Skin

Chapter 12

With a sudden yawn, I rub my head on the pillow, curling into a ball as I pulled the blanket close. I feel so warm, nice and warm. Taking a deep breath, I inhaled the scent of fresh eats and... pork chops? Slowly opening one eye, I looked around the room, while slowly opening the other eye.

Where was I?

Placing a hand on the bed I picked myself up to sit up. This was not my room, I thought. There was nothing in this room but the bed and a dresser in the corner of the room with mirror leaning on the wall. A hair brush and a few other things rested on the dresses indicating that it was a woman's room. An older woman.

Throwing the blanket off of me I got out of the bed and saw a rag doll, lying on the floor. Glaring at the doll. A single mother, I guess. Bending down to pick it up off the floor, I heard the door creak open. Glancing up, I saw a little girl with silver eyes hugging the door staring at me. Her eyes drifted to the doll that rested in my hand. I too looked at the doll then quickly back to her.

With our eyes meeting each other she dashed down the hallway without making a sound. Tilting my head, I glared at the open door then back to the small rag doll. Slowly drifting my eyes up towards the cracked open door I slowly walked over to it, pocking my head out of the crack to look down the hallway.

I heard a woman's voice, "What's wrong, Myris?" Coming down the hallway, I found the mother hugging her child as the child barred her face in her mothers dress. As the mother smoothed her hair the woman looked up smiling at me. "I see, you're up. Good morning. Would you like breakfast?"

With a nod, I wakes over to the kitchen. Walking through the living room. Taking a step at the table I placed the doll on the table on the other side, hopping the child, Myris would grab it and maybe run off. The child seemed glued to her mother as her mother fixed me a plate.

"I'm sorry," the mother spoke, "She's very shy. I'm Anne." She smiled placing the plate down then taking the doll and handing it off to her daughter. Quickly Myris ran off smiling and ran out of the kitchen and out the door leading outside.

"Barbara," I said stuffing my face. It would be a bad idea to say Gwendolyn when every kingdom is hunting me down. Glancing around the room, I realized that Goliath was nowhere to be seen. Was this his family? The little girl did have his eyes.

"Your husband is outside tending to my fields," she said taking a seat.

"My husband?"

She laughed, "yes, Goliath. He came over saying that you too we're newlyweds who got rubbed. Poor thing, so you've been traveling for so long. He came knocking on my door right before the rain came."

"How long have I been out?" I asked forcing myself to swallow down the food before I spoke.

"A little over a day."

"I'm sorry, for the inconvenience. How can I repay you?"

She grow her hands up and waved them as she laughed, "No, no, it's okay. Your husband is doing enough for me. I was going to let you stay here without payment but your husband said he had to work for both your meals and all. So please, rest. A newlywed bride should be careful, you never know when you're carrying."

I quickly blushed and put my head down. I didn't see that coming. Wait? Why am I embarrassed? We never didn't like. "You don't have to worry about that," I said softly. Picking my fork into my pork, "We haven't done those kind of things."

"Oh, my. Really? I never heard a Lycan holding back before," she giggled. "Myris father didn't even wait. The moment we meet was our first."

"Myris father? Is he a Lycan?"

"Was," she said sadly drifting her eyes to the table as she entwined her fingers together. I looked way, looking at the corner of the room then back to the food I front of me. So is he dead? Oh man, my big mouth.

"I'm sorry," I said weakly. I knew the pain of losing a father and it always made me all teary eye just hearing stories about someone losing a parent.

"Barbara," I glanced up towards her as her head hang low, "If you love you husband you will keep him close because this world is so cruel and evil." She picked her head up with tears streaming down," and if you have a child, protect that child because this world hates their kind. More than anything." Wiping her tears, she placed a smile on her face, and picked herself up, out of the chair. "Excuse me. Please finish your meal. I'll be outside."

Watching her leave, I had no idea what just happened but at the same I did know what happened. I felt a sudden chill run down my back. Glaring at my food, her smile filled my mind. The smile of a mother, that smile saying everything will be alright, the smile that says I love you, the smile that says don't worry, that everything is okay, the smile that covers ones fear without worrying others. It was a smile I was too familiar with. She reminded me so much of my mother without making jokes about seducing the male nurse part.

With a sigh I started to poke at my food with my fork. "Barbara?" lifting my head up, Goliath stood at the doorway of the kitchen. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I said trying not to make eye contact. "Here," pushing my food forward, "eat. I'm not hungry."

I heard his loud footsteps come towards the table and stopped once he sat right across from me. He pushed the food towards me. "Eat, your going to need your strength. The town is about twenty minutes away. There we can find someone who knows how to get to the Valkyrie Kingdom."

"You don't know how to get there?" I asked.

"Unless you know how to fly, then no. The Valkyrie Kingdom is an island in the sky."