Korah: Heir of Gnamalea

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

KORAH   

Korah woke up to Marcus beside her staring at the wooden ceiling above them. She noticed her bare body underneath the blankets, the silk sheets soft against her skin. She smiled and turned over and laid her head on his chest. His face stayed emotionless.
    "Marcus, what's the matter?" he turned his head and held her hand on his chest. He smiled and kissed her forehead, running his fingers through her hair. He nodded, but his actions seemed to genuine. Like his actions were forced. What was running through his mind?
     "Do you trust me?" his question caught her off guard.
    "Of course I do" he didn't speak for a while like he was careful with what he would say.
    "I need to see Tafiti". He moved and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Korah moved the sheets and sat up behind him, leaning her chin on his shoulder. He held onto her hand and kissed it before standing up and slipping back into his clothes. Korah pulled the sheets over her chest and looked out the window, and saw the sun was out, making a white glow over the snow. Eventually, she got out of bed and slipped into a light green dress and her boots and tied her hair into a silver hairband sitting across her temples, with her brown hooded cape and walked towards the dining hall, meeting Seb and Azula in the far corner. She poured herself a cup of water, spotting Marcus speaking with Tafiti in the front of the room. Her face seemed focused but soon looked concerned and looked towards the three of us, and then to her people in the room. She didn't look happy.Tafiti walked away from Marcus, leaving him to wait. His eyes found mine, and he didn't leave my stare until Alistair appeared next to him. They leave the room with Alistair's men. Instead of sitting around, she walked to Tafiti and Eden in the front and bowed before standing beside her.
    "May I ask where Marcus went?" she looked up at her and looked around before flicking her finger for her to come closer. She knelt beside her throne and came close to Tafiti's face.
    "Alejandro knows of your presence here" Korah's heart stops. "Marcus came to inform me and suggests to keep our men surrounding the border. In a week, I will give you my son and his men to accompany you back to Gnamalea", this is Marcus' idea?
    "How does Marcus know about this?", Korah heart started to race. Something doesn't feel right.
"That is not my story to tell, child".

. ~ .

After breakfast, she walked into Marcus and Seb's room and found it empty. She stayed waiting, angry at him. He asked her if she trusted him, and hell, she did, but what isn't he telling her? When he entered his room, she pushed him against the nearest wall.
    "You are going to tell me what the hell is going on, Marcus. What are you keeping from us?" he sighed. She let go of him and put some space between them, but he reached for her hand and sat her down on his bed.
    "You know the day I broke into your house?" she nodded. "And the day you got shot in the leg, and I helped you get back home?" she nodded again. "That's because the night before I first met you, Captain Alejandro came to be and offered me a deal. If I become your companion and offer you a deal of my own, to get your brother back and for me to do what's right for my family, then he could do that. He would give my family the life they deserve. But in return, I would have to hand you to him", her heart broke. His words stung. He wants to feed her to the lion's den. She stood and moved away from him; she needed space."Please, Korah. I'm not finished" she shook her head, sunk to the floor. Like he wasn't satisfied with just that.
    "Yes, you are. I'm done listening. You've lied to me", tears spilled down Korah's cheeks. She had put her trust in him; she hadn't trusted anyone. Now she's learnt her lesson.     "Korah, just let me speak" she pulled her legs to her chest, tears still flowing down her pale face. "The deal I had made with Alejandro wasn't my plan in the first place. I knew, even before I met you, that you are innocent. I knew we were desperate to find your brother. I knew Will. Personally, we worked in the markets together for a short time. He spoke of you often, and he wanted nothing but the best for you, and I wanted nothing but the best for my family back home" Idiot. Absolute fool he was! He lied to Alejandro, but he lied to Korah too, and now not only her but Tafiti and her village are in danger. "Since the day in the woods, I saw you. Everything about you. Your life, your body, everything. You are what Gnamalea needs. What your brother needs. What I need. Your trust is something that I have never wanted to break, it is a privilege to have your trust, and I feel like I have broken it. Please Korah, forgive me", she needed time to herself. She wasn't sure that her trust would be given back to him. She needed to figure that out on her own.     "Marcus, I don't hate you. If that's what you're thinking," he moved closer to her and placed his hands on her hips. He kissed her forehead and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "But, I need to figure out if I still trust you", her words were enough to almost kill him. He nodded, acknowledging her need for space. She kissed him on the cheek and walked to the door, the rush of cold winter meeting her pale skin.