Pleasing Tribes [ON HOLD| REWRITING]

Chapter11-Good Question

Chapter11- good question
AIDA
I awoke when it was already dark. The skies looked pretty as it was right now. The stars were scattered on it making it even more beautiful.
I walked out of the hut to find my captor sitting in front of a fire. The gift of the gods to man and woman of course. They had sent a messenger to teach the craft of it creation to us. That is a story for another day.
I walk slowly towards him. He must have noticed my presence. He turns to me but I do not look at him directly. The pain has lessened a lot but I was still having some difficulty with speed.
I hope I heal fast.
“Good evening, your highness”
I try to bend a little to signify respect at least he deserves it for helping me this much. I have heard that his people are cannibals but he did not eat me. Although right now I am questioning the accuracy of the rumours, I have heard.
Let me say I tried but my body’s reaction was not nice. The pain to my back was very sharp and intense. The prince does something shocking. He gets up to help me. He even helps me to seat.
He is indeed kind. That I think before realize that that might have just been an attempt to touch me.
It makes me to vex, good thing is that I am good at hiding my emotions. At least he sets me some distance away from himself.
After that, he deems it fit to reply me.
“Evening, you look better”
“Thank you”
I try my best to be as curt as possible. Any mistake can put me in the worst of dangers.
“You have said that enough times today”
If he was trying to make me talk to him, I will not.
I keep quiet but he just starts staring at me. I notice form the corner of my eye. Thus, I keep looking down. At some point, I cannot take it any more
He was blatantly staring.
“Why do you always do that?” I question
“Do what?”
Playing dumb, not to worry I will educate you
“Look at me” I pause to think “No gawk at me openly” or not
Just imagine? He snickers
He looks at me again. Almost as though he was challenging silently
‘What would you do, what can you do?’
“Like how?”
Still acting dumb. I do not blame you it is natural.
“Like that” I say as I gestures to his eyes.
I dared to tell him that it makes me uncomfortable. It was as if he was occupying personal space without coming closer.
He laughs again. Do I sound like some kind of jester to him?
“I still do not understand. Can you explain? ”
His voice is full of humour. This was funny to him. Yet I remain calm.
I look to the ground at the marks I had been inscribing. All this I had to be transferring my rage to something. I guess the receiver was the ground not the fool sitting beside me.
“It is absurd. Do not you think that a prince is to carry himself well?”
I reply in the most respectful way I can put it.
“Are you trying to say that I do not carry myself well?”
Finally, you get the point. I nodded.
He was laughing again but his time it was loud, hysterical, and villainous.
“What do you mean by that?” He asked.
“I am sorry”, I have taken this too far.
“Who do you think you are?”
I froze at that. I have been so stupid. He could have seen my tattoo while taking care of me. Forget my last statement about care.
No reply was the best option now.
It sounded like a sincere question but I have to be careful.
His dagger fell down. It was on purpose, I guess. It was a threat. He could kill me at any moment.
“Who do you think you are?” He repeats
He stresses every word, I should not be scared, but I am. I shift from him a little. It seemed as though the tension in the air had doubled in so little time.
“What is your name?” know whom you conquer, that is wise.
“Aida”
Still trying to be as curt as possible.
“Want to know mine”
“No”
Seriously trying my best not to elongate this conversation. I find myself questioning myself on why I came out in the first place.
Even if you hid, you would still have to face him later.
The wise side of me tells.
He still replies.
“It is Rigen”
What a name? It should mean unknown
“I do not want or need to know,” I say still trying my best to end the talk.
“Most women would want to be able to refer to me by it but they cannot. Do you want to know why?”
This man is more than difficult. Is it necessary to talk?
“No”
He must have not gotten the message because he keeps on talking.
“Time has passed”
I still do not reply
“You know you can talk to me”
“Freely” he adds after some time.
I look at him. He was being sincere. He was actually trying to be nice to me. He as the prince he is set his title aside to talk to me, not that I do not have prestige but that I am currently working under him and his household.
“Sorry”
Least I still have manners.
“You do not have to apologize for nothing” He pauses to sigh
“It is just that I came here to be alone but …” he trailed of
“Sorry” I apologize again sincerely
“Okay, let us start a normal conversation... Aida right?”
“You could not have possibly forgotten my name just now,” I say with amusement in my voice
“What? I am not good with names”
“How would a prince not be good at remembering names?”
I laugh. Good.
We end up bickering about unreasonable things.
Talking to him was not as bad I imagined.
Time had passed. The sky had already become very dark and it even became more beautiful with the stars.
My eye were already dropping. I was feeling sleepy but I did not want to leave Rigen. Wow, I just referred to him by his first name.
“You are…. Are you okay? ”
“Very”
“Just go and rest. We both need it”
“I am okay”
“If you are not tired, I am”
Then he stood up and started to kick sand into the fire. As he fed the fire, it extinguished. The light from the moon, although not too much I found him making his way to his abode.
“Stop”
He stops immediately. Turns to me and asks
“You can come in too. I would not touch you wrongly even if I wanted to, I would have done it a long time ago.”
“It is good to know”
I walk to him. My speed is still slow but I will get better. I am finally standing beside him after all the hassle.
He turns his attention from me to the small hut. For the second time I take notice to the fact that, it was a lot smaller than the one back at the palace compound. It did not even have royal markings.
He walks in before me. He had to bend his head a little to enter. He was tall. I follow.
“Do you have a mat I could borrow?” I ask. His bed was too small and even if it were big, enough it is purely inappropriate for me to lie on the same bed as he.
“Yes I do have one but you would not borrow it”
“Why?”
“You have the bed”
“No, you own the bed. That makes you have the bed”
“I am good with lying on the ground. It would not be heroic if I took the bed. You were the one who said I should act like a prince; well I am acting as I am to. The sacrificial gallant person I am…”
“Enough” I cut him. It sounded authoritative but that only earned me one of his infamous laughs.
“Go sleep”
I obey. I lay there as he lays his mat beside me and falls asleep.
I then make a quick prayer to as many deities as I could remember for help and guidance.
I look down at the man. He was already gone.