Indecent Folks

The cold wind blew on my face, prompting me to open my eyes. My head rested on a soft pillow while I could hear the birds chirping outside the window. A thick blanket provided me comfort, but I remembered what just happened before I passed out, so I sat straight and looked around.

I was back in my room while a handmaid just finished preparing breakfast. She shot a look at me and bowed gently before leaving. My hand flew onto my neck and found no wound nor scar. Nevertheless, I felt the familiar pain in my chest while I thought of what I did to Rougan. I shuddered in dread as I got off the bed and took a warm bath.

I was moving so slow, but my mind wandered in all places. Several possibilities played in my head while I thought of what was going to happen next. Will Rougan forgive me? If he is free to decide on his own now, what would he do to me? It took everything in me to finish a bowl of soup before I walked out of the mansion. The first person I tried finding was Sawyer, but all I noticed were familiar Sunkens doing their usual routine. They glanced at me as if nothing happened for the past week, or maybe they just don't know, but I no longer bothered overthinking about it.

"Dani."

Finally, I heard Sawyer's voice behind me while I wandered into the neighbourhood. He looked at me differently, like he's both guilty and sad. I forced a smile and shrugged. "What's with the long face?"

He sighed before showing me a small pouch that he took inside his vest. "This is the Sapper. You're leaving today," he informed me.

The day I waited for finally came, but I couldn't even bring myself to be happy about it. I don't know what's wrong with me. "Can I talk to Rougan before I leave?" I mumbled, ashamed of the favour I was asking.

His shoulder moved while he sighed heavily. Then he looked away, pursing his lips. "He's in his room. When you're ready, I'll be waiting at the gate. We have some stuff prepared for you in the carriage."

I watched him walk away before I turned to the mansion at the far end of the neighbourhood. My heart throbbed at the thought of talking to Rougan, but I know that I have to. I entered the mansion's left-wing and headed to Rougan's room. The same vamps guarded the door.

"Am I allowed inside?" I asked.

One of them gently nodded, but I hesitated to take a step closer. I gripped onto my skirt before taking a deep breath. This is my last chance, so I have to take it. My hands trembled when I turned the door's handle.

Rougan's familiar mint scent filled my nose, bringing me a little comfort. I sighed and peeked inside, where I found him walking out of his closet and putting on a vest above his black tunic. The sound of his swords against his belt echoed in the room while I couldn't bring myself to make a noise.

His gaze shifted onto me, exposing his eyes that I no longer recognize. It was cold and indifferent. I stood straight and cleared my throat. "I'm sorry, I didn't knock."

He nodded before scooping his hair. "You're a natural intruder, I know," he taunted before he tied his wet hair into a half-bun. My shoulders dropped as I watched him walk up to the dining table and pick up a slice of bread. "You already slept in my bed. Do I still have to tell you to come in?" he asked.

I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me. He sat on his chair at the dining table, but I stood a few steps away from him. "Sawyer told me that I'm leaving today," I mumbled.

"I told him to tell you that," he corrected without looking at me as he dragged a plate of meat dishes closer to him.

I fiddled with my skirt while I watched him carefully. "I don't know if you remember me saying this last night, but I want you to know that I am sorry for what happened."

He gently nodded before finally turning to me. His hand rested atop the table while he fixed the other on his char's armrest. "Paige kept telling me that you're oblivious of your power all this time," he said, "I think she's trying to make me feel better."

My shoulders dropped as I bit my lower lip, trying to endure the painful throbbing in my chest. "How was it like?" I asked curiously. "Was it hard?"

He clenched his jaw as he looked at me from to toe. "The sex was fun."

My face heated at his answer, but I kept on a straight face. "The sex," I tried to open up as well. "Were you..." I couldn't even utter the words as they horrified me.

"Forced?" he asked. His eyes were a bit condescending while his lips formed into a smirk, and it just made me feel worse. "While I was your ally, it only meant that I am loyal to you, not in love nor seduced. So the sex was my conscious decision," he said as he scanned me with his eyes again. "If you think that you sexually assaulted me, no, you didn't."

A sigh of relief escaped my lips. Although I no longer know what to feel. My heart was slowly numbing. The throbbing in my chest faded little by little until all I could give him was a stern look.

I don't know what's happening, but he seems to have recognized the coldness that was consuming me. "Were you suddenly done being guilty?" he asked.

I gently shook my head. "I don't know," I replied. For some reason, I want to shut my emotions. But could I really shut it? Could I really stop getting hurt? If I look away, will he stop lingering in my mind?

"If it makes you feel better, the dome will stay," I informed him.

He fiddled with his lower lip before he stood and walked up to me, sliding his hands into the pockets of his breeches. I craned my neck to meet his eyes while he towered over me. "Goodbye, Adeline," he mumbled coldly.

For the last time, I watched his eyes look at me like a stranger. They were still pretty, but it was painful to look at them. Finally, I turned to face the door and left his bedroom. Every step was like a pound heavier on my chest. The pain that I was trying to conceal earlier slowly washed over me.

I walked past the infirmary and found Paige, Cooper and Lauren talking beside the carriage. They gaze at me from a distance, and I could see a similar relief in their eyes. I know that I don't belong here, but leaving felt odd. I sighed before walking up to them, but I stopped in my tracks when I caught a glimpse of something in the sky. My shoulders dropped along with the screams around me while a streak of lights shot towards us. "What is that?!" "Run! Hide! Hide!"

Everyone yelled, but all I could do was stare at the sky. Flaming arrows flew over us, so I stepped back only to stumble on the ground while the arrows hit the dome. I held my breath when they didn't pierce through and instead vanished like ashes.

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"There's an attack from a kilometre away!" yelled one of the guards on the wall's patrol path.

"Stay calm! Take cover!" I heard Sawyer's order among the screams while Paige came to me and pulled me towards the infirmary.

We stood under the canopy while another set of flaming arrows hit the dome, still couldn't pierce through. "How long the dome is going to last?" Lauren asked.

Paige turned to me as she gripped my shoulder. "Hold it," she demanded.

"I-I'm trying," I replied and turned to the walls where about eight men positioned themselves in between the battlements.

"Dani! Dani! Where's Dani?!" I heard Rougan's voice somewhere, so I looked around. I didn't know that he was running at full speed until he stopped right in front of me. He held my arms and scanned me with his eyes as if looking for injuries. My heart melted at the sight of his worried face.

He turned to the gate without saying a word to me. "Who are they?!" he asked Sawyer before sprinting towards him. He caught the gun that he tossed him, and they both ran towards the ladder to get into the patrol path. The guards on the battlement began loading their guns, ready to fire. "Do not open fire! Hold your position!" Rougan yelled.

"Who could they be?" I asked Paige.

"We are freeing you today. Why is this happening?!" she spat instead. I pulled my arms away from Paige and ran towards the ladder. "Where are you going?!" she yelled at me.

At the patrol path, I looked around and saw only trees around the village. The forest below and the field from a distance have no sign of movements.

"What are you doing here?!" Rougan yelled at my face while he grabbed my arm. I shut my mouth as he pulled me closer to him and hid me behind the bricked battlement.

The attackers shot another set of arrows, so I clenched my fist and stared at the dome while dark clouds formed above us. Please, hold out.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot back!" Rougan yelled again.

I took heavy breaths as I stared at the sky. "Come on, now," I whispered. As if on cue, I hit a lightning strike on the dome with my mind, prompting the guards to step back. It didn't pass through and crawled on the dome until it hit the ground. We looked around, gazing at the lightning surrounding us. An amount of heat covered my hands, so I shot a look at my palm. "Are you okay?" Rougan asked beside me. I watched the lightning movement on the dome, and I could feel them on my hands, like feathers crawling under my skin. I raised my right hand higher into the air, and it lifted some lightning off the dome.

"Good grief," Rougan whispered beside me as he craned his neck. I glared at the forest and watched the small movements of the bushes. If I was right, the attackers formed themselves into a semi-circle, based on how they shot their arrows. "No, Dani,” Rougan turned to me, so I glanced at him. He gently shook his head. "You don't want to do this. Enough with the killing-"

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I raised my hand higher, forming more enormous lightning around us. "I haven't even started yet."

A loud bang echoed in the forest, followed by bullets hitting the dome. The screams within the walls grew louder while the guards turned to Rougan, waiting for orders. I parted my hands to remove the lightning in front of us, so I could have a better view of the forest. Unfortunately, the only thing we could hear was the wind when I stepped closer to the edge of the patrol path. The silence lasted longer until we caught a movement in the rock formation to our left. "Hold your fire," Rougan ordered.

My shoulders dropped when I saw the person trying to climb up the rocks. He was far, but I remember every inch of his body. "Dani! What are you doing here?!" he yelled from a distance as he laid his arms. "You're alive," I said under my breath.

"He knows you?” Rougan asked, but I couldn't bring myself to speak. "And you know him," he concluded.

"The dome stays," I said as the lightning slowly disappeared. "Farewell, Rougan."

I turned my back on him, but he grabbed my arm, confused and shocked. "Where are you going?"

A smile made its way onto my lips as I caressed his cheek. "Home."

I left the patrol path and headed to the gate as I looked for Sawyer. He sprinted towards me, glancing at the wall: the same confused and shocked expression plastered on his face. "Ready?" he asked.

I gently nodded and smiled at him. "You've always been good to me. Let me keep the memories for a while."

He glanced at the wall again before turning to me, slightly confused but trusting. "You have a plan, do you?"

Sheer joy crept into me while I looked at him in the eyes. "Why do you have to know me so well in a short time?" I asked. "I will keep protecting this village, so find me tonight," I mumbled before facing the gate. Two guards pulled it open for me, and I took one last glance at everyone. Paige, Cooper and Lauren walked towards us while Rougan stood at the bottom of the ladder. I smiled at him. "You have my loyalty," I declared. His lips formed into a bit of a smile. "We are still not done yet, are we?"

He, too, had come to know me well. "Not yet," I agreed before stepping out of the gate and walked past the dome. I sighed and started walking along the pathway to enter the forest. My heart raced in delight while my memories flooded me. This was a miracle, and I won't waste any more minutes standing far away. I grabbed my skirt and strode towards the rock formation with the hopes of seeing the person who made me feel alive after I lost everything.