The Pain that Made Her Beautiful

PMHB ch11 (Pic of Neorah)

*                                                *                                                            *                                                *

Warick had been waiting almost forty-five minutes for his little brother, Hermun. As he went to fetch him, Warick’s memories seemed to reboot and he remembered the night before with an alien clarity. He remembered placing Nayeli in his tent and then the scream and then comforting the girl… Nayeli. Then sending Hermun to fetch the not so mysterious girl this morning. My dear god, Nayeli! Warick thought panicked.

He ran as fast as he could and rounded a cluster of trees to see Hermun kneeling, his pant pouch undone and Nayeli’s eyes wide with terror, her arm upraised as though to ward off some sort of evil. There were tears running in a slow stream down Nayeli’s cheeks. Then Warick heard these words come out of her mouth, “My lord Thanos, if I have offended you, I apologize with extreme sincerity and beg that you do not harm my body in any of your clever ways.”

Warick was taken aback. Who in the world is Thanos? Warick asked himself.

It was at that very moment, however, that Warick saw that Hermun was advancing on to Nayeli, an evil glint in his eyes. Hermun’s hands went down, for a reason that would remain unknown for at that moment, Warick ran forward and knocked Hermun off balance, sending him straight to the ground.

“What do you think that you are doing?! This is an outrage! You have absolutely no right to do this,” Warick said angrily.

“Oh, dear brother, I do have due cause. She had defied my orders and has done so deliberately,” Hermun said with authority.

Warick looked at Nayeli and, even though there was a deep pain in his heart, he had to ask this question, ”is what my brother says true?”

Warick felt a deep sorrow within his heart as she nodded her head and adverted her gaze, saying, ”Yes my lord.”

Warick looked at Hermun and said, “Hermun, as there is a just and due cause for your punishment, I cannot deny you your dues; however, I do command you that you wait until we make camp this night it is your duty to obey my orders and if you do not, I will see to it that you never touch her.”

Hermun looked up at him with a look in his eye that told Warick that he would do whatever he could to hurt his brother. Then Hermun stood and said, “As you command,” and walked away, tying his pants as he went.

Warick’s next action gave him stones in his heart that he carried every day until his death. He walked to a point that he could look down directly into Nayeli’s scared eyes and bent to one knee, edging forward. Next, Warick grabbed her right hand and leaned over, perpendicular to Nayeli’s position, and looked at her with all the sadness and caring as he could. Warick then opened his mouth and said the first feeling driven words he had ever spoken, “I can only beg your forgiveness, but I had to be just and equal. I can only say that I beg your pardon and that I am deeply sorry for this.”

After his few, but meaningful words, Warick looked into Nayeli’s eyes and saw the thing he had least expected; understanding and forgiveness, coated in a thick layer of fear. At that point, Warick could not handle the pain in his heart and launched himself to his feet and walked away as quickly as he could; her eyes were those of someone who had been betrayed and knew all the reasons for it, understanding both the decision and the actions taken.

Then, as soon as he was half way across the clearing, Warick turned around and beheld something that was not real, yet so real that it could not be mistaken. Nayeli stood, regal and powerful. She wore a white gown and her hair was let down to cradle her figure. There was a circlet of gold around her forehead that was woven with slender pieces of blue, white, and purple satin which held her hair from her eyes and allowed them to show. Nayeli was dressed as though she were Roman, but not just any Roman, but one of noble birth; royalty.