Song--Surrender// Natalie Tyler

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 Thudding of hooves. That was the only sound which had been droning on and on for the past 17 hours. That was the sound Ava had fallen asleep to and that was the sound their ears had become accustomed to. So naturally, when it cut out abruptly, the three kids in the carriage jolted awake.

The Evermores looked around, eyes hazy and hair sticking out at odd places. Ava rubbed her tired eyes and stifled a yawn. Stretching her arms out and rolling her neck to remove any lingering stiffness, Ava looked out the window. Their carriage had halted.

"Could we have reached? Is this it? Westbrook?" Derwin questioned, letting out a huge yawn.

Blair smacked his head and said, "Westbrook is three days away. I daresay we slept that long..." Ava peeked out once more, in an attempt to analyze her surroundings. Cobblestone pathways, tall, white-barked trees, and a clear blue sky.

"Springacre," Ava announced.

The twins looked at her in confusion and asked in unison.

"What's that?"

Ava nodded her head towards the window and both of them scrambled ahead to get a better view, palms, and noses pressed against the glass like little kids.

"You see those white barks of the trees? Those are the Paper Birch trees, native to the season towns. And the cobblestone just gives it away, we're definitely in Springacre, A day and a half away from Westbrook. So I'm guessing we are halting here for a while." She explained.

As if on cue, the carriage door swung open and there stood Esmeralda, her wispy grey tucked into a neat bun. She looked at each of them individually as if mentally checking their vitals, then smiled.

"We have reached the quaint little town of Springacre. Since we have been traveling for a day or so, I'm assuming you are all tired. So we have taken a halt here and will be staying for another day. Come on now, get out of this thing!" She ushered.

One by one, all of them hauled themselves out, stumbling on their feet at first and getting used to standing up. Blair stretched herself and Derwin took in his surroundings. Esmeralda led them to a place that reminded Ava terribly of the council. As they entered, the musty scent of old books hit Ava. She looked in awe at the circular building.

The walls were a subtle chrome, lined with rich, embroidered tapestries. Spiraling staircases went up into the different floors and the top encased a giant glass dome. As sunlight filtered through the uneven glass, it created a tiny rainbow in front of Ava's feet. But Ava was struck out of her pleasant reverie as Esmeralda's harsh voice cut through her thoughts.

"Each of you shall go to your designated rooms. There, you shall clean up, and are expected to be downstairs for lunch in an hour. That's it."

As the trio made its way towards the staircases, Esmeralda recalled.

"Oh I almost forgot! You shall be joined by two other Assassins from Amberhall. You may leave now."

Ava was shown her room by a girl who reminded her of Tia. Entering it, the first thing she noticed was that the entire area was carpeted. She quickly removed her boots and let her feet touch the ground. Avyanna let out a small sigh as her aching feet sunk into the plush carpet. The room held a four-poster bed, a bookshelf, a wardrobe, a bathroom, and a balcony cover by plum-colored billowy curtains.

She made a mental note to get a good view of the town before she went for lunch. Next on her agenda was to shower and get rid of that horrid smell, she had no idea how she acquired.

As the hot water hit her back and head, her tensed up muscles slowly relaxed. She ran a hand through her hair and let herself get lost in the silence for a while.

After the shower, she dressed in her usual attire, brushed her hair back, and ran to the balcony. The view was breathtaking. Miles and miles of little white trees, little brown sloping-roofed houses and cobblestone pathways lined her vision. The sight was so much better than the boring tilts and ridges of the valley. It should have been time for lunch and so she bounded down the stairs.

She almost ran into the Evermores as they made their way back to the main hall. Esmeralda was nowhere to be seen so they thought it best to wait for her, at the risk of being told off. Ava stood awkwardly in a corner, fidgeting with the ends of her hair which now hung loosely over her shoulders. Suddenly, the grandfather clock behind her chimed loudly, making Ava jump with fright. Her startled reaction was met with an amused chuckle.

"You should be less jumpy if you're gonna be a Royal Assassin."

Ava spun on her heels to be greeted by a boy, around her age. His ash-brown hair hung over his eyes, giving him a rakish yet debonair look. He was at least four inches taller than her and looked in amusement at the black-haired girl as she scrutinized him.

"You are...?" She questioned.

"Kingsley, Hector Aaron Kingsley."

Her eyes widened as she realized it.

"You must be one of the Assassins from Amberhall, correct?" She inquired.

Hector nodded his head as he posed a question.

"And you must be..."

"Avyanna Irvine. Assassin from Spiritfalls."

Ava extended her hand to the boy, expecting him to shake it. Instead, he held her hand by her fingers and gently kissed her knuckles.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Avyanna Irvine." He smiled up at her. Ava had to suppress a smile herself.

Before either one of them could say something further, Esmeralda entered, looking slightly flustered.

"I'm sorry if I kept you waiting, some business had come up. Now, if I may, let us proceed to the dining hall. I believe all of you must be very hungry."

Ava scoffed lightly as she said under her breath, "Hungry is an understatement." Beside her, Hector chuckled.

As soon as she set foot in the dining hall, her eyes hit a large table covered with delicacies of all sorts. Making a beeline for the closest chair, she dug a forkful of pie and shoved it into her mouth. She hummed satisfactorily as the apple pie tantalized her taste buds.

"Jeez, you must have been starving!" Hector remarked as he took a seat next to her, eyeing the way she was shoveling food inside her mouth. 

"Mhy wad!" Ava tried to reply with her mouth full.

"What?" Hector tried to make sense of the gibberish she just spoke.

Ava covered her mouth while finishing her mouthful, all the while giggling.

"I said I was. Starving, that is." Ava spoke now, much clearer.

Hector raised a brow. "What, they don't feed you back in Spiritfalls?"

Ava just rolled her eyes, too overwhelmed by the meal to retaliate. Her current aim was to lay her hands on as many foods as she could, without making a complete fool of herself in front of a fellow Assassin. But Hector didn't seem to mind the animalistic way she was devouring her food.

Once she slowed down, he asked her, "So the three of you were the only ones chosen from your town?"

She nodded slowly, thinking of how she was almost not going to come.

"Speaking of, Esmeralda told us there were two from your town. So what happened to the other one?"

Hector shook his head in disdain as he replied, "It was another boy my age. He chickened out."

Ava choked on her bite. Taking a sip of water from the delicate stemmed glass, she questioned.

"Chickened out? Are you serious? A chosen Assassin chickened out?"

Hector nodded his head solemnly. Suddenly, he turned to face the girl and brought his hand to support his chin as he rested his elbow on the table.

"Irvine, you said? Why does that name sound so familiar to me?"

Avyanna shrugged. "My father was in the war. Maybe you'd heard of him because of that."Hector shook his head, "No, that can't be it. Millions went to fight in the war, it'd be impossible to hear his name through folklore."

Ava shrugged once more and resumed attacking her food. Hector still looked lost in thought as he tried to retrieve a long-gone memory, but soon gave up.

After lunch, the Assassins were required to retreat to their rooms and stay put for the night. Ava couldn't stop staring out the window. That's why she ignored whoever was knocking on the door this late and hoped the person would think she was asleep and leave.

But the knocking persisted, kept growing louder and more violent by the second. Ava got up and stomped to the door, prepared to give an earful to the person outside.

She opened the door to reveal a panic-stricken Hector, his hair sticking to his forehead because of his sweat.

"Bloody hell Kingsley, have you gone insane-"

"The rebels are here. They broke in somehow and they are inside the building. We need to leave, now!"

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Yeet.

I left you guys on a dun dun dun cliffhanger. Mwahahaha! Okay that was weird. 

so what do you think of Hector? I personally like him slightly but you'll get to know him better don't worry...

Also i just realized, this is the only chapter that doesn't mention Bexley (oop there we go) 

Until then,

Toodles Cinnamon rolls 😘😘