The Throne of Betrayal

Arya Athena took her longsword out of the scabbard from her back, the same sword her mother had yielded until her dying day. She named it 'wraith' the day Liza brought it back to Dohshaalin with her mother's blood dried up on its shiny silver surface. She had Shinghaala's best blacksmith make her a special scabbard of her own design, it allowed her to keep her sword strapped to her back, with some practice and a cut or two she has now mastered the process of sheathing and unsheathing it from her back during their practice sword fights back home. 

They all stepped into the wild forest of the Island that thickened with each step. Thomas took the lead, scanned for foot trails for any form of life they might encounter on this Island. He cocked his head up bringing everyone's attention to a parliament of snow owls sitting on the branches of a walnut tree.

A few yards ahead, he crouched on the ground examining a pair of foot traces on the wet ground.

"It looks like Reindeer" Thomas announced, impressed with his assessment.

"Well we better not find any Polar Bears here or Tom is gonna insist on playing dead again and get us all killed," said Emma, snickering. 

Agnes and Mathilda together laugh their snorty laugh, "Remember how we had to yank him up and pull him away under our shoulders? it was really funny" said Mathilda. "It indeed was the most terrifying and yet funny experience of my life" agreed Agnes laughing again. 

"I kept shouting 'playing dead is for Grizzly bear not Polar bear' but the kid just wouldn't listen," Arya said, smiling to the memory when life seemed so simple and effortless.

"That's enough laughing at my expense" tom warned them, pressing his lips tight to stop himself from laughing at his own stupidity and terribly failed. 

He laughed too and everybody else joined. 

A light splashing sound of the wet moss to their right caught Emma's attention. She turned towards the sound, pulling an arrow out and fixing it in her bow, taking a noiseless step to her left she let her arrow fly, it hit a big white rabbit right in the gut. She steps over a small shrub, picks up the rabbit, took out her arrow from its stiff body, and tossed it to Thomas pointing her forefinger in the air, smugness exuding from her body.

"Trust you to be smug about hunting something as small as a rabbit, huh" Thomas taunted, smiling wide.

It stung Emma a little to have Thomas taunt her on this when she knew it in her bones how much he would have appreciated it if it were Grace instead. 

Thomas noticed her building anger, he moved closer to squeeze her hand reassuringly, "Don't be absurd Emma, I am just joking, you know that I envy your archery skills, don't you?

Her heart fluttered having his hand against her skin. She gave him a blushed smile and nodded.

"I know just the technique to roast it this time," Tom said, too oblivious to notice her blush and then he turned around and started leading the way again, inspecting the ground for more foot trails and edible flowers and plants.

Arya had noticed the change in Emma's coloring as Thomas held her hand. She falls behind him, lost in her thought of when it used to be her blushing under Oliver's touch, a time of love and hope, a time when war was a subject of the past and the kingdoms were at peace with one another.

They pushed forward, spreading to the sides and occasionally looking towards each other and calling each other's names when the other has gone a few steps too far to be seen easily. In about twenty minutes they all had found a handful of different types of edible mushrooms and berries.

Agnes came across a small meadow filled with carrots buried deep in the ground. Mathilda and Arya converged towards her from left and right and dug out carrots until their bags were full of them.

They filled their bellies with what they found when they had enough. Arya had to warn Thomas twice to stop throwing the carrot stems away like a playing ball.

He just snickered and said "As you command my queen", knowing how much she hated when people assumed she will be the one to lead Dohshaalin, taking her rightful place as Princess Katherine's heir.

Arya ignored him and focused her attention to the beautiful thick blanket of mother nature around her. She spotted a siamese ginger plant, she remembered her grandma Natalie had once taught her how to cut and dry its flowers into a powder to make a piney and peppery flavoring for soup and curry. A few yards away she spotted a willow tree, she sped her steps up wondering if it's the kind that attracts snakes. A few more yards and she spotted a beautiful bird hopping on the ground, pecking its way around the fern-covered earth looking for insects.

Arya crouched down to inspect its kind and noticed its feather being spangled with pale gold and recognized the bird, silently thanking maester Henry for his persistent lessons about flora and fauna of lands in and around Shinghaala, the bird was called Golden Plover. 

Just then she spotted a shallow stream of water making its way across the creeks in the rocky mud, she noticed its source direction and continues due south gesturing for everyone to follow her.

They didn't have to walk too far to notice a brook through the breaks between the tall pine trees ahead. It was moving down west, its water shimmering under the late afternoon sun. A kangaroo at the edge on the south bank stood drinking water.

Arya made it out of the trees first, running towards the brook as every cell of her body screamed to be bathed in water.

Suddenly she stopped dead, her eyes bulged out, her right-hand jerked towards her left shoulder to take out her sword as her left-hand gestured others to stay in the shade of the trees.

Emma was already a couple of steps behind her, so she joined her, setting her arrow in her bow and pointing towards the direction Arya looked.

They both looked at a trail of blood starting midway from the brook's edge to a tree nearby, they could make out a huge man with broad shoulders sitting with his back to the tree on the other side, where the trail ended. The man whimpered like a dog, making both girls take a step back, he seemed totally unaware of their presence. 

Arya knew the man was hurt, she signalled others to check if there were others from his gang and then move around him in the shadow of the trees and come at him from his front, they disappeared in the trees.

Arya took a big gulp, calming her nerves and steading her heartbeat before she and Emma took a step forward towards the injured man, who may or may not try to kill them.