Still

A Castle

The good news was that they had stopped bickering. The bad news, however, was that The Soldier didn't know why. Marian had become more weary of him, stealing glances every minute or so, and blushing when he caught her doing it. Whenever he made suggestions, she'd immediately nod her head and tell him to do it.

They were sitting by the waterside, taking sips from their little canteen. The Soldier has found a somewhat comfortable rock to sit on, while Marian sat cross legged beneath him. She twiddled her thumbs, occasionally looking around.

The Soldier couldn't take her silence anymore.

"What's wrong?" The Soldier asked, making Marian jump again.

"It's nothing," she lied. "I'm just....nervous."

"How come?"

"It's just..." Marian sighed. "It's just that I'm worried about the Sisters finding me, you know? They're not nice people, and if they're nearby like you said-"

This was entirely new news to The Soldier. He leaned forward on his rock. "Wait wait wait," said The Soldier. "The witches are here? You didn't tell me this!"

Marian gave him a strange look. "You told me about them," she said. "You said you saw them in that forest town."

A forest town? As far as The Soldier knew, they had been walking along the path all day. Sure, they ran into those little clay dolls, but they gave them back to their owner quickly and were on their way. They bickered a bit afterwards, and made up pretty quickly. He'd admit that he didn't remember how they made up, but they did at some point.

"Marian, what are you talking about?" The Soldier asked. Frankly, he was worried for his friend. "Are you feeling alright?"

Marian Mells continued to stare at him, but the silence was broken when the leaves above them split apart. The trees were no longer covering the bright sun from them, and The Soldier had to stop himself from shielding his eyes. A large bird- a vulture made entirely of flesh and bone- came soaring towards them. Its sharp black talons pinched together as the bird swooped down towards them.

Its gleaming eyes sat hungrily on Marian, and The Soldier just knew what he had to do. He sprained towards his friend, pushing Marian out of the way.

The vulture's sharp claws dug into The Soldier's back, and he let out a cry of pain. The vulture cawed again, this time in his ear, and lifted him off the ground. He was in so much shock that The Soldier only stared at the frightened Maria below him as they flew off.

"Soldier!" Marian screamed. "Don't leave me! Don't-"

The bird flew back up into the sky, taking The Soldier with it. The sun blinded him, and he had to shield his eyes from the sun.

After a few moments, something whistled in the air, but The Soldier couldn't tell where it was coming from. As soon as he heard it, there was a newer sound, and this one was definitely not as pleasant. It was the sound of breaking flesh, and The Soldier began to fall.

The vulture, it appeared, had been shot down by an arrow. The bird let go of The Soldier, and the whistling sound came again. Someone was shooting at them.

An arrow caught The Soldier's cape, sticking him to a tree just before he hit the ground. The bird that had carried him so far away got a much more gruesome fate, landing on the ground. Its body was twisted and distorted, almost like a broken doll.

And to think The Soldier could have landed that exact fate. Whoever was shooting stopped, and there was no sign of them around the area. That person, whoever it was, had saved him. Either that, or they had tried to kill him and missed. Still, The Soldier was thankful.