Only Yours

Chapter IV

It felt strange for a man unknown to her, a man who had blood on his hands, to tell her not to fear. He striked the sword in an attempt to save her, she thought, but it certainly wasn't his first time at the sword. Not that all men unfamiliar to her wronged her. It was just, a natural feeling. It was just the kind of feeling you get when you find water in a desert, the kind of feeling you get when you find an angel in a land full of snakes. It was ironic, or perhaps there were many demons. She was yet to believe, yet to understand what this man before her intended to do with her for she was merely a stranger to him. After all, you have to beware when you find an angel in a land of demons, cause what if he's poison as well? 

This man before her, his words, and the look in his eyes were convincing. But wouldn't it be foolish to fall for the words of a stranger? 

As he stared into her eyes, she couldn't look at him anymore, as his gaze was intense as the sun. She looked down at her hands.

'Did you hear me?' he asked.

'Yes', she said, as she raised her head to meet his eyes with courage, her only companion. Afterall, they say that it is the weak that is easily destroyed, but the brave that is feared. 

 He continued to look into her eyes like he was searching for her whereabouts.   
'What is your name?'

' Rhea.
Who are you?' She asked, with her voice as firm as it could be.
He looked at her with his empty eyes, radiating warmth and authority still.
'Marcus. Marcus Aurelius.'

'Why am I kept here?'

'Do you want be out there?' he asked monotonously.

'I want to be with my family.' She snapped.

He just looked at her despite her anger, void of any emotion of his own.
'I doubt if they are alive.' he said as he turned and walked with his back against her.
Her heart began to ache at the statement, at the thought of her family being dead, but hope still lingered within her due to the uncertainty of the words.
'Will you please help me find my family? I shall be ever grateful to you!' She pleaded, as her voice wavered and tears traced valleys down her cheeks.

Knock. Knock.
The knock on the door broke the conversation, leaving her plea unanswered. Marcus looked at her with his tender gaze before he went to answer the door.
A servant came in with a few dishes and laid them on the table at the other end of the room. She bowed to Marcus as she left and closed the doors after her.
'Come. Supper's here.'
Rhea did not move. She was determined on wanting an answer whether it was in favour or against her wish. She could be cast out any moment, for she was nothing but a stranger to this man of power. And the earlier she would know the truth of him, less ruin it would cost her.
'Do you want me to carry you to the table?'
A stern face is all she could reply with. He walked towards her as he saw her numbness to his words and bent down to take her in his arms. She pushed his hands away immediately at it's contact with her body and stood up.
He looked at her, his eyes looking up to meet hers, blankly.
'Will you help me?' She asked.
He stood up, towering her with his tall frame as she arched her neck to look at him.
'I will. However, you starving will not do me any good.'
'Thank you.' She said softly. She did not have words to express how grateful and overjoyed her heart was. She least expected a favorable response, but this man proved her wrong.

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After the meal, as they retired for the night, Marcus took his armor off as the woman continued to sit at the table. She tilted her head and lifted her eyes to where he stood, looking but not looking at the man whose body was exposed now only to lower her eyes back to her hands once again with shame. He however was aware of her presence and what she must feel to be with a man who was not only nothing to her but also against her nation.
He turned to look at her from where he stood to see her piercing her nails into her palms. She looked at him once again to see him watching her and snapped her head back to where it was.
He did not attempt to say anything to her but his heart began to soften towards her.

He lay on the bed with his arms beneath his head. His chambers never welcomed the inhabitance of anyone but him, he despised it. But this woman. He could not trust anyone to keep her safe, as she was now. Her safety mattered to him on no previous grounds, yet he wanted her there.
He looked at her to see her sit, staring at her hands. She sat there, lost in her thoughts and not knowing what to do.
'Sleep.' he said, loud enough for her to hear.
She looked at him immediately, her eyes searching for harm. She saw him look at her from where he was lying and then close his eyes.

The young woman sat there contemplating what to do. She would not share a bed with a man she had no bonds with. Nevertheless, he had been good to her, she thought. Considering how ferocious and tough the man was, it was difficult to derive a different conclusion, but he was unlike this to her.

She walked to the balcony with her soft footsteps one after the other while taking her gaze to the man in slumber.
The wind blew softly, blowing her hair lightly to only bring it back to where it was as she sat on the floor of the balcony.
My family, she thought. Never had she been away from them. She wondered if they were alive. Her eyes began to well up with tears and her tongue began to twist itself in continuous prayer to relieve the ache in heart.

She was privileged, to be safe. So far atleast.

And then she fell asleep as her tongue grew tired and her eyes closed, with her head resting on the wall. She hugged her arms as she slept, to keep warm.

Meanwhile, the man who had appeared to sleep had not slept. He had watched her as her figure silently entered the balcony. His thoughts could not give up thinking of this young stubborn woman. He was wrestling against his own mind and heart.

He had saved her from one his own soldiers. He had killed his own men for a woman who did not belong to him.