The difference in Marren and the way he spoke set me on edge. The enchanting buzz that filled my head when he spoke in his language was barely noticeable. Whatever the servants did wrong to deserve this lecture, I doubted they would do it again.
Marren shouted one final command and gestured with his hand a dismissal. Each and every servant dispersed, hurrying on to their necessary duties, fear of further retaliation written clearly on their faces. Only one servant remained standing—the woman.
Sitting this close, the cloth of her fabric trembling caught my attention. I wondered what she had done. She seemed so pleasant and polite to me, I couldn’t imagine her doing something so terrible it affected Marren this deeply.
Marren glanced over his shoulder and gave me a wink. My lips pulled into a smile. His simple gesture helped reassure me about his mood. He approached the woman, speaking calmer to her, though his words still came out sharp and quick. She nodded a few times and kept saying something over and over in her native language. I imagined it was an apology. Then she shifted her eyes to me, which promptly got her smacked. She fell to the ground, sobbing, with her hand covering her cheek.
“Marren!” I stood then rushed to her side.
“Relena, you don’t understand what she’s done. If you did, you wouldn’t be so quick to protect her.”
“I don’t care what she’s done. She doesn’t deserve to be treated like this.”
Marren’s eyes turned cold and fierce. I’m trying to protect you.
I helped the woman to her feet. She trembled and refused to meet my gaze. Then protect me honorably. Banish her; don’t beat her. You are a man, not a boy. Do the right thing.
My gaze shifted to Marren. His nostrils flared, and his chest exaggerated each breath. His hands, clenched into tight fists, were stiff at his sides. For a moment, I feared he was going to strike me. His breath caught, and his eyes grew wide with alarm. He relaxed his hands and lowered his gaze to the floor. I realized, then, I had spoken my fear to him.
He stood several moments taking deep breaths before he said something else I couldn’t understand. The woman ran away from the room sobbing, disappearing through the dining hall doors.
“You have a lot to learn about my world,” Marren said in a reserved voice, pulling my attention back to him.
“Maybe I do, but that doesn’t change my stand. The poor woman didn’t deserve to get hit for looking at me. You should exercise mercy where others exercise fear.”
“She—”
“I don’t care what she did! She didn’t deserve to get slapped!” My voice echoed through the walls.
“Fine,” he muttered then stomped up the stairs without a look back, sealing himself behind the doors to his study.
I stared at them, waiting for him to open them. He never did.
“A’lainn, there is something I want you to do,” Enid said.
“Anything, Athair.” I smiled.
“Take a walk with me. There is someone I want you to meet.”
I raised an eyebrow as my smile widened and followed him to the door. Before we walked through, my eyes fell to the wolf on the floor. Sad eyes met mine, and they held the light of a fire behind the sadness. My heart sank a little.
I love you, Marren, I whispered in my mind as we walked out the door.
Strong winds blew around us, whipping our clothes around our bodies in tugs and pulls. The sun played peek-a-boo with the earth each time it hid behind thick puffy clouds. As it broke free, its warmth would pour down then fade away as another cloud moved over. In the distance, a storm brewed, lighting up the sky with the bright flashes of purple and blue. The clouds were at their darkest just along the horizon, beyond the line of trees and the long dirt road that had led me here. Enid kept his arms around his chest and walked with his head bowed, taking steady steps. The fold of his elbow held the hilt of his sword to his body.
We walked toward the stable made of marble walls and a thatch roof. Branches tied together formed the doors. A chimney poked out from the top, made from grey round stones. The contrast from the palace was extreme.
Marren… A pang of guilt struck me hard in the gut. I had upset Marren and accused him of being merciless when I was unable to understand he did what he thought was right to protect me. I still didn’t agree she deserved getting hit. That was harsh. But, I was wrong to interfere.
“You are quiet today.” Enid’s voice took over the break in the wind.
“Do you think I was wrong to jump in like I had?”
He exhaled a heavy breath. “What I think is, both of you have a lot to learn about the other. Both of you thought you were doing what was right. He was trying to do his duty to protect you, which sometimes entails not showing as much mercy as you think he should. While you were doing what you thought was right, which was saving Farrah from unnecessary punishment.”
“She’s Farrah?” I hardly believed it. She’d been so cordial before.
“Yes. Now you understand?”