Recap -

Ally and Lucio leave for Vincenzo Island. Due to Princess Admiranda's message of arrival Nathan and Lucca stay back at Mystic Falls along with Marina and Alicia as her companion.
---------------------------------------------------------
It had been barely ten minutes since Marina returned to the Mystic Falls' Palace, but she could already feel Ally and Lucio's absence.

"Don't try to make your presence felt, try to make your absence felt," Marina quoted the line she had read from a book long ago.

"That's a beautiful line," Alicia Deander, the royal huntress, remarked while standing at the door.

"Alicia? Come in. Why are you standing there?" Marina replied, quickly getting up from the bed.

"I am sorry for disturbing you, Your Highness."

"Firstly, call me Marina--"

"But--"

"If you consider me as your friend. Secondly, do you seriously consider laying on a bed as being busy?" Marina asked dryly.

"Well, when Jake made me practice the courtesies, he sort of made me rehearse this way and you were supposed to be busy," Alicia replied, pouting like a kid.

"Sorry for not being busy," Marina chuckled.

"No, it's okay. Anyways, I think you must be aware that I am going to be --"

"My comparison and bodyguard? Yes. But, you don't have to do that."

"It's okay, I really like you and admire your courage, sword fighting and knowledge. Besides, Jake's has gone to the Vincenzo Island and I am allowed to go back at night," Alicia replied, smiling.

"Um... who's Jake?" Marina asked, hesitantly.

"Jake is my husband and the commander-in-chief of the royal army of Mystic Falls. Besides, he thought if I'd be around you, then I won't try to wander alone in the forest."

"Oh, I see."

"So, would you like to take a tour of Mystic Falls' Palace?"

"Sure, I didn't get much time to see the palace."

"Because someone was busy exploring the wilderness of the forest," Marina's inner voice replied sarcastically, much to Marina's dismay.

Marina decided to ignore her inner voice and followed Alicia.

~ Two hours later ~

"Well, this was the royal library and it's treasured books," Alicia said as she exited the library along with Marina.

"So, I was wondering if you want me to do something like dance or juggle to make that frown frown turn upside down?" Alicia asked, looking at Marina.

"Wait-what?"

"I said--"

"No, I heard what you said. But, why do you think I would want you to dance or juggle?" Marina asked, partly amused.

"I thought that's how people entertained the royal family," Alicia replied, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

Marina chuckled, but quickly sobered up on seeing Alicia's glare.

"Why do you think you need to entertain me?"

"Because your mood hasn't been the best, especially since our encounter with Prince Nathaniel, who seemed busy with the preparations for the arrival of Princess Admiranda."

Marina hissed on hearing the name of the person whose name shall not be taken.

"You don't like her?"

"Do you?"

"Answering question with a question?" Alicia asked, raising her one eyebrow.

Marina sighed before answering, "I don't dislike her, but I have a feeling I won't like her either."

"Why?"

"Because..." Marina stopped abruptly. She tried to remember why she said she won't like a person, whom she hadn't even met yet, but no reason came up.

"Because?" Alicia asked.

"I don't know."

"I have an idea," Alicia said, suddenly grabbing Marina's hand.

"What?"

"Let's go to the forest."

"Are we allowed to? Not like I need anyone's permission, but I don't want you to get in trouble," Marina mumbled the last part to herself.

"No," Alicia replied honestly.

"Then why are we going there?"

"To stop you from sulking," Alicia replied with a laugh as they easily exited through emergency doorway in the back of the castle.

"I am not sulking, but I guess I could use some fresh air," Marina said as she started walking faster.

"I did not know about that door we used just now," Marina remarked while still walking faster.

"It's called emergency exit for a reason," Alicia answered back.

"Race with me."

"What? Wait! You don't know the way around!" Alicia screamed but Marina had already ran away.

Marina ran quickly, jumping swiftly over the stones and woods on her way. She stopped to catch her breath and decided to sit down, after making sure Alicia hadn't caught up with her.

However, she heard some distant steps like someone running towards her. Marina wondered how come Alicia was at par with her so quickly.

But the answer was revealed more quickly than anyone would have liked. Behind the bushes, something or someone rustled and black eyes peeked through them, glittering under the rays of sunlight that had sneaked through the thick forest canopy.

Marina quickly remembered how Alicia had told her that the boar was a mortal threat to the passerby. As these thoughts revolved in her head, the boar came closer. His black eyes were curtained with madness.Marina continued to sit on the ground, not wanting to quicken the boar's walk.

Then suddenly the boar growled before running towards Marina. Just as his solid white deadly horns were about to hit Marina, somebody threw a dagger that pierced through the boar's leg.

The animal screeched and started to jump here and there to get rid of the dagger in his leg.

Marina spotted Alicia, who had hiding behind a distant tree. She signalled Marina to slowly climb up the tree behind her. Carefully, Marina started to climb up the tree. However, when she had reached the first branch, the boar started to strike at the tree trunk, still writhing from pain.

As Marina was about to fall off from the tree, three arrows attacked the boar. One on his head, the other on his stomach and the last one on his neck.

The animal let out a painful sound before it slumped down in a puddle of his own blood. His eyes were still opened, but they were empty now, devoid of life.

Marina slowly climbed down the tree, her eyes fixed on the now dead animal when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she looked back, only to find Alicia standing with her bow and arrow.

"Are you alright?" Alicia asked Marina.

"Yes," Marina replied, turning back to look at the dead animal.

While Marina stared at the animal's body, Alicia bent down and pulled out her arrows from the animal's body.

Then quickly she put the blood dipped arrows in her empty quiver. Alicia looked up to see Marina staring at her.

"I know what you are wondering about. I always keep a spare bow and quiver hidden in the forest. So that's how I have them," Alicia replied while pulling out her dagger from the boar's leg and putting it back in its sheath.

When Marina still didn't respond and continued to stare at the huntress and it's prey, Alicia continued to speak.

"I have to pull the arrows out. If I leave them in, it will infect the animal's body and it's disrespectful to the dead body."

"Why do you care whether it's disrespectful when you killed it yourself? You did not have to kill it," Marina said, her voice strong and laced with anger.

Marina hated to see deaths. The last death she saw was of her great grandfather King James Joseph Vendler. She couldn't help but be angry at the disregard for life shown by the people, hunters or huntress.

"It's part of my job," Alicia replied with a blank face.

"Who gave you the right to take its life? The life that didn't belong to you, the life God gave it."

"Yet wars happen, lions kill weaker animals like zebra, larger fish eats a small fish and humans attack each other. People die everyday, Marina."

"But you didn't have to elongate the list by adding this one."

"Seriously? If I hadn't killed it, it would have killed you or maybe someone else south here. What if instead of you it was a two year old kid lost in the forest or an old man resting or a lady plucking some flowers? This animal was a threat to every human being."

"But--"

"Humans are selfish Marina because we prioritize things according to us, our understanding. In this list, our own existence stands much above than animals."

"But killing--"

"At one time, you have to pick a side, that's how life is. Every moment you make a decision, a choice. A choice which decides your future. It can range from something as simple as choosing between tea and coffee to living or killing," Alicia said, her voice distant and eyes devoid of emotions.

It was like she was a totally different person. Right now, she was Alicia Deanders, a royal huntress, not Alicia: a happy-go-lucky girl.

Swiftly Alicia dragged the dead animal's body to some distant with Marina following behind her, Alicia's words reverberating in her head.

Alicia stopped suddenly and jumped twice or thrice, making the land creak. Quickly, Alicia jumped back, just in time, before the land collapsed and Marina came face to face to a deep hole. It took her few seconds to realize that Alicia was the one who had dug it.

Alicia threw the dead animal's body inside the hole and quickly made a rough frame from nearby fallen branches and twigs and lastly her arrows, which she had just cleaned with some leaves.

Satisfied, she covered it with more leaves, before digging mud from the nearby land with the help of her dagger and dumping it onto the frame. Then, Alicia slowly tapped the mud with her foot to even the land.

Marina was shocked at how quickly and cleverly Alicia had hidden the hole. If she had not seen it herself, she wouldn't even know she was standing four feet away from a hole.

"This hole will keep the dead body safe from other animals as well as the hunters and woodcutters. It is as it is hidden by trees, so no human would come here. If an animal tries to come here, they'll get hurt by the arrows," Alicia explained to Marina.

Marina was well aware that animals, who are much higher in the hierarchy  of animal cycle, like to hunt their prey themselves. So, only weaker animals, like fox, would come here finding the boar and they would get hurt by the arrows and run away.

Clearly, Marina had misunderstood Alicia, she wasn't as clueless as Marina had thought of her when she had met the huntress in the forest. Contrary to her belief, Alicia was really skilled, fearless and a bit too devoted to her job to be counted as merciless.

"I need to wash my dagger. Then, we'll head back to the castle and I have to come back to take the boar's body," Alicia said as she and Marina started making their way towards wherever Alicia was going.

"I have to produce the boar's body in front of Sir Greenrough as an evidence," the huntress said as the two came to a halt in front of a lake.

Marina silently observed Alicia as she washed her dagger from the lake water.

"Look, I am sorry, you had to witness this. But I had to make a choice," Alicia replied, her voice calm but laced with an emotion, Marina couldn't put a finger at.

"Sadness? Gulit? Loss?" Marina wondered as the huntress splashed some water on her face.

"You just can't save everyone all the time, Marina. At times you just have to sacrifice someone to save the other or others. You may think of me as a merciless person, but that's a part of who I am and I don't regret killing that boar," Alicia said, meeting Marina's blue eyes.

"It seems as if you speak from experience..." Marina replied, hesitantly.

"I was ten years old at that time. I had just learned how to use a bow. I was with my father in this very forest. We used to love coming to this forest, it was our second home. It still is mine. We both were crossing some trees when a wild ox suddenly attacked us. My dad, being a trained swordsman and a royal bodyguard, easily took knocked it unconscious."

"However, it suddenly woke up and tried to attack my dad, whose sword had fallen in between the fight. I had to make a choice at that time - to kill the ox or let it live. I chose the latter and as soon as my arrow hit its leg, the ox ran away, crying in pain. My dad told me that I should have killed it, but I made up the excuse of missing the target."

"Few days later, the same wild ox had killed my neighbour's son. But, no one could find that ox. I felt responsible for the child's death. If I had killed that ox, this wouldn't have happened. The child was barely two years old, he had his whole life ahead... But, I took it away, I took away his life, his life which could have been saved," Alicia said as her voice cracked, but her voice held anger.

Her head was still down, with uncertainity Marina kept her hand on Alicia's shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault, Alicia. The child died because he had wandered in the forest. You had just been kind to let the ox live--"

"We all wander in the forest at times. But, do we all die, Marina? No, we don't! But, that child did and it's not just the child..."

Marina opened her mouth but closed it again, unable to form words.

"After nearly a week since the child's death, me and my father were strolling on the outskirts of the forest. We were careful not to saunter inside the forest, when out of nowhere the same ox attacked me from behind. My father quickly pushed me aside, taking the hit on his hand. He killed the ox with his sword, before the pain could overtake his whole body."

"My father's right arm was broken. He had and still has to depend on a support that is tied on his hand for forever because of me. He was a right hander and he was suddenly rendered incapable of using it because of me. He had to become a left hander because of me. He had to learn sword fighting almost again because of me. He had to take the hit that was meant for me..." Alicia whispered the last part.

Then all of a sudden she splashed water on her face and stood up with water dripping from her face. Her eyes held mixed emotions - anger, guilt, regret, sadness but above all determination.

Her honey brown eyes were red and swollen as tears trying to disguise themselves as water droplets ran down from her face.

"That's why I would rather kill an animal than let two - three or many more humans die," Alicia said, staring at Marina as the two started to walk back to the castle silently.

Marina was still thinking about Alicia's words, they had struck a different chord in Marina's heart. Marina just hoped to never find herself in the same situation as Alicia, to never make a choice, she'd regret forever, to never have to choose between humanity and survival.

"You just can't save everyone all the time."
************************************************************************
Hello dear readers!🙋🙋
Sorry for updating after almost a week, I was just busy with my results.

Anyways, back to the story, so what do you think of Alicia now? She has a major reason for becoming a huntress.

Please do tell me your thoughts!!😇

Sorry, no Maran this time!😅😅

Till the next update, keep shining ;)

- Love Addy :)

P.S. I got a new phone!!!😍😍