Taealha didn't even try to hide how annoyed she was with the mission Tagon had given her. Though the two women were silently walking, Enoria a little behind her, Taealha kept looking at her as if she had so many questions she didn't know by which one she should start.
Enoria was quite amused by Taealha's reaction but she could understand how she was feeling and the Igutu was waiting for the questions to come.
Taealha was lost in her thoughts, trying to comprehend how the woman walking behind her could know so many secret things about them. She couldn't believe that Tagon was only going to lock her up in a nice room when the things she knew could have them killed. She suddenly stopped walking, so did Enoria, she turned and looked at her new special guest.
"What you told us earlier, how do you know all of that?" Taealha asked.
"Does that really matter?"
"Answer," she ordered.
Enoria laughed, no matter how Taealha would try to intimidate her, it wouldn't work on her. "Alright, please don't take your serious look, it's way too funny to me," she mocked, "let's just say I have eyes and ears in Arthdal."
"You need to learn how to behave yourself, girl," Taealha warned, "why didn't you kill the three you have mentioned by yourself?"
"I can't, they are important for Arthdal, they need to be replaced by others, smartly."
"And you think Tagon can replace them ?"
"He wants to be King, doesn't he? To do so he has to get rid of them, you are smart enough to know and understand that."
Of course Taealha knew that. The three were problems for her own goals. She wanted Tagon on the throne with her as his Queen but her own father would never truly accept her relationship with the one she wanted to crown as he wanted himself to become the Union Leader and so, she knew Mihol would side with Asa Ron to find a way to mess up with her plans. And, as much as she didn't want her father's death, she knew she would have to make sure he would stay out of the picture. "For how long have you been preparing your entry in Arthdal ?" she asked as she led the path again to their destination.
"A while. Enough years to know exactly what I am doing and what I am going to do."
"Don't you dare doing anything stupid, girl."
"Same goes with you, Taealha."
"Don't you know how to use honorifics?" she asked, annoyed.
"I know, I just don't care," she replied with a satisfied smile, "treating some people like some superiors beings is not something very commun where I come from."
"Get used to it," Taealha ordered before she heaved a heavy sigh, "you may be pretty but it doesn't give you all the rights, do you understand me?"
"So you find me pretty?"
"I am prettier," she immediately replied, " but you are not that bad," she continued with a smile.
They stopped talking as they arrived to the house Enoria was supposed to patiently stay in.
Saya, Tagon and Taealha's adoptive son, was in the commun room, reading a book as he liked to do. He raised his head at Taealha's entrance and he stood up to show his respect, not without glancing with interrogation at the woman standing behind him.
Tanya had stopped cleaning the fournitures when Taealha had entered, she too glanced at the unknown woman who had given the stare back. The penetrating gaze made her lower her head and she wondered if the woman behind Taealha was another person she would have to call 'my Lady' though she still wasn't sure about what it was exactly supposed to mean.
"How was your day?" Taealha asked, looking at Saya.
"Well, as usual, Lady Taealha," he replied before he heard a small muffled laugh and they all looked at the woman behind Taealha.
"Ah I am sorry," Enoria fakely apologized, "but does he seriously call you 'Lady' or is that just to entertain me? I mean, aren't Tagon and you playing mommy and daddy with him? Even though, thinking about it, that would be weird if he were to call you mom since you are just a few years older than him."
"Keep that mouth of yours shut!" Taealha scolded.
"Or else what?" Enoria mocked, "you are going to lock me in a tower for years?"
Taealha just took a deep breath and tried to keep herself calm, she wouldn't go down to her level and she looked at Saya who couldn't hide his confusion about the situation. "This is Enoria, she is going to stay in that house for what I hope would be a short moment."
"Don't count on that Taealha, I am going to stick here for a while," Enoria joked.
"It's "my Lady"!" Taealha raised her voice as she had quickly turned.
She was about to slap Enoria's face to teach her manners but the Igutu had caught her wrist to prevent her from doing that. Her eyes were glowing purple, surprising the three people in the room even though one of them already knew about what she was. "I highly recommend you not to do that knowing I can break your wrist as easily as you would break a wooden stick," she threatened with gritted teeth.
"Then behave yourself!"
"Then stop trying to make me do things I don't want to do," she simply said before she released Taealha's wrist. Her eyes went back to their dark color then she turned to Saya, "as you just saw tower boy, I am an Igutu too, surprise."
An Igutu just liked him. It wasn't the first time Saya was seeing another person with purple blood but it was the first time he was seeing a woman one. "What is the meaning of all of this?" he asked, looking at Taealha.
"You won't have to hide what you are from her, she already knows about you, consider her as a special guest, it's Tagon's decision, I will give you the details later," Taealha explained before she left.
Enoria took a deep breath as she watched Taealha go, then she turned again to Saya, "show me a room I can use, tower boy."
-----------------------------------------------------------
As she had asked, Saya had shown Enoria one of the empty rooms of the house.
She had looked around, surprised she was given such a nice place to stay while Saya was trying to find a way to start a conversation. "Where do you come from?" he had finally dared to ask.
"Somewhere in the forest," Enoria simply answered without even looking at him, "don't even try to question me boy, I won't tell you any details."
"I wasn't tr-"
"Don't waste your time or mine, just go back to your stuffs and pretend I am not here, it's better for everyone."
Saya was about to reply something but he stayed quiet, he just nodded and he left Enoria discovering the room she had given.
Tanya hadn't followed Saya, she stayed still at the entrance of the room, examining their new housemate.
"Tanya, isn't it?" Enoria asked as she hadn't raised her eyes from the book she was looking at.
"Eh?" Tanya asked, surprised, "ah, yes, I am Tanya, nice to meet you."
Enoria let out a small laugh before she looked at the maid, "you are probably the only one who finds it nice to meet me today, you seem to be a funny one."
Tanya just awkwardly smiled, she was almost sure it wasn't a real compliment she had just received. "Should I bring you something my Lad-"
"Don't you dare calling me like that," Enoria interrupted, "I am not a lady, I am a warrior."
"Then how am I supposed to call you?"
"My parents gave me a name, use it," she replied with a smile before she told Tanya she was tired and asked to be left alone.
Once Tanya had closed the door behind her, Enoria looked upon Arthdal by the small window of the room. She couldn't restrain her smile thinking about how easy it had been to convince Tagon to keep her near and, when she was done rejoicing, she searched for some paper and ink so that she could inform her comrades that the first part of the plan had started well.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Later, Taealha came back with Hae Tuak who had been asked to keep an eye on Enoria. The Igutu woman was asked not to get out of the house and to follow the rules Tagon had set up for her. Not to cause too much trouble, she had accepted to play along as long as no one was bothering her or trying to order her around like a maid she wasn't.
Days passed and Saya and Tanya quickly noticed she wasn't the talkative type. Most of the time, she stayed in the background and kept her distance with them, she avoided conversation or just gave them short answers which at the same time annoyed and intrigued them.
And so, few weeks later and despite Taealha's reluctance, Tagon had accepted to give the Igutu woman more freedom as she had not caused troubles at the moment. She was allowed to move freely as long as she always asked permission first and so she did. She wasn't stupid enough to try going against the rules he had set up, she knew he was testing her to see if he could give her his trust and she needed him to do so. Eventually, she helped him by gathering some information for him, and Tagon had to recognize that she could be useful to him if he was to use her for his own good.
Because Enoria was often around and he had heard his warriors question themselves about who she was, he told them about her. When he had introduced her to his warriors, she had disliked the way they had looked at her, she wasn't a toy they would be able to play with and she had let all the hate she had once had for those men came back to the surface and her eyes had turned purple in the view of all the warriors.
They had quickly reacted by taking out their swords and it had made her smile.
Tagon hadn't felt like smiling, he was angry at her for doing such a stupid thing and he had had to quickly found a way to explain why there was an Igutu in his acquaintance. And so he lied to them, saying she was a warrior sent to him by a distant tribe as a contribution. He added that she was under his protection and that no harm could be done to her.
The Daekans complained, spoke about it for a while but, to Tagon's surprise, they quickly accepted it. Tagon had let them talk when he heard some of them mentioning she was a fake warrior and potentially his lover. Even if that new rumor had came to Taealha's ears and she hadn't liked it at all, he knew they wouldn't dare to touch her if they thought she was his and so, she wouldn't spread the secret of his blood in the Union.
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------
The days had passed and even the Daekans got used to the presence of the Igutu woman. Some of them disliked it more than the others but she couldn't care less about what they were thinking and she didn't miss to tell them when one of them dared to make a remark and that was why they considered her at the same time discreet, because they didn't see her often, and noisy because every time they were seeing her they were victims of her sharp tongue.
She still spent most of her time in the room she had been given, and with the time passing, even Saya and Tanya had come to adapt to the way she was.
More than Saya, Tanya was curious about her, she had tried several times to approach her in a friendly way but the Igutu woman had like a wall built around her and she wouldn't allow a conversation too long. But, even if she refused to talk to her, the Wahan girl had to recognize that she enjoyed the fact Enoria never treated her like a maid: she never ordered her anything and sometimes, she even silently helped her in the tasks she was assigned and so, without being asked to and Tanya could only appreciate that.
She appreciated that because she still didn't understand what was the purpose of a maid. Hae Tuak kept trying to teach her things she judged useless and the trainings she had to go through were just a succession of ridiculous exercices: stand up, sit, stand up, sit, don't look up, don't sigh, don't this or don't that, it was always the same and she was getting tired of being told everything she didn't have the right to do while, obviously, telling her what she was actually allowed to do would have been more quick to do.
It was one of those training afternoons that she decided to rebel a little. She refused to obey the traditional exercise but she only get to hear Hae Tuak whining to Taealha in return and so, she broke a pot and threw the shards at Hae Tuak who surprised her by grabbing them out of the air and throwing them back. Taealha's maid pushed her, she fell on the floor, Hae Tuak above her with a clenched fist, ready to punch her.
"You win," Tanya calmly said but it only enraged Hae Tuak who punched her while complaining to Taealha who was in the next room.
Outside the room, Saya had been watching all the scene and he was laughing at Tanya's cheekiness when Enoria arrived behind him.
"Do you actually enjoy seeing the girl you have a crush on being beaten?" Enoria asked in a murmure, "what's wrong with you tower boy?"
Saya hadn't have the time to answer her, she had quickly entered the room and caught Hae Tuak's arm before she punched Tanya's face again.
"Stop that, right now," Enoria ordered.
"What are you doing? She needs to be disciplined!" Hae Tuak complained, trying to free her arm from the grip the woman had on her.
But Enoria was an Igutu and so she was naturally stronger than Taealha's maid who she would only free when she would feel like it. "Stop it," she warned, "this is not a way to teach something to someone."
"Hey! What do you think you are doing? Who do you think you are? Should I discipline you as well?"
Enoria smirked, she freed the maid's wrist who stood up with a threatening look on her face. "Go ahead, just try," Enoria menaced with a calm voice and the maid prepared her fist again, "but, if you do that, I am not quite sure what I am gonna do next," she threatened as she had stopped Hae Tuak's fist before it had reached her face, "maybe I could go outside and talk to the first stranger I see about all the things I have been keeping for myself for so long, what do you think? Is it worth it to even try challenging me?"
"You- you wouldn't dar-" the maid started as she lowered her arm.
"Wanna bet?" she asked with a small mocking laugh, "don't be a fool Hae Tuak. I do not empty threat," she murmured before she turned to Tanya who hadn't stood up yet, she extended her hand, asked her to come with her, helped her stand up and left the room with the Wahan girl's hand in hers.
Saya had watched everything from where he had stayed. When the two women left the room and passed by him, Enoria's eyes caught his, and he lowered his head while the three heard Hae Tuak complaining about the Igutu woman's annoying behavior.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Enoria didn't let go Tanya's hand right away, she led her to her room, made her sit and searched for something to clean the injuries Hae Tuak had done to her.
Tanya watched her do so in silence, confused about the sudden interest the Igutu woman was showing her.
Enoria applied an ointment at the corner of Tanya's lips, before she applied some lipstick to help cover the injury. She handed her another one to put on her bruises if she had some so that they would heal faster.
"Thank you," Tanya said in a low voice, "but, why did-"
"Because hearing Hae Tuak whining annoys me," Enoria interrupted as she was searching for something in the bookcase, "I can't stand her voice, no, in fact it's not only her voice I can't stand but her entire being."
"Is that so?" Tanya replied but she didn't want to hear a confirmation, she knew it wasn't for that Enoria had helped her, she could feel her housemate was good at heart despite her temper.
"Here, take that," Enoria said as she gave her a book then went to take one for herself and sat at the edge of the window, "you can stay here for a while, I don't think she would dare to come search for you here and even if she does I will send her off so don't worry, you are safe here."
Tanya thanked her, then she examined the object she now had in her hands, turning it around as she didn't know in which way she was supposed to hold it.
Enoria didn't pay attention to that at first, but when she raised her head after having heard Tanya sighing, she quickly understood. "My apologies," she said as she approached her, took the book from Tanya's hands and put it in the correct way, "you don't know how to read."
"I am sorry, I saw a book for the first time a few weeks ago."
"Why do you apologize? There's nothing wrong with that. Even in Arthdal, not everyone can read," Enoria replied as she went back to the window and plunged back into her book.
"How did you learn?" Tanya questioned as she put the book on the table, "you are not from Arthdal either, are you?"
"No I am not," Enoria simply answered before she noticed Tanya was waiting for the first question to be answered as well, "in the tribe I come from, we were all taught how to read at a young age to be able to integrate Arthdal easily."
"What happened to your tribe?" Tanya dared to ask.
That question made Enoria raise her head again, she caught Tanya's eyes, surprised by how audacious the young woman was to try questioning her. She closed her book, sat properly in order to face Tanya and answered the question: "my tribe was wiped out when I was 16."
"And your family?"
"Parents and siblings were included in that, but related by blood or not, all my tribe members, they were all my family."
"Was it Tagon's army who wip-"
"Yes," she simply interrupted.
"Then, why are you working for him now?"
Enoria smiled, Tanya was a Wahan, she wasn't used to power games. "I am not working for him, this is more complicated than that, let's say I am working with him, for now."
"Isn't that the same thing?" she mumbled.
"No, that's different for me," Enoria replied while shaking her head, "and you, Wahan girl, tell me, how come you are still alive despite knowing about Saya's blood?"
"I am gifted, I had a dream, my life is linked with Saya's."
Enoria laughed at that and it didn't please Tanya. "You can't dream sweetie, you are a Saram and Sarams can't dream, you are lying right now."
"No I am n-"
"Congrats though," Enoria interrupted, "because even though I don't know yet how you manage to do that, it seemed your little trick, whatever it was, worked on Tagon and Taealha. But tell me now, how did you end up here? In Arthdal, I mean."
"My tribe was attacked by the Daekans, in Iark, some of them are dead, some of them are now slaves. My Eunseom tried to save us but it didn't work. We are stuck here though I do still have hope that it is not going to last," she answered with a sad voice.
"It could be worse, you and some members of your tribe are alive. You are sleeping on a not too uncomfortable bed, you are fed, have clean clothes and you are free to move. Just bear with it, at least for now, things can change more quickly than we think they will."
She wasn't wrong and yet, the fact that things could be worse didn't calm her heart. The fear to lose someone else to death, the fear that she would have to obey someone else for the rest of her life or the fear that Eunseom and her were separated forever were thoughts that kept coming to her head to torment her. "I would like to see my father at least," she said in a sigh.
"Why don't you ask Saya?"
"Saya?" Tanya questioned, "why should I ask him?"
"My intuition tells me he won't say no if you ask him something nicely," she simply answered.
"But I can't, I am a maid, I have no right to as-"
"Oh come on Tanya, are you blind or something? Haven't you seen the way he looks at you?"
"You probably misunderstood!" Tanya retorted.
"And you kind of look at him the same way."
"No! I don't!" Tanya defended herself, "it's just that he reminds me of someone I know," she continued in a murmure.
"Your Eunseom?"
The surprise on Tanya's face betrayed her. "No, why would-"
"To survive in Arthdal, you'll have to learn how to lie better than that little one," she deplored, "those two are twins, aren't they?"
"What? No, nonsense, how coul-"
"Lie better or don't, I am not gonna tell anyone, I am just curious. I have known about Saya for quite a long time now, and I know for sure sources that he had a twin brother named Eunseom so your lies are more than useless right now."
"How did you know about them?"
"I may know someone who knows about them, and that's all I will say," she replied, "you know that Eunseom was badly injured, don't you?"
"Do you know if he is ok? Where is he right now?" Tanya inquired.
"He wasn't the last time I heard about him. I don't really know where he is, I was told he left with two of your tribe members but to do what, that's a question to which I don't have the answer."
Tanya felt the tears coming to her eyes, Eunseom was gone and she didn't know if she would ever see him again. She just hoped he was fine, whenever he was and whatever he was doing.
"Let's be fair, I told you something I guess you really wanted to hear so now tell me, how did you manage to fool Tagon and Taealha with your supposed dream?"
Tanya finally let herself convince to confess the truth: she had indeed lied. She couldn't dream but Eunseom, as an Igutu could, and he always told her about his dreams. When she had seen Saya's room then his face she had understood that what Eunseom used to see in his dreams was Saya's life and so, to save herself from having her tongue cut or being killed, she had used Eunseom's dreams against Taealha. She had lied saying she had psychic abilities and to prove herself she had mentioned the girl who was always by Saya's side and so in Eunseom's dreams: Saenarae, the previous maid of the young Lord. Of course Taealha had tested her more, a name wasn't enough and so, Tanya had mentioned the bloody bracelet Taealha had put at Saya's wrist the night he had seen his maid for the last time, a thing only Saya, Taealha and Hae Tuak knew about.
Enoria wasn't surprised by Saenarae's story, she already knew about it and she still remembered what she had been told had happened that night. She was more surprised about the twins' ability to see into each other lives, even if she was an Igutu and had lived among Neanthals half of her life, she had never heard about such a thing.
Tanya made Enoria promise to talk about that with no one else and of course she accepted to stay quiet, not only was she good at keeping secrets but she also thought that that information didn't need to be shared with Tagon, it would only create troubles and that wasn't something she wanted.
That conversation the two women had had that day allowed them to get a bit closer. Even though Enoria still kept her distance, every time the two were alone they talked like two friends would and Tanya felt a bit of comfort having someone to confide in.