Hallowed Damnation [#Wattys2016]

9

Salina was pleasantly surprised to find her walk-in closet half filled with new clothes. Aldus was indeed trying to spoil her. There was an assortment of shirts, pants, and shoes for her to choose from, but to her dismay, her weapons were not there. She reminded herself to ask him about it later.

She chose a pair of black boots to accompany dark fitted but stretchy pants and a loose long-sleeved shirt. She took a moment to feel the fabric between her fingers. Like everything else in this place it felt indulgent. The cloth was soft and comfortable unlike the slightly prickly and rough ones she was used to. Not even the rich in Armen had anything like this simply because this material was not available in their lands.

Somewhere inside her, she felt like a traitor to Armen. Here she was, enjoying the exuberance of Archan, while her own people were barely getting by. Her brows furrowed as she wondered why life was so unfair. Why did this place seem to have all the good in life and none were left for Armen? At twenty three years of age, she realized that she knew so little of this world. However, she recognized that at this moment she had a unique opportunity to learn more and perhaps later on discover a way to help her people.

She quickly tied her glimmering white hair in a high ponytail and made for the door. She knew that Aldus was the only one who could tell her more and she suddenly felt excitement at what he was going to show her.

Salina found him leaning against the wall opposite her bedroom door leisurely polishing his daggers. He lifted his head as he heard her and smiled. He tucked the dagger and cloth back into his cloak before he approached her.

"Ready to go?"

She nodded. "Where are we going?"

His smile grew and he gave her a small wink. "It's a surprise, my dear! I hope you don't mind walking though. It's such a beautiful day outside and I thought you might like to see more of Archan."

"I would love that, Aldus. Lead the way," she said.

Truly, she did not mind walking. She was more than just curious to see more of this foreign land and she was also looking forward to meeting more of its people. She chose to believe that not all of them were as grim and solemn as Zyrin.

As he led her through the mansion, Salina began to get a better grasp of the layout and the hallways now looked more familiar to her. He pointed out to her where main rooms were in the house and told her amusing anecdotes of his life there. She took special note of where the kitchens and the library were. She had a feeling she would frequent those places.

She led her out the main door where the warmth of the sun kissed her face and the cool breeze welcomed her. She closed her eyes to savor the feeling. Having spent some time in the dark dungeons and indoors, she had not realized how much she missed it.

She opened her eyes again to see the gardens she had only seen through the windows. Aldus did not make her rush as he saw how much she seemed to enjoy stopping at almost every bush to smell the flowers.

The front garden was truly a wonder. Two large fountains with large marble statues stood at the center of either side of the main gates. It was a landscaping artist's masterpiece. Flowers of every shade were in full bloom and shone like jewels while the grass was lush and inviting.

The shrubbery was meticulously clipped into perfect shapes that complimented the rest. Benches were situated under the shade of some tall trees where reading would be perfect. She felt the urge to take her shoes of and feel the grass between her toes.

"Do you like the flowers? I can have some sent to your room," he offered.

Salina blushed a little. She must have looked odd and silly to be so enamored by simple flowers.

"I apologize if I'm keeping us, but flowers are rare in Armen and are never in this abundance. The grass is literally greener here," she said with a small laugh.

Aldus gave her an understanding smile. He saw when they visited her home that it was indeed as dry as she described. There were forests and greenery but they were not as teeming as it was here. That first time he visited Armen gave him a small understanding as to how different life was there. That is why he understood when Salina looked so joyous at every little thing. The things that were normal here and were taken for granted were sparse in her homeland.

"No need to apologize. I also often come out here just to appreciate the gardens."

"You are fortunate to live with such beautiful nature. The weather in my homeland is either insufferable drought or lashing rain for long periods of time. It's not ideal for flowers or even crops," she said sadly.

He heard the pity in her voice. He now understood how close to her heart her homeland was. More than it being the place where she grew up and where the people she knew were, she was sympathetic to their plight and yearned to help.

He had to admit that it was the first time he had met a mercenary with a soft spot for the struggling. This girl was getting more and more intriguing as he got to know her.

"Is life really that difficult there?" he asked.

"We believe that our homeland is cursed, Aldus, and in turn so are the people."

"Surely there are things that can still be done to help the people. No one can truly be cursed. What of your king?" he said wanting to lighten her dark thoughts.

"The king is a cunt and I would hope that he dies soon if his sons weren't any worse than he is," she snorted. "Maybe life there could be made better, but people have grown so used to the feeling of defeat that they have forgotten how to hope."

Aldus frowned in puzzlement. "How can someone forget how to hope?"

Salina gave him a sad smile. "From a century of being told that we were the inferior ones."

From his bedroom window on the second floor, Zyrin saw them stroll in the gardens. He noticed that she had cleaned herself and had been given clothes. He assumed that it was Aldus' doing. She had tied her hair and her face was happy as she went from one flower bush to the other while Aldus was presumably telling her what kind of flower they were.

He wondered for the umpteenth time that day why his best friend and head general was indulging their prisoner. Well since Aldus had freed her she was technically not a prisoner anymore, but more of a guest now by the way he had been treating her. He looked like he was befriending her and it seemed to be genuine.

As he watched them, he realized that this may be a better way of getting her to join their cause. Coercion did not seem to bode well with the strong-headed woman and bribing her with the glory of war did not appeal to her even in the slightest. Perhaps Aldus was right in trying a different approach on her, but he would not admit that.

He saw them walk out the main gates and go toward the bustling center of the Waxwing Region. Zyrin pulled on his coat and told himself that he was merely being curious when he decided to follow them.