The Maiden and The Four Waters

Time felt different as Walla sat alone in the tavern, she watched as men laughed amongst men, she watched as children were shooed away from the door. She watched as woman came and went as they looked for their husbands and eldest sons.

Walla glanced up at Rala as the bar maiden placed a full glass down on the table for Walla, the bar maiden turned her back with a hurry that she almost stumbled over her own feet.

The two woman had history, since the village started a rumour about Walla running off a handsome prince, the relationship between the two woman hadn’t been the same.

Walla allowed herself to gain distraction in her food as she sat alone.

With a loud thud a group of men dropped the heavy filled net on Walla’s table.

Walla’s eyes dropped to the woman in the black homemade fishing net, it had a few wears and tears, the net was used to catching small fish rather than large water creatures.

Mariana’s cheeks were stained with tears, her normally flowy hair clung to her upper body. She shivered with fear and coldness. She had never been out of the water by force before.

Her arms were wrapped across her chest. Her skirt clung to the shape of her lower body, showing almost human-like leg outlines.

“What have you done” Walla slowly pulled her gaze away from Mariana and up to the six proud men in front of her “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!” She jumped to her feet “You have brought shame to us!” Her voice filled with fear, anger, and sadness “I told you to stay out of the water and you do this!”

“But ma’am, it’s what’s been causing the deaths” Spoke Caren, the younger of the six men.

“No. She wasn’t the one killing anyone” Walla tried not to say Mariana’s name. She picked up her knife and tried to cut away the net.

Deacon gripped Walla’s hands tight in his “I wouldn’t, if I was you.” His hot breath stenched in her face.

She looked up at the older man in front of her “I would. This creature, I can confirm is not a killer.”

“Not a killer? This thing is the one we found in the waters. We’ll show it how we deal with killers.”

Walla forced herself not to break eye contact with Deacon; a man who fears no challenge, a man who refused to side with Walla when she took over overseeing their town. He hated when she tried to force them out of the great battle, he hated that she forced them to relocate to safer, high grounds. Deacon hated Walla.

Walla knew she’d be outnumbered but she also knew what would happen if Mariana wasn’t returned uninjured to the waters.

She felt the squeeze of Deacon’s hands, the grip of the blade sticking in her other palm.

“She is not a monster. Mariana isn’t the one who killed anybody.” Walla tried to reassure her town.

“You named it?” Deacon scoffed.

’Mariana isn’t it. She comes from a family.”

“There’s more like her!” Deacon’s eyes lit up.

Walla wished she could take back her words. “Deacon, I beg you to put this maiden back in the water, leave them be.”

“Leave them be?” Deacon’s hot breath blew in her face as he laughed “Hear that lads, this young slut wants us to leave this thing alone. This thing that killed our friends. She doesn’t care about us; she doesn’t care about the men that were lost on the river.” He gripped her wrist tight enough that it started to ache her arm.

Walla gritted her teeth, she refused to back down to Deacon. “I clearly didn’t give these marks to myself.”

“No, you just got your friend the Crowe to do it for you.” Deacon heaved.

Fire burned in Walla’s eyes as she tried to sway the knife towards him, he knocked the knife from her hand without a care in the world before gripping her by her shirt and holding her high.

Walla’s feet struggled to touch the ground as she tried to remain angry rather than scared.

Mariana watched as she struggled with being out of the water, struggled with being in a net that wasn’t meant for large creatures.

Everyone in the tavern remained quiet as they watched, no one knew how to react. Everyone knew Deacon, they knew to never be on the wrong side of him. If he was leader than they’d be running into battle almost every day unlike with Walla, the village knew how to react around her. No one was afraid to speak against Walla.

“Grab that killer. We’ll show these two what exactly we’re going to do.” Deacon smirked with pride as he dragged Walla out of the tavern.