--A day had passed since Zarak ventured into the mines of Nomad’s Rest. Sophie was eagerly awaiting his return, just outside of the shaft. She wasn’t alone at first, either. The miners had gathered once Zarak was inside, drawn in by their own curiosity. They took bets on when he would come out, if at all. Some of the younger ones, on the other hand, were busier working up their courage to hit on Sophie, making lewd, amorous suggestions and dropping corny lines.

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“Hey blondie, let’s play carpenter. First we’ll get hammered, then I’ll nail ya.”

 “Baby, if you were ore, I’d mine you all night long!”

--All of them stank of hard liquor and sweat, spoke loudly and much too crude for Sophie’s taste. Fortunately for her though, they took “no” for an answer. Plain logic she thought, comparing her stature to the miner’s filthy hands and shallow pockets. She was so busy acting appalled at the audacity these men displayed, daring to speak to her, she never thought for a second that she might be in any jeopardy. Being Jim’s niece, she felt quite certain none of these buffoons were looking to lose their jobs. Quite.

--However, her laments on her safety were misplaced. They were even ironic. Maybe a crowd of strangers would pose a threat to her in some other town, but not here. These men had big hearts to match their big mouths. Sophie’s gilded view failed to see that. One of these poor sods could probably keep her safe and happy for the rest of her life, but she had set her sights on her knight in shining, albeit somewhat bloodied, armour. And that’s the part that topped the cake – the miner’s hands might have been blackened by dirt, but Sophie’s knight had hands red with blood.

--One by one, the miners lost their bets and, once all of the money had changed hands, Sophie was alone. Even the sun had retired for the night, taking with it its friendly glow. The landscape had gotten so quiet that she found herself wishing for the miner’s banter to return. Her only comfort lay in the wondrous sparkling lights of the fireflies. Her heart grew heavy. Doubt had come and made it its home, and now sadness bloomed. A bitter certainty that the sweet, romantic tales she’d enjoyed in many books were just that – tales. The idealistic machinations of men and women with wounded hearts. Tomorrow, her life would return to its familiar, stale course. And some day, perhaps soon, she will become a trophy wife to one of her father’s many decrepit and pompous business partners, many times her age. She wasn’t ready to return to that life. She wished for her father and mother to value her more than the gold they seem to think her heart is worth.

--Just as the silence became too much to bear, and tear drops glistened in her eyes, a familiar voice broke her solace. It was Magda’s soothing growl, scolding her for running off on her own.

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-Good heavens my girl! Is this where you’ve been all day? Everybody’s worried about you.

--There was no everybody. Just Magda. Jim too, if you count one’s concern over his brother’s property. Magda resumed her barrage, whilst covering Sophie’s trembling shoulders with a comfortable blanket.

Sophie interrupted her, bursting into tears -- It’s just not fair!

Magda held her, silent and confused. After a short pause, she reluctantly asked – What is it my dear? Surely you’re not weeping for that stray we picked up?

-Why are you talking about him as if he were a dog? He’s a person.

-There, there, my dear…. Dogs tend to be kind creatures, comparing them to that rouge would be an insult. – Magda spoke with a bitter expression on her face.

--Sophie threw the blanket to the ground and angrily stormed towards the town.

-Don’t you give me that, young lady! – Magda said, angrily picking up the blanket – You may be a child, but you too must have seen it. That man has blood on his hands! You have no business with murderers.

--Sophie started walking back and forth, nervously, clutching her fists. Finally, thoughts inside came out in a rasp voice.

-Maybe he was something more! Is that all there is to everyone? Just the one first thing you see? I’m just a pampered child to be told what to do all the time? You are an old woman no one listens to? I’ll bet those who saw his blade deserved it!

-What is this? You barely know this boy, and yet here you are making excuses for him. Why in the maker’s name? Why?

-Because I love him!

--She yelled before thinking, as usual. She didn’t really mean those words, but they caused Magda’s face to petrify in fear. She liked the result, so she repeated them, although with more composure this time.

-I love him.

-You don’t even know what that means. – Magda’s voice vaguely trembled. – That’s not love.

-And you would know? Because you love Jim?

-That’s none of your business young lady.

-And of course, I could also learn all about love from father and mother, right? Who love me so much they’re pawning me off to our cousins for things?

-You’re taking it too far.

-Oh no I’m not. – Sophie mocked her. – I’m hitting just the right spot, I can see it on your face. Every time I say something you don’t quite like to hear, you go all “young lady” on me.

--Magda was angry. It was written all over her face. If she were a different person, she’d slap Sophie right now. But she cared about her too much to ever raise a hand against her. She could not understand why Sophie was doing this, but she knew she had reached the point where she cannot reason with her. Jim was that way too. Only he didn’t hold back from slapping Magda when he’d lose his temper.

--Seeing as she had run out of words, she went towards the town. Sophie stayed frozen in her spot, wondering if she had pushed Magda too far. However, a few steps down the line, Magda stopped and turned her head to see if Sophie was coming. Seeing this, Sophie followed without saying another word. She could tell how Magda was feeling. It’s not what she wanted to do. She didn’t say what she really wanted to say, nor did she mean any of the things she did say; but somehow, she felt a bit less hurt.

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-Oooh, the drama... Thank you for reading. Next update will be on Wednesday. I will try and make the updates longer from now on.