As the sun went on its ascension to the sky, afternoon fell upon Hatlynshire. It is in this afternoon sun that Anna found herself standing in a small yard in the farthest corner of Anatoli Hamlet. To her right stood the bare wall of a building while an eight-foot wall encircled her front and left. In front of her was a series of wooden posts planted into the ground in a line with flat tops. On top of each, post where empty glass bottles that had once been full of alcohol. Anna looked at the bottles with a narrow and focuses stare. She raised her right hand from which held a revolver. She pointed its barrel directly at the bottle. And without any hesitation, she pulled the trigger.

She missed.

She watched as, in the blink of an eye the bullet raced past the bottle and engraved itself into the wall behind it. A bang echoed through the air, but it wasn’t very loud. Anna had tried to use her other hand to deafen the sound by holding it over the barrel, but her results were mediocre at best.

“You’re getting better,” said Bon who sat on a wooden stool next to the wall. Anna looked at dent made by the bullet on the wall. She frowned, was she improving?

“I would hardly call still missing a target progress” she said. Bon gave her a sympathetic expression with a kind smile.

“Well you shouldn’t expect to be an accomplished marksman with only a few days practice. Now try again, and perhaps concentrate more on the silencing the sound of the gun. We cannot have your actions alerting others,” he said softly.

Anna sighed; she then once again pointed the gun at the glass bottle. She pulled the lever at the back of the pistol and heard the click as the barrel rolled into position. She kept her hand on top of the barrel and concentrated. She then pointed the gun once again at the bottle. She took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

What followed was near silence, the gun made all but a small pop sound as the bullet went racing through the air. Anna could barely blink before he saw the first glass bottle shatter into pieces as the bullet grazed its edge. Something Anna could tell due to seeing another dent appear on the wall moments after the glass shattered.

“Good!” said Bon, “You almost deafened the gun completely!” he said clapping a few times. Anna smile gratefully. But she still had issues.

“I cannot focus on the sound and aim at the same time,” she said, but Bon just shrugged. “Give it more practice,” he said. “You’ll get it eventually. Who knows, one day you may even be able to stop a bullet in the air”

“Is that possible?” asked Anna curiously.

“I hear it is, but only the most skilled of our kind can do it. An ability like that would likely be enough to get a soldier promoted to the Gratousy” said Bon.

“I doubt I’ll be that skilled in my lifetime. I doubt even Caroline could do it” said Anna holding the gun with both her hands. She pushed her hand and took out the barrel, which still four bullets in it.

“Your sister certainly has a skill with a gun. I should know, she came to me for practice years ago just like you do now,” said Bon, in a state of reminisce. “She had such potential to be a great soldier…before the incident”

Anna almost instinctively pulled the barrel back into the gun in surprise the moment Bon finished his sentence. She looked at the gun again before swiping the barrel and watching it spin around for a few rounds. Bon went silent. Anna then slowly walked to Bon and handed him the revolver. Bon took it without saying anything. Anna then looked back at the wooden posts with their glass targets. Her mind raced with old memories, those were then drowned out by a familiar sense of determination. Anna took a deep breath. She then turned her head to Bon.

“What was it like?” she asked, a question that made Bon raise his head. “What was what like?” he returned.

“Being a soldier. I mean, you’re not afraid to say you were one. You even accepted Caroline and mine’s requests for you to teach us how to shoot. Yet you do not speak of your time as soldier, no stories or tales or accounts of triumph,”

Bon took a deep breath. He did not meet Anna’s eyes, instead merely watching the ground pondering something. Perhaps he was reminiscing. Yet his expression was not of happiness. As though Anna’s words had somehow hurt him. Anna saw Bon rub his hand against his knee, he kept the revolver on his lap as though he did not want to hold it.

“There are no tales of triumphs to tell,” he said quietly with a somber tone. “Just blood and pain, both for us and our enemies. Those stories do not belong in the ears of even drunk men, let alone the ears of children”

“Yet you hold the soldiers in reverence. You said Caroline had the potential to be one, so there must be something other than pain,” argued Anna softly, she did not want to raise her voice as she knew from Bon’s disturbed look that he did not enjoy what he said.

“In service there is honor, lass. There is peace in sacrifice, pain only haunts those who do not die with gun in hand,” he said.

“So why didn’t you?” Anna asked suddenly without thinking twice. She only realized the weight of her words after they had left her mouth. He kept her hands on her mouth and watched as Bon responded. Bon then looked at her with an expression of tragedy with the gloom of death in his eyes. He then tightened his grip on the revolver and within a few seconds, he pointed it at the glass bottles and fired three shots in a series which still keeping his head facing Anna. He did not cover the barrel so the full sound of the gun echoed through the air. Anna watched as the three glass bottles shattered simultaneously one after another. She then turned back to Bon, who stood up and put down the gun.

“I wasn’t worthy,” he said putting the gun into his coat. He stared at the glass bottles for a moment with his eyes glistening from half-formed tears before we wiped them away as he turned back to Anna. Anna saw his sadness decrease as he cracked a small smile as he spoke to her.

“Perhaps it is time we finish for the day. Run along now, lass,” he said. Anna opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Instead she nodded and left, waving goodbye as he entered the path. Bon waved back as Anna disappeared amongst the buildings.

Anna went straight for the main building with the courtyard. She sat herself in one of the benches before screaming softly into her hands. She then took a deep breath before sighing and convincing herself that she had not ruined her only friendship. She decided to look at the passing crowd to keep her mind off it. She noticed that there were more soldiers walking the place then there had been before. Perhaps Mr. Howards had decided not to be frugal after all. She saw people walk by whispering to their peers. She saw children play hide-and-seek with the piles of crates laid in the middle of the courtyard. It was quite normal despite the still looming threat of the coming conflict. Anna knew that rumors were everywhere, some speculated as to where the heir of Everton had gone, others speculated as to the validity of the threats of war, some even denied that such problems existed. Some sang war hymns on the streets while others protested profusely. Anna wasn’t sure about any of it herself. She did not revere or even respect Mr. Howards personally. She had no peers to share her arguments. All she had was Bon and Caroline.

As Anna watched the common folk to do as they did, she did notice some oddities amongst the crowd. The most striking of which was a man she saw walk down arched pathway, which ran perpendicular to the one she was standing on. In a crowd full of modest and simple clothing, this man wore something bordering what considered flamboyant. He wore a large hat that looked like beret but much larger with the huge white feather sticking out of it. He wore a broad coat with outstretching shoulders and under it all we wore a crimson suits with accessories of gold. Anna raised her eyebrow the moment she saw such an odd figure. She even saw some other people staring at the man with the same kind of perplexed look. Anna saw the man walk down the path all the way to the door leading to Mr. Howards’ office. He looked around as though he was not familiar with the Hamlet, something that only confirmed to Anna that he was an outsider. He saw the man knock on the office door. He then stood outside, waiting. Anna was now intrigued, she watched that man as he stood impatiently outside the office. After about five minutes, he seemed to realize no answer was coming. Anna saw him knock again and wait some more. After a few more minutes, he seemed to realize his actions were fruitless because he turned away from the door and headed in the opposite direction. Anna watched him as he walked. She knew he was walking in the direction leading deeper into the Hamlet. Anna then began to follow the man once he walked out of sight. Anna could tell from the way he moved that the Hamlet looked foreign to him. She followed him while being at least twelve feet away, ducking behind corners and hiding behind taller people. She watched as the man awkwardly asked people for directions and tumbled his way through the road. Anna knew from his general direction that he was heading into the part of the Hamlet filled with houses. The residential area of the hamlet was located close to the center with houses being lumped into a series of blocks. All the houses were built this way, all except one.

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Anna followed the strange man all the way, until he reached a lone standing house located far into the Hamlet. It was a large fancy white townhouse standing three stories tall with a sand blue roof. It was well maintained and detailed with fancy arches and paned windows. Anna knew the house well, for it belonged to Mr. Howards.

Anna watched from across the street as the man knocked on Howards’ door. This time he got an answer without having to wait long. Anna heard them talk before Howards let the man into his house. Anna couldn’t hear what they said. All she saw was a nervous look on Howards face as he looked at the road suspiciously before closing the door.

Anna was now overcome with curiosity since she had nothing else important to do. She knew that going in there would be a risk, but she was confident in her ability. She slowly made her way across the busy road and approached the house. Instead of walking directly to the front door she turned right and ducked into the gap between the house and the block next to it, which was a small side yard that was fenced off by a wall of iron bars with an iron gate that was locked by a brass padlock. Anna looked at the road behind her; she took a deep breath as she convinced herself that no one watching her. She then slow grabbed the iron bars and swiftly climbed over onto the yard. She then looked around to see whether anyone had seen her. The path in front of her was a narrow stretch that went between two opposing walls before opening into a large garden in the back of the house. Anna heard a noise coming from in front of her. She silently tiptoed to the corner and peered into the large garden. She saw what looked like a gardener, a wrinkly old man in dirt-covered outfit, pruning a flowerbed while kneeling with large scissors in hand. Anna quickly ducked behind the corner as the man was standing mere feet away from her. She knew she couldn’t walk out onto the garden lest she be caught as trespasser. She started looking for some way to get into the house. She saw that there was a paned window leading onto the side of the house next to her. She walked to the window and peeked her head into the glass in order to glimpse into the house. But all she was a navy blue curtain blocking her sight. Anna took a deep breath; she glanced at the corner from time to time in order to see whether gardener was watching. She then pressed her hand against the glass directly in front of the window lock. She then closed her eyes and concentrated.

She could feel the glass shaking, but thankfully, it wasn’t loud. Within a few moments, she heard the sound of moving metal, which was followed by a thud. Anna opened her eyes as he slowly pushed the window and the window swung open. Anna crept into the house with her approach shielded by the curtain. He landed as softly and quietly as she could on the tiled floor. She leaned against the wall in order to avoid looking suspicious as she slowly used her hand to peek over the curtain.

The room she entered was quiet, and as Anna looked, she saw that the coast was clear. She quickly stepped out of the curtains and sneaked her way to the door. Anna had a lot of experience with this, not just, because she had broken into Mr. Howards’ office man times but also because she had fond memories of little hide and seek games she and Caroline had played long ago. And Caroline had been a fierce player.

She leaned against the wall and peered over the door, she seemed to be in a kind of lounge with the door opening into a much larger circular living room. The interior of the house seemed to be much larger than the exterior as Anna looked on into a room that, in her mind, was much larger than the exterior house around it. In this room, she saw a fireplace that was unlit, and in front of the fireplace was a small sitting area with a circular coffee table with two lavish cushioned chairs on either side. In those chairs were two men, one she knew to be the strange man from earlier. He wasn’t wearing his silly hat or his large coat, which revealed him as a large but slender man with blonde hair. Next to him was Mr. Howards, who looked small in comparison. Anna leaned in closer in order to hear what they were saying.

“You understand, do you not? Your Hamlet was sitting in the middle of a battlefield. Entire armies of Hunters will descend upon Everton Borough in the next few months. You need to be prepared for such an attack,” said the man.

“What you’re proposing to me is to sell my life for short term safety,” said Mr. Howards, who did not speak with happy voice. But in a rather distressed voice. “You are asking me to choose one death over another”

“There will be no death!” the man exclaimed. “All we ask is that you do nothing. In return, you will receive enough funds to line your hamlet walls with gold! And once our righteous endeavor is finished, you and your people will prosper!”

“I do not know why you came here,” Howards said plainly. “The Guilds usually stand against the Noble Courts. So why offer me anything?”

“We do not dwell on petty quarrels of class,” the man said confidently. “The Noble Courts have never held power outside the Table of Governance, just like the Guilds. It is Mr. Cunnington’s belief that we must unite to face the true threat. To liberate ourselves from centuries of oppression!”

“I see no oppression,” said Howards suddenly and sharply. The strange man’s kind grin faltered. But Howards did not back down. “I see a safe sanctuary that has lasted us for generations. That saved us from eradication! A system that you owe your life to, am I wrong?”

The man only chuckled. “Safe? Mr. Howards. You call the ever-present threat of the Hunters safety. You call the burning of children and the execution of dissenters unavoidable. I see that you fear the retribution of what I ask, what Mr. Cunnington asks. But ask yourself this, is your current state truly paradise? Is being blind to the evils of the powerful better than facing the evils outside your walls?”

Mr. Howards seemed to back off quite a bit. He sat further into his chair and watched the strange man with disdain. The man then stood up before walking over to the coat hanger where he grabbed his coat and his silly hat.

“You are a man of privilege, Howards. I understand that. You and your seventy or so other Nobles live quite lavishly in your little Hamlets. But I must say that you have your people to consider, the children that play on the roads and the residents who depend on you to keep them away from the fire. I do not believe that I have to explain your situation for you. Since you’re desperate for funds that you have decided to let criminals guard your gates instead of actual soldiers”

That last sentence the man said was what seemed to drive Mr. Howards over the edge. His professional and subdued expression turned to anger as he swiftly stood up from his chair and stared the man down with fur as he put on his oversized hat.

“Leave. My. House.” He said sternly. “Immediately”

The man didn’t seem to appreciate Howards’ tone. For he frowned with disappointment but remained professional. “We hope that you will make a decision before the enemy comes to our gate, Howards. Because when they do, our hands will not extend to you as you burn.” He then turned around and opened the door.

“Remember Mr. Howards, all we require is a signature. Goodbye for now” he then stepped out of the house leaving Mr. Howards alone.

Anna watched as Mr. Howards took a deep sigh and fell back into his chair. She saw him wave his hand in the air with a bottle of wine flying to into the room from another place moments later. Howards grabbed the bottle with his hand and didn’t seem to bother with glasses, for he simply drank from the bottle itself.

Anna decided that it was probably a good time to leave. She slowly backed away from the door while staring directly into the living room. She backed towards the window. She was only a few feet away when she accidently backed into a small table behind her without realizing. Anna nearly feel backwards as the table feel on the ground nearly tipping her off balance. The table had a porcelain vase on top of it, and as the small table fell with a thud, the vase fell releasing an ear piercing sound as it shattered into hundreds of pieces. Anna managed not to fall by grabbing onto a nearby small chair with her hands. She looked at the table with shock and fear. But it only lasted momentarily before that, feeling was swiftly overtaken by the fear she felt when she heard Mr. Howards’ voice.

“Hello? Who’s there?” he shouted from the living room. Anna did not waste a second. She quickly dived out of the window without bothering to close it behind her. She did not bother checking whether she was seen or not as he quickly jumped the fence. And as she entered the open street, she ran as far as possible. Her body still rushing with fear.

She ran a few blocks without bothering to look back. She saw the people on the street eye her with confusion as she ran passed them. It was only after she had ran all the way out the area where the houses were did she bother to stop. Anna quickly ducked into an alleyway and leaned on the wall as she took deep breaths and panted to calm herself down and relieve her exhaustion.

It was only after the sense of vigilance and fear went away did Anna star feeling a pain in her left leg. As the exhaustion went away that pain slowly replaced it. Anna lifted up her skirt in order to see and what she found did not please her. She saw that her thigh had been pierced by porcelain shards. None seemed to be stuck in her leg; she assumed they must have fallen off as she ran. However, the wounds they left made several streams of blood that ran all the way down her leg onto her shoes. She had not felt it earlier. But she did now. The pain only seemed to get worse every second. Anna took a deep breath and tried not to focus on the pain. She then covered her injuries with her skirt and walked back onto the street. In her mind, she had much more important things to attend to; she had something very important to tell Caroline.