He had to butcher some pigs, and harvest some of his crops. He made stew, thick with a pleasing aroma. Satheth's men nursed her, she'd screamed Viktor's name for the better part of two hours until exhaustion got to her. She'd become insensate on the ground, her eyes wide with a faint glimmer of pink but unseeing. Rehny tensed that those under her command might think that their leader had been harmed by him. He hadn't harmed her more than allowed her to feel, what came of that was not his fault but that of all she'd held herself back from confronting, accepting and giving herself to. He'd explained this to them and they hadn't understood, still brandishing their swords they'd threatened to draw his blood. Only on his suggestion that they stay the night until first light, and if she wasn't better by then, then they could claim his head, loosened the grips on the hilt of their swords.

They refused to set foot within his wooden shack, choosing to make camp outside, some distance from the ground he called a home. He brought them the food in a cauldron, many of them looked to him with awe, only then did he realize the large cauldron could not be hefted by a single man, yet there he was, carrying it easily to them, with stew filled to the brim. He made Galiu to accompany the stew and the men hesitated to eat his meal before he took a scoop and ate it himself. Only then did they dig in, with a few of them uttering a kind thanks his way.

They had two men and one woman with him always, they all seemed adepts of the Form of Intent, they tailed him. Stood some distance from him. Made sure he was always in their sights. Their Captain had been placed in a bed roll with five men standing guard over her. They asked her to eat, she refused at first but after a while she gave in to their pleas.

Rehny looked at his shack, only four pigs remained. He'd have to slaughter them and dry their meat for the journey. Or better still, let them go. The Galiu would go to waste, so too will the vegetables judging by how little rain fell on this place. He sighed. He'd started something, he'd actually done it, gotten away from it all and started something of his own. But now it'd all gone to shit, they'd found him. They'd always find him.

It was a boring life and you know it, it is not a life meant for you, not a life meant for the chosen of the Goddess Nyawe.

"What is the life of the chosen of the Goddess Nyawe then?" Rehny spoke. Those guarding him as he stood to the side of the Binorian camp shuffled uncomfortably, eyeing him warily. He didn't care. Let them think him mad, they were here to tie him up and deliver him to Binoria where he'd face his death, such a fate didn't drive him to courtesy nor care for what they thought of him.

You're angry because what you think is the life you deserve isn't actually worth much. That then is the measure of what you view of yourself, as of deserving little. But I am far from little, each cell in your body, the very essence of your soul houses a deity. And that will never allow your life to be as small as you deem it to be. He felt her lips beside his ears, her sweet breath lapping at his skin as she spoke. He knew if he turned he won't find her there, only when he closed his eyes would he see her. Follow the agents Of Meena, go to Binoria and persuade her to join arms with you, for what comes cannot be faced alone.

"I want no part in war." Rehny said. Those guarding him placed their hands on the hilts of their blades.

That is the price of love, Rehny, you must sacrifice in order to keep it, to safe guard it. That is your destiny, to forever cater to love.

"That is a curse! From your lips did you not utter that I will never experience love? How then am I to guard that which I will never know of again?"

There's more than one way to love. Nyawe concluded. Sensing his anger, she retreated. He could feel her, like lightning in his veins, becoming lax, allowing blood to flow once more.

"Stop staring at him like that." One of the male Binorians guarding him said.

The woman, he hadn't noticed looking at him, turned away but not before saying. "He looks so Gods damn pretty is all."

"He is a traitor to Binoria, because of him the Legions are no more. Plus he is insane."

"You're just jealous because he is more attractive than you." The woman retorted.

They started arguing and Rehny walked away, entering his wooden shack. They stood guard at the door, all three of them arguing. He went over to the makeshift bed he'd made of grass and sheep wool. He lay down and closed his eyes, knowing that magenta clouds and a woman of divine beauty would be all he dreamt about.

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Rehny felt the tip of the dagger dig into the skin at the side of his neck, right where his jugular was. A small amount of pressure from the wielder of the dagger would have him bleed to death. He found it weird that he felt like the same thing had happened to him before.

He opened his eyes, Satheth stood beside his makeshift bed, bowed over him. Her blue eyes were like twin stones of diamonds in the gloom. She held the dagger to his neck with both hands, the grip speaking of precision and bloody intent. Rehny let go of his breath before drawing in another, he stared into her eyes, saw the coldness of a killer. Rehny sighed.

"If you're going to kill me be quick about it." He said. Rehny knew Nyawe had a part in this, whatever she'd driven him to do to Satheth must have come at a price. He'd been expecting her, hoping she came from a place healed with love. Instead her eyes spoke of her love for murder, and the blade at his neck was her tender lover's touch.

"What did you do to me?" Satheth asked.

Rehny thought about what he had done to her. And realized he'd love to understand it as much as she did. "I don't know." He said.

"What do you mean you don't know?" She twisted the blade a fraction of an inch deeper, then grunted, surprised to having not pierced skin and drawn blood.

"My skin is thicker than most," Rehny said, hands crossed behind his neck. "You know how the Binorians have Meena's power? I have that of another Goddess, her name is Nyawe. I do not understand shit about what I did to you, she just told me what to do and I did it."

"I feel pain, and guilt and I see his face everywhere and I don't like it." Satheth said. "Fix this!" She raised the blade to his eye. Rehny fought the urge to flinch. "Tell your Goddess to fix this." She growled.

"Nyawe, you heard the woman, fix this." Rehny said, turning his eyes away from the blade.

Fix what? Nyawe answered from within him.

"My eye is at stake here." Rehny spoke aloud. Satheth's brows furrowed. "I'm speaking to her, you can't hear her but I can." Rehny said to her.

There's nothing I've broken. There's nothing to fix.

"What do you mean there's nothing you've broken?" Rehny countered. He hated it when she became sassy, taking the few occasions he reached out to her to strut about with pride.

I commanded you to release when you had her on the ground, to allow her to let go of her desire to not feel loss. You, however, commanded it to break, leaving her vulnerable to all that she's protected herself from. And her guarded heart broke.

"Okay, so that happened. But how can you fix it?"

But why did you want to break her heart?

Rehny grunted. "I don't know."

Tell me why and I'll tell you how to fix her.

"I don't have time for these games." Rehny said. Nyawe didn't answer. He thought of an answer that might please Nyawe, it didn't necessarily have to be true, but if it impressed her she might relent. "I broke it because I didn't know what I could transform it to. It was a heart that hated love, seeing it as a weakness and something that could be avoided, and its rewards were pain and loss. Such a heart had to break, for what else can it become?"

"Are you messing with me?" Satheth asked, bringing the dagger closer. He admired her steady hands.

In order to fix what has been broken, Nyawe said within his mind. You must renew it, take the broken pieces and mold them into something smaller but just as divine as that which had been broken. With time and love, what is small will become bigger, stronger.

"I don't understand what you're saying." He really didn't.

Sleep with her.

"What?"

I'll give you the words, every person has a certain amount of words that can awaken their desire, some people require gestures too, but the gestures can be used after the words have yielded passion or a promise of passion.

"I'm not going to—"

Awaken! Nyawe commanded.

He gasped and widened his eyes, seeing Satheth anew, her body, her flesh. The heat that was coming off of her. Thin breeches and a night shirt, a veteran soldier's sleeping attire. The night revealed a pale collarbone, he felt himself becoming aroused.

"I'm going to kill you. I'll just report to the Queen that you refused to come gently." Satheth said. Twisting her face into a sneer. Yet, that face drew him to the features not molded with hate, there was passion there too. If she just relaxed her rage, tempered it with desire.

Speak as I say. Nyawe again.

"Death is something I've experienced before, its threat holds no sway on my resolve." Rehny said. That put pause to whatever Satheth intended. "What did I do to you? I made you want a lover you never wanted to love. It's as simple as that. Do you see him now? Look at me." She was turning her head away.

Rehny inhaled and spoke in the way Viktor called her name. "Satheth" She jerked, turning to face him. "Do not kill me tonight, let me taste the depths of your waters, woman, let me see if I can drown." Rehny said. He sat, put a hand to the back of her neck. She tried to pull away. "Try and see if you can drown. Satheth." Again with Victor's voice. Satheth leaned into him, her lips parting and meeting with his. Her tongue lashed out within his mouth, she flung the dagger away. Rehny moved to lift her shirt. Gently. Nyawe said in his mind. He placed his hand behind her back instead. She kissed him violently, but he pulled back and she followed, allowing them to lie fully on the bed. Her violence was without cease, but somehow he knew Viktor wouldn't have matched her ferocity. He was gentle, it's what she loved about him. So Rehny, gave his flesh to the memory of the man she'd loved, allowing him to move through him, translating what his passion was like.

When he undressed her, he did it slowly, without forcing the cloth to part her skin. He would pause and smile at her, telling her how her eyes reminded him of the sea. Rehny felt himself floating back, out of his body. He saw and heard all he did, but his mouth and the rest of his body were in the hands of another, and Rehny found himself pleased by this. When he thrust into her, he interlaced his fingers with her own. He met her eyes and kissed her, she thrashed and she moaned and fell gently into the rhythm he dictated. Slowly, they traversed whatever terrain cleaved by passion's path. He guided her to a place of release and when she spasmed beneath him, he allowed himself the same release.

Her eyes turned from blue to pink, a clear bright pink, so dazzling it threatened to burn away the whites of her sclera. Rehny felt it then, a rope born of her, darting from her right foot to wrap his left. Then as he exited her he felt the pink light trail from her end of the rope to his. A love bond had been formed. "What have you done Nyawe." He whispered. Satheth nuzzled into the nook of his arm as he lay back in bed.

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