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тwᴇʟvᴇ

Amazon | Twelve

Rhea ate silently; Bastian was sitting beside the horse he had managed to scam out of one of the men when gambling. Rhea had been amused when she had watched Bastian take the horse from the men who had wanted to pound his face into the ground. Rhea had then stood up for him and shoved her dagger into one of the man’s throat, she hadn’t cut him but she had sent them all the threat.

The men had withdrawn not without casting a furious look at the two of them. Now they were almost at Athens, Bastian was determined to marry her and Rhea was determined to leave once they arrived. She did not know why she felt the desire to stay and make sure that Bastian was well taken care of. She just did not want to meet his family, nor have them believe they were to wed.

“Rhea,” Bastian spoke up and she looked up at him through hooded eyes, “Why do you want to attack everyone we meet?” Bastian was curious like a child when he wanted to know something from her, “You are like a snake coiled and ready to spring at any given moment.”

“If I am not ready to attack, what will happen when I am caught off guard?” She raised an eyebrow and Bastian turned away. His lips were pursed together and he shook his head, Rhea smirked and turned to look down at her dagger that was in front of her. The gold of the dagger shined in the light, it beamed up in Rhea’s eyes and she covered them.

Bastian swung his body back onto the horse and held out his hand for Rhea, “We better be leaving now, we will soon be at Athens.” Rhea nodded and shoved her dagger back into the small bag that hung around her waist and she slid on the back of the horse.

Her hands rested on Bastian’s shoulders, she calmly sat behind him as the horse began to move forward. She turned her head and looked out at the forest, she did not leave forward nor did she lean back. She didn’t want to touch Bastian any more than she had to. He was a nice man and she got a long with him, but it did not mean that she wanted any lingering touches or any touches at all. She did not need to be touched; she did not crave to be touched either.

“Rhea,” Bastian suddenly spoke up, “If you cannot go back to the Amazons, what will you do when you leave?” He suddenly asked her quickly, “Why do you not marry me?”

“I do not wish to be with anyone,” she replied, “And I will find my way, the world is not just Athens Bastian, I will find somewhere else to rest for the rest of my life and if I had to I would have children. I do not need a male to make me happy, men are best for breeding purposes.”

Bastian frowned, “There would be a lot of men inclined to disagree with you, and women are seen as breeding purposes. Clearly we have different views,” Bastian was mad, how could Rhea say those things? He did not understand how someone could have such a narrow minded view; it was making him angry, angry enough to ring her neck!

But of course he couldn’t lay a hand on a woman, even though some men did he wasn’t about to stoop that low. He was not the type of man to hurt a woman, even though she pissed him off any chance she got. Bastian ignored her for the rest of the ride; he only stopped and listened to her when she let out a loud gasp.

“What?” Bastian asked as he looked out at the horizon, “What is it that has you so worked up?”

“Look over there,” her arm stretched passed his head and pointed to white columns. There was a large temple, had Rhea never seen anything like that before?

“That’s a temple,” Bastian explained as he turned his head, catching the innocent, wondrous expression on Rhea’s face out of the corner of his eye. “It is where people go to pray and give their respects to the Gods. Women become virgins for the rest of their lives there if they wish to remain that way.”