Queen Of Monsters

The girls left the elevated ground and followed the path diligently. Ru Naya and Zan Mei both made note of any landmark near them that would help to guide them back to their camp. There was an odd rune embedded in one of the trees nearby and that became the marker for them.

They trekked quietly till the voices from the camp was replaced by the sounds of the nature. The deeper they hiked, the more foreboding and cold the forest got.

Not even three hundred meters in, and it already feels so sinister, Ru Naya mused.

Ever so often a branch of a tree would block their way and Zan Mei hacked them away using her knife. The pretty knife sliced through the wood like paper and it piqued Ru Naya's interest.

"Did you get a new Makhaira?" Ru Naya asked Zan Mei nonchalantly.

"Oh," Zan Mei stepped over some twigs, the snapping sound was eerily similar to the sound of bones breaking, "yeah, my dad got me a new one while he was out trading."

Zan Mei's father was a merchant who went to do trade in different cities during the winter months, and then sold the items he bought from the far away cities in the imperial during the summers. When he would come back he'd often bring Zan Mei gifts. This time he brought her a large Makhaira with jewels embedded in the hilt, which sparkled when light fell on it. It made Ru Naya a bit jealous not only because of the fatherly affection Zan Mei was bestowed with, but also because the knife Zan Mei had was beautiful. The blade was sharp unlike Ru Naya's rusty and dull one. However it was a knife that Yan Lin had made for her, as well as she couldn't afford a new one as her parents didn't give her money. So she had to keep using her current one reluctantly.

"It's pretty," she commented lightly, glancing away when Zan Mei nodded as she held up the knife adoringly.

"By the way," Ru Naya changed the topic, "We're alone now, what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh yeah," Zan Mei blushed, "I'm finally thinking of sending the prince a proposal letter."

Ru Naya turned to her in surprise, "Really? that's great!"

"Uh, I don't know," Zan Mei said distractedly, "Nana I am so scared, what if he rejects me? I don't know what i'll do."

"You'll be fine-" But Zan Mei interrupted her.

"You have no idea how much I adore him," Zan Mei said seriously, "I want a relationship like Yan Lin and yours but only with him."

Ru Naya didn't say anything else, she wondered if Zan Mei was Ru Yaya level of obsessed with the prince. Though she didn't think it was possible because compared to her elder sister, Zan Mei didn't seem to talk about the prince that much.

Atleast to her.

However if Zan Mei were to become the future queen, it would be beneficial to Ru Naya, so she encouraged her, "I believe in you Zan Mei. You are smart and kind, and I bet the prince will fall in love with you at the first sight!"

"You think that?" Zan Mei asked doubtfully and Ru Naya nodded vigourously.

"Okay then!" her bestfriend replied cheerfully.

They continued to chat about Zan Mei's future if she became the princess as they followed the path. They lowered their voices the more farther they went in, until Ru Naya spotted a crude engraving on a tree that just read '700 m'.

Ru Naya sighed, disappointed. Though less than a mile in the forest, seven hundred was considered as the boundary of the outer edge of the forest, meaning that the animals after the marked tree would get even more dangerous and the chances to meet a stray witch would also increase drastically.

"Let's turn back now," Ru Naya's voice was dismal as she talked to Zan Mei. They both turned around and headed back towards the camp.

The walk back was uneventful as the girls didn't spot a single animal. They tried to follow the trail of any suspicious sound but to no avail, at the end they returned empty handed.

When they entered the camp, the others in the group got up to greet them. Yan Lin quickly walked over to a dejected Ru Naya. He had pretty much guessed why the girls looked sad, as it was evident by their empty hands. He knew Ru Naya had been looking forward to hunt some animals because she wanted to give him animal meat since she was worried that he would starve. He consoled her as he led her to her tent.

"You could join us tomorrow," He told her as he unzipped the flap of the tent for her get inside. She shook her head as she took out her hunting knife from her jacket and threw it on the sleeping bag. The sight of the knife made Yan Lin smile. It was one of the first weapons he had forged himself back when he had first started his job. Though he pretended to be casual about it, the truth is that the knife mattered to him a lot. He didn't want to tell that to Ru Naya cause he knew she would try to give it back to him.

And he didn't want it no matter how precious it was, because it was best suited to serve the girl he loved.

"No," Ru Naya took off her jacket, "If Zan Mei or I were to go then someone would have to stay behind, and I don't want to do that. We already had our chance today and we were unlucky."

Though Ru Naya was pretty upset, she felt even worse for Zan Mei. She had asked her bestfriend to come along because the last time she hadn't found anything on her hunt. For Zan Mei, the carcasses of the animals were something that she could give to her merchant father to sell it once they went trading. So, for her to not find anything on this trip meant Zan Mei had to show up empty handed for the trade.

He comforted her till she started to feel better. It was already dusk and time for dinner when they got out of the tent.

"Well, I'll miss you tomorrow." Yan Lin sighed as they both took their seats around the fire.

"Come back to me quickly then," Ru Naya smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. She then turned around to apologize to Zan Mei.

"What are you talking about?" Zan Mei flicked Ru Naya's forehead, "I'm fine! I got to hang out with you and that is enough."

After they all were done eating, they decided on who would take the night shift. Since Zan Mei and Ru Naya weren't going to go tomorrow, they opted for it. Ru Naya took the first shift and the others went to sleep.

"Night," Yan Lin kissed her before he left to sleep. Zan Mei and the others waved at her as well.

Once the night truly fell, Ru Naya extinguished the fire and plunged the camp into darkness. She stared at the trees in the distance and the faintly glowing runes that would flicker faintly. It was a strangely beautiful and a calming sight, even though there was nothing peaceful about it.

She sat there till Zan Mei got up to take over, and then went to sleep. Though she was tired from the day, there was an odd sense of restlessness in her. She simply had a feeling that something big was about to happen soon. The thoughts vanquished her sadness from earlier as she finally drifted off to the dreamland.