Chapter 9: A Brief Respite

“Hope is the only thing stronger than fear, cling onto it”

-Unknown.

  A surge of powerful winds blew over the green, grassy highlands with astonishing tenacity, battering against a youthful dragon speeding across the soggy grasslands at a breathtaking pace, carrying a terrified teenage maiden on his back. A deafening thunder echoed through the hills, being rocked violently by its powerful shockwaves. Nina clung tightly to her strange friend not to fall off from the sudden thrill. There were a few times he risked dropping his precious burden but Rudo kept running sure, undeterred.

  Dark grey clouds threatened to drop their rain over them several times but ultimately desisted, the heavens choose to cast a thick white mist instead that provided much-appreciated concealment. It was as if a supernatural power summoned the ethereal mist to protect them from the Northmen that were on the loose.

  However, there was just enough visibility to see through it and find the trail that hopefully would lead them true to the village, allowing Rudo to stride fast enough to cover the considerable distance in just a fraction of the time yet slow enough speed to preserve his strengths.

  Nina originally planned to walk the distance between both villages but Rudo alerted her of a faint yet perceptible scent in the air with that impressive sense of smell of his, forcing a change of course. It was exactly at that moment that the mist descended from the mountains and the woods as if it was divine intervention, gently engulfing the entire landscape with a dense white mantle. Rudo could still smell the Northmen in the vicinity while remaining undetected, stealthily making his way through their warband.

  But even though they successfully evaded the Nord patrols, the possibility that they could attack the village they were heading to still existed, or worse, it has been already attacked. They had to hurry.

-“Are you sure we are getting closer?!” Nina asked.

-“Yeah, I can smell them!” Rudo replied, slowing down to allow Nina to better speak.

-“How can you tell the difference?”

-“They smell different,”

  Duh. Nina rolled her eyes in response. She had no choice but to trust Rudo’s judgment. Well, he’s the one with the keen sense of smell after all! She tried sniffing too but couldn’t smell anything other than the soaked grass, resigning to only wonder what kind of world he could perceive with only the scents he picked up from the air, drawing maps with them in his head, and navigating through them without even watching his surroundings. There was no way he could see through that dense fog. How does he do it?!

  She closed her eyes briefly, imagining herself riding in the back of a majestic war dragon with a gallant knight in shining armor that had come to her rescue, a dashing, valiant knight like her estranged half-brother that she admired immensely and remembered fondly. She had the chance to meet him just briefly during her short time in the Empire and was the reason why she looked up to knights so much. Despite being short-lived, that meeting positively influenced her. If only.

  She shook her head, feeling bad for Rudo immediately. Come on! You have to stop being such a jerk, Nina! It’s not his fault for being so inhumanly hideous! Nina knew she was being unfair, childish, self-centered, and superficial. By the Gods! I’m a priestess! I’m not even supposed to be thinking like this! She sighed. She just couldn’t help it; it was either this or the harrowing memory of her close encounter with the Northmen. Damn it! However, to be fair, not everything was bad. Note to self: remember to add monstrous strength, running like the wind, seeing through the dark, and smelling things really, really far to the list of things that Imperial Knights can’t do.

  I’ll burn in oblivion for this! Please, Gods, forgive me!

-“There it is! I can see the village!” Rudo shouted, startling her, and snapping her out of her thoughts.

  Rudo came to almost a halt, allowing Nina to leap down from his back to inspect the village’s outskirts. It was quiet, perhaps too quiet, so she decided not to take any chances. The weird pair walked carefully through the natural aisles that the tall, dense-packed crops encircling the village formed, just in case it could be an ambush or a trap.

  They finally reached the edge of the village, being greeted by the pointy ends of a mighty stake wall. It seemed hastily built. Apparently, the villagers decided to build defenses expecting an attack.

  This isn’t good.

-“They build a palisade wall around the village, but it doesn't look like it has been attacked. The village seems deserted, maybe they fled” Nina commented.

-“They are there, hiding. I smell them,” Rudo said. -“Stay here, I’ll check it out!”

-“No! It'll be better if I enter the village alone!”

-“Why?!”

-“Shhhh! Be quiet You’re too loud!” Nina whispered, fearing they were arguing too loudly to go unnoticed. -“If they build defenses, it means they are on high alert! Who do you think they would most probably attack?! A scary, dangerous-looking dragon that talks? Or a cute, innocent girl like me?”

-“You should know better what evil men do to girls!”

  Damn.

-“You don’t have to remind me!” Nina countered fiercely, as if was her turn to be the loud one. She never expected that HE could display such a level of awareness about something that he shouldn’t have a way of knowing. But he proved her wrong.

  For someone so simple, he was awfully aware.

  Indeed, she should know better, especially after almost falling prey to the Northmen herself. She felt at ease, relieved, that her new friend’s protective instincts kicked in at the right time, but she also felt embarrassed, and angry at herself for it. And rightfully so, their earlier fight against the wizard and the ensuing victory left her emboldened, and with high spirits, but also a bit reckless.

  What the hell am I thinking?! I should be the one overly aware! I need to be more careful!

-“I can handle a few no prob!” Rudo said, interrupting her thoughts.

-“Exactly, you dimwit!” she lashed out vividly, making him recoil. -“I don't want you to hurt them either! Please, wait here!”

-“But… Nina!”

-“I’ll give you a signal after I have talked with them,”

-“What if there are baddies instead?!”

-“If there are baddies then you step in, take me on your back, and make a run for it as fast as possible! Ok?! No fighting unless is absolutely necessary!”

-“Ok,” he replied dejectedly.

-“Wait here. I'll be back soon,”

  Rudo extended a hand towards her, trying to stop her from going but hesitated at the last moment. It was obvious he worried about her a lot more than he let out, making her heart flutter. Nina couldn’t deny it felt good having someone to rely on, especially in difficult times like this. She found an opening in the palisade wide enough for a small cart to go through comfortably, which apparently was the only access remaining, creating an excellent bottleneck in which the villagers could focus their defenses in the case of an attack.

  The mist began to falter at this point, allowing Nina to see at a greater distance. She could clearly see the stone buildings with thatch roofs at the far side of the town square, the typical highland style, but no sign of the villagers. A mix of dread and uncertainty took over her heart, making each step forward a monumental task, but knowing that Rudo had her back in case anything happened helped a lot. -“Hello?! Is anybody there?!”

-“Who’s there?!” an unknown voice yelled out of nowhere.

-“My name is Nina! I'm a Priestess of the Church! I need help!”

-“By the Gods! It's the priestess!” a different voice yelled. -“Come quickly! She needs our help!” he commanded.

  Suddenly, a large crowd armed with farming tools and improvised spears emerged from the buildings and other well-prepared positions near the entrance after hearing the command, forming a circle around her, startling the poor girl to no end. One of them kneeled next to her, asking with a thick highland accent and a concerned tone. -“My Lady! Are you alright?”

-“Yes, I’m fine! Please, I need your help!” she pleaded, weeping all of a sudden as an immense relief washed over her body.

-“Thank the Gods!” a towering, overweight, middle-aged man spoke. -“My name is Huno and this is Harvest. I'm the village's chief. What happened?”

-“A band of Northmen attacked a village near the mountains last night!” she replied frantically, to the villagers’ shock.

-“Northmen?! How is that even possible?!”

-“I told you I saw them last night!” another villager said.

-“They attacked Repose? I was just talking with Utios yesterday!” another villager said, in shock.

-“Pardon our caution, My Lady, but we expected your arrival in a month!” Huno said. -“You come at the worst possible time! We've been on high alert! First, our Lord passes away all of a sudden, and now we face an imminent attack! There have been sightings of armed riders roaming around since a couple of nights ago! Rumor says a large Nord war band landed on the shores and that our new Lord is leading our warriors to face the threat!”

-“It's a trap! That force is a distraction to keep the warriors away from here! Someone has to warn him!” Nina said.

-“We can't warn him! The warriors took all the bulls! And what do you mean it's a distraction?!”

-“Another raiding band is here and attacked one village already! They killed everyone there! I could barely escape!”

-“We cannot do anything other than prepare ourselves,” he said dejectedly, turning to address the crowd. -“Alright brothers! Return to your posts and stay sharp!” The villagers quickly returned to their positions except for a single one, the chief’s right-hand man.

-“Lars! Take our Lady to the dispensary and treat her wounds!”

-“I'm not wounded, sir,” Nina said.

-“But... what about all that blood?!” he asked in disbelief about her blood-stained face, leather tunic, and torn, hastily put-together clothes from the previous ordeal.

-“This blood... is not mine” she replied while lowering her head, and shielding her body with her arms from the unexpected attention.

-“By the Gods…”

-“My Lady. Was not the priest Verkan accompanying you? Where is he?” it was Lars’s turn to ask.

  The mere mention of her mentor’s name was enough to make her tear up again. She tried her hardest to fight the tears back to no avail but it was enough to clue both the Chief and Lars about Verkan’s fate.

-“He... He was killed last night... along with the other villagers,”

-“Those damned barbarians!” Lars cried in anguish.

-“My Lady, may I ask how they died?”

  Nina couldn’t believe her ears, taken aback by the chief’s abrupt question. She believed that the villagers would be just as devastated as she but the Chief didn’t seem shocked by the news in the slightest, in fact, he seemed intrigued. -“What kind of question is that?!”

-“They were our brothers, My Lady. It is important to us. Please, we need to know,” the Chief replied.

-“They were your brothers?”

-“Not our actual brothers, but we highlanders from the Clans are brothers in all but blood,”

  Of course! The beliefs and values of the highland Clans couldn’t be more different from those of her home islands, or even from the Empire. She recalled Verkan's teachings that the highlanders didn’t see death as something horrible but as a fact of life. The wizard said pretty much the same, and that they actually craved an honorable end. No wonder why he’s so eager to hear from his fellow clansmen’s last moments. They weren’t different from the Northmen in that regard.

-“The villagers...” she began, but involuntary sobbing broke her. The villagers got closer to better listening. -“They fought to the bitter end. I saw with my own eyes Garf landing a blow against a Northman before being killed too,”

  An ominous silence took over the village. The clansmen listened carefully to Nina’s words. Even those who were supposed to be on the lookout as every single head turned towards her. There was no doubt that her words were of utmost importance to them.

-“And the priest Verkan?” Lars asked.

-“He held them off long enough to give me time to escape,”

-“Thanks the Gods!” the Chief cried in relief, shocking her intensely. -“They went down fighting, Lars! They went down fighting!”

-“DID YOU HEAR THAT BROTHERS?! OUR FELLOW CLANSMEN GAVE THEM HELL!”

-“SELAH!” the entire village cried, raising their improvised weapons in the air in a display that struck Nina like lightning, leaving her with conflicted feelings. Watching the highlanders celebrating the death of their loved ones was confusing and outright offensive. She believed that anyone would grieve and mourn their dead, and feel upset at the very least. Heck! Even in the Empire, they do that! But not here, not the highlanders.

  Such was the way of the Clans.

-“Are you actually... happy?!” Nina asked, indignant.

-“Of course we are! The Gods blessed our fallen brothers with a warrior's death! May we also be as fortunate as them and die gloriously too!”

-“My Lady, you said the attack was last night. May I ask how you got here so quickly?” Lars asked.

-“Indeed! There is at least one full day of travel from there!” Huno pointed out.

  Shit! After briefly thinking about it, she concluded it would be wise to cover for Rudo, just to prevent any problems or misunderstandings in case they had to stay for long. She would have to come clean about him eventually, but right now she was reluctant to upset the clansmen, so she figured that a small, tiny white lie wouldn’t hurt anyone.

  Would it?

-“I… I came here with the help of my... err... servant! He is a slave serving the Church!”

-“A slave?” Lars countered, confused. -“I've thought only Imperials owned slaves”

-“That’s none of our business, Lars!” Chief Huno replied. -“If he's helping our Lady then he’s also welcome here! Where is he?”

  Nina let out a breath she didn’t know was holding, and her heart soared in relief. The villagers had been incredibly nice and welcoming, and things were finally looking up. Thanks the Gods! -“He's waiting outside the village! Let me call him!”

-“Rudo! Come! It's safe!” she yelled, waving towards the spot where he was hidden, calling him with a warm, broad smile.

  But her smile vanished immediately after the entire village burst into sudden and violent laughter, to her utter shock. Nina felt deeply hurt and confused, and she instantly began to cry. What in hell?! They just learned the fate of their fellow clansmen literally just a minute ago and now they are laughing like fools?! What could have gotten into them?! They are laughing their heads off! For the God’s sake! Even the chief is laughing! -“What's so funny?!”

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-“Is that thing seriously named Rudo?” one of the villagers asked.

-“Yes! What's so wrong about it?!” Nina countered, indignant.

-“Pardon our laughter, My Lady! We are not laughing at you!” the Chief said between laughs, finding it impossible to keep a straight face, wiping away the giddy tears. -“It's just that whoever was the fool that named your servant truly had a twisted sense of humor!”

-“Why?!”

-“My Lady, that name is very powerful and important. It’s usually reserved only for the greatest of warriors, not for slaves or pets,”

-“You have no right to laugh, Achtung! You named your bull after the Emperor!” Lars yelled towards the crowd.

-“Of course not, you damn fool! That was my grandfather's name before the Emperor! It’s not my fault that they happen to share the name!” a towering man dressed in a kilt shouted back.

-“Everybody in the village can tell your precious bull is lost again when you start shouting: Teberus! Teberus!”

-“That bull is smarter than you, Lars!”

  Rudo walked into the village, immediately silencing the until that moment blaring crowd. What the hell is that?! Some of the clansmen pointed their improvised weapons towards him but the Chief pacified them instantly with just a hand motion.

  Everyone stared astonished. It was the first time any of them saw anything remotely similar to Rudo. How to blame them? Even she was left speechless, gaping like a fish the first time she saw him. Lucky for Nina, they haven’t heard about the mysterious thief that stole from the villages near the mountains, feeling grateful for not having to cover for him, at least here. That’s one less thing to worry about!

-“A dragon?! I thought they were extinct!” a clansman said.

-“No! I've heard they are quite common in the Empire!”

-“Silence! Don't overwhelm her with your foolish chatter! Allow her to rest!” the Chief commanded.

  I can’t believe it! Nina watched the villagers walking closer to look at Rudo who just sniffed in return, to their bewilderment, relieved that they dropped their guard around him. In fact, they treated him just as nicely as they treated her, much to her surprise. Rudo stared at the crowd surrounding him, with their same dumbfounded expression that looked so silly on him that Nina couldn’t help but giggle at it.

-“Chief, I was wondering… Do you have any clothes to spare?”

-“Lars! Provide our Lady with anything that she requires!”

-“Yes chief!”

-“Oh, and I… I-I was wondering... could I take a bath?” Nina asked timidly.

  Chief Huno and Lars looked at each other nervously, completely at a loss for what to do. The Clans were large militaristic groups where women took care of the Clan’s children in protected towns, away from danger while the men served undisturbed in the more remote villages. That was the reason why the population in the area was entirely male, and also why they didn’t have any sort of individual accommodations, luxuries, or even privacy.

  Lars walked her to a small building that doubled as a warehouse. It was empty right now, and relatively clean since the clansmen armed themselves with the tools that were usually stored in it. He left Nina alone for a moment, bringing a large wooden tub with him for her use. He opened a small hatch in the roof to allow some light in, and lit an oil lamp to illuminate the place as soon would be rather dark inside after closing the door.

-“I’m sorry My Lady, but we can’t afford too many luxuries”

-“Don’t worry Lars, I appreciate what you’re doing,” Nina said.

-“I’ll bring the water. Please make yourself comfortable,”

  Nina took a seat on an upside-down wooden bucket, next to the giant tub, taking the time to contemplate her situation, this time with a much calmer mindset. She quickly found herself overwhelmed by the memory, and the faces of the people who lost their lives protecting her during the events last night; her mentor and best friend Verkan, the village’s chief Utios, Garf, his brother Garen, and others whose names she didn’t know but now will forever live in her heart. Damn it! She let out a powerful sob, clenching her hands into tiny little fists, and finally let loose all those pent-up feelings tormenting her, letting the waterfalls’ gates open, allowing herself to weep in silence.

  Thinking about Verkan made her tear up even more. It was ironic, seeing her crying was the sight that the late Verkan disliked the most, yet she couldn’t stop crying her heart out as much as she tried. I have to be strong for Verkan’s sake and carry on to honor his memory! Nina took a deep breath to calm down; using what was left of her sleeves to wipe her tears away, loathing having to clean her face with the filthy, blood-stained piece of linen garment but did so nevertheless.

  She heard steps nearing the door and instantly forced herself to stop crying; swiftly wiping her face with her gloves just as Lars swung the door open, carrying a bucket full of warm water in each hand. Nina stood immediately, rushing to aid him with the weighty burden but he gently refused the help with a broad smile. Rudo walked behind him carrying a massive iron cauldron full of warm water like it was nothing. A mild steam cloud filled the room as both Lars and Rudo poured the water into the wooden tub.

-“I can have your tunic washed if you like, My Lady,” Lars offered, handing her a huge white linen shirt and a pair of overly-long trousers, being the smallest he could find. -“You can use these clothes in the meantime. I can also tailor-fit another pair to better fit your size if you don’t mind,”

-“Please,”

  Saying that the conversation felt uncomfortable was a colossal understatement. Lars gulped anxiously, turning away to give her a bit of privacy. She started unbuttoning her blood-stained leather tunic and put it away; shielding her body with the clothes she just took. Despite still wearing her old shirt, it was torn so badly that barely covered her now. Her close encounter with the Northmen still haunted her and she couldn’t help but feel threatened by his presence, despite him being nothing but respectful and polite.

  While Lars kept looking away obediently out of respect, Rudo couldn’t stop gaping at her with that disturbing black-filled giant pair of eyes with bright yellow irises that made his face incredibly difficult to read. Nina could tell, however, that he wasn’t ogling her as she initially thought, since it was more of an intrigued look than anything else. He has probably never seen a girl in his life. Lars also took notice, quickly taking Rudo by the arm and forcefully dragging him outside, to Rudo’s utter confusion, slamming the wooden door on his way out.

  At last! Nina sighed; finally enjoying a bit of privacy, checking the door to make sure it was locked before undressing. She tossed the torn remains of her blood-stained shirt and pants next to the bathtub. She leaned against the tub’s edge, staring at the water, waiting patiently until the surface was still enough to contemplate her reflection. She stroked her face, noticing how the dried dark-red bloodstains on her face, neck, and shoulders contrasted with the fairer shade of red from her skin.

  She then looked down at her own teenage body with ambivalent feelings. Although usually hiding under her long priestess uniform, she couldn’t help but feel guilty about enticing the Northmen. What the hell are you thinking?! She shook her head, cursing profusely, unwilling to go down that route. Damn it, Nina! It isn’t your fault!

  But she had made an inappropriate routine of overhearing people behind their backs. And among the many secrets she discovered, her favorites were the comments of people recalling when her mother was still alive. She couldn’t help but smile. They often talked about how the High Priestess used to be the most beautiful woman in the Highlands, and perhaps even Midland, rivaling noblewomen, and princesses from Nordland and the Empire.

  Although people didn’t say it aloud, Nina knew she’s always been compared to her mother. And even though she’s NOT supposed to be attracting any male attention, she wished to measure up to her, be a worthy successor, and meet other people’s expectations. It bothered her immensely.

  Nina was grateful for inheriting her mother’s beauty, and also the Nord traits from her father’s side that made her stand out in her home islands and in the highlands. Her skin of a fairer shade of red, sky blue eyes, and long greenish hair that were so foreign between them were both considered beautifully exotic and taboo for their association with the Northmen. Nord children were an ordinary sight in the highlands, and virtually every single one of them was the result of their horrific raids.

  And since her family enjoyed a high status, she had a healthy diet since childhood, allowing her to grow well. The priest training plus constant hiking through the years granted her a fit, svelte, and shapely figure that she was comfortable with.

  But Nina still had to grow up. Despite being of Nord lineage, she was slightly shorter than other girls her age, and her child-like face still annoyed her immensely. At least it always came in handy to conceal her increasingly not-so-childish thoughts that constantly came when reading those forbidden books. She gazed at her reflection, sighing about her breasts being too small, because if the stories about her mother were true then she still had so much to fill up.

  The tub proved sufficiently large for her to fit comfortably. Nina hopped inside and dived under the surface, the water quickly turning crimson from the dried blood covering her body. She wasted little time, washing her face and shoulders emphatically as the filth sticking on her skin wouldn’t come out without rigorous persuasion. She took a soap bar from her belongings as the clansmen didn’t provide her with one, and promptly scrubbed the rest of her body.

  Never had a bath felt this good! Nina wasn’t just wiping the blood, the sweat, the tears, the filth, the countless bone fragments ensnared in her hair, or even the pee, she was also wiping away the humiliation, and the indignity she went through. She let the warm water do some much-needed cleansing, hoping it could also heal at least some of the trauma, finally relaxing her aching limbs. She shut her eyes, leaning against one of the tub’s edges with only her face surfacing above the water. Her thoughts wandered to the mother she never knew and her recently passed mentor. -“Verkan. Please, talk to me,”

  She had run out of tears the day before, so the memory of her late friend only brought a few. She tried recalling all the advice Verkan gave to her during their time together, trying to listen to it as if he was there, but she couldn’t hear his voice. -“Verkan, please, guide me! I don’t know what to do!”

  She sighed, cursing for hearing no answer. But there is someone else helping me now. Of all living creatures, the Gods sent the rarest of them all, a dragon, to save her and protect her. A smile found its way to her lips. Nina always thought that dragons were just legends of times past, a belief that spread thanks to fantasy books that portrayed them as wise and noble beasts, often on the side of good, helping knights and other heroes in their quests, a tale that even she believed.

  That was until one fateful day when she found an old beaten book in a ransacked library, written by a respected Imperial scholar, which had a lot of encyclopedic information about dragons, describing them as cunning, but otherwise ordinary animals. In fact, it mentioned they had more relation to birds than to reptiles. Who would have thought that I would ever meet, let alone befriend one? Her thoughts went to Rudo, her new dragon friend. What could he be up to now?

-“Hey Nina!”

  Nina slipped from the sudden thrill, plunging abruptly below the water. She scuffled briefly underwater, trying to arise, finally emerging livid, catching her breath frantically, unable to see anything as water poured from her hair straight to her face and eyes. Fuck it! She shook her head, wiping the water from her face with her hands, desperately looking for something to cover herself with, and stretching to reach the clothes that Lars gave her without leaving the tub but they remained outside her reach.

  She then tried to reach the towel in a hopeless attempt but could not reach it either without exposing her naked body, resigning to cover herself with only her arms, to her absolute frustration. Nina looked at the door but found it closed, and so were the windows. She couldn’t locate where his voice came from.

  That stinky, pesky dragon! Where the hell is he?!

-“Up here,” Rudo said again as if reading her mind.

  Nina looked up at the roof, finding Rudo poking his head through the roof’s hatch, waving obliviously at her while upside down, to her complete disbelief. -“R-R-Ru-Rudo! What the hell are you doing up there?!”

-“Just taking a look,” Rudo replied, unknowingly enraging her even more. -“You smell better now. You don't smell like pee anymore,”

  The nerve he has! What’s his freaking problem? Knights would never do that! Nina took a deep breath to calm down, recalling that he was probably just ignorant of how to behave adequately. Remember Nina, he’s probably not doing it on purpose! She watched him staring innocently at her with that pair of freaky black and yellow eyes, his tail waving back and forth behind his head. It didn’t seem he was doing it on purpose and was only being unwittingly insensitive.

  But as increasingly uncomfortable as Nina felt, she didn’t feel threatened by him, quite the opposite, she felt safe when around him. However, Rudo wasn’t without his faults either, as his complete lack of manners, or even the most common decencies proved to be not only utterly infuriating but also extremely annoying, pushing her patience to its absolute limits. And right now, he was really, really pushing it. This is indignant! -“I see you’re taking a look! But why?!”

-“I just wanted to see,” he said, unaware of how uncomfortable she was. -“It’s something wrong?”

-“You’re not supposed to look while a girl is bathing!”

-“Wat’s bathing?”

  Damn it, Rudo! Nina was this close to exploding in his face when she suddenly recalled something. It was strange. Rudo had previously warned her about how perilous it was to enter the seemingly deserted village alone. He seemed incredibly aware that someone could easily overpower her and forcefully have their way with her, yet he thought of himself as harmless, incapable of such nefarious things. He definitely has the ‘equipment’ if he really wanted to force himself on me! He said he wasn’t ‘evil’ that night in the forest when they first met and already proved himself trustworthy.

  Did he think of ‘those things’ as inherently evil? Well, if that’s the case then that’s one less thing to worry about! But even if Rudo didn’t think of her that way, Nina was still unwilling to show her body to any man, let alone this strange, filthy creature. -“I’ll explain later! Please, go away!”

-“We just finished the fortifications,” Rudo said, seemingly ignoring her. -“The villagers are eating now. They gave me some food but it wasn’t very good, I like your food better,”

  Rudo closed his eyes and sniffed around before she could reply. -“Wat's dat anyway? It smells nice!”

-“Why don't you go and talk with someone else?!”

-“The villagers think I can't talk,”

-“Really?!” Nina countered, calming down a bit, curiosity taking over her. -“Why didn't you tell them?”

-“I thought they would ask too many questions if they knew,”

-“That's surprisingly thoughtful of you,”

-“So, wat's dat smell? It smells nice,”

-“This? It's called soap, you dimwit! You should try it one day!” Nina said sarcastically, although the insult flew right over Rudo’s head as expected.

-“Nah, I tried it once. Doesn’t taste very good, but the soup I tried didn’t smell this nice,” Rudo said. Nina rolled her eyes in response. Evidently, he can’t tell the difference between soap and soup despite her pronouncing both words differently. She promptly deduced two things. That he was never fed a decent soup before, and he never took a bath in his entire life.

  That explains his horrible smell!

-“Rudo, listen. I don’t want to come as rude but could you please go away? I’m naked down here!”

-“Me too! I walk naked all the time!”

-“I know but… But I’m a girl! It’s embarrassing!”

  Rudo just stared at her momentarily before something in his mind clicked, finally reacting to her justified bitterness. He bared his yellow, crooked teeth in anger, startling poor Nina greatly, sending chills down her spine. -“Fine! I’ll leave you alone!”

-“Rudo, wait!”

  That stupid dragon! Why does he have to be so freaking difficult?! She cursed under her breath. She understood why he was so pissed; after all, Rudo has been nothing but friendly and jovial to her while she replied with animosity the entire time. The teeny-weeny, minuscule, little detail was: Why in hell can’t he see that HE is the insensitive one?!

  She sighed powerfully, being just as raging at him as he was with her. But as the smarter one between the two, she believed it was her duty to sort things out. Even if she didn’t think of him as a ‘person’, he still had feelings, and she had inadvertently hurt them. -“Rudo? Are you still there?!”

-“You want me to go, but now you don’t want me to leave! I don’t understand you!” he countered through the thatch roof.

-“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to yell at you!

-“It’s fine,”

-“Is just… I hate being left alone! And I… I don’t want you to look at me like this! It’s super embarrassing!”

  Rudo remained silent, but Nina noticed he hasn’t moved from the roof above her, still hearing the loud crunchy sounds of the thatch roof under him when he moved around. She felt the urge to reconcile with him, even though he was the one at fault. Damn it! The things I have to do! She took a deep breath before speaking. -“Listen, Rudo. Soap and soup sound similar but are completely different things! Soup is a liquid food, and soap is for cleaning. You’re not supposed to eat the soap! It’s to wash your body as I did, so it smells nice too,”

-“I see,” Rudo said with a calm tone. -“Speaking about food, they saved some for you too. You should eat when you’re finished. I’ll be back. I have stuff ta do,”

-“W-Where are you going?!”

-“Outside town, I need to take a dump,”

  He didn’t really have to say that out loud!

  He jumped from the roof and left. Damn it! Nina cursed, shivering in frustration, clenching her hands into delicate fists. She never meant to upset him. Everyone had addressed her in earnest, and treated her with the utmost respect, except him. Rudo was free to show his frustration while she was forced to constantly appeal to his more altruistic side and swallow her pride. It wasn’t fair.

  Nina understood his childlike behavior, especially since she was guilty of child-like tirades as well. After all, both were roughly the same age. She was incredibly grateful to him for saving her and deciding to help her through this whole ordeal, but he also behaved in extremely infuriating ways, being the only one that treated her differently. Gods, please! Give me patience! She sighed. She didn’t look forward to it but she would probably have to teach him some manners later.

  A knight would treat me much better! And wouldn’t be so foolish! And would also show some manners! And would look much better too! That dimwit just does what he wants without a care!

  She stood up abruptly; promptly checking the room to make sure nobody was peeking at her before leaving the tub. Nina hurriedly dried herself with the towel to dress in the oversized apparel Lars provided her with. The white linen shirt proved too long for her. She rolled the sleeves until her hands were free, and fastened a short stretch of rope around her waist as an improvised belt, with the rest of the shirt left hanging like a skirt. Baggy didn’t even begin to describe her attire but they were comfortable at least, concealing her slender figure. Well, it feels nice to finally have clean clothes!

  Nina opened the door, being promptly spotted by Lars, who then immediately alerted chief Huno. Both men hurried to meet her.

-“My Lady! We have prepared lunch. It will be an honor if you sit with us,”

-“The honor would be mine, chief,”

  They barely began talking when sudden shouting interrupted their conversation. -“Chief! Riders on the horizon!” the lookout warned at the top of his lungs.

  The clansmen raced immediately towards defensive positions on the palisade wall. The dark grey clouds threatened to drop their rain at any moment, and the mist just started to fade by this point, allowing seeing at a greater distance. Her heart began to race, pounding hard against her chest, feeling shivers down her spine, and cold sweat over her face. Shit! Is the village about to be attacked?! Like right NOW?!

-“Riders?! Raiders?! Speak clearly, damn it!” the chief demanded.

-“Bull-riders, chief!” the lookout yelled, showing a closed fist with his hand. -“A fist of ‘em!”

-“A complete fist?” Lars wondered. -“It's been ages since the last time I saw one!”

-“Too few for the raiding party our Lady described, and too many to be scouts!” the chief pointed out, gripping his wood-chopping axe tightly in anticipation. -“To your battle stations! Protect our Lady!”

-“Rudo fights well! He can help!”

  Chief Huno raced through the muddy courtyard toward the wall, seemingly ignoring her comment, quickly climbing to the platform with the lookout, and scanning the surroundings. Nina watched awestruck how the clansmen knew exactly what to do, taking their positions near the gate. Such dedication! Such discipline! No wonder why Huno is in charge! The highlanders are truly amazing people!

  But he commanded his fellow clansmen to stand down with only a motion of his hand. -“That won't be necessary, My Lady. It’s one of ours!” he said, filling her heart with relief.

-“Who's coming, chief?”

-“The Overseer,” Huno replied with a somber tone.

  He jumped from the platform, taking her aback. She didn’t expect a man of his size could move with such breathtaking agility. The chief walked to the gate, waiting anxiously for this Overseer to arrive, which seemed someone extremely important, perhaps second only to the Clan Lord himself if the faces that everyone made were any indication.

  She didn’t recall anyone bearing that title nor in the funeral or the trial, pondering if it was someone with such an essential job that even his Lord’s funeral wasn’t enough reason to interrupt.

  Rudo promptly returned to her side as the commotion interrupted the call of nature. He instantly adopted a defensive stance, protecting her with his body despite their previous argument, but Nina quickly reined him in by gently placing a hand over his forearm. She realized there wasn’t an immediate threat but the clansmen’s faces let her know immediately that it was serious business. Who the hell is this Overseer everyone is so worried about?

  She would find it out soon.