Folktails✔️

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F O L K T A I L S
•Always•
A shaky breath of relief escaped from Ikenna's lungs as he watched wide, beguilingly beautiful eyes flutter open.

Glaring rays of the Sun that assaulted and pierced through the scanty wrapper draped over the window accompanied hope that filled every crook and cranny of his being with a comforting sort of warmth.

"Idemili." He whispered, holding on to her hand. Her light brown eyes in return held his' for a moment before turning away. "Are you still cold?" His fingers reached to brush away the dampened hair stuck to her forehead.

Unlike the night he had found her almost as frozen as ice, now, her temperature was burning hotter than coals after roasting corns in the wet season and he truly could not make up his mind on which situation was better than the other.

"Your body is really hot." He pronounced the obvious just for the sake of it as he hurried outside the hut to get a bowl of cold water. "What sort of thing is this?" His heart pittered-pattered moments later as he noticed the cold rag he held over her head had already turned hot in only a few seconds. There was nothing else he could do except go back outside for another bowl of water.

Ikenna reckoned that having a few servants to help out the situation would not had been such a bad idea. But he had sent away the slaves the given to him by the king, freeing them to go on their own. This was all due to the fact that he was familiar with the life of a slave and knew just how unfair it was in every aspect one could think of.

The crippling feeling of being a prisoner–incarcerated and maltreated–still lingered somewhere in the dark, hidden spaces inside of his mind and proved to be exactly why he could not bear to think of holding anyone against their will like he once was. He would treat people the same way he wanted to be treated even if it meant an array of difficulties for himself.

"Please speak to me." He placed the newly soaked rag over her blazing skin then grasped her hand praying for her to become herself again. While he wiped her body, emphasising the contrast between her high temperature and the cool cloth, her eyes suddenly lolled close much to his alarm. "Please wake up now. I beg of you. I do not know what else I should do anymore." He whimpered feebly, burying his head into the soft straws beside him.

"My Lord." A faint voice said, causing Ikenna to jump in surprise.

"You are awake." His eyes sparkled with pure joy. "I was afraid you would not come back to me."

"I promised I would." Her voice was softer than usual and Ikenna noted that her mellifluous voice which more often than always clouded his thinkings only made them clearer.

"You returned late Idemili. It has been seven days since you gave your word and it made me worry every night and day that you had not yet returned to me."

"The realms are against my existence here." She spoke so lowly that Ikenna found it hard to hear her. "They are aware that I should not be here, and for that they are punishing me by taking my abilities. If I do not return to my world soon, I could be forced to go back and when I fight back, the consequence will be an end to my being."

"What?" Ikenna muttered confusedly. His ears reeled from the words she had said and he found it hard to comprehend their meaning. "Why will you be punished for being here? This is your home. And who are those who try to force you against your will? I could fight them for you or whatever you want me to. What can I do?"

"Ah..." She sighed deeply. "Humans will always be humans."

"What do you mean?"

"You cannot do anything to them my Lord. They do not exist in the realm of humans, just like I should not."

Ikenna watched her cold, white lips quiver slightly and he more than ever in his life felt the need to fight for her in any way that he could.

With her, every cell in his body seemed to be on a high with strange energies coursing through the very existence of himself. He wanted her to see him, want him and maybe even love him.

Maybe, just maybe he craved that from her. But then again, how sure was he about what and how he felt? It would be unfair of him to wish for her affection when he still had not been able to decipher the true meaning of his emotions.

Or had he?

As much as he wanted to pretend that he could remain on the fence about the way he felt, he knew he couldn't.

The strange old woman's voice seemed to tremble over and over in his head whenever he tried to override the decision to face his true sentiments.

"You must come to terms with your feelings and stay true to them or the consequences may be terrible..."

"Idemili."

"Yes my Lord?"

"I lo..." he started but stopped halfway through his sentence. "Do not worry about it. All I meant is that I hope you will get better as soon as possible."

"Same as I my Lord." She smiled faintly at him then closed her eyes in exhaustion.

"I will be back."

"Where are you going?" She asked so forcefully that it led to a round of violent wheezings at the unanticipated and sudden use of energy.

"The native doctor needs to be summoned to figure out what is wrong with you and that is what I plan to do."

"No!" Her tone was sharp as she pushed herself off the bed.

"Wha...what? Why?" Ikenna stuttered as his brows formed furrows.

"You cannot call on the 'eye of the gods' while I am here or whenever we are together."

"But why?"

"It is a long story my Lord. All you need to know is the day the seer sets her eyes on me is the day calamity will fall on Zoro as well as an end on my being."

"Your words always baffle me and cause me to wonder as I have not a clue of what you talk about or how what you say could ever be possible."

"They are not for you to understand my Lord. At least not yet." she said and Ikenna frowned, feeling like he was in the same situation he had been with the old woman who had chose to only speak in words that riddled him.

"Then tell me what I should do now. I cannot sit still and watch you suffer in pain all because it is not yet time for me to understand the workings of the world. And I know you are in such discomfort. You cannot lie to me about that Idemili."

"My Lord..." she whispered softly, her voice thick with unbridled yet unspoken emotions.

"I will get some herbs that will help with the fever. Wait just a little bit."

"Come back to me." She said and Ikenna surprised her and himself by giving her a kiss on her forehead.

"I will." He replied, still recovering from the bashfulness that had overcome him since his last action. "Always."
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