11

A New Beginning

Tallulah could only sit silently, observing the young man sitting across from her. She knew him by reputation – she knew that he was a fighter and an intelligent one at that. He was handsome as well and she guessed he must have had many women chasing after him, despite his rough appearance. But there was something else about him though that she couldn't place. Something that made her feel unsettled. There was something wrong with him, and she couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was.

He looked incredibly angry.

That much, she knew.

But there was something else, something that he was keeping hidden from her somehow. Something that he felt extremely strongly toward, and she wished she could be certain of it. She desperately wished she could trust him.

There was something familiar about him as well – something that she couldn't quite place. And there seemed to be something familiar about her too that drew her in closer. She couldn't deny to herself how she felt towards him either. There was something about the way he held himself that made him seem so strong. So confident. It gave her hope.

"I'm sorry… Did you say something to upset you?" she finally asked, breaking the silence between the two of them.

Kelwarin didn'e answer immediately. His lips slowly twitched upwards in a bitter smile. His gaze remained fixed straight ahead of him as he began to speak. "Something like that…"

Tallulah remained quiet, patiently waiting for him to continue as she watched him from the side. Her curiosity had grown tremendously since she had arrived here, especially after meeting him, as she wanted answers regarding why he was acting the way that he was. Even if she wanted to hear what he was going to say next, she was hesitant to say anything for fear of making him more angry.

"My name's Kelwarin," he finally revealed after a long time of silence. "I'm from the Northern Tribe. The Southern Tribe belongs to the Kingdom of Doma, so that's why we have different surnames than others."

"I see…"

He paused momentarily.

"I'm really curious about how old you actually are…"

"… Excuse me?"

The sound of a faint rustling caught her attention as she looked outside the window. Several figures had just emerged from the forest at the edge of the estate. They seemed to be searching for something specific, judging by their urgent movements and focused expressions.

"Oh hey! Looks like it's starting to rain again! Hurry up and prepare yourself!" one of them shouted out cheerfully.

"Who cares about the weather right now? Let's just get inside before we get wet!" another said, laughing loudly.

As soon as they disappeared behind a large pile of snow, Tallulah turned to Kelwarin. "What are they talking about?"

"Those were the leaders of the rebellion – the ones who killed my parents and my sister. That's how I got involved."

"Your parents?"

Kelwarin nodded in confirmation. "They were killed because they were traitors."

She frowned in confusion, her eyebrows knitting together. "So… You're saying that these rebels killed your own parents? Killed your own sister?"

"No. My father didn't kill my sister. They killed her because they knew that I wasn't dead."

She glanced at him curiously. "How do you know?"

"Because I came here yesterday… After I woke up."

"You mean you escaped?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Did… What do you mean by escaped?"

"I didn't know what to do. I was so lost and scared and I had nowhere else to turn… I needed to get out of there. At least, somewhere to start anew somewhere far from my past. And somewhere I wouldn't be recognized… I had no idea where to begin or where I could go… So, I just went… And then… I found them."

"Found who?"

Kelwarin stared at her for a brief moment before looking down, unable to meet her gaze. "You…"

Tallulah frowned in confusion.

"You're the first woman I've met… Outside the village… So… I thought… maybe…."

His words trailed off into silence. Tallulah was taken aback at how vulnerable he appeared right now, how he almost sounded like he was begging her for forgiveness. For understanding him. And perhaps that was all it took for her to forgive him.

"It's alright," she whispered in response to his unfinished sentence, nodding her head. "It's alright… As long as you promise to never do such a thing again."

He gazed at her skeptically, not quite sure if she actually meant it. He was tempted to ask her why she suddenly changed her mind, but quickly discarded the idea when he remembered what they had been discussing not moments ago. She hadn't changed her mind. She was just telling him what he already knew, which was that everything she had told him was true.

He could sense that it was going to be very difficult for both of them to live together under these circumstances. Perhaps he should try and make her understand that. Perhaps if he explained what she'