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it had taken athena almost two months to fully trust the men who had saved her. at first, she had avoided them completely, confined within the room they had provided her with-being in solitary and the dark had brought her immense comfort. although after a week of that, hak had dragged her out of her small hut, gave her a dagger and claimed they'd go out to hunt together for dinner.
it had been a successful hunting trip; bringing back some boars and fish to cook up. although she hadn't spoken to him much, athena had quickly picked up his skills, complimenting and supporting him whenever he'd misstep or miss a shot.
after she'd come back from the hunt, the ladies of the village had thrown her into the river, ignoring her protests as they bathed her and cleaned her wounds while avoiding her wings. of course, their -quiet- gasps had managed to reach her ears, but athena had appreciated the lack of questions, to both her scars and broken wings.
it had become apparent hak knew no shame. whenever she'd be in her dressing room, sleeping or bathing, he would appear out of the blue, making sure she wasn't locking herself up in her room again-well, that was the reasoning he gave after she'd gotten accustomed to it, pinning him down once before.
a couple of weeks after that hunt and random checkups with son hak, she had gotten closer with the next-in-life chieftain. he had began to tell her of his adventures with mundok; how'd he come to know the man and became his son, and admirably, his friends in the castle which he adored very much. athena, as an act of retribution for him telling her about himself, had told him about the view beyond the clouds-a trip she could no longer make.
smelling his furiousness had almost spooked athena. she had reminded herself quickly that he as well was human, even if his sarcasm and nonchalant tone defied rationality. and like any another person, they'd be sure to get mad if she told them of her experience.
however, the next thing hak had done deeply terrified her; he'd thrown his arms around her, placing his nose near her neck as he took in a deep breath, mumbling apologies repeatedly.
she'd gone stiff, saddened she couldn't comfort the child as the disgust of having another persons hand on her body made her unable to act. but, she had managed to give him a stiff smile, patting his head as a small gesture before she began to describe the scenery on top of the clouds.
completing her first month had rewarded athena with the trust of the villagers, making them relaxed enough to ask her to help them with laundry, gathering herbs, hunting for dinner, chores that some were lazy to finish. she didn't complain, completing them efficiently and scolding them once they'd gotten too comfortable.
weeks after getting to know the young boy, athena had followed both mundok and hak to the castle, meeting the king and his timid young daughter. it was there where she'd instantly noticed the infatuation of son hak towards the young princess; his heart palpitating as she would joke and tease him as well, a sweet scent wafting into her nose when they'd speak with each other.
