, the two of them gathered pieces of seaweed and attacked one another with these plants. Daniel found himself deeply into the moment and quickly fell into the water. The one she knew as Davian sat there attempting to catch his breath as the girl did the same.

Yet, Katherine could not help but notice something whilst she kneeled on her knees. This Davian fellow seemed well-toned. Thanks to the daylight, she noticed some potential strength underneath the wet shirt which set a strange unknown feeling throughout her body and skin. She wanted nothing more than to take off his shirt and feel what was underneath. Alas, the boy stood up and she realized it would not be possible.

"As I said, it takes practice. I have an idea. I will stand beside you and instruct you on when to strike."

And so, she stood right beside him. Katherine listened to the sounds of the water and the creatures that inhabited it. Never had she imagined that she would be sharing this knowledge with a soul. Yet, she was grateful for this opportunity. In a strange way, she hoped Davian could master this skill and be better than her. All of this was put to the side when her ears detected a fish coming near them.

"My daughter, I know it is not yet your birthday," spoke the king whilst they were at the same beach. "But I hold a gift for you." Out of his pocket was a dagger. "There is a great story behind this dagger as it is special. One of the last three special daggers in our kingdom."

Without another word, the king stepped foot into the water as Katherine followed. She desperately wanted to hold this glorious dagger for she had never seen anything like this. This sight intoxicated her eyes. When would she get to hold this new gift of hers?

"Katherine, one day you will likely face a great enemy. It may be an outsider such as the Asharanites. It also could very well be someone in our very kingdom that you trust. Either way, the enemies seek to take your head. And considering that you are just a girl, they may want more from you. Regardless,

Katherine stood next to her father wondering who could be willing to attack an innocent little girl like her. What if she was not able to defend herself? Her heart raced at the thought. She needed the dagger more than ever. Yet, she paid attention to her father and watched what he was doing. Surely enough, with all his strength, he was able to catch six fish with the weapon.

"Kassandra, are you alright?" asked the boy. "I am sure that at least a dozen fish have already swum past us."

Checking her surroundings, Katherine breathed a couple of breaths and splashed water over her face. A thought occurred leaving her to wonder what she had become. Was she an animal herself? Not wanting to teach any more lessons, she took the liberty of strengthening the fire and cooking the fish. The entire morning, they ate and talked forgetting the troubles of their worlds.

And time after time, the boy noticed Roseline spying on him. He had completely forgotten about her. At noon, Katherine became aware she had missed mass, but should it matter? If it were not for Davian, she would have run off. Yet, Daniel was the one who put an end to their time together as he realized Roseline would not cease spying on him. They agreed to meet at court that night and follow the light.

This concludes the eleventh chapter! Remember to know your enemy. It could be anybody. A new chapter will return next Saturday! Please remember to comment and vote.

Do you think Katherine might have a greater enemy than the fish?