Tranquilia

Chapter 15 The Tribe Leader's Son

I woke up to the sun changing the sky into light pinks and oranges. A few feet away, Beo was next to a fire with a peaceful look on his face. He looked more attractive when he wasn't so angry. Before my thoughts on him could continue, I sat up, and took my hair out of the waterfall braid. It had mostly fallen out anyways, so I decided to simply braid it out of my face.

He still hadn't noticed me.

Then, he stood up, and I wondered if he was about to go hunting again. Would he teach me? Instead, he abandoned his bow and arrows, leaving them in the grass as he carefully approached me. Today, he was treating me like a scared animal, like any sudden movement would startle me. He knelt down right in front of me with his blue eyes soft, and instantly I relaxed. The images in my head were gone, and I realized I hadn't seen them in awhile.

He cupped the side of my face in his hand, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Were you upset that I kissed you yesterday?" he suddenly asked, and I felt like he was playing some sort of game.

My lips mashed into a thin line because I was trying to hold back my own smile. The truth? I had really enjoyed it, and wanted him to kiss me again, but I wasn't going to tell him that. "No, it didn't upset me," I muttered as blush crept onto my cheeks.

He smiled so I could see his white teeth, and I suddenly felt how close he was to me. Again, he used one quick motion to pull me to him, so he could kiss me again. I couldn't believe how forceful he was, or how much I enjoyed his touch. What was it about this man?

When he pulled away, I knitted my eyebrows together. "I thought you said you have a girl back in your tribe. If that's true, then you shouldn't be kissing other girls," I ordered in my best stern voice, but I didn't have control over it. I sounded pathetic.

He let out a small chuckle as he rocked back on his heels. "More like engaged to be engaged," he softly whispered. "So, no there is no one specific. Like I said, my dad gets to pick who I marry. You're the one with another man on the hook."

I smiled a little at his word choice. "I almost forgot you said your dad is the Tribe Leader," I grumbled, mostly because I wanted to avoid the subject of Moss. How could I forget something as big as his dad being a Tribe Leader? Not just any Tribe Leader, but a the commander of warriors. Is that why he kissed me? Was he trying to make me comfortable?

His expression didn't falter; he was the epitome of calm. "Yes, he is. I could tell you about him, if you like. I apologize for my behavior yesterday. I worried you would change your mind about me once you found out," he innocently whispered, almost sounding like he was pleading me not to hate him. Then, he took my hands in his, and looked in my eyes. His were steely and cold.

I bit down on my lip because something was wrong. Could I be dreaming? "Uh...well...what happens when your dad is done being Tribe Leader? Who is next?" I rambled, feeling a tiny tremor run through my body. I needed to tread carefully, but that was never my strong suit.

There was something about the way he was staring at me that made me want to trust him, but I couldn't. "Well, in my tribe, our leader gets to pick who is next. Dad has been training me for the position since I was born, but Grendal wasn't even given a chance because a woman can't lead a whole tribe," he murmured with a smirk. "It's a running joke that a woman being in charge is why Tranquilia ultimately failed as a tribe."

My jaw dropped and I ripped my hands away from his, clearly catching him off guard. "How dare you! I'm sure there are plenty of women who could run a successful tribe! Our leader wanted us to fail! If she would have tried, then things would've been different," I shot back, feeling my face heat up as my words did.

His eyes widened, and I could tell he was searching for the right words to calm me down. "No, no, I agree with you. My sister would make an excellent tribe leader, it's just frowned upon. It's all kind of old school if you ask me, especially the arranged marriage part," he rambled as if he was trying to make the situation better. "Anyways, go back to the part about your Tribe Leader wanting you to fail. Her name is Earth, right?"

I gulped because I had probably given too much away, but why does that matter when I'm running away? "Well, you're the one who got my file. They were obviously helping you defeat us. I wanted to win the war, but they told me not to fight back because losing was part of the plan," I rambled. "I really don't have the answers, no one told me anything."

He forcefully took my hands in his, and suddenly I wanted to be away from him. "I'm just surprised they told you anything. Anyways, I don't want you to think badly of me. I may not be Tribe Leader anytime soon, and I might someday run away like you. I'm about to tell you something, but you have to keep it between us, promise?" he requested as he stared at me with calm, timid eyes.

"Promise," I squeaked.

He took in a deep breath, and closed his eyes before he spoke. When his eyes opened to meet mine, I felt my breath evaporate. "When I was three years old, there was a war with a neighboring tribe. A lot of our warriors died, including Daiki's parents. You remember him, right? The boy you thought you killed? Anyways, my mother was so compassionate that she took him in, and raised him as her own.

My dad was also fond of him, and took note of how strong-willed he was. After my mother passed, he began to train us both. We were constantly competing against each other, and I hated it. Daiki was ruthless, and sometimes when we fought, I thought he would kill me. I tried to compete with him, and it was obvious I'm more intelligent, but he doesn't give up a fight even when he should.

Suddenly, he was my dad's choice to be Tribe Leader. Not me. Not his only son, no, some orphan. He would be an awful leader; he's too unstable and evil. There's something about him I don't trust," he explained, taking a few deep breaths as he talked.

"Yeah, he almost killed me. I noticed how awful he is," I murmured, interrupting him.

"Yes, I agree. Anyways, Dad let me lead this mission, and once he sees the footage I have of you defeating him, then Daiki has no chance of being our leader. I have you to thank you that," he finished as he gave me a thankful smile. "I would rather die than have him lead me."

I knitted my eyebrows together as his words hit me. What had I done?