Chronicles of the Selphia Plains [Rune Factory 4]

The Cry of the Peacock Part I

Story Summary: Some backstory for Avani, Sundara, and Bhima. I strongly suggest you read at least through chapter 64 of The Winds of the Past before reading this, as some things won't make sense otherwise, plus it contains some spoilers. It is not a happy story, but I think it's an interesting one. I think you will find that within the context of this series, it helps to round out and add dimension to some of the characters. Warning: rated Mature; contains descriptions of and references to domestic violence, rape, attempted suicide, and death. This was a rather difficult story to write due to its intensity, so I would very much like to hear from you what you think of it.

Attribution: The photo for the story image is by Dina Dubrovskaya https://www.flickr.com/photos/distan/3535241917/ and is available through the Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/. I have modified it from the original.

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Pausing to untangle another tendril of blue skyflower vine from his long, forest green hair, the man looked quickly around for any sign of her passage. It was easy to overlook someone in the dense undergrowth of the lush tropical forest. Then, a little ways ahead of him, he caught a glimpse of fluttering white—the hem of her skirt as she pushed her way through a curtain of vines, climbing higher up the mountain in her heedless flight.

He didn't call after her this time. He'd tried that earlier, and she hadn't heard or heeded his voice—he wasn't sure which. But he'd seen the look on her face as she fled the village, and so he had followed her, his heart beating fast in his concern. He tore free of the vine's grasp and pushed on, trying to keep her in sight, though before long, he had lost her again. But by then he knew where she was going, having strolled along this same path many times before with her.

He emerged from the depths of the forest, blinking in the dazzling morning sunlight. As he both expected and feared, she was there ahead of him, standing near to the edge of the rocky precipice, looking down into the shallow lake in the valley far below. He froze in horror as he watched her haltingly take a step closer, and another, then he finally recovered the use of his limbs and darted forward, grasping her wrist and jerking her back just as she was about to step out into air.

Pulling her close to him as he felt the pounding of her heart against him and breathed deeply of her scent, so nearly lost to him forever, he thanked Ventu that he'd reached her in time. She began to tremble, and looking down, he saw her eyes filled with tears and anguish. Holding her in his arms, he said gently, "Avani, my love... is it really that bad? Is it so unbearable to be married to him that you can't face another day?"

She stiffened, and there was a lengthy pause before she whispered, "I... I just can't bear the thought of going on like this, year after year, until he dies—or I do."

He lifted her chin to better look into her eyes, and seeing how much suffering they held, his own eyes dimmed, her anguish becoming his own. He thought for a moment, wondering how best to comfort the woman he loved. Then he leaned down and kissed her, slowly and tenderly.

Avani blinked in surprise, and although she seemed to recoil slightly at first, perhaps from habit, she quickly returned his kiss. He pulled away after a moment and looked at her with adoration as he wiped the tears from her cheeks. "At least there is some small good in all this—you're no longer bound by their demands for chastity." Her eyes opened wide as the implication of his words sunk in, then he scooped her up in his arms and kissed her again as she tentatively reached her arms around his neck, and he carried her away to a more secluded place, where their privacy would be all but assured.

As the sun neared its daily apex, it shone down on two figures lying on the soft spring grass in a secret, flower-filled glade, unclothed and still slightly entwined. The woman slept, her head on the man's chest, her pale green hair cascading over her body and across his. The man lay with his arms around her, lost in thought. Although he'd approached her with nothing but tenderness, and love, and gentleness, she had frequently needed to stop, her eyes terrified as she struggled to regain control before she could go any further. He wondered what could possibly have happened in the two nights since her marriage that would already have taught her to respond with such fear.