Rhohaz felt cheated. There was a certain sense of embarrassment he felt when he first saw Vanya crouched in his tiny closet, her hands clasping her mouth so tight as if she wanted her existence erased. His mind only jumped to the state of his room. Although to him it was organized chaos, it was truly such a mess. And for a reason beyond his understanding, he felt shame that she saw his room in such a state before anything else.

His first instinct then was to get Garin out of his room. And even though Garin took his sweet time pouring his heart out at the gate, Rhohaz partly wished that she was still crammed in his closet when he ran back to open it and find it empty. It was then that his embarrassment faded away, his mind finally realizing the situation as it was. She was snooping around in his room without his permission and with no one letting her into his home.

His embarrassment quickly turned to rage mixed with a drop of betrayal. Even then, he held it in when he questioned Joan, trying not to alert her and drive Vanya into hiding. He was patient, not wanting to stir the pot just yet.

Although he did not utter a single word of contempt when he met Vanya once more in Tilly’s kitchen, his eyes sang the vibrant song of anger bubbling in his heart. He was torn between waiting for the right moment and jumping on it while he had his chance with her.

He merely stayed out of Vanya’s hair for the time being only to pick the seat right opposite her as Cecil and Ronal invited all the guests to join their long table with a delightful feast laid out so perfectly in front of them.

He saw her jump in surprise seeing him so confidently taking a seat opposite her. Her eyes never reached his then. He felt a tinge of content seeing her shake in fear. He held his cup as the rest of his villagers toasted the couple celebrating their anniversary. But Rhohaz’s eyes never left Vanya’s. He wanted to taunt her just as his mind had been taunting him with questions upon questions ever since she disappeared from his unwelcomed home.

Just then, her eyes lifted and locked on his. He saw her gulp her wine but he did not dare break his gaze. He felt her wilt into her seat. He felt her guilt consume her whole. He wanted to know what that guilt meant. He wanted to make sure that guilt did not mean that she saw anything she was not supposed to see.

Suddenly, the crowd fell silent. Rhohaz followed everyone’s gazes to see a couple of late guests walking into the garden area.

It was Carmin with her husband by her side, her son, Garin, and a few other familiar faces from the council that Vanya recognized almost immediately. Their clean appearance with well-tailored dresses and suits did not match the rest of the villagers who looked simple and easygoing. They did not seem to blend as well with the crowd at all. Vanya was relieved that it was not just her and Joan sticking out like sore thumbs for they were already nicknamed ‘the city girls’. In fact, she thought she and Joan looked more like residents of Shalom than the council members did themselves.

“Ugh! I suppose I’ll have to put up with him for the rest of the night,” Timmie, who was right beside Rhohaz, scoffed and swung his cup over to gulp the wine down his throat.

Vanya and Joan stared at him till he finally realized they did not understand what he was alluding to.

“My father. I’m sure you two remember him from the council,” Timmie pointed at a lanky man, similar to Timmie, right by Carmin, shaking the hands of Cecil and Ronal stiffly. Vanya remembered him, all right. He was as quiet as a mouse, nodding away at whatever Carmin was saying.

Timmie started slurping the last drops of wine loudly before he thrashed his empty cup down and picked Rhohaz’s to start pouring it down his throat.

Rhohaz grabbed onto Timmie and tried to get him to stop, but ended up spilling wine all over them and the table. Timmie laughed seeing the red stains on their shirts, his words slurring as if he was drunk already.

“Rhohaz, you clumsy fool,” his words echoed louder grabbing everyone’s attention.

Rhohaz grabbed a piece of bread and stuffed it in Timmie’s mouth before he went off on a tangent.

“Here, use this,” Joan offered some cloth she had used as a napkin before, to Rhohaz. The cloth helped with nothing. The red stains grew and dried in a matter of moments leaving Rhohaz to sigh in frustration.

“Boop!” It was Timmie again. His fingers wrapped around a wine bottle on the table and he swiped it faster than Rhohaz could comprehend what he was doing.

Timmie jumped the bench and started running up to Cecil and Ronal’s home. But he only got so far before he tripped on his own legs and fell flat on the ground.

Vanya could feel it, everyone was frozen in silence, especially Timmie’s father who was frowning at his own son. Everyone seemed a tad embarrassed.

Joan was quick with her feet. She was already there with Rhohaz, helping Timmie up. Vanya bit the insides of her cheek unable to stop Joan in time. She did not want to stay anywhere near Rhohaz or do anything he was involved in. But seeing Joan struggling to help Rhohaz with Timmie, she went ahead to give them a hand.

***

It wasn’t the first time Vanya had seen someone throw up after gulping way too much wine. In fact, Timmie looked civil compared to her noble acquaintances who boasted about every part of their lives at parties and vomited their life away at the edge of the wall after a night of heavy drinking. Timmie at least had the decency to apologize, multiple times at that, while Rhohaz held his forehead not letting him knock his head while he made that wretched sound spilling everything in his stomach out on the ground.

“You’ve been drinking, haven’t you? Even before the ceremony?” Rhohaz asked, his voice softer than usual.

Timmie retched but nothing came out this time. He smiled and replied, “Only a bottle before. I needed them, for my nerves.”

Joan, who disappeared into Cecil’s kitchen came back with a hot cup of tea she managed to put together for Timmie. They were gathered right outside in Cecil’s side yard right behind the kitchen wall, away from the crowd that was enjoying the evening.

Timmie sat himself on the bench put up against the wall, breathing in with his eyes closed. Joan held the tea to him till he felt its hot vapor touch up against his skin.

“Thank you very much, Joan,” Timmie said trying to hold the cup but his shaky hands almost dropped it if it wasn’t for Joan who held on a little longer.

“Here, let me help,” Rhohaz accepted the cup from Joan to sit next to Timmie and hold it up to his lips. Vanya and Joan watched Timmie slurp slowly, his eyes lethargic but his lips curved into a gentle smile each time Rhohaz brought the cup closer to him.

“I bet you didn’t sign up to feed me tea when you agreed to become the leader, did you, Rho?” Timmie spoke, his voice gruff.

Rhohaz cocked his brow, “Well, I assumed you’d be paying me for my labor later.”

Timmie chuckled heartily but stopped halfway holding onto his stomach in pain.

“I miss the old days,” he commented making Rhohaz bring the tea to his lips in an attempt to stop him from speaking further. Timmie only refused to continue, “I wish I could turn back time…”

“You are drunk. Let’s not talk about this right now.”

“...If not now, when, Rhohaz? I have been a terrible friend to you, but mostly to Roza.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Vanya could see Rhohaz fidget unable to think of how to get Timmie to shut up but after a moment or two he let that thought go, and let Timmie continue as if he heard the despair in Timmie’s words like he had been bottling up his feeling for far longer than he should have.

“Roza is fine. She’ll come around,” Rhohaz only attempted to ease Timmie’s pain.

“No, she won’t. And you know that. Once you lose her trust, it’s gone forever. It was my fault, you know. I’m the reason the council hates her. I’m the one who said she’s –”

Rhohaz cut Timmie off and pressed on by holding the teacup to his lips. Timmie swallowed some tea and began again, “I’m sorry, Rho. I am sorry that I’m…I’m a terrible friend,” he finally began to sob making Vanya and Joan look at each other.

Joan tapped on Rhohaz’s shoulder, “We will leave you two be for now.”

Rhohaz nodded in thanks holding on to Timmie, who was slobbering all over his shoulder by now. His eyes passed by Vanya, who promptly avoided them.

They heard Timmie sob louder as they left the boys and ended up back in the kitchen. Joan and Vanya were supposed to rejoin the celebration at the back yard but Tilly caught them and tasked them with getting more slices of apple pie out for the guests.

Soon they were busy setting the kitchen table with the rest of the apple pie that Tilly had made and was slicing them while the sun started coloring the skies indicating a beautiful sunset to come in the next few hours.

“Is it always like this? Family gatherings?” Vanya asked.

Joan looked at Vanya surprised, “Why do you ask? I’m sure the banquets and balls you attend are much more entertaining.”

“Answer me, Joan. I’m curious to know. It’s much more eventful than I thought. Everyone doing a bit of something to help around,” Vanya said, cutting a piece of pie just as Joan showed her how to.

“Haha! Well, I would say today is a much larger gathering than I am used to, but usually, yes. When I visit my extended family out in the East we have dinners like this. I take care of my smaller cousins, sometimes help my aunts cook, and sometimes spend time talking with cousins the same age as me. It is quite simple, now that I think about it.”

Vanya smiled imagining a life so sweet, so simple as Joan described. She watched as Joan neatly cut her count of pies with a smile across her face, like she was so used to this, so used to blending in with everyone rather than standing out. Vanya liked that about Joan, for Vanya was always told she had to stand out, represent her royal blood, and her kingdom.

Joan arranged her cut pieces on a tray and held it up, “I will be back after I serve these out. You are doing a great job…” she whispered, “....your Highness.”

Vanya smiled watching Joan wink at her and head off leaving her alone in the kitchen to cut out the rest of the apple pie.

She fell into a rhythm cutting them piece by piece. She let herself hum a tune, quietly, not noticing a figure leaning against the door to the kitchen watching her until she lifted her head to move the slices around.

She gasped letting the knife on her hand slip nearly cutting her finger off and landing on the board beneath her between her feet.

“Careful there,” Rhohaz spoke letting himself enter the room in a confident stride.

Vanya eyed him, annoyed that he stood there unannounced, yet she lowered her gaze seeing him walk across and stand in front of her. She gulped not knowing what to do, what to say.

He bent plucking the knife off the floor. He held it in his hands, his fingers gripping the handle. Vanya thought he was merely getting ready to slash her throat or perhaps stab her heart then and there. But he only came closer to her and let the knife rest on the table with its metal clunking as it fell on it.

“You’ve been avoiding me all day,” Rhohaz got to the point quickly.

Although she knew should continue to stay put, Vanya felt herself become immediately cocky, “Have I? I don’t believe so.”

It was the wrong move. She wanted to pinch herself for not holding back.

Rhohaz smirked, “I caught you red-handed in my room. What were you doing in there? What were you doing in my house? What were you scheming?”

“I wasn’t scheming–” Vanya started.

“Then what was it?” Rhohaz got mad, his eyes flaming in anger. He could already feel her coming up with a clever lie.

“I…I thought I saw Roza in the house. And…and…” Vanya struggled.

“And what?” Rhohaz inched closer, his shoulders growing taller with each step towards Vanya and his words growling at her.

“And I wanted to say hello.”

“Why would you need to say hello to Roza?”

“Can I not greet anyone in this village anymore?” Vanya retorted, desperate to hold on to her dignity.

“Not when you force yourself into someone’s room and start snooping around. And then, hide yourself in their closet hoping not to get caught.”

“Who said I was snooping around?”

“Why were you in my room?” Rhohaz hissed.

“I told you, I thought I saw Roza. I did not know it was your room till I opened it and then I heard you and your cousin enter through the door. What was I supposed to do? Announce myself to your cousin? I hid so that he won’t…misunderstand…the situation,” Vanya was surprised she was able to pull together something that made some sort of sense.

She watched carefully as Rhohaz, only inches away from her, paused to think. His chest was breathing in and out, there was rage still bubbling within him.

Unexpectedly, he held out his hand to say, “Empty your pockets, then. Prove to me you did not take anything.”

Vanya huffed at his pettiness. She dug both her pockets forcefully wanting to pull them inside out to show she carried nothing with her. And she thought to herself, how stupid he must be to think she would carry it on her if she did indeed steal something from him. But her eyebrows furrowed finding a small object she did not expect between her fingers.

She held her breath and Rhohaz noticed.

“Come on,” Rhohaz nudged her but she only stayed in place. She showed one of her pockets hoping it would distract him so she could toss what was in her other pocket away. But as soon as she pulled her other hand out he caught it. His fingers wrapped around her balled fist.

“Open it,” he demanded but she only held it tighter.

She didn’t expect it but he tried prying her fingers open. She held onto dear life before her little finger gave in and the rest followed unfolding one by one to reveal the tiny seashell she grabbed from Rhohaz’s seashell collection to toss in the air while she pranced about his room.

He paused for a moment. Unable to comprehend why she tried hiding a seashell from him. Then he figured she probably grabbed it from his collection, which did not hold much significance or value to him personally.

“A seashell?” he asked, grabbing it from her palm to observe the pretty orange waves etched on its hard shell, “You stole one of my seashells?” His furrowed brows relaxed.

“I wasn’t trying to steal,” Vanya hissed immediately.

“My collection is precious to me. Stealing one of them is not a small crime,” Rhohaz exaggerated wanting to taunt her a bit for he found it funny that she grabbed a seashell out of everything she could have stolen.

“It’s not that precious now, is it? I can find a similar one easily on the shores. Anyway, just know that I did not steal anything else but your precious seashell from your room. Had I had more time I could have,” Vanya quickly pounced on the chance to clear any doubts in Rhohaz’s mind now that he seemed much calmer.

He only smirked as a reply believing her for he did not know she saw something very substantial while snooping through his paperwork. She too held herself together, trying not to look suspicious. The last thing she wanted was for Rhohaz to figure out she was omitting a large portion of the truth, the part where she knew his late father was a criminal wanted by her own father’s court.

Suddenly, she saw his hand reach for hers. She almost hid her hands behind her back but he caught one.

“Since you liked it enough to steal it, here, you can have it back,” he spoke gently.

Their eyes met for a moment and froze in time. Vanya felt it then, that pang in her heart they say you feel when someone crosses a boundary. The slight heat she felt engulf her body and the sudden realization that her heart was beating louder than ever made her want to curl up into a ball and hide herself away. Yet she wanted to stay there, see what was to happen next. She was curious. She wanted to know if it was just her feeling this way. If Rhohaz too had it so obviously written across his face as she did.

She watched him bring the seashell in his hand to her but before he could place it in her palm, a figure entering the kitchen made them jump in surprise. They immediately whipped their hands back to themselves and moved, creating an invisible barrier between each other.

A deep disappointed sigh broke the silence. It was Carmin, with her pale siren eyes carrying a cloud of distaste, and her lips turned to a sour smirk.

“I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything important,” she spoke, with her voice so cold making her words sound even more unforgiving.