Born to unite (Born to be a slave; Book III)

5

I wrapped my hands tighter around the legs - so cold seemed the early morning. A couple of hours of sleep gave me the needed rest, but it would have been better to sleep in the comforts of my bed. My heart didn't ease throughout the night. Every little rustle, every tiny sound made by nightly creatures terrified me. Arian had shattered my soul. Never, I have feared someone so intensely. 

... and hunger tortured my body. For more than a day, I had eaten almost nothing. I rubbed my stomach and crawled out of the small shed where I kept the dwindling firewood. Keeping an eye on each corner, I awaited the sharp blade invade my vision. I ran inside, savoring the temperature change, the minute difference in warmth. I had to light up the fire, boil the water, and later I could go and dig out something edible in the garden.

I welcomed the heat which made my heart melt and dismiss the dangers. The water heated up quickly, I emptied the old cup, and the comfort flooded my body, but nothing could satisfy the hunger. In the garden, dry vegetables fought for life and each day, the sun burned their leaves more and more, and with that also my livelihood. 

For how long I would be able to survive? It pained me to see the wilted greens as I could do nothing to prolong their lives. The well ... had succumbed to the drought too, holding enough water for the most necessary needs, and ... for the nobles, they had their own ... they didn't share.

My hand reached for the buried radish and I dug it out, the fine, dry grains of soil flew in my face. The sun had risen a little bit.  I was about to be gifted the happiness, seeing the root being bigger than I expected when the subtle sound behind startled me.

My head snapped in an instant, meeting no one other than Arian. I froze. His icy stare bore deep in my soul. 

"I wasn't expecting this. Is this some kind of charade?"

Arian moved a step closer, making me scurry further into the garden while my knees scraped against the coarse grass.

"Please ... I don't know who you are. Why are you after me? I have done nothing ..."

"You don't know who I am? Such disrespect." His words were filled with disgust. "Aren't you one of the Huang family?"

"N ... No. I have never met them?"

"Really?" Arian lowered himself, so our eyes were at the same level. Like the first time, he was looking for something in me that sent shivers down my spine. "Did you know, only one bloodline in this region inherits the color of your eyes?"

I shook my head, not understanding his point.

"Did you know I am on the hunt for them?" I shook my head again and backed off. "What surprises me, that you live in a dirt hole like this. How come ..."

"I am not what you are looking for. I have lived here all my life. My parents ... we have no connections with Huang's if that's what you are implying." 

"You better be not lying to me." A long silence followed his words. "I will be keeping an eye on you, and if I discover anything odd, I will not hesitate to dispose of you."

After that, his eyes lingered on my form for a little while. I felt like an ant under his gaze - insignificant, a worthless being, deserving to be stumped on and killed. Stiff and paralyzed, I clutched the dirt under me, waiting for him to leave and never come back, but I knew he would.

Arian's figure faded the further he gained distance from me. With watering eyes, I followed each of his move until he no longer was on my land. It felt like a boulder rolled off me or freed from the coils of the snake. I could breathe and I could savor the peace that returned after the chaos in my soul.

I realized, my life might never be the same. For how long? I got the feeling he didn't believe my words - they were like pointless whispers in the wind. There would be no one who would protect me, defend me from the evils of this world, everyone had gone to never return to this life. I longed for my parents, the only support I had in this life.

The dormant hunger brought me back to reality and I searched for the root I left behind in haste. My stomach rumbled and devoured me from the inside. Wanting my belly filled to the full, I dug out another radish and run inside the house as fast as possible, shutting the door behind.

How could it be that I felt helpless in my own home? Would I be able to sleep ever again? With a sword and maliciousness behind my walls?

For a change, in a long time, I had gotten something to eat. The meal was not filling as rice or tasty as meat cooked with care, but for this moment, I appreciated every bite because I knew the next one might not come.

A girl would dream of a nobleman, as mighty and revered as Arian, with that strange trait reserved for only the fewest. A long time ago, I was the same - wanting to lay eyes on him just once, but now I begged to have never met him, knowing I was not worth being even in his shadow.