Chapter Eight: Father And Daughter

Sara stared at her leaving father with a bright smile, waving at him happily, while the early sun rays illuminated his body. The sight was truly majestic to the eye. The king waved at her as well, promising to come visit her sooner than expected, with plenty of gifts and savories. Sara was grateful for her father who couldn't bear to leave her upset. Those few extra minutes he spent with her, just hugging her and telling her how much he loved her. It brightened her morning and lifted the weight off her heart for a while, but once he took off and was out of sight, her smile fell off her face only to be replaced by a sour expression.

Sara wished she could muster enough courage to tell her father she didn't want any gifts nor savories. That she was grateful for all his love and time and care but it wasn't enough. She, just like any other human being, wanted a life, a normal one where she could have family and friends, people to talk to, a part to play, an effect to leave. She wanted to feel needed, that her presence mattered and had it weight. Instead of being so insignificant and blank.

Walking back inside the shack, Sara headed to the table to pick up the used utensils. Picking up the silver plate, she stared at her nebulous reflection. And for a fleeting second, she couldn't make the difference between herself and the plate. She felt she was more of an object than a human. Just like the plate, she had no control over her own life, no contributions nor opinion in making her own decisions. She was moved from one place to the other, used, directed and placed exactly where her father wanted her. She was never asked of what she thought about important matters. Not even the ones that affected her directly.

Sara sighed sadly while gathering the utensils in a big pail. Remembering the last time, she had the nerve to slightly ''insist'' on going to live on the castle, where her family was.  Her father lost his temper on her, he screamed and flipped the dinner table. Saying they were not her family and that she should forget the matter completely and not dare to stupidly think about it again. That night ended with so many sobs and apologies that failed to mend the wound in her heart...

Sara knew that her father only wanted to protect her. His love to her was unquestionable. But from what exactly was her question. He always told her that the outside world was a dangerous place, that people can be extremely vile and evil, that life was cruel especially with the demons lurking here and there. However, Sara couldn't bring herself to believe what he said. If the world was truly as dangerous as her father claimed, then how come people were living in it normally. And even if it was that dangerous, she wanted to experience it herself, to suffer like others if she had to, to feel the despair and struggle of the daily life, to fail and make mistakes and bear their consequences, as long as it is her choice, her own will, she was fine with it.

She wanted the freedom to choose her own path.

Having the urge to slap herself, Sara finished cleaning the used utensils before walking back to the door to tend to her little garden, it had been six months since she came to live in this shack. Her father didn't waste any time to get her out of the holy tower after the whole incident with Patrick. They moved from one residence to the other, followed by few guards only. But not one of them was safe, there were multiple attempts on her life, and someone even tried to burn the manor she was in. Not to mention the demon that kept on tracking her which was the main reason for their constant moving.

Sara shivered in fear when she remembered the red eyes. The horror she felt was still alive in a small corner in the back of her mind. Sara didn't know a demon was tracking her until she once overheard the guards talking about it. The nightmares about those eyes never stopped hunting her, not until she came to live in that shack at least...

Sara thought while looking at the place she had been living in for the past six months, her father told her this shack was blessed by Gods and she couldn't help but believe it. There was indeed something strangely benevolent about it, it was built not far away from the dark forest but no demon ever approached it nor the whole mile surrounding it, her nightmares about the eyes stopped since the day she came there. Which only meant that demon had lost her tracks.

It wasn't a bad place. She told herself as she picked a basket and a bucket after throwing on a cape from inside the shack and walked toward the forest, she needed more water from the near river, She hoped to find some berries and mushrooms on her way, Or even some wild medical herbs as she was so fond of medical studies. The last time she was lucky enough to find some wild flowers with amazing scents and didn't think twice before plucking some to replant in her small garden. It was one of the good things about this shack, as well as the ability to go out as long as the sun was up in the sky. However, she hasn’t seen a single human beside her father since she was moved there, not even a royal guard that always followed behind her father. She felt as if she was in an abandoned corner of the world. She was safe and protected, but also lonely and abandoned, and never happy...

Sara made it to the river which was full of fish, she took her cape off and rolled up her sleeves and the lower part of her dress, her silky long legs reflected the sunlight, she stepped inside the water and started to catch some unlucky fish with a sharpened stick, it was something her father taught her in their very first weeks in here, she learned quickly and it wasn't long before she was able to catch some, more than enough for lunch and dinner.

Not having anything else to do, Sara sat by the riverbank. Enjoying the warm sun rays and the breeze, feeling slightly free although she knew the bars were still there, just, further than before, she stared at her face in the water for a while, she was used to see admiration and lust in the eyes of servants, and even her father said she was beautiful. But because she was deprived of feminine company, she didn't really have any reference to compare herself to, and male attention wasn't a criterion since she read once that men liked anything with breasts.

How can anyone be considered beautiful with such dirty hair and body? Sara thought to herself, One of the shack flaws was it lack of water system, The only way to bath properly was in the river otherwise it was a wet towel or nothing, taking of her clothes, she walked into the cold water while squeaking happily.

Busy washing her body, Sara failed to notice the sharp grits and the irregular depths, she was too engrossed in enjoying the cold water and chasing the fish while rubbing her silky white skin, Enjoying her private moment of innocent naughtiness and liberty, where she did as she pleased, She felt a desire to soak herself in the water, so she did, she took a deep breath closed her eyes and dived into the water. It was perfectly peaceful and calm, and Sara had no idea how or why did the demonic eyes suddenly reappeared behind her closed eyelids...

Terrified, she tried to pull herself back but she was not a swimmer and a sudden current pushed her body to a deeper area in the river... Sara tried her best to save herself, she moved her legs and arms but she didn't know how and only caused herself to sink deeper. Her lungs screamed for air, she thought this was the end of her life, fear took over her causing her to move and struggle only to waste her energy and exhaust her body, when she couldn't hold her breath any longer, her body took a big inhale out of instinct but only water came in causing her lungs to burn, it was so painful, way too painful to the point where her mind gave up...

The rest of her memories about that accident were foggy, she vaguely remembered being pulled out of the water, then strong arms took her back to the shore.