“Ahh!”
“Will you stop screaming?”
Well, what do you want me to do?” I retorted; my voice tinged with exasperation. “I wake up in an unknown place, wearing nothing but lace underwear, and my hands and legs are cuffed to the bed. What do you expect me to do, huh?” I demanded, desperately seeking answers and a way out of this perplexing predicament.
She rolled her eyes at my outburst. “Well, not scream obviously,” she replied, her tone filled with annoyance.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes in response. “Yeah, right. Like you wouldn’t do the same if you were in my shoes,” I argued, trying to make her understand the fear and confusion I was experiencing.
“Probably not,” she replied coolly, her words dripping with indifference.
“I can tell you’re lying,” I countered, sensing the insincerity in her voice.
I took another look at the girl before me. Although she wasn’t the little girl I had encountered in the forest, there was a resemblance that suggested she might be a relative. Her eyes were adorned with dark kohl, her lips painted a deep shade of red. Based on her appearance, she seemed to be around Eloive’s age.
“Why am I cuffed to the bed?” I asked, hoping for some clarity.
“I wish I knew,” she grumbled, clearly sharing my frustration.
Just then, the little girl from earlier poked her head into the doorway. “Oh, I know,” she chimed in.
“Tell us, Toreh, why is she cuffed to my bed?” the girl beside me demanded.
Toreh stepped into the room, her gaze shifting between the two of us. “Well, after you fell asleep in the tub, Mother brought you here. You were moving in your sleep and touching yourself, so Mother decided to cuff your hands to the bed. Oh, and you kept muttering these names-Ruarc and Sia or something,” Toreh explained, making a face of disgust.
Embarrassment flooded over me, causing my cheeks to flush crimson. “Ew. And she did that on my bed?” the other girl exclaimed, clearly annoyed.
I rolled my eyes once more and turned my attention back to Toreh. “How long have I been asleep?” I inquired, my mind racing with worry about what might have happened in my absence.
“Six days,” Toreh replied matter-of-factly.
Six days? I had been away from my men for six days. What if they had proceeded to the palace without me? The thought sent a pang of anxiety through my heart.
“Um, as much as I appreciate your help, I need to go now. Please uncuff me,” I requested, eager to rejoin my companions and assess the situation.
As soon as the cuffs were released, I couldn’t help but express my frustration by smacking Toreh lightly across the face. It was enough to get my point across but not enough to cause any harm.
“There. That’s my farewell. Maybe later, you can pass it on to the rest of your family,” I quipped, my voice laced with a mix of irritation and sarcasm.
…
“Sia? Ruarc? Massa?” I called out into the afternoon sun, my leather boots trudging through the snowy landscape. It had been a while since I left Toreh’s place, and I was unable to locate the three brothers anywhere.
Maybe they had truly abandoned me.
I can’t help the tears that prick at my eyelids. Sighing, I sit on the ground, hugging my knees to my chest. If I had just listened and actually obeyed his instructions, I wouldn’t be here alone. I draw circles on the snow with my thumb, wishing for him to come and get me, and save me from this loneliness, but nothing happens.
“Depressed much?”
My eyes widen. I’m not alone. And that voice, why does it sound familiar? I look up and my jaw drops when I see him, in blue vest and sweatpants.
“Cocci!”, I scream as I tackle him to the ground. He laughs as I straddle him, running my hands up his arms, just to make sure that he is real.
He is.
His eyes brighten as his laugh quietens. “You seem really happy to see me.”
“I am. What are you doing here in this forest?”
“I should be asking you the same. What are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story. Have you seen Ruarc? Sia? Or even Massa?”
“They’re in the palace. That’s where I’m headed right now.”
So, they did leave me.
My smile drops and I scoot away from Cocci, standing up shakily.
They… they just left. Didn’t they bother to look for me?
I don’t realize I’m crying until Cocci wipes a stray tear away from my face.
“Crinka, what happened?”
“Nothing. Just take me with you.”
“Crinka! You know I can’t do that! It’s too risky.”
“I don’t care. Just take me with you.”
“Ruarc will kill me if he finds that I brought you with me.”
So that’s why he left me. Because he didn’t want me there. He didn’t want me to meet his wives.
“That is if I don’t kill you first. Cocci please.”
“I can’t argue with you now, can I?”
“Nope.”
…
Cocci has been nothing but a darling. Even as I rode on his golden-brown wolf, he had been very considerate, stopping at one point for me to cater to my personal needs. He feeds me even when I am not hungry and now is one of those times.
“Come on Crinka, just eat it.”
I shake my head. “No. I’m already full.”
Night is around the corner, but Cocci still made a fire and another plate of steak just for me.
“Don’t be like this. Here take it.”
“No, you take it. I don’t think I’ve seen you eat anything.”
“Today’s the last day you can eat because tomorrow I’m not stopping till we arrive at the palace.”
Grumbling, I take the steak from him and eat it.
“So,” I say, after swallowing the last chunk of meat. I’m so full I don’t think I’d be able to walk. “Why exactly are you going to the palace?
“I have been summoned,” he said annoyed. “Massa had his trial a few days back, but we won’t know who won until tomorrow.”
The trial I had missed, all thanks to my heat.
“But why do you need to be there?”
He takes in a deep breath before answering, “To uphold customs and traditions.”
“What customs?”
“Well, if Massa loses, he is going to die.”
“I know that. He already said that if he loses, the council will put him to death.”
“They won’t do that until he has been punished.”
“Punished? Who is going to give him the punishment?”
“His very own brothers.”
Not nice. Not nice at all.
“So, you see why I need to be there. If I don’t show up, I’ll get punished too.”
“It’s not fair.”
“Life has never been fair sweetheart.”
“So, what do we do now?”
“We pray, Crinka we pray.”