Travellers

Trust Once Broken Is Impossible To Earn Back

"It’s fine," Amber insisted, as Miriam rubbed some salve onto the bruised side of her face.  "It's nothing that won't heal given a little time."  But Miriam cheerfully ignored her words as she continued to rub the cream in.

"There," she finally said, sitting back.  "That should do it.  It should heal a lot faster now with this ointment on it."

Amber managed a half smile, trying to ignore the dull throbbing in her face.  "Thank you."

Standing up, Miriam walked to the door of the hut and glanced out at her husband and his brother as they stood outside talking.  Recognizing the expressions passing over Peter's face, she frowned uneasily.  "I don't like what I'm seeing," she murmured.

"What?"  Amber joined her at the door and looked out.  "What do you mean?"

"They're discussing something that I know I'm not going to like."

Amber watched on curiously, and Miriam's frown grew deeper as the two men made their way to the hut.  Standing with her hands on her hips, she didn't budge as they reached the doorway, and she looked straight into her husband's amused face with suspicion.

"Miriam, love," Peter said as he stepped forward and planted a kiss on her forehead.  "What's the matter?"

Still refusing to move to let them into the hut, her look of suspicion turned into a frown.  "I don't know," she said in a mild tone, a tone that told Peter he had better be on his guard.  "Why don't you tell me?"

"Perhaps you would let us come in first?"

Narrowing her eyes, she took a long moment before complying with his request.  Stepping aside, the two men walked in and sat down.  Taking a seat next to Alex, Amber's eyes nervously went from Miriam to Peter and back again.

"Why don't you come sit down, love?"

Miriam walked over to the table and planted her two hands on it.  Leaning forward, she never took her eyes off her husband.  "Tell me, husband.  Just how long have we been married?"

Peter's eyes shot up in confusion.  "A good six years."

Miriam nodded, satisfied with that answer.  "And just how well do you think we know each other?"

Peter blew out a deep breath, wincing.  He didn't like where these line of questions were leading.  "I'd say very well."

"Good.  We're agreed, then.  We know each other so well that we can easily read each other’s expressions, and we can tell what each other is feeling from just one look."

Peter nodded cautiously.  "Yes, my dear."

Leaning closer to her husband, she eyed him closely.  "So, you can tell me now, just what it was that you two were talking about so intently out there.  Because I know, and you know that I'm not going to like it."

Grimacing, Peter turned and shot a 'look' at his brother that clearly said 'I told you so,'  "It wasn't as bad as it looked," he began, but stopped as his wife snorted with disbelief.  Dropping herself into the chair beside her husband, she turned to look at him with unfathomable eyes.

"Peter," she said quietly, and Peter frowned at the sudden quiet tone.  "There is only one thing that you would be reluctant to talk to me about, and we both know it."  Lowering his gaze to table, he slowly nodded.  "Please explain it to me," she suddenly pleaded.  "Why?  After all these years, why do you choose now to willingly return to battle?  I thought that we had left those days behind us."

Suddenly standing up, Peter and Miriam looked at Alex as he dragged Amber to her feet.  "We'll just be outside, give you some privacy to talk this over."  As soon as the door to the hut had swung shut behind them, Peter turned to his wife and took her hands in his.  Looking her in the eye, he could see the sheen of tears that she was struggling not to let out, and he felt his heart constrict painfully.