140AD - The Rise to Empress || [GxG] ||

Chapter 44

The rumbling of thunder drew closer along with the smell of imminent rain. Lexa leaned against the doorjamb of the humble home, arms crossed, attentively watching the flashes of light flicker within the clouds. It was always so intriguing for her to watch as a storm rolled in, quite literally.

The clouds tumbled over each other, as waves in the ocean did. The gusts of wind only making them tumble faster. It was but a few moments after the first pulse of lighting that the many drops of rain began to fall mercilessly.

She held out her hand, feeling heavy droplets collide with her skin. When she pulls her hand back, and a squall of wind blows into the home, only then does she realize how cold it is exactly. One would think that she'd retreat within the home, but yet she only closes the door behind herself, not wanting the fire inside to die.

Dead leaves rustled uncontrollably and not before long the cultivated lands in front of her were littered with them all over. Truly the only reason she remained outside was because of the small thatch roof above her head that shielded her from the rain above. Yet, this storm was the normal type and frequently switched directions.

Rain poured in from the right for a few minutes, and then from the left for a few minutes, and finally from the front continuously. Lexa didn't mind the rain in the least, in fact, it was refreshing. What she loved most about it was the scent of the earth when the first droplets would hit dry land. But then again, she was yet to meet anyone that didn't love that smell.

It was primal, almost.

It had been about a single candle line since they had finished dinner, and all the chatter they could possibly bear. Eventually, silence fell over the room and Elle was the first first to excuse herself, saying she was quite tired. Nikolaos was the next to retire, and finally, Gustus did too.

But Lexa? Although she was tired physically, her mind was wide awake as usual. She could never sleep through storms after all. She'd rather watch them, and secretly prepare herself for the next strike of lightning and the violent drumming of thunder after. She'd count the seconds between seeing the strike, and hearing the drumming. According to her father, it was a fair way of guessing how far away the strike was.

To the left of her where the horses were kept in the dingy barn came ungodly sounds, which were fairly typical she supposes at first. Animals were frequently spooked by storms, especially young ones that were unfamiliar with nature and its unsettledness. But on second thought, she realizes that none of those horses were young.

Her mind flickered to bandits. Now would be the perfect time to attack under the guise of the storm. Nobody would hear them running, and no one would certainly hear them stealing any livestock. For a moment Lexa considered bolting into the home to wake Gustus, but as much would take too much time.

By the time they would come outside again, these people would be gone. 

Or, perhaps she was just being paranoid, and were she to bring Gustus out here to find nothing but the scared horses, then she'd look nothing short of a fool. So as per normal, Lexa relies on herself alone.

She drew the dagger from her right greave and headed out into the rain. Her hair was soon matted to her head and with a certain insouciance, she swiped a few strands from her face backward. Droplets just about sprinted across her face, dripping from her sharp jaw. She opened her mouth once, breathing out a cloud of vapor.

Her sandals sloshed with the mud and water mixture but she was uncaring of the noise she made. Perhaps if the intruders hear someone approaching they'd get a fright and head for the hills. 

By the time she reaches the barn, she was drenched head to toe. An oil lamp hung in the small barn, illuminating most of it.

The horses were clearly unsettled, one stomping its hooves while frantically looking around while the other was rearing constantly. Yet Lexa's steed stood still, only neighing occasionally. It was odd how calm it remained compared to the other two.