THE EAR ARCHER Part 1 (Completed) #wattys2022

ROPES

"Come with me " she whispered.
Gob refused, defiantly he returned to his seat. He felt something soft against his cheek. Same cheek that was brutalized moments ago. She had kissed him.
"all better? " she asked. He could feel the sultry in her voice.
"Now come" she ordered grabbing his hand and leading him to the centre of the hall.
It was an unusual sight,  a man being led by an invisible figure.
But then again stranger things had happened.
   Safara materialized from thin air once they hit the centre of the hall which seemingly served as the dance area.
They performed a replica of the dance Safara and her father performed. In less than twenty minutes Gob was struggling to keep up. Safara on the other hand only seemed warmed up.
  " how do you do it? " Gob asked..
  "What".
  " have inexhaustible energy".
   Safara smiled.
"One of the perks of being an Arathani ".
Gob frowned.
"You call it perks. I call it side effects".
Safara punched him in the stomach.
  "That wasn't nice" she scolded.
From a distance Dalian watched them dance. She was disgusted with Safara. The wrench was having her hands all over her man.
  She probably had played hard to get but she knew she liked Gob and there was no way she would let him settle with a manipulating demon like Safara.
     She was still seething when he stretched out his hand.

    "May I have this dance".
Dalian looked up and gasped
   "Hamiran".
   " little sister ".
"Am not your little sister " Dalian countered.
"You are a monster now".
"Have this dance with me please".
Dalian assessed him. He had changed much from the boy he was but she could still deduce when he was honest.
    "Fine".
The unnamed led his little sister to the centre of the hall or as it should be rightly addressed, the dance area.
  The dance area was almost crowded. Tribes men and their quarry engaged in animalistic dancing.
The so called ball was slowly morphing into a sexual haven.
   The unnamed and Dalian danced. Their dance was neither energetic nor erotic. They held unto each other and rocked tho and fro.
   "Ave missed you" the unnamed began.
Dalian rolled her eyes.
"Don't patronize me. I stayed at the palace kitchen. Information which am certain was available to you.  If you missed me so much why did you never drop in? ".
  The unnamed heaved.
"I couldn't. If I did my plans would have been diffused".
"So you chose killing people over me, over family".
" I admit people died.  It wasn't in my plans but it couldn't be helped".
" it's no excuse".
The unnamed stopped dancing.
" I love you Dalian. I don't want you on the wrong side of this war Co's Dalian there is a war coming. Father fights to protect a coward who would rather hid than defend his people"
Dalian looked at him in awe.

"You want me to join you in killing people? "
"No. You don't have to do anything. I just want you safe by my side. I don't want you to be collateral damage in this war".
Dalian shook her head as tears drooled down her eyes.
" to think I walked away from father because of a monster like you. I'd rather die with my people than kill them by your side ".
The unnamed's face dropped.
" I love you Dalian. Really I do"
Hearing those words, Dalian walked off with tears streaming down her eyes endlessly.