After the incident with mantila, the two lovers met with another hardship, this time more so than the rest. Ethanial was arrested by the Templars in accused of desertion. And Leila, she was taken advantage of by a cunt.

The three had journeyed across the countryside the entire evening after the incident. By nightfall, they reached the river crossing to the capital side. They rested in the village Inn as the night-time crossing was dangerous.

Although Leila and Sir Alexel rested in their separate rooms, Ethanial was tied to a pole in a stable with the horses. A stable boy watched over him.

His muscles were wasted and his mind was so tired after the deadly fight with the monster yet he could not fall asleep. It was not the place, the smell or flies that kept him awake but the troubling thoughts and unsettlement which burdened his heart.

When the moon was high, a shadow lurked near the stable. Ethanial looked to the place where the sound came from. As the shadow got nearer, he prepared to alarm the sleeping boy.

"Shush... It is me. Leila."

"What? What are you doing here at midnight?"

"I noticed the Templer did not feed you dinner. Here. A bowl of potato stew. I just warmed."

"You do not need to take pity on me."

"...Pity?"

What Ethanial said, it angered her. Here she was secretly getting out of her room and giving him the food which she specifically warmed herself. Yet her kindness was met with coldness.

"Pity? How could you? I know the days we shared were few but the bed we shared, the warmth we caressed should make you understand me more than this."

She left the stable in anger. The bowl was dropped afar.

He watched her back as she left. Only when she was out of reach, he regretted his words. He banged his head in agony.

"Hey! What are you doing, old man!? Stop banging your head on the log. The Templer asked me to watch you. If you want to die, die somewhere else. Don't get me in trouble. I have a little sister to look after."

After the begging by the boy, Ethanial stopped. Why did he keep causing pain to others, he wondered. Why did he keep making bad choices? He regretted.

"I am sorry Leila. I am sorry. ..."

While Ethanial was punished for his stupidity, the boy saw the warm stew which Leila left. It was the first time in months he ate a warm stew. He was so happy that he could not care where it came from. Seeing how the boy enjoyed the stew deliciously as the steam came out from the bowl drove him mad. It must be so delicious, he concurred, especially warmth with love from Leila.

"Lad! The stew. Can you feed me a spoon?" He cried.

"Stew? Why should I? ... Okay okay. Jeez. This is the first time I see a man cry for a stew. I will give you."

Hearing what the boy said, he chuckled and cried at the same time. He gulped down a spoonful fed by the boy. He felt the love throughout his body.

"It is delicious." He mumbled.

"Right? It is so delicious." The boy concurred, "I should take half to my sister."

In first light when the water was steady, they got up early and past the river by boat. After the incident last night, Leila looked at him only once in the morning. For the rest of the journey, she acted like he was not there.

Before the sun hit the horizon, they reached the town of Gambit, the capital of Rode Dukedom. It was the new capital built by the survivors of Rombit in the area southeast of the former. They built the foundation per the teaching from lord Mordu', near the fortress on the 'Lion' hill which was nearer to the Rode region's main economy: the gold mines.

Due to the abundance of gold and precious gems, the new town became a bustling city within a decade. The fortress was later turned into the duke's castle meanwhile at the base of 'lion' hill, a big temple dedicated to lord Mordu' was raised along with a huge statue at the centre of town. Then, centring the temple, the town was divided into four sections based on their status and class.

According to lord Mordu', the status born into was fate decided by God, and as such, shall live accordingly. The nobles and rich were given big lands in the northwest while the artisans and workers were placed in the south. Then, by the order of Temple, the biggest gambling hub along with brothels and taverns were built in the northeast.

"The wealth and poverty was decided by God; as such put your faith in his hand and you shall be answered." - Lord Mordu'.

And so the people of Rode went into full frenzy on gambling with their precious stones. The most popular saying was "Got a rock, double it. Many rocks, triple it."

Yet after all the division of class and status, the town was intentionally built so that all classes met on the same floor at the town square at the base of a giant statue dedicated to Mordu'. A representation that in the presence of lord Mordu'; all human statuses are equal.

city of gambit [https://i.imgur.com/L1gFJSe.jpg]

When they arrived, it was busy like always as the city of Gambit is the richest town in the midland. The roads were full of commuters in all colours. Unlike usual, Leila also saw many warriors travelling around the city.

"Well well well. Look at this beautiful town. It is as bustling as ever. How much I miss the joy of the game and the scent of beauty. Although the latter is not much now. Hak hak hak."

Alexel showed a perverted smile and rubbed Leila's shoulders while sniffing her neck.

"Oh, what is this odd smell." He retreated quickly after a sniff at her hair.

"It is palm oil. The hair nutrient from the east."

"The smell. I hate it. You should throw it away."

On his comment, Leila suddenly jerked her head behind and broke his nose. Don't cross the line, she muttered in her mind. It was the present from her late mother, the one she held dearest.

"Fuck! You bitch! You broke my nose. Oh god, it is bleeding."

"Be careful of your word, sir Templer. I am a lady and you shall refer me with respect. And I am sorry. I turn my head up to pay respect to the statue of lord Mordu'. It was unintentional and an accident that I broke your nose."

Ethanial saw the incident and smiled a bit. Leila might hate him now but she did not like that bastard either. Knowing that eased his heart a bit.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The Templer grunted. He could not argue. There was a magnificent statue of lord Mordu' in front of them as they stood in the town centre.

The great statue of Mordu' was there to remind them that Gambit was the epicentre of Mordu'nism, the holy city and their pride. A decade after its foundation in this God-blessed land full of resources, the Temple along with the people of Gambit became so powerful, that theirs rivalled that of the reigning monarch in the crown city of Midlake.

The tension between the two powers became so intense that, to prevent the war, the wise king decreed that all regions of midland shall adopt Mordu' as their new idol and the temples to be built across the lands. And so the deadliest war was evaded. At Crown City, the king himself raised the grandest temple for lord Mordu'. However, the temple in Gambit remained to be the holiest Temple of Mordu'.

They walked toward the store opposite of temple in the town square. It was a beautiful two-story building, the first floor was used as a store and the second floor was the office. A wooden sign, 'Eastern spices_only exquisite quality' was proudly displayed.

"Nanny, I am back."

"Oh! My lady, you are back. Your father will be so happy to see you. Be careful. Step on my knee, my lady. I shall break the news of your return to your father."

"Thank you but I shall tell myself. Where is he?"

"Upstairs. In his office."

Leila went upstairs to greet her father but Alexel decided to follow her and met Mr Longbart first before sending Ethanial to the temple. He ordered Leila's nanny to watch Ethanial.

"I shall come with you, my lady. Hey, you servant, keep an eye on that convict. He runs and your head rolls."

"Yes, sir Templer. I shall watch him closely."

Leila rolled her eyes at his rude behaviour. How could he threaten a person he just met? A Templer she imagined was a high and mighty warrior with great manner. Him? A bandit would suit him more.

"By the way why are you coming with me? Your job is done. Is it not?"

"No. Not yet. I need to collect the rewards your father promised for escorting you."

"You? Escorted me? You did no such thing. It was Ethanial who escorted me."

"Ethanial? You mean the convict whose head is about to roll. From what I remember, that useless shit was on the verge of death and left you unprotected. It was us who saved both of you."

"What about everything before that? What about wyverns? I didn't see you there but Ethanial and his team did. They and their families deserve the rewards."

"Are they though? What did they protect? They even fail to protect their own lives. Losers deserve nothing. ... This must be your father's room. Go in."

His rudeness, disrespect and no remorse toward his fellow men from the Temple utterly disappointed her. "Trash," muttered she.

Upon seeing his lovely precious daughter's face, a man jumped from his chair and embraced her. After hearing the news of a mantila rampaging Ronstead, he was very worried about her safety. He checked her up and down, front and back, round and round for injuries until he noticed the man behind her. Only then did he let her go and welcomed the Templar inside.

Leila said farewell to her father and left the room as the two started to talk about the mission and rewards. She did not want to hear any shameless and brazen words coming out of that trash.

On her way down, she saw Ethanial sitting in the corner covering his face in his lap. A young female servant watched Ethanial from afar without blinking a single time. The girl was scared of Ethanial. Leila pressed her chest to relieve the pain in her heart as she turned away to stop the tears. But she could not turn away for long. "This is not right." She muttered, "I shall set things right."

She clenched her fists with her newly-found determination. She walked to Ethanial.

"Betty, will you fetch some water for this man? I shall watch him in your place."

"What!? No, my lady. No way I will let this dangerous man alone with you."

"Dangerous?... You are wrong. He is my saviour. So fetch some water for him. Please."

"But... That Templer..."

"Do you not trust me? Please I am asking you."

Betty saw Leila's expression and accepted her request. But she still warned a male worker to keep watch of the two from afar.

"Ethan. It is me. Are you alright? Is anywhere hurt?"

On normal occasions, her melodic voice would ease any pain in his wounds. Now it hurt more.

"I will tell the Temple that you did nothing wrong."

"I did ...wrong. I did abandon them. I did lie to you. And I did fail to protect you."

"No. No, Ethan. Remember what I said that night? The first night we met. You are my saviour. So don't you dare whine like a child and accept whatever that bastard labels you, understand? Do you even know what is happening upstairs? That bastard is dishonouring your friends and trying to steal the rewards for himself."

After hearing her words, Ethanial looked into her eyes to be sure Leila was telling the truth. Some life came back to his eyes. Leila noticed that Ethanial blamed and burdened himself on the deaths of his late friends so she decided it was best to give him motivation through it.

"Yes. You might be the only one who can restore their honours. And probably deliver the rewards they deserved to their remaining families."

Her words brought him up on his feet. Angered, he clenched his fists.

"Where is that bastard? Untie me. I will kill him. I dare him to talk shit about my late comrades."

"What!? No. No! That's not what I mean. It would only make you a criminal."

"I am already one."

"No, you are not. You tell what you did and why you did it at the hearing. I shall also be a witness on your side. Together we will prove that you did nothing wrong and that you are not a deserter."

Like the sun shone up the lightless moon, Leila livened up hope in Ethanial. Seeing the gloss back in his listless eyes, she felt hope and happiness.

"Thank you, Ethan. For not giving up."

"No. I should be the one thanking you. I lied to you yet..."

"No, you didn't. I was the one who mistaken you as a Templer."

"... Leila. I promise. I will become a free man. Then I will become a real Templer. I will become so strong that I will protect you, that you will never be hurt anymore. Then I will marry you."

"I shall wait."

Hearing their conversation, Alexel interrupted it and dragged Ethanial away from Leila, his other hand full of a bag of coins.

"No. You won't. Cause his head will be on the ground and his body will be fed to dogs. That's the ending of a useless trash who deserted his team."

As the two walked over to the Temple on the opposite road, she looked at Ethan's back. It was not shrugging anymore. It was wide and confident. This time she felt no pain in her chest. For there_ was hope.