War Through Love

7. Chapter

Thara

I waited to see what he would do. I could still run. I glanced at the door behind him, and he chuckled.
"If you leave, we'll be back at the beginning, and I'll be waiting by the stream again until you change your mind." He poured himself a cup of wine and offered me some as well.
"No..." I refused, watching as he sat down in the chair by the fireplace.

"This time, I wouldn’t come back."
"Hm?"
"If I ran away. I wouldn’t look back." My voice was firm.
"You looked quite content at the feast."
His indifference made my blood boil.
"You killed my brother. I will never be one of you." The poison in my voice filled my entire being.
"I don’t expect you to be." He set his cup on the table and stepped toward me.

He stopped at the edge of the bed where I lay, and I pulled away from him, clutching the fur tighter around me.
Suddenly, he pulled out a knife. I had no idea where it came from, but my heart started pounding faster.
I wanted to run, but before I could move, he held me firmly and said in a calm voice, "Don't be afraid, just stay still."
"What are you going to do?" The panic in my voice was unmistakable.
He pulled back the fur, revealing my bare feet.

"So that no one can question our marriage." The blade ran across my ankle, leaving a stinging sensation behind. A few drops of blood fell onto the sheets.
When he stood up, he returned to his chair by the fire, but this time, he remained silent.

I pressed my hand against the wound, trying to get as much blood on the covers as possible.
Once it looked convincing enough, I pulled the blanket over myself and tried to sleep. But I couldn't. My thoughts kept racing.
What if he was waiting for me to fall asleep so he could violate me? What if he was planning to kill me?...
I must not fall asleep.

The more I tried, the harder it became to resist exhaustion. Maybe I should have taken the wine.
After what felt like an eternity, I finally closed my eyes and drifted into sleep.

I have no idea how long I slept. I woke up with a slight jolt and tried to assess the situation in the chamber. The fire was dying down, but he was gone. He must have left while I was asleep.
I walked to the window and looked at the sky. The moon was beautiful tonight—a thin crescent glowing brightly among millions of stars.
When I was younger, my brother and I would watch the night sky every evening, waiting for a comet that never came.

Maybe... maybe if it had come, I wouldn’t be here. Maybe if it had come, my brother wouldn’t have had to die. Maybe if it had come, I would have married for love, and now I would be lying happily beside my husband.

But it never came.
And now I am here, and my brother is dead.
I wiped away the tear rolling down my cheek and returned to bed.

Gods, help me.