The Friend

I followed grandma in a dark room lit by only some candles. She sat on a couch at the right corner of the room and waved at me to sit across her. I obliged and traced the fabric on the couch. "I recently got ahold on a piece of information which is of a great importance for us. Or should I say for you." She said tilting her head at me.

I knew where this was steering. But I wanted to hear it first, before I made any assumptions. "So, let's hear it then." I exhaled. She picked up a thick brown book from the side table and flicked through its pages. She angled the book on the table so that I could read, too, and put her finger along the lines.

"According to the legends of exiled, around 900 years ago. There was a supernatural race, unbeknown to the current races, which held animosity towards the werewolves. Blinded by the hatred they had killed the then princess of werewolves hence, the wolves declared war." I just nodded along.

"Thousands of innocent souls were slaughter. The hell and heaven were over flowing due to the unbalance of life and death. So, to put ahold on the on going tyranny, the goddesses of fate appeared. They prosecuted the evil creatures and banned them to a secluded part on the Earth to subsist for the eternity." My father used to tell me stories at night when I was a child but, I don't remember hearing anything like this.

"But Midoric, the god of chaos intervened and pointed out the sins of the werewolves. Being convinced, the goddesses lessened the creatures' punishment to a thousand years." Grandma lowered the book and looked at me. "And the legend says that after thousand years to that day they will come back. And the time is over. Now anytime they could come."

"And what does this has to do with me? I know I have a part to play but, I need clarity." I told her, eyebrows knitting together.

She let out heavy sigh and said, "This might be your chance to accomplish what you want but, you are alone on this path. If they come, you cannot compete them. You couldn't win over them all alone. But if you have support with you, I believe it will be not that difficult for you."

"So where I seek that support. Who will help me in all of this?" I frowned.

"Well, what I deem would be right is, that you approach other races and ask them for having your back. But," She took a pause. "There is one more problem we have to look at."

I pinched the slope of my nose and sighed. "And what that problem might be, now?" I asked looking up. She gave me a sympathetic smile. She knew how overwhelmed I was from this sudden dump of information.

"As I told you before, no one knows what creatures they are. How they look like or even what they are called. Fighting someone without knowing about them makes you weaker." She was right. How could I fight them without knowing what weakness they possess? Or even if they have any.

"But there is someone who knows about them. Not everything, but the most that anyone could tell us." She said. Some emotion flickering in her eyes that I could not decipher.

"And who that person might be?"

"Your grandfather." She said.

"What?" My grandfather was arrested years ago by the king for a crime he didn't commit. I never saw him. Even my mother didn't remember him. She was barely five when he was taken.

"You have to free him Sera. Only he could help you."

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"So when are you heading off to town?" Fiona asked. We were sitting in my room talking about my departure for the town. I'd decided that I would be living there with Melisa until I free my grandpa. Her house was near the castle so, that would be convenient.

"In a day or two. I think." I said.

"Fine. I have something to give Melisa and you have to take it with you." I raised an eyebrow at that. "Okay okay I know. Will you, Sera? Please?" She said widening her eyes for the additional effect. I gave a soft chuckle and nodded.

"Well, this is a very good chance for you. Maybe he is there, roaming around looking for you. And then you are walking blindly and you both just run into each other and then oh! How romantic that would be!" Fiona said going from a wise lady to a dreaming child to a crazy woman.

"And what chance are you talking exactly about?" I asked with an amused smile.

She scowled at me. "Sometimes you are so dimwitted it irritates me. I'm talking about you finding your mate." She answered.

Mate

My smile fell by a little fraction. I've never talked to anyone about mates. In my opinion, I didn't need a mate. I could protect myself and even the others. I could feed my loved ones. I could do anything that a male was able to do. And even if I needed a male sometime in life, I didn't think my male will be very pleased with me.

I was not what a male would want her female to be. In our society, males were dominant. They wanted their females beneath them. Practically and metaphorically. Females were to bow down to their mates and fulfill their demands here. And I couldn't do that.

My father alway said to bow to no one except the goddesses. That was engraved in my nature. I didn't like taking orders around. I've always done what I liked, I would never be able to be like other females. It would be a complicated bond between us. Both trying to pull each other down but not one getting any success.

After contemplating all my theories about finding a mate I always come to only one conclusion. I wish I never meet my mate. I didn't care if I was missing the world's most beautiful feeling of finding the other half of your soul. I just didn't need it.

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2 days later

I walked along the stone made footpath in the market of the town. It was a sunny day but the clouds in the sky here and there. Birds were chirping somewhere but their sound was drowned by the loud noise of the busy market.

The place was so lively here. Everywhere that my eyes could see there were people. Anyone who watched me kept whispering to each other. Maybe about my attire, where I came from and what am I doing here? Everytime I pulledl the hood of my cloak down to hide my face they averted their gaze from me.

Like they were not just trying to figure out my identity by just looking at me.

I walked ahead following the little pigeon flying overhead, which grandma sent to guide me to Melisa's house. The pigeon led me to a small one storey brick house and sat on the porch itself.

I climbed up the porch to door and nodded at the small creature and it took its flight once again to home. I knocked three times on the door and waited. Seconds later, the door creeked open and a young lady with a blonde braid came in sight.

"Seraphina!" She gasped and lunged for me pulling me into her embrace. I returned her gesture with a small smile.

"Hello to you, too, Mel." I said.

"Oh my lords! you are really here! Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I would have came to pick you up." She said looking me up and down to take my appearance.

"I didn't get to inform you. I'm apologise. But, if you don't welcome the unannounced guests then, maybe I should come another time." I joked.

"Oh shut up, woman. Now come inside and make yourself comfortable." She said and ushered me into her warm, cozy house.

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Melisa told me about how she met her mate, David, and about the whole town. Some freshly baked cookies after, I told her about the mission I was on and I knew she was worried. I could tell by the way her eyebrows knitted together.

"I think it's too dangerous, Sera. I know you have sneaked into the palace grounds a lot of times before. But the King's dungeons are not a place to play." She said she said nibbling on her cookie.

"I know Mel. And I'm prepared for whatever is there waiting for me." I tried to assure her.

"Bu,t there are hundreds of guards loaded with killing weapons. Going alone there is a suicide mission. You will be heavily outnumbered." She said flailing her hands around in desperation.

"You don't have to worry about that. I'm not going in there without‍ a thought. I have some planning to do before coming into action." She let out a defeated sigh at my reason and nodded.

"Fine. I believe in you. Do whatever you need but, be safe okay?" She said and stood up. "So let's go now. You must be tired. Come, I shall show you to your room." She said and I followed her out of the sitting area.