The next morning, Rehenna wondered to herself how long they’d be stuck within the uncomfortable cage. Not many days or nights has passed by since her second capture, but little by little, Rehenna felt as if she was losing her sense of normality.
Rehenna redirected her gaze to what she thinks is the ground, her eyes solemn and the shine within them fading away. She felt her way to the bars, and stuck her hand outside of the wooden cage. “Ekubar?” she called out under her breath.
From the other side of the cage, Ekubar was leaning against the wooden bars and closing his eyes, “Yes?”
She placed her hands on top of her tattered dress and clenched them into fists, “Do you believe that escape is possible?”
He sighed and stretched his arms, “Well, it all depends on you. When do you want to go home?” he crossed his arms and looked at her with sleepy half lidded eyes.
“Well, the answer should be quite obvious, Ekubar. Of course, I would love it very much if we’d be able to escape from this horrid cage. Right now, I’d even say.”
Ekubar chuckled softly and closed his eyes once again, “If fate wishes it… then we both would be able to escape from here.” Ekubar opened one eye and took a look at her, and moved closer, “We need to change your bandages, there’s already too much blood. Would you mind if I rip out some parts of your gown? It’s a huge and fluffy thing, it wouldn’t do much to lose a piece of it.”
Rehenna shook her head, her arm limply falling from outside of the cage, “No… No, I don’t mind.”
With some effort, Ekubar was able to create new bandages from her dress, “Most of your exterior wounds have healed, but I’m still working on the ones in the inside.” He unwrapped the bloodied cloth and replaced them, “I can’t do much since a lot of damage has been inflicted onto your body. You’re lucky you’re a Liya, because if you weren’t you wouldn’t be able to survive that fall. Your body used your remaining energy to heal.”
Breathing out weakly, Rehenna didn’t speak. For her, her voice was painful to use. After being damaged, perhaps being impaled by a sharp rock, she never had the same voice as before. Her voice would come out cracked, or raspy. Her angelic voice that she used to sing over her kingdom was no longer with her.
Rehenna felt Ekubar moving her body, pulling her into his arms, “Again…?” she asked.
“Yep.” He supported the back of her head and allowed her to rest it on his shoulder, “As clear as it is, you’re not exactly in a good condition. I need to heal you as much as I can nonstop to keep you in a stable condition…trust me, I have no ulterior motives… maybe.” Playfully, Eku smirked.
That’s right. As of now, Rehenna was a cripple. She could barely move her body, let alone walk. With no proper healer or doctor to aid her, Eku was forced to use his energy continuously.
“I’m sorry…” she whispered, knowing that if her voice was any load it would only come out as a croak.
“For what?” Ekubar asked calmly as he closed his eyes, beginning to heal her.
“For burdening you so.”
Ekubar laughed, and nuzzled her hair, “This is nothing! As a damsel, it’s only a hero’s duty to save you, is it not? I myself, think that I’m quite the dashing knight in shining silk.”
“But— “
“Hush now, I’m trying to help you.” Ekubar pulled her closer by her waist, furrowed his brows when concentrating.
At the feeling of his power, Rehenna felt her skin tingling; a sign that somewhere she was healing. It was only a small surge of power, but the rush through her body was calming.
With a sigh, Eku placed her on the cage’s surface, “There. That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”
Rehenna appreciated everything that Ekubar was doing. It was a lot coming from a stranger, and she was just lucky that even though everything was falling apart there was still something keeping some things intact.
Looking up, Eku noticed that the clouds were blocking the sun’s light from falling onto earth, but through its thick walls, a small ray of light shone through.
“I still can’t see…”
Her voice caught Ekubar’s attention, and it made Ekubar frown. It’s true. He was not able to heal her vision. Well, he did, but now her eyes were permanently blind. At least he stopped them from bleeding out constantly.
“Here, let me give you something.” Ekubar untied the strip of silk that was tied around his forehead to prevent his hair from getting in the way of his eyes, and helped her to sit up, “Let me juuusssst…” when Rehenna was facing the opposite way, he tied it around her eyes, “Now, isn’t that nice?”
Rehenna felt the cloth, surprised at how soft it felt upon her fingers. Well, it was not all that surprising. After all, Eku came from the Kingdom that was well known for their silk.
“Soooo… What do you think?” he leaned in closer, knowing that she was going to whisper.
Rehenna lied back down and rested her arm at her side, and said, “Thank you.” For the first time in a long time, she smiled.
Ekubar brightened at the sight of her smile, and went back to his former position, “You’re very much welcome, Princess.”
Rehenna once again brought her arm out through the bars and jumped a bit when she felt a drop of water fall upon her hand. Soon, the sound of rain rang through her ears. It was such a soothing sound. The sound of rain falling had always been able to calm her down somehow.
The temperature had begun to drop, and the freezing droplets pierced her skin like needles, but she didn’t mind.
It was refreshing.
“Rehenna…” foggily, she heard her name being called, “Rehenna, wake up…”
Sleep still clear in her eyes, Rehenna mumbled, “Yes?” the silk that acted as a blindfold still wrapped around her head.
She felt Ekubar’s hand slip into her own to gently pull her up, “Don’t you want to get out of here?” he said in a whisper.
Now she was completely awake. “What do you mean ‘get out’?” Rehenna heard him grunt as he pulled her into his arms for him to carry, and she heard the quiet steps that Ekubar took to get down the cage. Rehenna gasped when she realized what was happening, “Eku, what are you doing?” she rasped.
“Don’t worry…” replied Eku, “If you’re worried about those men, then ease your worries. You won’t be hurt again. I’ll make sure of it.”
Ekubar saw that the men were being drunk off their new liquor, and scoffed at their ignorance. Nonetheless, he was glad for the distraction. With some pins that he had kept on his person, he took the opportunity to pick the locks open as silently as he could.
What happened after that? He won’t say anything.
Rehenna held her breath in fear as Ekubar led the both of them through the forest. She wasn’t able to see anything, but she still had her other four senses. Rehenna could hear the heart pounding in her chest, feel the cold sweat forming on her palms, and smell the dewdrops trapped within the forest.
“W-where are we going?” she asked nervously, her arms trying to hold onto Ekubar as tight as they could.
Ekubar was panting in hard breaths, but that did not stop him from laughing, “Anywhere!” she could just see his smile. Suddenly, gravity took a hold of her and the both of them came tumbling forward.
Rehenna flinched in pain when she came in contact with the forest’s muddy ground, but her fall was softer than it should have due to Ekubar breaking it.
From beneath her, she heard him groan. “Gah… I tripped over my own foot.” Ekubar was laid out on the ground with bits of wet dirt and grass stuck on his clothing; grinning like he just won the lottery.
Rehenna reached out where she thought he was, and her breath hitched when her sensitive hands came in contact with his black hair. The fresh breeze entered her lungs and the feeling of Ekubar’s heart beating through his rib cage as his chest rose up and down, made her feel relieved.
The princess bit her lip and smiled, “You’re such a fool…”
With a grunt, he stood up and dusted the dirt off of him, “Perhaps, but this fool is the one saving you.” Ekubar held her hand softly and kissed it, “How about thanking me?
“Thank you.”
Ekubar jumped a bit, and blinked, “… Now I just feel guilty.” Rehenna let out a heartfelt laugh, coughing right after, and immediately a strange feeling swirled around his chest. “You have a heavenly laugh, Princess.”
Rehenna flushed in embarrassment, “B-but I sound like a frog…” and that was the truth.
“Every laugh from a lady, especially if it is true, is heavenly to me, Princess. Especially if I am its cause.” His features softened, and he brought a hand to caress her cheek. “Especially your smile.”
Was she smiling? Rehenna had not realized. Disheveled and not knowing what to do, Rehenna hid her face on his shoulder to hide her blush. It was silent for a while until she heard Eku trying to stifle a snicker.
“You are just too cute, your highness.” Ekubar picked her up and started to walk through the forest slowly.
“You’re not going to run?”
“Well, instead of running for our lives, why don’t we just have a nightly stroll through the woods?” with a gentle smile he placed a kiss on her forehead, “Romantic nights would usually include holding hands, but as you can see my hands are occupied with beauty.” She made no reply, “Strange, no sound. Are you alright?”
Hesitantly, Rehenna nodded, “Yes…”
Rehenna felt more expressive around this man, more so than she was in the palace. Perhaps it had something to do with the lack of professionalism required around them, she did not have to go through the effort of behaving like a proper princess. In this area and with Ekubar she was free to act as she pleased.
Although the first few experiences since her supposed death were horrible… perhaps things won’t be so bad after this.
“Isn’t this nice?” he asked not expecting an answer. It was already night time, and above them was a roof of sparkling stars.
Rehenna smiled at his comment until reality came back to her. Now that she was outside, she would be able to go back to the kingdom. She needed to go back to Jui. Jui…
“Ekubar.”
“Yes?”
“Take me back to Phir.”
"You want to go back to Phir?" asked Ekubar with an eyebrow raised.
Rehenna nodded, "Isn't it natural for one to yearn for their home? Do you not want to return to yours? Have you not a sister?"
"Well, of course, I miss my sister, but just try to realize our situation for a minute, Rehenna. We're in the middle of nowhere." Ekubar said looking at their surroundings, although knowing that she would not be able to see it.
Feeling a bit downcast, Rehenna looked down at her features starting to become less expressive. Perhaps it was a habit when she was feeling a negative emotion. Hiding it was always easier.
A cold breeze went by, carrying the freeze left behind by the rain. It felt like ice. Is winter approaching? Rehenna had already lost track of time after being kidnapped, but she remembered that it was still August the last time she had the time to look at a calendar.
Ekubar noticed her shiver and set her down. He let his jacket slide down his arms in order to transfer it to her, "We don't want you to catch a cold now, do we? Having your immune system go down with those wounds won't do you any good." Rehenna made no sound, and this made him sigh, "Rehenna... I will help you get back to Phir."
Hope filled her emotions, "Thank you, Ekubar." she said with a relieved smile.
With a smile, Ekubar released a breath, "Before we die of freezing, I'm going to continue running. Who knows maybe we would be able to find a pathway."
Rehenna frowned at the idea of running. Ekubar should be tired by now, he should rest. "Do we really have to run?"
"Well, I need to keep my body heat up, and besides… you’re not going to be the one running, remember?" Ekubar picked her up with a huff, "Are you uncomfortable with it? I could always slow down."
"I-I was just wondering if you were tired. You've been putting all of your energy into healing me for a while, and it can't be good for you."
Ekubar laughed and adjusted her into a more comfortable position in his arms, "I guess I can continue walking. I'm fine, thank you for your concern, Princess. You can sleep if you want. I won't be stopping anytime soon."
Nodding, she said, "I don't really mind since I've already taken a very satisfying nap."
"That nap you had in that cold, hard, and uncomfortable cage was comfortable for you?"
"I have just grown accustomed to my surroundings."
The sun had already risen. Its shine caused the remaining raindrops to glisten under its light, and the plants have gotten a rather healthy green look after the rain. Walking through the thick woodland was Rehenna and Ekubar.
"I'm hungry..." stated a famished Rehenna. Ekubar had been walking all night and yet he had not found a single sign of civilization. She was starting to think that they were more lost than they thought they were.
Ekubar cleared his throat, "Yeah, me too." slowly, he placed her on the ground where she was able to lean against a tree's trunk.
"Ekubar?" Rehenna got worried the moment he released her from his touch.
"Don't worry, just stay here. I'm going to get us some food." with that Rehenna listened to the crunching of leaves that got fainter by each step.
Stay here? There was nowhere else for her to go. A bit afraid, she fidgeted from where she sat. Her ripped gown was starting to absorb the water that was on the ground. Rehenna cringed when a thought came to her. You never know what kind of bugs would be crawling around in a forest.
That was when she heard voices. People. There were people.
At first, Rehenna felt hope. Maybe they would be able to help her in some way, but next, she felt fear. The last time she had gone in search of a group of people she was locked in a cage, and this time she didn't want that to happen.
She should run.
But she wasn't able to, the best she could do in her condition was limp away. Even if she was able to get far, what about Ekubar? Would he be able to find her?
"I heard something!" that was a girl's voice.
Fear pierced through her heart and her breaths starting to become uneven. In the midst of panic, Rehenna used all of her strength to drag herself away from the tree. She nearly screamed at the pain that consumed her. Her legs were still broken, it seemed.
Even if she wasn't able to get far, the best she could do was to hide. Rehenna breathed to calm herself down, and grit her teeth, preparing for the pain that was to come.
She held in a scream the moment she moved forward. Her heart was pounding in her, and fear crawled its way through her veins. She didn’t want to be captured. Not again.
“It’s a girl!” this time it was a man’s voice.
Why did the world choose for her to be crippled at this time? She could neither see nor move, but that voice was closer than ever. As of now, Rehenna was unable to use her powers. She needed Ekubar.
Rehenna’s ears perked when she heard a small group of footsteps behind her. “E-Eku—!” her scream for help was interrupted when her mouth was clasped by a hand. Rehenna’s eyes widened in both fear and surprise.
“Shhhh! It’s okay, we’re friends.” It was the man she heard earlier. His voice was soothing but rough. He talked with the grace of a royal, and it made her calm down by just a smidge.
However, that didn’t stop her from trying to escape. With all her strength, she struggled, but considering her state, it wasn’t enough. She wasn’t able to set herself free, and because of her constant attempt at resisting another pair of arms tried to hold her down.
“Stay down, woman!” it was a different voice. A voice like silk, but filled with venom. It was less welcoming compared to the last one.
“Cronus, unhand her.” It was the girl’s voice. The first voice she heard.
“But, my lady—!”
“Unhand her! Can you not see that she is afraid?”
Rehenna shut her eyes closed and bit her lip, refusing to cry. Questions swirled around her mind, most of them fearing her third capture. Where was Ekubar?
Slowly, the hands that gripped her arms released their grip. Rehenna knew three people surrounded her at most. Two boys and one girl. There was no room for her to flee, even if she could, she wouldn’t even be able to move one inch forward. They would still be able to catch her.
All that was left for her to do was curl on the wet ground in fear and silence.
“Hey…” a petite hand slid into her own, “We’re not going to hurt you.”
Rehenna breathed in shakily at the feeling, and weakly pushed the hand away; not wanting to be touched. She was trying to think of a plan on getting Ekubar to find her faster. Should she try screaming? Would he even be able to hear her? Just the thought of screaming made her wince… her damaged throat wouldn’t be able to take that.
“I’m Rayie, you can call me Ray. These are my friends, Cronus and Gabriel. We just want to help you.”
Rehenna held her breath when this girl, Ray, came closer. There was something about her that didn’t feel right, but for some reason, she didn’t think that she was dangerous. Her aura… they felt similar to that of a Liya’s. It was close, but not close enough.
From where Ekubar was hunting, he finally caught a rabbit in his hands. “Gotcha!” triumphantly, he held it up by both its ears. Rehenna was going to be pleased with this one. He just wondered if she was against eating an adorable fluffy creature… maybe, he won’t tell her anything until after he cooked the rabbit.
“E-Eku—!” Suddenly, Ekubar felt a wave of Rehenna’s power flow over him. For a moment, he heard her voice, and it didn’t sound like she was alright at all.
Rehenna was in trouble. Quickly, he turned and sped his way through the forest as fast as he could back to where he had left her. Most likely she won’t be there anymore, but Ekubar tried to keep his hopes up.
“Can you stand?” Ray’s tender voice reached her ears, and once again her hand held hers.
Rehenna shook her head, and said in a whisper, “I can’t…” stern, she asked, “What do you people want with me?”
“How could we leave you alone? You are injured. We need to get you help immediately! Your wounds… what in the world happened to you…?”
“Ray,” that was the voice of the one that talked like a royal, “She’s blind!”
“Great job pointing out the obvious, moron.” Grumbled the other man. Rehenna decided that she didn’t really like him that much.
“Cronus, we need to get her help. Can you carry her?” said Ray who was kneeling right next to her.
“She doesn’t look like she weighs much, my only problem would be her gown.” Then the same arms that were restraining her circled around her waist, and the other hooking themselves under her legs.
“Wha— no! Put me down!” croaked Rehenna. She whimpered when Cronus held her wrong, and her injured legs were hurt. “I said I’m fine!”
“Your voice sounds horrible…” said Gabriel with a chuckle.
Rehenna flinched at that comment, staying quiet afterward. Her voice… it was part of her identity long ago, and now that it was gone… she was left sounding like a dying creature. Rehenna hated herself just a bit for letting those words affect her, but she couldn’t help it.
“Come on.” Cronus adjusted her, but that only made it worse. Rehenna let out a strangled yell at the feeling of her legs being twisted.
“Cronus, hold her properly!” yelled Ray.
Through his sprint, Ekubar finally managed to catch sight of her. He hid in the shadows for a while, trying to observe the situation. Were they friends or were they foe? Eku wasn’t able to hear a word, but the moment Rehenna’s cry of pain reached his ears that was all he needed to hear in order to attack.
Ekubar grabbed a plain dagger, one of the weapons he had retrieved from the men he had taken care of, and ran forward. With speed that was trained into him, he made a move to injure the unknown girl who seemed to be the weak link of the group.
However, before he was able to land a hit, his weapon was knocked away by a rather strong kick. Ekubar held his hand and glared at the dark-haired individual who was wearing… something that reminded him of Victorian clothing. Was he a bodyguard?
“Eku!?” he turned and saw Rehenna on the ground, she was clearly in pain having been dropped. She was reaching out through empty space in an attempt to hold him.
Ekubar’s face remained blank, and he turned his focus to Rehenna. He tried to close the distance between the two of them but was stopped when he felt is his own dagger in his throat.
“Don’t move…” it was the jerk who had a horrible fashion sense, this person made the wrong choice in trying to battle a Liya.
A flash of purple mist glazed over Ekubar’s eyes. He made a roundhouse kick that landed harshly on the other’s side, causing Cronus to drop Ekubar’s dagger. Eku grabbed it mid-fall, pushed his enemy down to restrain him. After gazing into the future, he was able to see Cronus’ next movements. In just a short amount of time, his mind was able to find a solution that benefited him.
“I guess our positions have switched…” Ekubar said with a smirk.
“Tch!” Cronus glared at him from where he was lying.
“Wait! We don’t mean any harm!” Ekubar glanced at the girl who he had tried to kill moments ago, and his eyes widened in realization.
“Stay away, witch!”
Cronus struggled under his hold, anger fueling his strength, “Don’t call her a witch!”
“Please let go of Cronus!” begged Ray, “We don’t mean any harm.”
“Eku...!” Ekubar’s attention switched from the witch to Rehenna. Noticing her distress, Ekubar shoved Cronus away, making sure to make some distance between them.
“Rehenna…” he hurried to her side and brought her hand into his. He noticed the brand new scrape upon her body, making him grit his teeth. “What did they do to you?” he brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. Rehenna only shook her head, her lack of response making Ekubar worry.
“Ray, that guy is crazy!” yelled Cronus who was standing in between the girl and Ekubar in a defensive position.
“It’s just a misunderstanding, Cronus. He was obviously just trying to protect her.” Ray pushed Cronus away to stand in front, “Please, let us help you.” At both of their silence, she continued, “We can get her to the next town. We can get her injuries treated there by a doctor; we even have food for both of you.”
Ekubar raised a brow, “A town?” he said to himself, his hands never letting go of Rehenna’s fingers.
“It’s not far from here. We have a horse and a wagon, we can take you there.”
They still have not established a trust between them. Ekubar can’t be sure that where this town was there wouldn’t be a trap waiting for them. It wasn’t like he could just believe a witch, but he had no other choice.
“Take us to the town.” Ekubar kept his knife in his boot, “We’ll form a truce.”
“My lady, this is not safe.” Cronus grumbled with his arms crossed.
“Quiet, Cronus. Get back in your mirror.” Ray took out a mirror from her bag and waved it around, soon, a flash of light came and Cronus’ image was stuck onto the glass’ reflective surface.
“So you are a witch. I’m guessing that mirror is your wand, and that guy is your familiar.” Ekubar said.
“Don’t call her a witch you—!” Cronus’ yells were muffled when Ray smiled and placed her mirror inside of the bag.
“I don’t really like being called that.” She turned around and pulled Gabriel away, “Now, shall we? Our wagon is this way.”
Ekubar gave them time to walk ahead. He turned to look at Rehenna was holding onto his hand with a strong grip, Sighing, he gently picked her up.
“Come on, let’s go. Maybe when we arrive in town we can get directions to your kingdom.” Instantly, Rehenna brightened with hope at the sound of finding her way back home.
She nodded and circled her arms around his neck for support. Even though he knew that she wouldn’t be able to see it, he grinned.
For now, he should trust these people, but Eku would not hesitate. If the time were ever to come, he would take his dagger and attack.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
