CHAPTER 6: My Purpose

Cobrantes had arrived at the royal house of Lusidor. After one glance from the Queen, she was made a servant without a second thought. The little girl was made to scrub floors, clean halls, and do laundry even in the freezing cold. From dawn she would wake up to the head maid screaming at the lazy girls to arise quickly. Work until breakfast, then more work until dinner. Fall asleep and do it all again. She had no time to adapt to the life that she was thrown into. All she knew was that if she worked hard enough her mama and papa would come to get her. She was certain of it.

Cobrantes spent her nights crying, missing her homeland and the life that she had led as their sweet princess. This must be a test, she thought. This was a challenge that all royalty had to endure to be deemed worthy! She told herself. So, she worked hard!

One year went past. And then another. Her days blurred past her until she was the age of 12. This was the only day she had embedded into her mind clear as day.

Cobrantes lay on the floor, scrubbing one of the wooden decks of the hall when a boot stopped several feet from her. Pulling her head back to look up at whom was attached to the shoe, she paused.

"Is there anythin' I can help you with?" The young girl immediately rose to her feet and brushed off the front of her dirty apron. She crossed her hands in front of her and bowed her head slightly as she'd been taught. Don't look into any guests' eyes! It's disrespectful! She had been told. Several times she had been flogged for forgetting.

"No."

"Well, pardon me, I'll shall return to my du…" Cobrantes turned to continue her cleaning duties when a hand caught her elbow and pulled her back around. It was a handsome young boy staring back at her. He had fairly tanned skin, and curly brown hair piled atop his head. He was much taller than she was and bigger. Much bigger than she was. He wore a long-sleeved smock, and hunting britches with a sword anchored to his side.

"What's your name?" He asked, peering deeply into her face. "I'm not a guest here, you don't have to be afraid to look at me."

"Well, what's yours? And what do you want?" Cobrantes jerked her hand back from his. She had seen boys like him. All they wanted was to hurt girls like her, she was sure of it. She had several of the masters trying to come onto her as well. It was best to keep her distance and remain as invisible as possible.

"It's Qemor. I'm one of the soldiers in Kailif's army." The young boy wasn't all but 16, she was sure of it. There was no way he was in an army! He must be lying to get something out of her. She knew not to trust anyone! And she wouldn't!

"Of course and I'm the princess of Ka…." Cobrantes stopped dead in her sentence at the sarcastic lie that she meant to lash out at him. But slowly remembering to herself that she was indeed a princess. Key word. Was. Not anymore. She understood that now. That she had been thrown to the wolves. Discarded of like trash in the streets.

A young lady came up beside the boy to place her hand on his shoulders. She looked around the same age as him, although much smaller in size, she still towered over Cobrantes' small figure.

"Qemor, I am done with my business here. It is time to go." Giving his shoulder a small squeeze, the young woman looked back at Cobra with a small smile. She walked over to the door's threshold looking back at Qemor, waiting for him to follow.

"I've been here several times. I know your name already. Cobrantes…isn't it?"

Slowly nodding her head, Cobrantes didn't utter a word, she just listened.

"You're special. Different." Qemor looked back at the young girl standing in the doorway to give her a small nod. With that the young girl reciprocated his nod and exited the room.

"Who is that?" Completely ignoring what the boy was saying, Cobra glanced towards the now empty doorway.

"She's like a sister to me. She's a traveling merchant. She helped me out of … a situation like yours. And now I want to help you. I saw…a vision ..of you. I can't quite explain it. But if you are willing to escape this life… meet us at the House of Briel tonight."

Cobrantes stood in shock…she was almost certain that it was a trap. But she didn't feel uneasy? Why did her heart not feel what her mind was telling her? She sat staring blankly at the young boy. This was a chance of a lifetime. She was all but twelve and had no way of defending herself if it was a trap. Hell… she was all but twelve and had no way of defending herself now.

The boy placed a piece of paper in her hands and gave her hand a small squeeze. He began towards the door and before exiting he took one more turn back towards her.

"Escape while you can, little princess."

Qemor helped Cobrantes off the ship onto the docks. Disguised as servants, they slid past the royal guards that were lined up to greet them. Although dressed as a servant, Cobrantes ensure to adorn a veil for further protection. He could see the scowl upon her lips as she disregarded the fake pretenses of Heliar Saith. He would send guards to greet her, but not himself. Well, he would get a rude awakening once he realized that she was not there to be greeted.

They had planned to scour the city incognito. They knew that once they docked that their every move would be under very watchful eyes and that, they could not afford. Qemor had fought alongside Cobrantes his entire life and he knew that her intentions from the beginning had always been war. This was their only chance to see the city's defenses.

They would start with Ipreya, which was Kajor's trade city to the south. For anyone to attack from sea they would have to take Ipreya first. There was a large forest atop a cliff to the east of Kajor that was near impossible to navigate through. With a volcano to the west, this only left the desert to the north of the southern kingdom. The stories of how impossible it was to take the capital city of Kajor was well known and now was the time to try to prove them wrong.

Qemor placed his hand ever so gently on Cobra's lower back to help maneuver her through the crowded docks. He felt her glance up at him as the innocent touch led her flesh to quiver beneath it. He knew what he did to her. He knew how much she longed for him, but he vowed to only be the Queen's advisor and not her weakness.

As they neared the market, the crowds got thicker. Stalls were lined up down each street with merchants selling fish, salt, and more. Qemor familiarized himself with the pathways that they took and where the streets led them to. For every five buildings there was a larger building that looked like it served as an outpost for the guards to obtain higher ground.

"Oh. I apologize! I did not mean to…" A young lady collided with Cobrantes, knocking a bouquet of flowers from her hands. Having stumbled slightly, Cobrantes stepped onto one of the rose's heads by accident. Roses. Her late husband loved roses and so, she despised them. He had loved the scent on her skin and so she was ordered every night to bathe with them in the water.

Cobrantes bent down to lift the flowers from the semi wet pavement. She handed them back to the girl without even a second glance and began to set off again when the young girl grabbed her arm again. Qemor quickly brushed her hands from Cobra's shoulder and stepped forward just in case.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… you look like you've just come from the docks. Would you happen to know if the princess has already arrived? I'm a little late and…. maybe a little lost as well.." The woman was talking to them, but she kept peeking behind her as if running from someone. Her gaze seemed anxious as she waited for the answer.

"I do not know." Cobrantes then fixed the veil tightly shut and began off again. She was rather curious at who the young woman might be but did not want to delay time by asking.

"Cateile! Cat get back here!" Another lady was seen ahead of them brushing through the crowds. The lady excused herself through the dense crowd as she tried her hardest to reach the person she was calling. Cobrantes side stepped for her and took a moment to look back at the woman with the flowers. She had gotten startled and started moving quicker within the crowd away from the lady who was calling her. Shaking her head, she continued down her path surveying the area.

Qemor watched Cobrantes stop abruptly. She turned back around to look at the two ladies who had scurried off to the docks. His instincts told him that by the look on Cobra's face as she watched them, that it was nothing but trouble.

"I have a bad feeling about that girl, my queen." Qemor whispered as he stood towering beside her.

Cobrantes slowly turned her head towards him. The seriousness in her facial expressions were amplified as though she had just witnessed something frightening.

"You have no idea." Cobrantes stared the two women down as they disappeared within the crowd.