Of Blood and Duty

Chapter Sixteen • A Black Eye

Directing his gaze to the door, he was pleasantly surprised to see the person at the center of his guilt and shame. Mae. Hoping that he might get the chance to apologize for his behavior, the guilt and shame faded a little.

She came sauntering in through the doors of the Hall with a brooding look on her face. The dark hair pulled back in a messy bun which rested in the back of her neck. Several locks of the flowing obsidian were loose and wild around her face, revealing that she had had a busy afternoon and early evening. 

Confused, he realized that the others were making fun of her. Laughing at her expense. She was the one they were looking at. Why are they laughing at her? He wondered and felt a grim expression spread across his face. However, as soon as she realized that the laughter was aimed at her, she lifted her right hand, showing the group her middle finger in a swift and almost elegant motion. It expressed her exact thoughts about the ridicule, and to show them how little it affected her, she went on with her evening. Loren pressed his lips together in amusement. The laughter died out shortly after when it had not given them the reaction they had expected. 

It was not until Mae turned her head in Loren's direction that he saw the left side of her face. What the others had laughed at. Her lower lip was swollen and donned a cut to the lower left part of it. One of those cuts that took forever to heal because it would heal partially, only to being undone whenever you ate, smiled or spoke. 

He noticed her right hand was bandaged from her wrist halfway up her fingers. Blood was seeping thorough at the knuckles. A hellishly sharp sensation struck him in his chest when his eyes found their way up to her face again. The skin around her left eye was also swollen, its color growing darker by the second by his judgement. 

She was in a fight... or did she get into a brawl with Hagan out of sight of their father? He wondered as a  dark whirlpool emerged from nothing in him at the sight of her bruised state. He caught himself clenching so hard around his wooden spoon that it creaked and cracked for mercy. Before realizing what he was doing, it snapped right at the thinnest part. Imagining himself snapping a digit or two on the person who had given her that black eye. 

Beyond agitated and wanting to know what had happened to her, he got up and walked over to her as she was grabbing some food. More than one set of eyes followed him on his way. 

Mae was filling a bowl with stew, which she held in her left hand and a big part of a loaf of bread when he reached her. He placed himself on her left side. At first she did not notice him... until she seemed to sense that her company did not have a plate or a bowl of their own in their hands. 

"What?" She growled at him. "Got something to say? Spit it out." 

 "What happened to you?" He asked silently, barely moving his lips as he spoke so those around them would not think that he was doing exactly what he was doing; checking up on her while pretending to browse what to bring back to his table. 

"Did you follow me up here to see-" 

"I did." He interrupted her and grabbed a couple of bread pieces. "Answer me and I will go back to mine." It was not an order, it was merely a suggestion... which would make him go away. 

Mae did not move for a moment. His eyes glanced over at her and he noticed that she appeared a bit stunned. Bewildered by his response to her question. 

"Start moving or the others will notice that we are speaking." He told her quietly, waking her from whatever trance she had entered. "What happened?" 

"Nothing that concerns you." Mae said and walked off without leaving him an ounce of a chance to ask anything else or apologize.