Beyond The Walls

Chapter 31. Reunion

Ruing (n)

Feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about

Rabiah's POV

She looks panicked but she listens to me anyways.

Although her steps are small, they are quick and she's surprisingly light on her feet. I'm impressed by the almost quiet enough steps but she still needs some practice, especially with balance since I notice her wobble a few times.

We tip toe up to a small house right in front of the stables that are lined with horses. Or at least I think it is, it's almost too dark to tell.

The knob grates against the wood it's screwed into. Their houses are made out of wood instead of rock, it seems hazardous to me.

We step in and I look around for any signs of life, waiting for her parents to come out and greet their daughter.

"Are they asleep?"

She shakes her head, "this is my house, I figured it's safer to wait here until my dad gets off work. I saw him in that group of guards."

Your father sounds like a major pain in my ass.

"Alright, you're calling the shots," I tell her as she is looks into one room and then another.

"Delroy?" She calls out a man's name.

I help her look for this 'Delroy' fellow. He's not behind this weird cloth piece of furniture, he's not in the fire hole luckily because that would suck, he's not even on the small front porch that I could see from one of the windows.

Cherie's downcast eyes tell me everything I need to know. Delroy is the husband she's talked about. This is their house together and he's not here.

"Maybe the King had him work late tonight. He's the errand boy basically so he's there whenever the King wants him there."

I nod, not fully caring but only caring enough since it matters to her.

We sit on the cloth furniture and I sink right in. It's comfortable, like a bed with less straw.

"I've missed my couch, you all need these and mattresses. Everything would be so much more comfortable," she states, rubbing the fabric along her fingertips.

I sigh, "it would be worth the trouble of making. How are they made?"

She tells me what she knows which was basically just that you need wood, cotton, and cloth.

We sit there for a little bit before she gets us some drinks, returning with a curled lip and a line between her eyebrows.

I nod up at her, asking what's wrong without having to use my words.

"Everything has rotted. All the food is done for and...I just have a bad feeling," she states, handing me a small mug of water.

I would love to drink it, I'm parched, but after hearing about all the rotting food in her kitchen, I'll pass.

"Maybe he's been staying with a friend since you've been gone. Being here must've been a constant reminder that you're not," I try to comfort her.

She sips on the water and quietly drools it back into the cup, "don't drink that," she wipes her mouth and tongue with the back of her hand.