Hi darlings!
Thank you so much for all of your beautiful well-wishes about our wedding! You are too sweet! We had the best time and our now finally married! Woho!
Here is a long chapter to celebrate you my friends!
**Long Chapter**
-Loren-
The rest of the day he spent wrestling feelings of guilt and shame. Reliving how Mae's eyes had stared back at him. Big and empty they had stared at him as he had thrown all of his frustrations out on her.
You should have spoken to her with respect and calmness. A voice echoed in his thoughts. Not his own but someone's he knew very well but could not see. Someone he could trust and share things with... The voice sounded like a woman. She reprimanded him in new ways every time he thought of what he had said to Mae. The woman did not let him find any comfort or shelter behind in the fact that Mae was not exactly innocent in how their so called relationship was developing. It is not the girl's fault you lashed out. The woman told him off sharply, and he knew better than to object.
It did not matter if Mae was impolite and seldom... no rarely... spoke to him with respect. He knew he ought not have done what he did. Her way of acting toward him did not bother him as much as it would have another, because he knew her sharp tongue and thick skin was her best defense. It was how she survived within the Guild and out on the roads. What bothered him was that he had been disrespectful and offended her. Acted horribly because he had not been able to keep himself together. That bothered him. More than he liked and he could feel the woman in his mind reach out to slap him. He winced more than twice when the palm of her hand felt like it would hit its mark; his face.
Mae was nowhere to be seen and he would not be surprised at all if someone told him that she was deliberately avoiding him. If not because he had blatantly declared that he did not trust her and practically called her her father's lapdog, he was more than certain that she stayed away so he could suffer for the entirety of the day without the possibility to apologize and feel a bit of relief. She was not the forgiving kind. Those who wronged her were made aware of it and treated accordingly.
Later that same evening, those dwelling in the same network of tunnels and burrows as him, where eating their supper in the Hall. He sat with a decent stew in front of him and a tankard of ale. None of the others sat with him, however this was not something he felt particularly affected by. In fact, he was more than comfortable left to his lonesome. Although, this left his mind in full control of everything except his movements. While eating his food, his guilt was eating away at him. Even though it had subsided somewhat from its most intense first stages, it still had him drawing deep breaths in desperation for it to go away - which it did not. Breathing his anxiety out only masked it temporarily until it came rushing back in with the next breath he took.
You have seen how Evor and Hagan treats her... The thought grabbed him while in the midst of putting a spoonful of stew in his mouth. Rendering him incapable of enjoying the savory liquid and tenderness of the meat. ... how they force her to fight for everything. Never feeling good enough or seen. Always making her claw her way forward, for recognition and respect. He closed his eyes in frustration. Keeping a distraught and regretful groan from filling the Hall.
In the middle of his meal, a group started laughing out of nowhere. It claimed his attention easily as he gladly welcomed something else to let his thoughts focus on than the anxiety roaring in him, and he had heard no joke being told which had him intrigued. Especially since the laughter was rough in nature. Whoever they were, they were laughing at someone, not something. He looked up, finding that the callous yet amused laughter was aimed at someone standing in the door.
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.
Loren remained where he was so the others would not be suspicious. So he grabbed a plate and filled it with more bread and some cheese. Pretending to eye the barrel of wine before returning to his seat and finish his supper.
Mae walked over to the table of those who had laughed at her. Dropping her bowl carelessly but still managing not to spill anything. Her fellow guild members was visibly uneasy with her presence. Two did not even look at her, instead they kept their eyes on their food. The rest looked at each other, then at her and then back at each other. Like she would go off in them at any second. Unpredictable and dangerous.
She is doing it on purpose. He thought and smirked to himself. She is letting them sit in their own shit without speaking to them. Just like she is doing with me... I wonder what will happen if any of them actually tries to speak.
"Why are they still sitting there?" He whispered to himself and lowered his eyes when people on the other tables had caught him looking over at Mae's.
•
The next morning he was up early, treated himself to a bath and used the shaving knife for the trim he so badly needed. Not having a mirror or the help of another set of eyes, he shaved off the majority of his dark blond beard down to a stubble.
The night before, Mae had stayed in the Hall longer than he had reason to be there and he was forced to return to his burrow without getting the chance to speak to her again. A thought-out strategy he figured she had used to be rid of him without having to deal with him and his questions. So he had not slept very well because whenever he was left alone with his thoughts, the guilt came crawling back and kept him awake for at least a third of the night. Not even while in the bath did his nerves get any rest or relief.
Once out in the tunnel on his way to breakfast, he closed his eyes in pure bliss as the cold breezes of the underground walkway caressed his newly trimmed face. Not having the slightest idea or memory of when he had last felt the wind so close to the skin of his cheeks.
"Get a move on, you." A dark voice grunted behind him. The person made their way past him with a slight push on his right shoulder. He immediately recognized Evor, who did not seem to know him.
"Morning, Evor." He greeted the chief with a crooked smirk. "Not a morning person are we?"
Evor's eyes narrowed for a split second before widening again, having realized who he was talking to. "Well, I have to say, lad. You look sharper without that fur of yours." He grunted. His voice a bit rougher than usual. Sounding like he had just woken up.
They started walking together. "I am actually quite fond of mornings." He went on, answering Loren's question. "Just not a fan of my children bringing home every stray they can find."
Loren nodded his understanding with his lips in a tight line. "I can see how that would trouble you." He chuckled quietly. "I try not to be in the way."
"It's not you of whom I speak of." Evor muttered.
Already figured that much.
"The one Hagan brought?" Loren queried calmly.
Who else?
"Aye." The chief responded, sounding to have been deep into his own thoughts before speaking. "There is something off with him. Those eyes of his... I don't know. He just feels wrong somehow."
I will not argue with that. Loren thought. There is something very wrong with that man... and you need to see it before he manages to do any real harm.
"Did you learn anything useful during the interrogations?" Loren asked, genuinely curious.
"Not really." Evor muttered as they walked the last curve of the tunnel before they would arrive at the Hall. "Did not say much more than a yes here and a no there... Hagan gave him a good couple of hits but they didn't really seem to hurt or bother him. Just asked for some water. Never complaining or whining."
"He was a big one." Loren declared as if the deserter's size was explanation enough to why he had not talked or apparently not felt any of the abuse he had endured during the interrogation.
"Aye." Evor muttered in frustration.
"Did Mae get anything out of him then?" He threw the question out into the gloominess of the tunnel. Seeing if Evor would take the bait and tell him who had managed to get a hit in on his daughter. Hagan or someone else?
To his surprise, Evor stopped right in the middle of a step and turned towards him. "What are ye' talking about, lad?" The man saw the shock in his eyes when his reaction had not been what he had expected. Evor took a step closer when the answer to his question did not come straight away. "What did she do now?"
He does not know. Did he not see her last night? He thought. An icy hint of panic ran down his spine. Shit!
"I don't know." Loren replied. "She came into the Hall last night with her wrist bandaged, a black eye and a busted lip, I figured she might have helped-"
"She what?" Evor barked.
He was gone in the next second. Loren looked to the left, seeing Evor disappearing into the Hall with long strides. On the hunt for his daughter.
You fucked up again... He told himself. How? How did you manage this? How could he have screwed things up, again? Dragging Mae with him when all he had wanted was to know where and how she had gotten hurt. She will definitely kill you this time.
Once he got to the Hall, Evor was nowhere to be found. Neither was Mae or Hagan. The trio was not there but what was there was a lot of confused faces staring at him when he entered. He had not heard Evor shout or yell but could read of their faces that they knew someone was in trouble, and they were all wondering who it was.
Not wanting to stir the pot anymore than he had already done, he grabbed some food and ate it by himself as usual. It did not take long before those at the table closest to him started gossiping.
"Bet it's Mae again..." Someone muttered and gained some support from another. Loren grimaced in annoyance and confusion at the statement. It made her sound like a troublemaker. A title he would have given to Hagan if he had to give it to one of the twins.
"Again? Why would ye think that? Hagan was the last one who brought in someone from the outside... an ugly fucker that one. Have to be he who is in trouble." A second person argued.
"Didn't ye see the look on the chief's face? It was the exact one he had once he found out about that one." The first person explained, referring to Loren. He could almost feel the finger pointing at him. "And I don't think the chief would get that upset over something he already knew, would he?"
A short moment of silence hung around them.
"Sure, but she couldn't have brought another one here, could she?" A third one objected mockingly. "I heard Hagan didn't get anything out of the new one last night. Bet that's way the chief is all riled up. He's pissed Hagan messed up."
"He was there, ye idiot." The second one sighed.
"And he didn't go after Mae when it took her weeks to get something out of that one." The first one intervened.
"No, he just sent her on the longest scouting route after she had just come back from one." The third one said.
"Has to be Mae." The first one said and the others hummed their agreement. Some in reluctance, others lacking a reasonable explanation of their own.
Even though it physically pained him to sit there and not say anything in her defense. He forced himself to eat his breakfast and pretend like he had not heard a word of what they had said. With his luck, if he did open that mouth of his, he would likely just get Mae into even more trouble than he had already managed.
•
There was no sign of Mae nor her father or brother until midday. Loren was by the training grounds, watching others spar when he suddenly witnessed the twins storming towards the designated fighting area laid. Interrupting those training by throwing them out and barely waiting for the others to get out before they disarmed themselves from whatever weapons they were carrying. Hagan pulled out a dagger and Mae fished out two knives from her boots and a dagger from her belt.
No words were spoken and to his shock the fight started without a sign as well. No etiquette or warning. The twins put their fists up and went at each other. No training gear or weapons. Just their fists. Mae did not wait for Hagan to make the first swing. To everyone's astonishment she dove right into her brother's defense and punched him in his right ribs and dove under his arms only to come out behind him. Just like Loren had learned, Hagan was usually the one to rush into the fight. Which was why a man to Loren's right inhaled sharply at the sight of Mae's unpredictable action and probably from imagining how much that punch hurt. A collective groan went through the crowd.
"You fucking shit!" Hagan wheezed and turned around swiftly. His face turning red with humiliation. Mae said nothing, but the anger in her eyes was easy enough to read. She was furious.
Loren looked around for Evor but he was nowhere to be seen, which was probably why the two in the training area was going at each other like they were out to break bones and draw blood. His eyes ventured across the onlookers and there was nothing out of the ordinary in their faces. It seemed what was happening in front of them occurred now and then. As if they were used to the twins needing to let off some steam - on each other.
The twins went at each other for quite sometime. However, Mae was the one getting all the punches in. Hagan spent most of his time dodging hers and failed to get any punches in on his sister. Not from a lack of trying. She was just too quick.
It all ended when Mae took a few steps back. Not a scratch on her except the black eye and the swollen lip she had donned when she had stepped into what had turned into something close to a fighting pit. Her brother stood panting where she had left him, still with his fists up.
Just as the fight had started, without words, it ended. Mae rolled her shoulders, fished up her weapons and walked towards where Loren was standing. She chose to climb over the wooden railings just next to him. He held his breath as she did. Waiting for her to beat, cut or hurt him in any way. She looked angry enough that he was sure she would lay her hands on him.
"Next time you rat me out. I will take it out on you." She whispered without anyone else than him noticing. "Count yourself lucky that my idiot brother was there and that I didn't see you until now."
He leaned his head slightly towards her to make sure no one but she would hear him. "I didn't do it on-"
Just like in the woods, Mae was gone before he had finished his sentence.
"You have to stop doing that." He whispered after her and watched as she set off into the woods. He decided to go after her once everyone else was not staring in her direction as well. They needed to clear the air as swell and if it would cost him a black eye, he would take it.
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Thank you so much for reading friends!
I hope you liked it even though our dear Loren seems to get himself and Mae into trouble!
Leave a vote! It makes my day!
Love Jenny