CHAPTER 1               -               KREMP

It was a wonderful evening; quiet and cold.

The wonderful sound of the combined soft clicking and chirping of the insects and the light rustling of the leaves as the wind blew gently was like a lullaby that nature orchestrated to make anyone who hear it fall asleep. Unlike any other nights, there was not even a single howl of wolves heard nor unwanted visitors lurking beyond the village’s wall sighted. It was one of those rare peaceful nights that the villagers had always wished for.

Yet, even after several hours, Jo and Hanna still lay restless on their bed.

“I won’t be able to receive any kremp.”

Hanna lay down beside Jo and closed her eyes. “Don’t be. I am sure you’ll receive a wonderful kremp tonight. All nice people receive nice kremp, you know.”

 “You got it wrong, Hanna.” Jo looked at Hanna who obviously can’t hide her excitement. “I won’t be able to sleep tonight. Thus, missing my kremp.”

Hanna lost her smile. She forgot that Jo had sleeping problems along with temper problems, stubbornness problems and many more. “That won’t happen.”

“You are too optimistic,” Jo scoffed.

“You should be too,” she encouraged.

For Hanna, it was a bit frustrating that the two of them shared nothing in common. It seemed like the things that she liked and could easily do were exactly the things Jo dislike. One time, she tried to think of any characteristic that she and Jo could have in common but she came up with nothing. From favorite color up to mannerisms, they were total opposites. She badly wanted to have something in common with her twin that she even tried to wield a sword just like the way Jo always did but she only ended up hurting herself.    

“Just try to relax,” Hanna suggested and removed the stray of red hair covering Jo’s face.

Among all the things that they inherited from their Royce mother, the red hair was the thing they liked the most. Unlike Ignus, Ivor and Niander’s hair, a Royce’s hair was the strongest making it very useful to them. You could see Royces’ hair sold at a very high price in every market especially the ones with brightest color because they were the strongest.   

“What are you thinking about?” Jo asked Hanna suspiciously.

Hanna smiled. “Relax, I’m not going to pester you about the length of your hair again. I’m just thinking of how lucky we are to have a Royce blood.”

The kingdom of Rivignia was divided into four lands namely Royce of North, Ivor of East, Ignus of West and Niander of South. The Land of Royce, Ivor, Ignus and Niander were also known as the Land of Fire, Air, Water and Earth respectively for reasons that were still a mystery to all Rivignians. All the people of each land had their own distinctive characteristics that made it very easy for anyone to tell their bloodline.

The children of Royce all had fiery red hair and eyes and were known for being treacherous and ill-tempered while the children of Ignus all had black hair whose color wouldn’t change even after a century had passed. Ignus’ blue eyes were considered the most beautiful next to Niander’s green ones since it had the same color of the sky where Rivignians believed their creator was living. Unlike the people of Royce, they were trustworthy and was always in good relationship with the wise children of Ivor who all had blonde hair and brown eyes. Nianders had brunette hair and green eyes and were known for being meek and cordial so they rarely get into any fight unlike Royce and Ignus who were at constant war with each other.

“Kremp should never have been created in the first place,” Jo whined. “Our Creator should have just let us live our life the way we wanted it.”

All the people of Rivignia received their kremps at the age of twenty while they were asleep. It was believed that these kremps were their destiny that they must fulfil and not the fictitious stories made by the so-called witches and spirit users that could be seen lurking on the outskirts of their village. Many also believed that these were warnings from their creator that they must heed in order to live a better life. They also believed that they must use these as a guide to fulfil their destiny so that they can have a peaceful afterlife.

As to who was the person who gave them the kremps while they were asleep, it was still a mystery. Some said it was given to them by an angel while some said it was given by the closest person to them. When the twins asked their father, his face turned pale and told them that he still wasn’t sure about it. He assured them though that when he got the chance to confirm that his speculation was true, he’ll tell them right away. 

“I can’t sleep, Hanna.” Jo tried to think of the cliff and the large Talavera tree near it. Jo used to dream about it and always hoped that the place was real. The cold and gentle blow of the wind and the way the setting sun disappeared from what looked like an endless sea never failed to amaze Jo. The place was so serene and relaxing that it almost made Jo stayed in that dream and never wake up again because reality was its total opposite.

No, scratch that. Reality was worse especially for women.

In their world, women who were not born in rich families and cannot afford to hire knights were taken from their family at the age of fifteen and were forced to work in the castle that was once ruled by King Gelo. When there were no more places for a slave in the castle, women were then brought to the mountains to mine Treze which the new ruler of Rivignia used to make body armor, swords and shields.  Hanna thought that the worse could be to work in the mountains away from their family but then she accidentally found out that women were secretly sent to tents of rich men to entertain them. And those women were all tall, slender, beautiful and had skin as white as pearl just like her.

That convinced Jo and Hanna that they should go into hiding as soon as possible.

They convinced their father to leave Rivignia a week before their fifteenth birthday so that they could avoid enlisting their names for the next batch of slaves. But much to their father’s disappointment, Jo suggested going to Mt. Kirya because it was the nearest mountain where they could hide. Their father didn’t want to cross the desert to get there but gave in to his children’s wishes anyway. The food and water they could bring with them could not last a long journey too so it was the only option they had.

After three long days of travelling on foot, they found a small village full of escaped citizens of Rivignia just like them near the top of the mountain. They welcomed them happily and helped them build their own stilt house made of bamboo at the far end of the village. They built it similar to their old house; with a ladder made of wood for easy access to their living area, two bedrooms separated by thin wooden walls, roof pitched triangularly using bamboo rods and large sliding windows to welcome the cold and fresh air.   

For five years since they arrived there, the village became larger and more populated as more escaped citizens came to avoid their dark fate in Rivignia. But as the size of their village increased, so was their fear of being caught. This fear led to the construction of tall and thick walls made of piles of the strongest rocks they could find in different sizes. Men also started training so that they could protect the villagers, especially the women, when the enemies attacked. And to Hanna’s disappointment, Jo joined the training. She tried hard to dissuade her twin but her pleadings had no match to Jo’s stubbornness.

“I want to become one of the best fighters here so that I could protect you and father,” Jo once said to Hanna when they were in the training grounds. “Whether you like it or not, I’m going to be your ideal brother. I’ll be strong for you, little sis. Now go home and help father in cleaning the house.”

Hanna blamed the new king for all the things that her twin had to suffer. If it was not for his order of enslaving women, they wouldn’t be suffering like that and they wouldn’t lose their mother. For the love of all that was holy, she cannot think of a reason as to why the king hated women so much when it was them who had to always stay at home to do household chores and other boring things while men get to do various things.

“I still cannot sleep, Hanna,” Jo complained and looked sideways only to see that Hanna was already asleep. “You are so unfair.”

Jo started to become restless. Any minute now, they’ll receive their kremp and Hanna was the only one who was already asleep. Before, Jo had tried counting backwards, counting sheep, cow, cat, dog and whatever animal was left to count but still, sleep never came. Like the other troubled victims of slavery, sleep became a luxury that was rarely enjoyed.   

“I will be the first Rivignian who failed to get a kremp,” Jo whispered, thinking how nice it would be if it did happen. “I do not want a kremp.”

 ***

Hanna found herself surrounded by different kinds of flowers in different colors. Their mixed delicate scent reminded her of her mother’s perfume that their father had always treasured. The thought of having her mother there with her brought back tears into her eyes. She missed her mother so much and would had had given anything just to see her and hold her tightly.    

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Wiping away her tears, she knelt and picked up a pink flower with five diamond shaped petals and round green leaves; a flower she’d never seen before in Rivignia. She then wondered around the place happily and excitedly for, unlike Jo, she had always loved gardening. Her father once told her that the kremp will be given to them in a place where they might die. Knowing that she might die in a beautiful place like that made her feel peaceful.

Her father received his kremp in a desert so his father almost went crazy when they left Rivignia to go to Mt. Kirya because they had to cross a desert to reach it. When Jo tried to assure him that everything was going to be alright, he became more wretched until he lost consciousness. It left Jo with no other choice but to carry him the entire day just so they could escape the sand storm.

“Sop talking!” their father screamed when he regained consciousness. “Do not say another word!”

“Father, please calm down,” Jo pleaded. “No one will hurt us here.”

Their father shook his head and began shaking uncontrollably again. The next day, Jo never spoke a word just so their father wouldn’t start panicking again. It was hard enough to travel on foot for two days. Carrying their father for a whole day would definitely be the end of Jo.  

  Hanna shook her head. She did not want to remember what happened after that. It was so awful that she was just happy that they somehow managed to survive the journey. She looked around again and smiled because she’ll die in a beautiful place filled with wild flowers and not in the desert like her father. How she wished that her father did not receive his kremp in a desert. She also wished that Jo will receive a kremp in a place as beautiful as hers. Jo had sacrificed too many things for her and she did not want her twin to suffer more. All those trainings and hard work had turned Jo into someone she considered to be inapt and unacceptable.     

“Hanna…”

Hanna hastily stood up and looked around her hoping to see her mother but all she could see were flowers. “Who’s there?”

“Hanna…” someone whispered on her left ear.

She remained where she was and stopped herself from turning her head sideways. She could feel something cold on her left cheek and it made her shiver. “Who are you?”

“Do not fret, Hanna…”

The voice was so melodious and serene that she started to relax and let her guard down. She was sure the voice belonged to a woman because no man could speak like that and make her feel at ease. Men scared her to death for reasons she could not fathom at all so she had always kept her distance from them. She had never allowed any man get near her or touch her and it was easy enough to do so because no one would dare upset her and face Jo’s wrath.

“You are here to give me my kremp, aren’t you?” she asked calmly. She knew there was nothing to fear so she smiled and waited for an answer.  “I’m ready.”

In answer to that, the wind started blowing intensely. The petals that were blown away hovered around her and formed a circle. The wind then stopped blowing and the petals, instead of falling down, remained floating in the air before slowly grouping themselves together to form words. It was the most magical thing she had ever seen in her life and she liked it so much.

Men could be terrifying

Women could be enticing

Open up your heart

Don’t tear him apart

When the time comes that you have to choose

Choose someone you cannot afford to lose

With the right choice

The kingdom will rejoice

She was about to ask for its meaning but the petals suddenly disappeared and everything went black. She heard screams but she couldn’t tell where those sound were coming from. She started running while desperately calling Jo’s name but the screams got louder so she had to stop to cover her ears.

“Jo,” she whispered weakly.

When Hanna opened her eyes, she was back in her room. It took her a long time to realize that she wasn’t dreaming anymore and that the screams and explosions she heard in her dream were real.

Jo recovered first and went out of bed in a flash. Hanna followed after a few moments of hesitation and helped their father in packing foods and clothes. Outside, they could still hear the frantic screams of women, children’s cries and men’s orders to evacuate.

The happiness of receiving their kremp was replaced with fear of death.

“Don’t just stand there Hanna!” Jo shouted and pulled Hanna towards the back door. “We have to get away from here!”

Hanna let Jo pull her and take her outside the house with their father right behind them. She thought she was prepared of what she was about to see outside but she was wrong. The houses that the villagers built to show that they were happy to have a new member of what they call a big family were all burning. Dead people were lying on the streets and the sight of men bleeding to death made her stomach turn upside-down. 

She recognized one of them. Al, the village’s top house builder even though he was already in his 60’s, was leaning on a large rock and clutching his bleeding chest. His short deep breaths showed how much he was suffering and Hanna can’t help but cry as they passed him by. She wanted to help him but she knew there was nothing else she could do to save him. They passed a few more bleeding men who, bleeding and weak, were still trying to pick up their weapons to fight and help the other women who were already held captive.

“Don’t look at them!” Jo ordered and pulled her harder.

Hanna wondered how her twin could be so unfeeling and composed after all the things that were happening around them. She wondered if they were doing the right thing because her conscience was telling her to stop and help the wounded. But she knew that in doing so, she’ll put Jo and her father in danger and they might all end up dead.   

“Jo!” someone shouted from behind them. They all turned around and saw Mon carrying a child. He was the leader of the team of archers and Jo’s closest friend. “Wait for me, Jo!”

Jo pulled Hanna away from the stampeding people who just emerged from their right and waited for Mon to catch up. “Faster! I have to get my family out of here!”

It wasn’t easy to get through the crowd carrying a little child. So when Mon finally reached them, he was already panting hard and sweating. He gave the child to Jo and started pleading while wiping away the blood on his left cheek. Mon looked so besieged with all the cuts and blood in his tanned face that his words did not immediately registered in Jo’s head. Mon was so tall, well-built and well trained that the fact that someone actually managed to hurt him was hard to believe.  

“Are you listening to me, Jo?” Mon demanded. “Please take her with you. I must stay here and fight to buy you some time. Please take her and protect her. She refused to listen to me and insisted that I must go with her so I made her drink a medicine to make her sleep.”

 Jo looked down at the brunette girl and handed her to Dalo. “My father and sister will keep her safe. You do not have to worry anymore.”

“What do you mean by ‘my father and sister’?” Mon demanded and cursed when he realized its meaning. “You are not staying here, Jo. You will go with your father and sister and will personally protect my sister!”

“You have to force me to drink the medicine you gave to your sister if you want me out of here,” Jo said flatly making Hanna cry again and Mon more disconcerted. “You need more fighters and I assure you I could fight better than the others. I may still be young but you’ve seen me fight. You know my capabilities. I am as stubborn as hell would permit me to be. You know you can’t stop me.”

Jo trained hard for that moment; trained harder than anybody else. Swords, bows and arrows and spears were the weapons that Jo could use effortlessly. Jo strongly believed that these skills would only be put into waste if not used in a battle like that to protect other people.  

“You can’t be caught!” Mon shouted in anger.

“I won’t get caught!” Jo shouted back at him.

Mon pulled Jo closer to him and whispered, “You and your sister are the ones who are in great danger here. The king is looking for people like you. You know all the cruel things he had to do just to find people like you. If you get caught, you won’t be enslaved – you will be killed.”

“I won’t get caught,” Jo insisted.

Mon cursed. “For twenty years, the king didn’t manage to catch any of your kind. Once you get caught, who do you think will be most in danger? Once he found out that people like you really exists, he’ll have all of his knights search every corner of this kingdom to find more people like you and have them killed. Hanna will be killed.”

“No,” Jo whispered. “I won’t let that happen.”  

Three more explosions brought the people around them to hysteria and the four of them started moving towards the tunnel. The underground tunnel will lead them to the foot of the mountain. Women, children and old people will use this as an escape route while fit men stay in the village to fight. It wasn’t easy to get past through the thick crowd but Jo managed to pull Hanna and the others near the large round opening of the tunnel easily.

Hanna got in first and took the child from her limping father. She was still crying because she knew Jo will stay behind and fight no matter what she says. She knew that Jo got skills but skills alone could not help defeat the knights of the new king of Rivignia.    

“Old Dalo!” Mon shouted above the noisy crowd. “Take Jo!”

“What do you –” Jo started to say and hastily turned around to face Mon.

“I’m sorry, Jo.” Mon said as he pulled out a small green tablet from the side pocket of his trousers and forced Jo to take it. “You cannot stay. You have to protect them.”

Jo tried to claw his face but he caught them and punched Jo in the stomach. Mon put two pills in Jo’s half open mouth and clamped his hands on them and did not let go until Jo stopped struggling and became limp.

“I will kill you,” Jo murmured.

“I’m sorry Jo.” Maki looked at Dalo. “I’m sorry but I have to do this to your stupid child.”

Dalo then took Jo from Mon and asked a passing woman to help him. “Jo will wreak havoc when the medicine loses its effect.”

“I know. Tell Jo that this is what my kremp says,” Mon said and took out a piece of white paper and handed it to Hanna. “Tell Jo I have to do this. Go now and be safe.”

With that, he kissed his younger sister’s forehead and started to leave but Hanna stopped him. She put Mon’s sister on the ground, took his square shaped face between her hands and looked straight into his dark brown eyes. She thanked him repeatedly and hugged him tightly before Mon could even reply.  

“Tell my sister I love her,” he said in an uneven voice. “I’ll come back for her. I’ll make sure not to die in this battle.”

“I will,” she said with a nod. Mon and her father were the only men that she could touch and talk to without freaking out so she felt really sad about leaving him behind. “Please come back alive. We’ll be waiting for you.”

She thought she saw tears in his eyes as he walked away and wished he could come with them. For her, he was like an older brother that she and Jo never had. He had always cared for them and had kept their secret from everyone. He even helped them hide it because he knew that once it was revealed, they’ll be dead in no time.

Hanna opened the folded paper and wiped away her tears when she read the first two lines for she had always known how much he treasured Jo.

A friend should be treasured

Give love that cannot be measured

On the last two lines, she frowned for she couldn’t think of how Mon could be certain that those lines were pertaining to Jo.   

This simple act could make a difference

For this friend could end decadence

“Is there a problem, Hanna?” Dalo asked weakly.

“Nothing, father.” She smiled timidly and looked at Jo. “Let’s get out of here.”