The Lost Girl

"Asthenosthene!"

A young girl opened her eyes as the voices of her name drew louder. She slowly listened to the moans of cows and rubbed her tired eyes from the sunlight peering over her window.

"Asthenosthene! Wake up!"

The young girl sloppily gets up, and sighed. "I'm waking now, Mother."

"Asthenosthene!"

"I'm awake!" she yelled back and chuckled. "I'm coming down now!"

"Okay, hurry up darling!"

The young woman called Asthenosthene stands up and made her way down to the first floor of their cabin. The floor creaked as her small feet make contact with the wooden floorboards.

"Mother?"

"Lady Rosellia's doctor, Mr. Curtis and I bumped each other at the market today. Turned out that Lady Rosellia is ill today and would like you to come and see her."

The young girl's eyes widened. "That's unfortunate. Lady Rosellia had told me that she was looking forward to the Ball today at the city."

"Lady Rosellia was invited to the King's ball?"

"Indeed she was, Mother!" the young girl then assisted her mother with the cooking. "She had told me that she wanted to talk with the Duke of Illum."

"She must be interested in him."

"Lady Rosellia is a noble. She would get invited even if it was a celebratory banquet."

"Asty, darling. I will finish these. Lady Rosellia needs you in her premises now. Go and clean up."

Asty sighed as she dropped the last of the vegetables in the pot. "Alright, Mother."

Her mother kissed her forehead and smiled. "Lady Rosellia helped us a lot during our hard times. We were fortunate to receive such graces from a noble. So make sure you would be there for her like how she was there for us before."

Asty nodded. "Yes, Mother."

The beautiful elderly woman smiled at her only daughter. Asty smiled gleefully at her mother and walked upstairs to get a piece of towel and a new set of clothes.

She walked back downstairs and then waved at her mother goodbye. She was to bathe at the nearby river. They had no pumps of water in the mountains. If there were, they could only be seen on the nobles' houses. Their cabin was rickety and damaged.

Asty walked slowly into the nearest river she used to bathe. Before taking off her clothes, she looked at her surroundings to see if anybody was there.

There was not a single person.

She took off her clothing and submerged herself into the cold streaming waters. She felt the heat of her body wash away as the chill soaked into her skin. She closed her eyes as she feels the cold breeze tickle her soft, pale skin.

When she was done, she slowly opened her eyes and covered herself with a cotton towel. Suddenly, out from the corner of her eyes, she sees a slight movement somewhere in the woods behind her. Thinking it was only an animal, she continued drying herself.

She glanced again in the same direction where the sound came from. She saw two gleaming eyes from the trees, staring at her. She looked away and grabbed her clothes and wore them.

She grabbed her boots and slipped her feet in them, and then made her way towards the woods to look for those gleaming eyes.

She was not scared, but she was worried.

"It could be an animal." she mumbled softly and then made her way to leave.

She glanced back, and saw nothing. She continued walking away.

Little did she know that something was watching her from above the trees.

There was not a single person in there.

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