Lidiya Witchain - the forgotten bride

The new girl

The morning sun crept through the small gaps in the walls of Lidiya's hut, but when she opened her eyes, Zindane was nowhere to be seen. Panic bubbled up in her chest, though she tried to dismiss it as quickly as it came. She went out, searching the village for him, asking every Prakinara she passed, but no one had seen him. Her heart sank with every dead-end she encountered.

As the hours wore on, she couldn't shake the gnawing emptiness in her chest. She missed him. A lot. More than she wanted to admit. But then the shame hit her like a slap to the face. She had acted like a desperate fool last night, begging him to love her back. What was I thinking? She buried her face in her hands. How could she have let herself fall so hard for a man who seemed to be drowning in his own mysteries?

Her thoughts turned dark as they often did. Maybe he still loves Aurora, his ex-wife, she thought, her heart clenching. She was nothing but a temporary distraction, a mere blip in his past. She sighed, sitting down to weave a shawl. Her fingers moved mechanically, her mind consumed by doubts, as the sun began to set, casting long shadows through the trees.

The air around her suddenly felt different-charged, almost like it was alive. She stopped weaving and looked up just as she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Where were you?" she asked, turning to face Zindane, but her words faltered. She froze, staring at the woman beside him-a striking figure with silver hair, luminous eyes, and a figure that could only be described as flawless.

Her stomach twisted, her world momentarily crumbling. Zindane stood next to her, his arm possessively around the woman's waist, and the woman looked at Lidiya with a teasing smile. "Hey, who's this?" she said. "You didn't tell me we had company."

Zindane barely glanced at Lidiya, his voice curt. "It's nothing. You don't need to know her."

Lidiya felt like the world had dropped out from under her feet. What was he saying? He couldn't even give her the decency of an explanation. Without another word, she turned on her heel, slamming out of the hut before Zindane could even react. Her heart shattered as she fled, and the tears stung at her eyes. She would never speak to him again. He's playing games with me. Why did I even bother?

She found herself sitting by the river, staring at the moonlight reflecting off the surface, but nothing seemed to quiet the whirlwind inside her. She missed her family. Her brother, her parents-How are they doing? She wiped away a tear that had escaped, wondering how far she had come in this tangled mess.

Her reflection in the water seemed so foreign to her now. The girl she had once known-so simple, so innocent-was long gone. The cool breeze chilled her skin, sending goosebumps across her arms. And then, as if the world itself was mocking her, the river froze into a thin sheet of ice, its surface smooth as glass.

"I've been looking for you everywhere," Zindane's voice broke the silence.

Lidiya didn't even look at him. "What do you want?" she snapped, her fist clenched at her side, wishing she could strike him. Why does he always get under my skin like this?

He took a step closer, his dark eyes narrowing. "You're always so angry, Lulu. You've got a lot of fire in you, don't you?"

"Don't call me that," she hissed, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing her flustered.

"Why are you always alone?" he asked, ignoring her irritation. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Do I want to talk about it?" She laughed bitterly, standing up and crossing her arms over her chest. "It doesn't matter. Because, clearly, I'm just the forgotten bride. That's what I am, right?"

Zindane's face darkened. "Forgotten bride, huh?" His lips curled into an amused, mocking smile. "Always the drama queen with you. Do you even hear yourself? What is it with you and overthinking everything? It's exhausting."

"I wasn't complicated," she snapped, stepping closer to him. "My life was simple before you came and messed everything up. You-" Her voice faltered for a split second. "You made everything complicated."

Zindane's gaze softened, but only for a moment. He stepped closer, grabbing her arm gently. "Zelda is my sister."

Lidiya's heart sank as the truth began to sink in. "What?" she blurted out, mortified. "Oh, gods, I-" Her face burned with embarrassment. "I thought she was-"

Zindane chuckled. "You thought she was what? A lover? An ex? Lulu, you're something else."

Lidiya bit her lip, trying to compose herself. "You should've told me earlier, Zindane," she muttered, looking down at her feet.

He sighed, almost lovingly. "Well, like you said, you're just the forgotten bride, right? It didn't matter."

Lidiya raised her fist to hit him, but he didn't even flinch. "It'll take more than that to hurt me."

"Yeah, well," she grumbled, "it doesn't matter now, does it?"

Zindane finally let go of her arm and took a step back. "I didn't bring her here to hurt you. I need her help."

Lidiya raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "For what? To annoy me some more?"

"To release Oswen's spirit."

Lidiya's expression hardened. "What do you mean? His spirit is trapped in you, isn't it?"

Zindane nodded, his eyes darkening. "Yes. I trapped his spirit inside me. He can feel everything I do. See everything I see." He looked away for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. "I was hurting him on purpose, just to see him suffer. But... I never planned on releasing him. Not until now."

Lidiya's breath caught in her throat. "You can't be serious. You've been tormenting him all this time?"

Zindane didn't flinch at her accusation. "I can control him, but I can't release him. That's why Zelda is here. She has magic, too, and she's the only one who can help me set things right."

Lidiya's mind raced as she tried to process his words. "So you know everything about Oswen?"

Zindane's gaze softened. "Yes. Everything. And there's more you don't know. Oswen married you to rid himself of Aurora's spirit. He was going to sacrifice you because he killed her, and she cursed him. Until he killed someone else from his family, she'd never leave."

Lidiya's eyes went wide with fury. "You knew this and never told me?"

Zindane nodded slowly. "I didn't know how to tell you. But you should understand now. Oswen was planning to kill you. You were nothing more than a pawn."

Lidiya felt rage bubble inside her, and her voice trembled with anger., "Then do it. Release him. Just... don't ever touch me again."

Zindane's expression softened, and for the first time in what felt like ages, Lidiya saw a flicker of sincerity in his eyes.

"I don't plan to either " he said and walked away