"Why'd you do that?" Jako asked as a nurse began patching up his neck. My eyes lazily glanced at him. I sat in chair across from him with my arms folded across my chest.
"Do what?" I asked. Jako winced as the nurse touched his slightly scratched neck. I tried not to roll my eyes. There have been greater wounds than that. He barely had a scratch. The nurse patted his neck gently. "Alright all done. Go home, get washed up." She suggested as she stood up.
I nodded at her. She smiled at the both of us before walking away. "I meant, why did you defend me?" He asked once she was gone. I toyed with my dagger. "I did not defend you. It was my fault for letting you take over my kids." I said.
My fingers trembled as I twirled my dagger. My fault.
Jako shook his head stubbornly. "No it wasn't. We both know it was mine. Yet you chose to defend me." He said. I sighed, annoyed. "Alright. I might have done it for your benefit as well. Happy?" I snapped. Jako leaned back in his chair. His strong hands fiddled with a loose string.
"But why? That's what I'm wondering. We're suppose to hate each other." He said. I looked up at him. "And we do. It's just when I saw you... you looked so... disappointed. And I knew your dad doesn't count on you much. So I said, why not? We're all humans and make mistakes." I told him.
Jako shifted in his chair, not meeting my eyes. "Thank you, Zaila." He said quietly. It was the first time he addressed me by my name. I opened my mouth to answer when a person came rushing in. I looked over and shot out of my chair as I noticed who it was.
Esmeralda was hunched over the arms of a nurse. Her shirt was stained as well as part of her pants. I walked over to where they were taking her. "What happened?" I asked, forgetting about Jako. The nurse placed Esmeralda on the edge of the bed, scurrying to another part of the tent.
Esmeralda hugged her stomach, her hair rustled around. "Esmeralda, what happened?" I asked. She looked up at me. She squirmed on the bed. "Nothing serious," she said in a strained voice. "Just some illness. I think it's something going around." I frowned.
Just as the nurse came back with a bucket, Esmeralda opened her mouth and puked on the bucket. Some blobs of it splattered out. I quickly moved out of the way.
I looked at the nurse expectantly as she set Esmeralda settled down. Esmeralda laid on the bed on her back, with the bucket cradled in her arms. "What's wrong with her?" I asked. The nurse shrugged. "She just came at me puking and hollering." She told me.
I sat at the foot of the small bed. The nurse stood over Esmeralda, taking her temperature and checking her pulse. She frowned in confusion. "Everything is normal. I'm not sure what's wrong..." the nurse said.
The nurse began to rain Esmeralda with questions. My friend nodded and shook her head at the questions. The nurse took the bucket and announced she was going to empty it. She walked off, fighting off a smile. I shot up from the bed and followed her. "You know something you're not telling us." I said.
The nurse looked at me over her shoulder, causing her blonde curls to fall out from her cap. "Mhmm?" She asked innocently. I frowned. "Tell me what's wrong with her." I demanded. The nurse grinned at me sweetly.
"There's nothin' wrong with her, pumpkin." She said. I placed my fists on my hips. "Then what?" I prompted. The nurse blushed.
"She's pregnant."
. . .
Esmeralda stayed the rest of the day in bed, always getting cared for by the nurses. I swallowed hard as I continued to stare at her. Her eyes moved under her eyelids as she slightly shifted. She hadn't puked in hours, which was a good sign.
But I still didn't know how to deliver the news to her. I wasn't sure how she would react. My jaw tightened. A girl her age shouldn't be pregnant. But knowing the circumstances, I knew it wasn't her fault.
I stayed put, wondering how I would tell her the news. The nurse had suggested if she could tell her, but no. I wanted to do it. I glanced up at the sky through the tents folds, evening soon would come and dishes were going to have to be cleaned.
"Zaila?"
My head snapped toward Esmeralda. She cracked her eyes open, her hair matted all over her head, making it seem like an uneven halo. I grabbed her hand, smiling despite the circumstances. "You're okay." I breathed, more as a reassurance to myself.
Esmeralda smiled, gripping my hand faintly. "I sure am. Have the nurses told you what type of sickness I have? It just came down on me out of nowhere." She told me in a small voice. I swallowed hard, glancing at the ground.
I tapped her hand. "You don't have an illness." I told her. Esmeralda's brows etched together in confusion as she sat up straighter. "No? Then what?" She asked me. I sighed.
"You're pregnant."
Esmeralda's face went blank. She blinked a few times. "I... I can't be. Well. But how... I haven't gotten my..." Her voice trailed off as recognition rippled across her face. She gripped my hand. Fear quickly took over her as her chest began to heave up and down.
I grabbed her shoulders. "It's fine. You're fine. Like I told you, I will avenge---"
"I can't believe it." Esmeralda whispered, with a small smile. I paused in confusion. Shouldn't she be angry? I asked myself. Esmeralda lifted her shirt, exposing her stomach. Her hand softly touched her stomach.
I pulled away from her. "You're happy?" I exclaimed. Esmeralda's smiled stretched into a grin. "Well... yeah. I'm carrying a human being inside me, Zaila! I might have not gotten pregnant the way I wanted to but I am." She said.
I frowned. "But those men mistreated you and abused you. Now you carry their burden in your stomach. Doesn't that affect you?" I told her a bit too harshly. Esmeralda rolled down her shirt. "Can't you see Zaila? I don't have a family anymore. This is my chance to have a new one." She said.
I pushed myself to my feet. "I don't have my family either and you don't see me trying to get pregnant by nasty old men! Esmeralda, this isn't suppose to be your life!" I exclaimed in anger. She frowned at me.
"Well what am I suppose to do? Try to get out of my womb? You know there's no such thing. O-or you want me to leave it as soon as I give birth? No Zaila, that baby is going to have my blood, and that's all the proof I need to keep it." She said stubbornly.
I lifted my chin. "Just get some rest. Maybe that will help clear that messed up head of yours." I said angrily, turning away from her. I left the tent, ignoring the approaching nurse. I pushed at the flap furiously. I stomped away from the healing tent.
How could Esmeralda want the thing that caused her so much pain? I wondered to myself. I hated that I had an argument with the only person close to me. The only person I had as a friend. I kicked at a stone when my foot came in contact with something else.
"Hey!" Exclaimed a voice.
My head snapped up at the sound of a low voice. I frowned as I saw who it was. I quickly moved past Jako. "Why are you here?" I asked, placing my hands in my pockets. Jako turned around and walked beside me.
"I... I was going to bring you this." He said. I looked up from the ground. Jako had a bottle of dark liquid in his hands. My eyebrows rose in surprise as I gently took it from him. The bottle was warm from the liquid.
I opened the cap and took a sniff. I glanced back at Jako. "Tea?"
He nodded, slightly smiling at the bottle. "I made it myself. I noticed that you've been in there for hours and I just wanted to give you a relaxing drink." He said. I nodded gratefully and took a sip. Warm liquid ran down through my system.
My whole body suddenly felt warm and at peace. The sweetness exploded on my tongue, reminding me of the tea my mom use to make. I sighed as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "This is good. You said you made it?" I asked. Jako nodded proudly.
"Where did you learn to make this?" I asked, taking another swing. Jako shrugged as we turned a corner. "My mom taught me before she um... passed away." He said, a tight edge to his voice. Sympathy grew in my heart.
"I'm sorry for your loss." I told him as gently as I could. Jako's face hardened as he looked to the ground. "Don't be. She doesn't deserve to have your sympathy." He said, almost in a growl. My eyebrows rose at his tone.
"But she's your mother how can you---"
"It was her own fault. She worked in the government when we told her not to. She got involved in messy things she wasn't suppose to. Half of this crap is happening because of her." He said angrily.
My anger was soon replaced with sadness. No wonder. Jako must have had a tough childhood, a mother working for the government that everyone hated. But he was a Rebel. And so was his father. But I frowned.
"She was still your mother. Some people aren't fortunate enough to have them." I said, my voice betraying me at the last sentence. Jako looked up from surprise. His eyes widened in realization. "Oh, I'm sorry I forgot. I... I heard about your family's death. And your brother's rap---"
"I prefer not to talk about it." I said, cutting him off. Jako nodded silently, staring at me. I frowned. "What?"
I recognized that look. Pity. Jako shook his head. "You've had it worst than anyone I've heard of. I'm just really sorry." He said. I sipped more tea. "You don't have to be. The past is back there for a reason. I'm fine now." I said, trying to tell myself it was true.
Jako lifted a brow, as if not quite believing me as well. I couldn't blame him. I barely believed myself either. We kept walking down the street, making turns toward the central part of Polis. In the heart of Polis, it was everyone usually ate and lived.
Most Rebels lived there. There was wooden tables that laid scattered all around the clearing. Sometimes when there was rain people would set up a big tent over all the tables. And I have heard rumors that the counsel was thinking about making it permanent for the winter.
Near the gates, was where the markets were, lessons were taken, and the building where the counsel met up was twenty minutes away. Me and Esmeralda lived ten minutes away from the entrance of Polis.
I sighed as I realized people were already lining up for food. Three giant metal pots were fastened on stools and placed at the center of all the tables. Around twenty people were already in line waiting for dinner commence.
The pots of food wasn't ready yet. But that didn't stop them. As we walked up in line, some people greeted me. I nodded in acknowledgement. It felt strange knowing so many people. I grew up as a Nomad, meaning my family always moved and always left our encampments.
Which led for me or any of my siblings to have a lack of friends. I folded my arms as I waited for the cooks to come out. They were volunteered cooks that usually met up in one house to use a stove.
Esmeralda and some other Plebs had taught them how to use those machines. The cooks were always the first to receive the food from the little farms we had set up. After what was left over, it would be given to the people.
The Council was still upon deciding if to open the gates for traders. Some people loved the idea of trading with their handmade jewelry or the food that we were growing. Other felt as if it was a safety hazard. Which it was.
"Good evening, Zaila." Said a voice. I looked up and smiled at the girl in front of me. "Hello, Edrina." I said. She looked at Jako and giggled, moving along the line. Edrina was a twelve year old who wanted to learn how to fight when the lessons first started.
But after the first two lessons she ended up hating the art of war, as she had put it. So then I moved her to the planters, which were the people who farmed in Polis. Ever since then she loved it and stayed there. Whenever I saw her I would catch her with her hands brown from the dirt.
I wasn't sure which society she had come from but she was a nice kid. She was unaware of her beauty that radiated around her. All the boys in my fighting classes would drool all over whenever she passed by. I couldn't blame them, she was one of the girls who wore dresses.
Jako gave me a look. "Who is she?" He asked with a frown. I chuckled at his reaction. "Edrina. A girl who tried to fight but ended up in the gardens." I told him. Jako glanced behind him as she kept walking.
"She's twelve."
Jako coughed loudly. "What?" He asked, his eyes widening. I nodded. "She's twelve, so you can stop looking at her like that." I said with a small laugh. Jako shook his head. "And to think..." he trailed off, placing a hand on his face.
I gave out a laugh. "You are disgusting." I told him. Jako shook his head. "No, no. It isn't my fault she looks like that at the age of twelve. I honesty thought she was older." He said to me. I glared at him. "Sure."
Jako chuckled, shaking his head at my sarcastic tone. Jako slapped my arm eagerly as I took another sip. I stumbled to the side. "What?" I snapped, wiping the trail of tea making its way down my chin.
"The food is here." He said excitedly. I craned my neck to see. The cooks were walking to the three stools with big metal pots. Steam curled off, sending delicious smelling tendrils in the air. The line moved forward as everyone began to hand out plates. Just as the plates got around to me, I felt a tug on my loose tank top.
My eyes fell upon Tashna. Her hair was pulled back in a blue ribbon. She wore a dirty yellow dress that fit her a bit too big. Her face lit up as her eyes met mine. I handed the plates to Jako. "Well, hello Tashna." I said, smiling down at her.
She grinned at me. "Viert dashna-ey." She said. I blinked at her with surprise. "You speak the Nomad dialect?" I asked with a lift of an eyebrow. She giggled as she shook her head. "No! 'Course not. Zamora sent me to get you." She said.
I looked back at Jako. He nodded, waving me away. "You should go. I will bring you dinner." Jako said. I gave him a tight smile. "Thank you." I turned away and let Tashna grab my hand to lead me to Zamora.
We walked a few feet away from the dining area and there I found Zamora. There was a bonfire, surrounded by a ring of stones. Sparks flew and snapped in the setting evening. Little logs were placed near the fire. Most Nomadic kids were seated there, talking and laughing with each other.
Tashna dropped my hand and ran over to her friends. There was around thirty kids. I looked at Zamora with a frown. "What is this?" I asked her. Now it was her turn to frown.
She whacked my arm. I yelped in surprise. "Wit quet nash. Iotrat lopa." She reclaimed.
I am an elder. Treat me like it.
I nodded and bowed my head respectfully. "Yes. Of course. My apologies." I mumbled in our native dialect. As I bowed my head again, the feather tied in my hair fell over to the side of my head. Zamora touched it gently, smiling.
"You kept it." She stated. I looked at her. "Of course. How could I throw something like away?" I told her. Her eyes sparkled. "Good. Now, come, child. The children want to hear a fable." She said. I glanced over her shoulder at the kids.
"Why me? I'm sure you have much more exciting stories to tell." I told her. Zamora chuckled. "Of course I do. But the children my you, my dear. Go." She said in our tongue. I hesitated. "Most of them don't even speak the dialect." I answered.
Zamora held up a finger. "Most of them actually do. Let them learn and embrace their culture." She said, giving me a little push. I walked over to the campfire, taking a seat on the empty log. The kids around me instantly quieted at my presence.
"Are you going to tell us a story?" A boy asked, looking around the fire in order to see my face. I glanced back at Zamora. She nodded. I rubbed my palms against my pants. "Yes. Now quiet. If you don't understand some of the words, trying to use your brain to figure it out." I said.
Some of the girls giggled at that. I placed my bottle down on the ground near my feet. I cracked my fingers, making the boys rustle with nervousness. I cleared my throat, leaning in. The sparks spewed out from the fire, dancing away into the darkening sky.
"Vertani das-kena trot." I began, meaning once there was a time. I spreader my fingers as I met the gazes of intrigued children. "Vertani das-kena chep." I said.
There was, a man.
"And he was the son of a great king in the north. Now, the king had three sons." I said in the dialect. "Robin, Jude, and Tomin."
"Robin was the most loved and the heir to the throne. Jude was smart and strong. He was the second oldest. But Tomin was the youngest. Meek, and barely seen throughout the kingdom." I said. A girl raised her hand.
I frowned. "Yes?" I asked. She cleared her throat. "D-do they have a frog?" She asked in a struggling dialect. I blinked in confusion. "Frog?"
She shook her head. "Mother. Sorry." She corrected herself. I held up a hand. "I'm getting there." I said as I cleared my throat. "They all we loved well by the king. But, Tomin never liked the idea being in the kingdom." I said.
"Why wouldn't he?" A random girl sighed dreamlike. "His mother was killed during the war of the eight kingdoms." I said. The kids huddled in closer at the mention of death. I continued telling the famous bedtime story I had memorized from the countless times Mom had told me.
Dad wasn't a big fan of her telling us those "lies" as he said. But Mom never failed us. She kept on telling us numerous stories that would lull us to sleep. I paused multiple times, leaving the kids breathless from some of the intriguing parts.
"And then what happened?" Breathed Tashna, leaning in too closely her hair almost touched the raging fire. I gently pushed her back.
"Ratneh eta plagup tosh-trep!" Yelled a boy behind her, causing her to squeal out in surprise. All the children giggled at Tashna. I frowned at the boy who scared her. "No, Ricken, the Prince did not turn into a werewolf." I said. Ricken lowered his arms. "No?"
I shook my head. "Listen, boy." I told him in the dialect. He slowly sank back to his seat. They all grew quiet as I picked up again in the story. After a couple of moments, I finished.
Everyone groaned. "That's it?" Someone asked in our tongue. I nodded, spreading my hands. "Not really. But dinner is almost over! Go and eat supper." I said, pushing myself to my feet.
All the kids sighed and mumbled in disapproval. I hushed them quickly, grabbing my tea. "Be quiet now. Go to your families and eat. Tomorrow there will be more." I told them. They all scattered, shouting in excitement. As I looked up, I noticed Jako leaning against a table, staring at me.
He had two wooden bowls in hands. An unreadable expression was displayed across his face. I walked over to him, gratefully receiving the food. I took in the smell.
Beans, rice, and meat.
I instantly began to dig in. I glanced back up at Jako. "Why do you have that strange look on your face?" I asked. Jako poked his food. "I just wanted to say thank you for---"
I waved him away. "I already told you that you don't need to thank me for defen----"
"No. It's not about that. I wanted to thank you for doing all of this. For shaping us all. I know it's only been like weeks or a month but you've changed the rebellion so much. And you deserve better than this." He said. I blinked in surprise.
"You've changed our minds and perspectives on so many things. You're actually helping us. And I never said sorry for treating you like an animal when you first came. I never apologized for my behavior or for the others. We acted like a bunch of stupid animals. I hope you like it here and stay." He said, smiling at me.
An actual, genuine smile.
I blinked in shock. "I... well... I-I don't know what to say. I was just trying to make it a little easier for you all. I'm... I'm glad the rebels, us, we have gotten united better." I told him. My fingers toyed unconsciously with my spoon.
Jako placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "We have. We shall continue growing by the numbers to destroy our enemy. The government."