Rhya's Burden

The North was an unforgiving place. It wasn't a place for the faint of heart or fitful folks. Only perseverent and strong-minded people would thrive in the northern lands, from what she has observed thus far. The people who lived in these lands were nothing short of exceptional.

Rhya leaned against the window frame and stared out the small window, looking over the yard. By any account, there weren't many people living in Ironstone.

" What are you doing? It's time to have dinner! I'm starving! I can barely remember what good food tastes like! I hope the cook made bread pud!" Tyla's voice broke her thoughts. Rhya turned her head to look at Tyla, utterly unbothered by her comments. Rhya's impassive expression told her that she didn't give a toss, whether she was hungry.

" Come with me! I don't want to go alone!" Tyla whined, snorting like a snotty child.

Rhya didn't reply.

She reprised her, gazing out the window. Still very much unbothered.

" How are you not hungry? I'm on the verge of collapsing!" Tyla bitched some more. She couldn't take her whining anymore. Since they left the castle, Tyla complained about everything. Nothing was to her liking, not that there was anything to like. They all knew it. Whining and bitching weren't helpful at all, and it was getting to her.

Rhya had to make a decision. Athan wasn't budging in his decision to keep his silence. She, on the other hand, thought differently on the matter. The secret weighed heavily on her shoulders. Rhya knew there would be consequences if she said anything about it.

Tyla placed her hand on her shoulder. " I know what you're thinking. Athan said that we should keep it to ourselves. You know she won't forgive us if we tell her the truth." Tyla finally stopped whining, and something sensible came out of her mouth.

Rhya nodded, let out a heavy sigh, and turned to look at her, pursing her lips. " I don't know how much longer I can hide things from her. Keeping our distance has helped, but now, with all of this," Rhya paused for a beat." Now we are here, and she is planning to jump into the beast's belly. This won't end well for either of us!" Rhya reasoned. She looked worried, scared even.

Rhya scrubbed her face. " If he finds out that we've been lying to her for this long, we're sure to lose our heads! You know how much he loves her. Even if she looks over it, he won't, and you know it!" Rhya reiterated something that they already knew. The moment she met him, she knew how dedicated he was to her. He never left her side and kept her close to his hip.

" It doesn't matter! You worry about nothing! If we don't say anything, there's no one else who knows the truth except us. That's why we are here to ensure that it stays that way! Now, let's have some food!" Tyla grabbed her hand, and her stomach grumbled so loud that it echoed in the room. Rhya laughed and moved her feet, and Tyla let out a sigh of relief.

" For a moment there, I thought you'd let me starve to death!" she amusedly said, opening the door to their room and stepping into the corridor.

Sala dashed in front of them, running as fast as her feet could carry her. They looked at each other and shrugged, closed the door behind them, and walked along the stone corridor.

" I wonder who was screaming earlier? You heard it, right?" Tyla mumbled and looked ahead.

Rhya nodded. " I think it was Rom!" she breathed words and frowned.

" I feel sorry for the poor girl. Destined to die before she even had a chance to live!" Tyla grew wistful and rubbed her forehead.

" Are you sure we can't do anything? There must be a way. I get that Edýia is Ruma's vessel, but Chiala survived her just fine!" Tyla said, halting her steps at the top of the stairs and looked at Rhya.

" Chiala was created with a piece of Ruma's soul, Edýia isn't! If I have to guess, Edya is a descended of Chiala's bloodline! Her essence is diluted, so she would be able to contain her, but not as long as Chiala did! Ruma's powers are corroding Edýia soul and body! That's why she is fading so fast. The stone Edýia was wearing must have something to with as well; otherwise, Ruma wouldn't have destroyed it!" Rhya explained, looking down the stairs. Rhya opened her mouth to speak again, but the sound of footsteps approaching made shut her mouth.

" Supper is served!" Sala said as she walked past at the bottom of the stairs. She didn't even stop looking at them. The woman was clearly displeased with the added workload. There were no other servants in Ironstone, not that she had seen.

" Come! I don't want to eat yet another cold meal!" Tyla said and began descending the stairs.

It seemed that she didn't give a fuck about anyone else other than herself, or so it looked like. Athan was another thorn in her ass. He turned his back on her the moment she told him that she wasn't interested in him, not like he was.

She liked him as a person, but she didn't see him as a potential lover. Although he was pretty gifted, she couldn't deny that. He was a hunk. He wanted a wife; she wasn't looking for a husband. She just wanted a good fuck and forget about this shit. Who was insane enough to bring children into this fucking shitty place that they called home? Her eyes fell on Iris and Ian. They were!

Chatter and the low hum of voices broke her thoughts, and her eyes found Athan. He smiled, but she knew it was a polite one; there was no warmth it. She didn't even bother to smile back, afraid that it might spark another silly idea in his head. Tyla tugged on her hand and led her to the table. Where Maya and Dakran sat at the head of the table.Maya blushed a lot, she found. Whenever she was around Dakran, her face was red, almost constantly even in this fucking cold. Rhya wondered if she would ever feel that way about a man. Tyla took her seat at the table, eyeing the food with voracious eyes, drooling like a hungry wolf over it. It wasn't much, but it was a hot meal, and they hadn't had one in a while. Rhya sat next to Azra, and the boy gave her a shy smile. His eyes sparkled like the summer sky, and his bright blond hair carresed his delicate features. He was a very pretty boy with feminine features. One could easily mistake him for a woman if it wouldn't be for his broad shoulders. Ian and Iris were huddled up together like a pair of love birds; hands were moving under the table and kept giving each other lustful looks, bitting their lips. It was bitter sweet. Despite the aridity of the world they lived in, love found a way to sprout and bloom, where everything wilted away and eventually died without a trace.