Chapter 2

Wants

I couldn’t hate him. I spent hours into the night trying to hate Gahn, but I just couldn’t. Sure, I was angry, betrayed, and I felt like I couldn’t trust him anymore. …Well not quite. I could still trust his ability in battle and trust that he wouldn’t stab me in the back. I just didn’t feel safe being that close to him.

It was probably my training as a priestess that did this. We were always taught to never hate the children of the gods and spent hours meditating to find the root of the hate. This was how I stopped hating Gahn and all of Evergreen in the first place, before the part where I stopped caring about the minor crimes. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever truly hated anyone after my training. I can dislike and be annoyed, but never hate.

The next morning was awkward. I awakened with a grimace to find that I’d slept in my clothes. When I went to change, I realized that I had one clean pair of pants and a shirt left. I needed to do some laundry soon. That meant finding the nearest pond and stripping down to my underwear to wash.

I was aware of Gahn’s presence behind me and belatedly realized that I was unbuttoning my shirt in front of him. Had this been any other guy, I wouldn’t have cared. Sure guys watched me dress before, but I knew they wouldn’t do anything out of fear or revulsion of me. But Gahn was a different matter. He apparently found me attractive enough to marry and he was better than me at battle. Sure enough, I turned to find him glancing at me as he buttoned up a fresh dark green shirt. With a huff, I marched behind a changing screen. It must have been the first time I ever used one.

Breakfast was yet another unusual affair as he offered to pay for room service. I learned that he carried some of his family fortune with him and was pretty well off. It explained why he was able to travel this far without a job. He ordered an expensive meal, something that I couldn’t have afforded with the pay I used to get. I could afford it now, thanks to the extra work, but there was no way I was going to spend it all on fancy food.

Gahn and I didn’t say a word throughout breakfast. In fact it was completely silent until we started leaving the inn. I half expected him to bark out some kind of order or start leading the way, but he was content with following me. I guess the rumor that men change after marriage was false. Then again, he’s never been to the Copper Country before. He wouldn’t know where to go from here.

Even though I had enough money to live comfortably for a while, I still wanted to find more work. I suggested that we go to Green Fields in the Ruby Country and started heading south. Sometimes I wished there were more creative names for the towns and countries, but people are raised to be too simple minded for imagination. All the countries are named for whatever abundant mineral the land produces and the towns and cities are named after natural landmarks.

This is a part of the ‘chosen way of life’ that the priests dictate in the temples. From an early age, children are told what job to pursue based on skills or behavior. They are discouraged to try other careers and are punished if they refuse the job. With a chosen career and basic survival knowledge, education isn’t needed. While I was a priestess in training, I read a history book that said children used to attend places known as ‘schools’ where they could learn any skill or interest they wanted. But this happened well over five hundred years ago, according to that book. I wonder what else has changed since then…

I was cut off from my musings when a man stopped us close to the edge of town. He was dressed in the typical garb of a brothel guards with a covered face and a head wrap. I was wearing my red scarf in a similar wrap to hide my hair while we were still in the Nine Hills area. Since Gahn had challenged them with a hooded cloak on, he didn’t have to disguise himself.

“You!” he bellowed loudly as he pointed a finger in my direction.

“Me?” I intoned incredulously. I know I wasn’t wearing a brilliant disguise, but my most distinctive feature was covered and I was wearing armor, unlike yesterday. The guard drew his sword.

“You will pay for what you did! Either with your life…or your body.”

I couldn’t see his mouth, but I’m sure it was a lecherous smirk. Apparently not all of them heard the psychic calling me a Demon. Then again, I was also new to the area and my reputation as the Demoness hadn’t spread this far. Gahn was quick to move, but instead of drawing his swords and attacking, he stood between the guard and me and wrapped an arm around me, covering most of my body with his cloak. It was a highly unwelcome move, but a good idea. It surprised the guard that someone would protect me. We could use this to confuse the guard and get away without causing a scene.

“What business do you have with my wife? What are you accusing her of?” Gahn growled protectively.

Oh right, I still have to figure out how to end this farce of a marriage… But that aside, I knew he must’ve been acting. Gahn wasn’t stupid to think that I would suddenly become a weak little girl just because he managed to put a ring on my finger. He knew I could probably kill the guy in less than five seconds.

“Uh, wife?” the guard muttered, uncomprehending that train of thought. But I shouldn’t insult him this time. I’d probably be in the same state to hear that I was suddenly a wife too.

“I was told to capture or kill a golden-eyed woman. She was about the same height as her and had short brownish gold hair.” He changed his tone when he was more confident that it was me, “…That woman snuck into the brothel and set one of our whores free!”

Golden-eyed woman. …Wait a minute, how did they know that? When I was in the brothel, no one could see my face. Even when I was running out, the only thing they should see was my hair and the outlines of a feminine figure. My, even the two guards that managed to see my full features already knew I had that eye color…

Gahn turned to me with a light smirk and decided to quote me from yesterday, “You kidnapped a girl behind my back? You pig…”

Not. Funny.

I pushed Gahn out of the way, or rather tried to. I only managed to get his arm off me, but his body wouldn’t move away. I stepped around him to face the guard again.

“So I’m being singled out because of my eye color?” I then gestured to my head. Not a single strand of my hair was showing, “My hair is red and it comes to my mid back.”

“It’s true,” Gahn confirmed behind me to buff up my lie. The guard took a step back and lowered his sword. He looked as if he was suffering from a headache.

“…But,” he tried to argue as a hand came up to cradle his head.

I placed my hands on my hips, “I know gold isn’t a common eye color, but why are you so certain that I’m your culprit? Have you or your fellow guards really seen my face in your brothel?”

Actually, gold, red, purple, and pearl white are common eye colors among the nobility. If a common child is born with one of those colors, they are instantly taken away and fostered in a noble family. It’s a fact that commoners are not allowed to know. They are never told why the child is taken away and they don’t question why.

The guard was so confused from all the heavy thinking that he had to sit down. He plunked down on the dirt road and a small cloud of dirt arose from the force of his fall.

“Yesterday we caught three boys trying to break down the door of lord’s bedchamber,” he relayed slowly as if trying to remind himself what had happened. “By the time we had them tied up, the lord called for help. When we got there, the new girl was gone. The lord couldn’t recall who struck him, but those boys said that they were followed by a golden-eyed girl and that she was the one who took the whore…”

…Those three sniveling idiots… I’m going to give San a black eye next time I see him.

“The boys, huh?” The guard stared fearfully at me as I let out a rather demonic grin. Those fools will pay…

“…Honey,” I ground out in a false sweet voice as I turned to Gahn. The single word tasted bad in my mouth and I almost felt like I was accepting the imprisonment he cast upon me, “Didn’t we see three boys and a pretty auburn haired girl last night?”

Gahn caught on quickly to my scheme and played along. He never liked the idea of getting others in trouble, but I guess he liked San even less than I did.

“We did…buttercup,” he grinned and I shuddered in revulsion to the ‘newlywed’ talk we were doing. He was enjoying this! “They were headed for Red Water I believe.”

“Red Water?” the guard repeated as he stood up. He then bowed and shook our hands gratefully.

“Thank you for the information! We should have known the boys were plotting something.”

I watched the guard as he ran off back into Nine Hills. He was, perhaps, the most polite brothel guard I’ve ever met. I turned back to the trail, happy to have gotten my revenge. I was briefly worried about poor Ilana, but as I said before, she’s better off as a whore than eventually having San for a husband. Speaking of husbands…

“So Gahn, about this ‘claiming’ thing…”

It was going to be two or three days to Green Fields depending on whatever distractions get in the way. There were two towns between our position and our destination, one being Deep Pond where I’m banned. This meant that I would have to camp outside for one night. I didn’t care what Gahn would do. If I was lucky, he would stay the night in town and leave me be.

During the entire walk, I kept listing reasons why he shouldn’t be married to me, but he turned every one of them down. He didn’t want an ‘obedient wife’, he didn’t care that I couldn’t cook, he was happy to hear that I can hunt and clean the kill, he insisted that any children we would have would benefit from any outdoor survival skills we knew. …By the gods, I didn’t even want to think about children.

I still wore the ring he gave me. I could’ve just thrown it away, but I could tell that it was a sentimental object. I respected that since I carried a small memento of my brother around my neck. I just had to convince Gahn to take back the ring and let the whole thing drop.

“I’m still a virgin!” I called out as the thought came to me. As shocking as it was, I was still a virgin. Being around mercenary camps taught me everything I needed to know in order to insult a man and the ego in their pants. That’s why I didn’t sound like a virgin.

Gahn stopped dead in his tracks and faced me. Unfortunately it wasn’t the look of disappointment that I was hoping for. Sure there was the look of surprise in his eyes, but that big smile only spelled out certain doom.

“Really?” he drawled out like he didn’t believe me.

“One hundred percent true,” I reassured before I added, “I wouldn’t know how to please you or anything like that.”

After all, isn’t that what men want most? I’ve heard about married men going to brothels for that reason because their wives are boring or something. Oh hell, I don’t know! This is the virgin part of me talking here!

“That’s alright, I‘ll teach you what you need to know.”

“Damnit!” I screamed in rage. That was my twenty-third attempt to convince him to end the marriage. Gahn laughed as he pulled me against him and started walking again. I wonder if anyone ever told him that he had an evil laugh…

At least I was wearing my armor now. There was no way he could touch me through the iron-copper-steel alloy. The armor I wore was dark black/red in color and shone a brilliant red when hit by direct sunlight. I only had on a breastplate, shoulder, thigh, and shin guards, but it was more than enough to protect me from most attacks, perverted or malicious.

I had to find some way to get out of this! I know I can’t kill him. I’ve tried attacking him before only to find my sword ripped out of my grasp and one of his blades against my throat. Maybe I can poison his food…but I don’t like using underhanded tactics like that. But if nothing else works…

“Stop plotting to kill me. You know it’ll never work.”

I jumped when I realized he was talking to me. Did I just plot out loud? He must be some kind of mind reader because I seldom ever talk out loud. I don’t even talk to myself when alone.

“I’m not a mind reader,” he defended when he saw my shocked face, “I can tell what you’re thinking by the face you make. You’re really expressive.”

I didn’t know that. I better be careful in the future. If I don’t control my face, I could end up dead someday.

“By the way, don’t bother thinking you’re safe in that armor,” Gahn warned me before he moved his hand to my bottom. I was embarrassed to hear a squeak escape from my mouth as I jumped away. What is it with him wanting to touch the private areas of my body? Damn pervert.

“That’s it!” I cried as I shoved my left hand in his face, “Take this ring off and find some whore who will appreciate this kind of attention!”

“I don’t want a whore,” he stated in a calm matter as he moved my hand out of the way, “And you’re perfectly capable of taking off the ring yourself. If you don’t want it, give it back.”

…Oh, well that was easy. I eagerly pulled off the small gold ring and placed it into his waiting hand. I was tempted to ask what was the importance of that ring as he pocketed it, but I didn’t want to pry. If he opened up, then I would have to as well.

“You do realize that a ring is only an optional gift. Giving it back doesn’t annul the marriage.”

Damn…I thought that was too easy. I had forgotten that fact. A ring is a gift and a way to prove a marriage when the husband is away. So long as Gahn is alive, he could tell the masses that I belong to him. That alone is enough to ruin my reputation.

“Why me?” I finally asked, exasperated and exhausted with all of it. At the very least, I had a right to know why Gahn had to choose me out of several thousand other women.

Without any hesitation, he easily listed all of the reasons, “I like being around you. You’re intelligent, strong, beautiful, and can fend for yourself. I can also be myself around you. I don’t have to choose my words carefully or clean up my language. I don’t even have to worry about offending you. Is it any wonder that I’ve fallen for you after all these months?”

Now I froze in place. Fallen? As in ‘love’? When did that happen? He’s only been following me for a few months. Gahn also stopped not too far from me and waited for my reply.

“You’re in love with me?” I said numbly, “How could that be? You’ve been with me for only seven months…”

“Ten,” he corrected me. Ten? Gods, he’s been with me for almost a year…

“Th-that’s not enough! You don’t know anything about me and I don’t know anything about you. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?” This changed everything. I didn’t know he loved me! I honestly thought he was joking or was just trying to be a controlling jerk when he claimed me

“If we were still nobles, maybe,” he said as he took a step towards me. I didn’t back away, even as he caressed my cheek with his rough hand.

“I know enough about you. You’re known as the Demoness and you kill anyone who gets in your way. You kill criminals when they bother you and you kill drunks when they try to claim you. I also know that there is a good person hiding behind that black heart you created and that you’re afraid to let her out.”

“I’m not afraid,” I hissed at him as I tried to back away. His hand moved to the back of my neck and his other arm snaked around my waist. I found out early that pushing him away did no good so I just glared at him instead.

“You are afraid,” he insisted as his face moved closer to mine, “That good person is the responsible side of you. The one who wants to help others. You just don’t want to let her out because you fear that she’ll steal away your freedom.”

“Oh what do you know?” I sneered. I don’t know what crap he was spouting about the ‘good person’. I’m no longer a ‘person’. I’m a Demon, straight down to my very core. Gahn tried to claim my lips again for another kiss, but I bit down hard on his lower lip. I felt him flinch in pain, but he made no move to back off.

I could taste his blood in my mouth by the time I let him go. He licked my lips to remove the metallic fluid on them before he finally pulled away. I wiped my mouth with the back of my arm as he tended to his lip. It was starting to swell and bruise.

“See…I will hurt you,” I threatened, hoping that it would stop him from kissing me again. His grin looked no less sinister even with the busted lip.

“I look forward to it.”

I don’t know why, but I felt warm. I knew my face was burning from the whole event, but why was the heat also building up in my stomach? I guess I felt a little guilty over biting him like that. Gahn can’t help it if he lost what little sanity that was left in his mind. I secretly cast a healing spell into a clean handkerchief and gave it to him.

“So you think you know me, big deal. I don’t know anything about you. You never did mention why you left home,” I continued as I resumed walking. I didn’t want hear any gratitude or watch him clean up.

“You never asked,” he shot back, sounding a little muffled thanks to the cloth. I winced at the familiar words. I recalled telling him the same thing when he found out about my priestess powers.

“That’s not the point!” I shouted, trying to hide my frustration and embarrassment, “We’re not nobles anymore, and we’re not really commoners. We’re Demons. Shouldn’t we have a different way to get married? Something fair for both sides?”

I was actually proud of that thought. If we don’t fit in with the chosen way of life, why should we go by their laws? Maybe I can get myself out of this mess after all.

“You have a point,” he agreed, his lip looking a little better thanks to the spell. “Let’s make a deal. If you can convince me that you’re not the person I think you are, then I’ll forget about my claim on you and we’ll never speak of it again.”

“Sounds fair.” Finally, I’m making progress! A deal wasn’t what I had in mind, but if the Dark King could make deals, then why not Demons?

“But,” he continued, “If you can’t convince me, then you’ll have to wear the ring again and admit that you’re mine.”

A hard bargain. If I agreed to this and lost, I’ll be signing away my freedom. If I win, I’ll keep my reputation. Then again, if I do nothing, I’ll still be married. I might as well gamble, “Deal.”

“Good. You have until sunset.”

“What?” I shouted as I turned back to him. This guy is better than me at being underhanded. “That’s not enough time!”

He only shrugged as he passed me, “You seem so determined that we’re not meant to be together. If your claim is really true, then you should have no trouble proving it in one day.”

Ooh! I really disliked his logic, but I couldn’t argue with it either. Damn him and his blackened soul…

We traveled quite a distance off the main road and were going through tall grasslands. This shortcut was what made what could have been a weeklong trip into two days. The roads wind around to every possible city so that merchants and travelers wouldn’t get lost finding towns. As we walked, I kept thinking about what little I know about Gahn. Or rather, I was listing all the things that I knew he hated. If I could act like the people he disliked, then I would win the bet.

It wasn’t more than an hour off the road when we came across some trouble. Demon Shadows started forming from the mist, eight in all. When a priest condemns an individual to the title of Demon, they send these Shadows to kill them. This is why we were all given an expiration date upon becoming a Demon. Most Demons (the weaker ones at least) only live up to a month because a Demon Shadow would catch up and kill them. I was supposed to die in six months due to the fact that I was a priestess, but I managed to live more than 11 years past my date.

They surrounded us as they formed solid bodies. I heard Gahn drawing his green-tinted dual swords behind me as I reached for my broadsword. I was grateful to feel the familiar weight of my weapon in my left hand and was hungering for a bloodbath. Since the beasts were not human, I didn’t need to use spiritual powers. I could hack them up to my hearts desire. With all the pent up stress in dealing with Gahn, I could use some random violence.

Demon Shadows looked like black werewolves, but with no fur or a tail. Instead of eyes, they had two glowing points of red light and they had wisps of black tendrils that followed them around like a cape. With a howl, they attacked all at once. I leapt up and ran up the back of one of the beasts as I decapitated another one beside it. Blood decorated my dark blade as I avoided a black tendril and stabbed the back of the beast I was standing on. I then cut across to the end of its back to make sure it wouldn’t survive. I jumped off and attacked the next one.

Gahn was making quick work of the Shadows around him by letting them catch a blade with their teeth and then struck their unguarded body. Then with a gentle twist, both blades cut through the body and implanted into the next beast. By the time I had removed the arms and one leg of my forth victim-er-I mean monster, he was already cleaning his blades. Show off…

Demon Shadows weren’t that hard to defeat since they were only designed to hunt weaker Demons. It’s not common for warriors or spiritual masters to turn against the chosen way of life. For Demons like Gahn and I, priests would have to send as many as possible and hope we would tire in time. I’m sure they didn’t anticipate either of us leaving our country to where no one knew us.

Demon Shadows only attack when not around innocent, law-abiding people. An innkeeper wouldn’t have any reason to refuse business if they didn’t know that they were serving Demons. It was easy for me to take on a whole days worth of monsters and rest in town at night. That’s how I lived up to my ripe age of twenty-five.

Gahn had it harder than me with him being famous all over the world. His only consolation was that not everyone knew his face. He could give a false name or not give any in order to protect his identity. Luckily, only citizens of the Silver Country knew that he was a Demon now. Having word get out that such a talented general turned heretic would only tarnish the integrity of the country.

After all eight bodies had fallen, they began to disintegrate into mist and flew back to the priest that sent them. I let out a content sigh as I wiped the blood off my broadsword and sheathed it. I felt much better. Gahn soon informed me that I had blood splattered all over my face and arms. I was in such a good mood that I didn’t care about my new war make-up. He then came up to me and wiped my face with the handkerchief I gave him. I just slapped his hand away and cleaned myself. I also gave him a look that said ‘don’t forget that I’m mad at you’.

A scream suddenly pierced through the calm air and a figure moved frantically through the grasslands. We released our grips on our weapons when we realized that it was just a scared woman. She was a healthy looking woman, about the right amount of chubby without being considered overweight or disgustingly fat. She had straight brown hair to her waist and wore a plain faded dress of blue.

When she noticed us in the field, she scrambled on her feet to reach us. I could see her light brown eyes and a light dusting of freckles when she came close enough. She wasn’t an extravagant beauty, but she wasn’t ugly or plain either. I briefly wondered if Gahn would be interested in her. The woman tripped just as she got to us and Gahn caught her. I winced as I noticed that she probably twisted her ankle with that move.

“Please! Help! My father is being attacked!” she pleaded frantically in his arms. I saw her gasp as she got a good look at Gahn’s face and knew she was probably smitten with him now. …Excellent.

She appeared to be older than me, maybe late twenties to early thirties. With that thought, her father must be pretty old. Not good to leave him with monsters or bandits.

“Where is he? We’ll save him,” I offered. I would have added ‘for a price’ to my sentence, but I had some respect for the elderly. The woman glared at me for getting too close and turned back to Gahn with dewy eyes.

“Oh would you? I’ll show you where I last saw him…Oh!” she faked a scream and wrapped her arms around Gahn’s shoulders. “M-my ankle hurts!”

Ironically, she intended that to be a lie, just an excuse for him to carry her. I don’t think she knew that her ankle might really be twisted. Gahn let out a quiet sigh.

“Hang on to me and tell me where to go,” he offered as he picked her up bridal style. The lady gave me a triumphant look as she tightened her arms around him. Did she think I was jealous or something? If she could catch Gahn’s eye and make him forget about me, then more power to her.

“Let’s hurry,” Gahn muttered to me before we ran in the direction she pointed. He had a suffering look in his eyes and I knew why.

Gahn’s List of Things He Hates the Most: Item #1 - He hated clingy women.

Heheheheh….

There was a cluster of trees not too far from where we were and beside them was an old man close to his sixties squaring off with a Demon Shadow. I had to wonder if the old coot was actually a Demon because Shadows seldom attack regular people. He was doing a fairly decent job in defending himself with his walking stick. I could tell he didn’t have what it took to kill the beast. He may have once, but definitely no longer.

“There’s only one,” Gahn noted and looked to me. I knew he was expecting me to go save the old man, but I had other plans. I took on a timid pose and tried to hide behind him.

“Oh, but I'm scared! Don’t make me go near that creepy thing!” I was delighted to see a flash of annoyance directed at me.

Gahn’s List of Things He Hates the Most: Item #2 - He hated useless people.

“Fine, hold her,” he growled as he all but threw the lady at me. Thankfully she wasn’t as heavy as she looked. The lady looked disappointed to be out of his arms and even less pleased to be in mine. We watched Gahn run off to dispatch the monster, but the show was short lived as I sensed another presence behind me.

“Shit!” I cursed darkly as I moved out of the way. Three wisps of dark mist floated after me, followed by a second Demon Shadow. The tendrils on a Shadow were so cold that one could get frostbite with only one touch.

With my hands burdened with a partially crippled bimbo, I had no way of reaching my sword. Instead, I concentrated divine power in the palm of the hand that was supporting the lady’s legs and shot a ball of energy at the beast. The ball expanded to disintegrate the tendrils and a large portion of the Shadow’s chest. I try not to use my higher level priestess powers often in case priests or psychics could track me down through the energy, but this was a slight emergency. I didn’t want to finally be killed by a Demon Shadow and I wasn’t going to wait for Gahn to come save me. …So much for being useless.

“Cinbala!” The old man cried as he ran towards us. I guess that was the lady’s name. I put her down so that she could run to her father, but she let out a real cry of pain and grabbed on to me. I forgot about that… I supported her beside me as the old man and Gahn reached us. Cinbala then risked more pain as she reached for Gahn and clung to him

Instead of going straight to his daughter, the old man ended up in front of me. We were nose to nose as we entered an odd staring contest. I was given a pretty detailed view of his ice blue eyes, framed with wrinkles, liver spots, and moles.

“You’re not Cinbala…” he eventually said.

“Your breath smells like manure and grass,” I informed him with a straight face.

“I was curious!” he yelled in my face, “That girl still hasn’t figured out how to cook.”

I couldn’t tell if he admitted to eating manure and grass or that he was saying his daughter’s cooking tasted like manure and grass. Still, I had a feeling that I was going to like this drunken old fart. I was presented with more bad breath as he suddenly let out a belch in front of my nose. I knew a challenge when I heard one and returned the favor with a belch that could probably make fifth place in a real contest. Being a girl, I didn’t have as much gas as men did and so my attempts were mediocre.

The old man appeared impressed as he backed off. I could see Gahn and Cinbala in the corner of my eye. Gahn looked amused at my antics while Cinbala was absolutely disgusted.

“I like ya, boy,” the man said appreciatively. Hearing him confuse me for a boy was like music to my ears. Ever since Gahn started flirting with me, I've been feeling like a stupid girl.

“Um, father, that’s a girl,” Cinbala stated, acting as if I was a snot-nosed child.

“A dickless bastard are ya?” he grinned, showing off rotting and missing teeth, “That’s fine by me. Any girl willing to practice the fine art of belching is all right in my book.”

“You’re okay, old man,” I replied. This was the first time a stranger praised me for being me. His eyes narrowed and he leaned closer to me.

“Who’re callin’ a ‘man’?” he slurred, sounding a little offended. I’m sure he meant to say ‘who’re calling old?’, but he was obviously too drunk to know better.

“Your daughter,” I said casually, ignoring Cinbala’s indignant squawk. The old man laughed out loud and muttered ‘well said’ over and over. Then again, maybe he really did mean what he had said a second ago… Cinbala was a lucky woman. I wish I had a father like him!

“So,” Cinbala interrupted as she leaned against Gahn and batted her eyelashes at him, “Will you escort my father and I to Deep Pond? It’s not far from here and I need help since my ankle still hurts.”

The old man, who I’m now calling Goat, rolled his eyes. Apparently his daughter clung to any man she met. How on earth was such a charmer still single? I didn’t feel one ounce of sympathy as Gahn appeared uncomfortable with her attention. Now he knew how I felt.

“You’ll have to ask her,” he answered as he glanced at me. What? Can’t speak for yourself? I cooed maliciously in my mind. He was probably hoping that I would refuse.

“Why not? It’s on the way”, I replied, feeling generous. Who could say no to helping a drunken old coot like Goat?

Cinbala cheered and clung to Gahn’s arm before I moved to help Goat walk in a straight line. We could at least take them to the outskirts, but I wasn’t going in. As I mentioned before, I was banned from Deep Pond. Originally, I was banned from Maple, but the psychic, whose bodyguard I killed, had since moved to Deep Pond. A psychic was nothing more than a servant of a priest or a ruling official, but they have more authority than a village elder or a mayor and can bend the laws of the town as they pleased. If that psychic should see me in Deep Pond, there could be trouble.

“So brave knight,” Cinbala said flirtatiously, even though she was breathing heavily from all the limping, “What is your name?”

Ah, and that brings me to…

Gahn’s List of Things He Hates the Most: Item #3 - He hated it when people worshiped him after finding out who he is.

I opened my mouth to cheerfully tell them, but a rather cold glare silenced me. Maybe I was pushing it…

“I’m Jethen,” he replied, offering no more information than that.

My blood ran cold at the mention of that name and I began to glare at Gahn. Where did he hear that name? Goat noticed my change in demeanor and asked, “S’matter?”

“Nothing…” I ground out. I’m probably just overreacting. It was a common enough name in the Silver Country so maybe there wasn’t any significance in the choice. Goat let out a sigh, like most elderly men do when they were about to give a speech on life. I found that the old man became more eccentric the more sober he got. I was actually curious of what he had to say.

“That kid o’ mine can’t get a guy ta like her even if she stripped naked and covered herself in bacon. She lays it on too thick!”

…Did I mention that I love Goat? That was the best (and most disturbing) mental image I ever had. He had interesting things to say that have nothing to do with the current subject…or so I thought.

“…So don’t ya worry ‘bout her grabbin’ on yer man. It won’t last,” he reassured me while knocking the fist that was placed around my shoulder against my shoulder guard.

“Huh?” I used to take pride in being able to decipher the senile language of the elderly, but this time I was stumped. He gave me a sly smile and winked.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed ya starin’ at him possessively. …Well ya were till ya got that murderous look on yer face. Please don’t kill her, she’s all I got left ta cook fer me.”

I only blinked as he let out a bark of laughter over his apparent joke. I haven’t been staring at Gahn! …At least not ‘possessively’.

“I haven’t…” Suddenly I figured out what Goat was trying to imply, “I’m not jealous!”

Goat laughed louder as I felt a blush coming on. Gahn and Cinbala clearly heard my outburst. He really was a senile old fart! Well, you always hurt the ones you love…

“Can we take a break?” I asked in a voice that was a little too loud for my liking. I instantly let go of Goat and he fell to the ground. He didn’t seem to notice the impact and even started rolling away.

“But it isn’t much farther…” Cinbala protested with a pout when Gahn let go of her.

I glanced down at her ankle and noticed that it was an angry red. I could see that the swelling was getting worse because of her walking on it. Even though I didn’t intend it, calling for a break was a good call considering her condition. I examined our surroundings and noticed a line of trees to our west. There must’ve been a river nearby for the trees to drink from. And if there was a river, then there might be herbs…

“Your ankle will get worse if you keep walking on it,” I explained as I helped her sit down on the grass, “I’m going to get you some herbs to help your ankle. I will only be gone for a few minutes and we can leave as soon as I tend to your wound.”

A look of gratitude filled her eyes followed by guilt over whatever initial misconception she had about me. I stood up and headed for the tree line, trusting that Gahn would stay and watch them in case a Demon Shadow appeared. So Gahn was right, I wasn’t completely a cold-hearted bitch. I had my moments where I was willing to help others. But my actions had an ulterior motive; I’ll get a few minutes to myself during this little trip and regain my peace of mind.

When I reached the tree line, I found that it was almost a tiny forest. I could hear running water in the distance, confirming my earlier theory. I could already see all sorts of herbs and other plants lining the tree trunks and the ground, but none of them were the ones used for swelling and pain. …Oh hey, poison ivy! I remember when I accidentally squatted over… I don’t want to talk about it.

There were several tree roots jutting out from the ground, forcing me to watch where I walked. All in all, it was incredibly peaceful in here. I reached the river and found a small patch of herbs a few feet away. I examined them and found that they were the ones I was looking for. I noticed that the ground was a little clean, void of grass and weeds. I guessed that it was someone’s private garden and snipped off just enough to treat Cinbala. I’m sure who ever maintained the garden wouldn’t mind a few leaves missing.

“Hey!” I snapped as I turned to face Gahn. He looked only mildly surprised as I pointed at him. He knew I could sense him, but he probably wasn’t expecting the shout, “You should be protecting the old man and his daughter.”

“They’re not too far. They followed me to the edge of the forest. I was just checking on you since you were taking so long,” he explained hastily.

Oh please… I haven’t been gone for more than four minutes. More like he wanted to escape the clutches of Cinbala. Still, making her walk, even in such a short distance, was rather reckless. Not only that, he left Goat to fend for himself. I had no doubt the old man could take care of himself, but I wasn’t so sure of his skill when it came to protecting his daughter. I clutched the herbs in my hand and got up from my crouching position.

“Just admit it, you missed me,” I teased as I turned and started heading towards him.

“You’re right,” he shrugged, not really sounding serious. “I missed you. And now I have you all to myself.”

I huffed and was about to remind him that we had a cow and a Goat to get back to, but I felt my foot connect with a tree root and lost my balance. I was able to move my foot in time, but I still fell face first to the ground. Luckily I caught myself before my face could crash into the dirt and my quick maneuvering prevented any broken bones. I was okay. The only thing that hurt was my pride.

“Are you alright?” He sounded concerned as he rushed to my side. I let out a sigh as I checked the herbs in my hand.

“Yeah, I…” I paused as I realized that this was my chance to abuse the first item in Gahn’s hate list. I kept reminding myself to ‘lay it on thick’ like Cinbala as I clutched my perfectly fine ankle and acted like I was in pain.

“Oh! I think I broke my ankle!” I cried pathetically. By the gods, this was embarrassing…

Gahn tried to check my ankle, but I kept clinging to his arm. I insisted that he would have to carry me and was dismayed to find that he was more than happy to. But instead of picking me up bridal style, he spread my legs and placed them on either side of his waist. He then supported me up by placing his arms under my bottom.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you,” he grinned as he rubbed his nose against mine teasingly. Damn. The bastard saw through my act. Then again, if Cinbala hadn’t really twisted her ankle, no one would’ve believed her either.

“You’re no fun…” I deadpanned. I shoved the herbs in my mouth for safekeeping and placed my hands on his shoulder guards. I used the leverage to lift myself out of his arms and landed on my feet before him. I then turned on my heel and headed back to the odd couple. I made sure to spit out the herbs before Cinbala saw me. What she didn’t know won’t kill her…

It was a couple of hours before sunset when we arrived in the outskirts of Deep Pond. I said my farewells to Cinbala and Goat before Gahn escorted them all the way to their house. Gahn already knew about my being banned and the story behind it. I had a feeling that Goat knew it too with the way he kept grinning and nodding as I told them I wasn’t going with them. He called me Demoness as we parted, indicating that he probably knew me from somewhere else. …Or it just could’ve been that he was a senile old fart and didn’t really know any better.

I set up camp at a nearby pond. By ‘set up’, I meant that I gathered stones and wood for a fire, laid out bedrolls, and hunted for an edible critter to eat. I had two rabbits cleaned and ready to cook… It wasn’t that I couldn’t cook, it was that I didn’t have the patience. Most meat I roast over a fire would either end up burned to a crisp or barely cooked. I tried my best with the current catch and watched them roast on a stick.

Gahn was late in getting back. I wondered if he decided to stay the night in town. …Or maybe he was staying with Cinbala and her father. Why did that thought upset me? Oh yeah. It’s because I have two rabbits and I can’t eat both. Stupid jerk…

The rabbits were done before I knew it. They were still a little raw and bloody deep down, but overall done. I was afraid to let them cook longer. With my luck, they’d end up black and dry. I let them cool on a clean stone and thought about what to do. If Gahn was going to stay the night, he surely would have told me. Maybe something was delaying him.

Trusting that the area was safe enough to leave food unattended, I stood up and headed back towards Deep Pond. I wasn’t planning on going in there, I just wanted to see if he was on his way out. I soon found the reason of his delay when I reached the top of a grassy hill. Gahn was surrounded by the dead bodies of at least twenty Demon Shadows and was about to fight the last one. I figured that the idiot psychic must’ve sensed him and warned the local priest.

While most of the Demon Shadows that attack us are from the Silver Country, some are sent by priests of the towns we’ve visited. It doesn’t happen often, only if we cross paths with a psychic. I would’ve helped Gahn out, but I already took off my armor and left my sword at the campsite. Demon Shadows usually fade when twilight comes so I thought it was safe.

Gahn sensed me and glanced up. I could see that he was getting tired from fighting. Well, too bad for him. There was no way I was going to use any spiritual spell this close to town. I watched on as he was about to make a finishing blow. Suddenly a claw came up and managed to strike him. He flew back a few feet and landed on his side, but not before one of his blades sank into the beast’s neck.

“Gahn?” I called out as the bodies began fading. He wasn’t moving. I quickly ran over to him to him and pushed him onto his back. I was rather envious that some dim-witted Demon Shadow managed to hurt him whereas I couldn’t. I was getting worried when he wouldn’t respond to me. What on earth happened to him?

Thanks to his damn armor, I couldn’t tell if he was breathing or listen for a heartbeat. I placed two fingers at his throat and found that his pulse was faster than normal, but that was probably due to the fighting. I was frustrated that I couldn’t see any wounds in the fading daylight and had to feel around for any blood. My hand brushed back his bangs to see if there was any damage to his forehead. But before I could pull away, I suddenly felt an arm against my lower back.

I was now laying on top of him as his eyes opened. He reached for my hand that still in his hair and kissed my knuckles, “If you didn’t care about me, you would’ve left me here.”

I froze in realization that he faked it all just to prove a point. Damnit, I just proved him right… Suddenly I remembered our bet and turned my head only to find the last rays of sunlight sinking into the horizon. Ugh! I should’ve just left him there and went back to the campsite! Gahn let go of my hand so that he could fish for the ring in his pocket. I snatched the damn thing out of his hand and begrudgingly jammed it back on my ring finger.

I stopped him when he tried to pull me down for a kiss and warned him, “You may have won this battle, but you haven’t won my heart. Don’t expect me to suddenly accept you.”

“No,” he conceded as sat up with me still in his lap, “But I’ll make you love me someday. It’s one of my goals in life.”

Arrogant jerk…

“Goals, huh?” I scoffed as I rolled off him. He got up and picked up his fallen swords. I soon stood and began walking to the camp.

“Don’t you have any goals?” he inquired behind me. “I mean in the future. You can’t be a mercenary forever.”

Like hell I can’t, I thought fiercely, but I knew he was right. I never really thought about the future before. I figured that if I hadn’t died yet, I could go on being a mercenary. But what would happen if I manage to live as old as Goat? I doubt wrinkly, arthritic legs could get me far.

“What about you?” I countered, hoping to direct the conversation away from me. “I would think you’re at the end of your list since you became a general.”

Gahn caught up with me and slowed his strides so that he could walk beside me. “Actually, becoming a general wasn’t even a goal. I just wanted to secure the future of Evergreen and free the citizens of the Holy Citadel from the tyranny of King Zirin.”

“And after that?” I prodded, not even remotely angry at the mention of my former king. Who knew what the real story was back then. I heard that he was a bad king, but I couldn’t remember him doing anything particularly bad.

“After that, I wanted to start a family. My parents died when I was three, so I’m the only one left in my family.”

I turned away at hearing that. I didn’t know he was an orphan. But it made sense now that I knew. I heard that priests in Evergreen’s temple raised him until he was old enough to join the army. At least that was what the storytellers would say about him. They made no mention of his parents. Ever.

“I found someone I want to be with. Now I just have to convince her to love me back.” He was slowly getting closer to me as he spoke. I sidestepped him when he reached out to grab me.

“Not happening…” I reminded him lightly and I turned my nose up. He let out a small chuckle, sounding almost sad.

“I know. We can’t always get what we want.”

Ain’t that the truth… I could list several things that I wanted, but had to give up on. Becoming a paladin was one of them. …Making Gahn suffer was another, but I seem to fail at that.

“If I had my way,” he continued, sounding a little mischievous, “I would’ve slept with you the day I knew that I loved you.”

I almost choked at the admission before I turned to glare at him. “You would’ve raped me?”

His features took on a sly and seductive look that made my knees feel weak. I caught myself before I could trip.

“I don’t have to rape you if I can make you want me,” he smirked. I wasn’t sure if I heard him right at first. The very notion was a laugh. If I hadn’t been attracted to other guys (…or women) before, what made him think he was different?

I made a haughty scoff and muttered, “Yeah right.”

It was after I said those words that it suddenly got quiet. He was soon in my face with predatory eyes that were almost glittering with danger.

“Want to try me?” he asked in a deep, husky tone. I felt my mouth dry up and forgot what I wanted to say. I didn’t know what was happening to me. I thought I was feeling fear, but it was some new feeling that I never felt before.

“N-not particularly…” I managed to stutter when I found my voice again. I was shocked to find that I was backing away from him. His features lightened to a gentle look and he placed a hand on my shoulder to stop me. That hand was on a safe area thank the gods…

“Then I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

“Then you don’t really want me,” I challenged as he pulled away. What was I doing? I was already in dangerous territory as it was! But to my relief…and surprising disappointment, he just turned around and headed towards the glowing campfire in the distance. It was already dark around us and the early spring air was cooling down for the night.

“I could force you, but I would rather wait. I want you to love me,” he started quietly.

And I don’t want to love you, I countered in my mind as I began to follow him.

“What’s the point in having your body for one night when I could have you forever? Sometimes sacrifices have to be made in order to get something better.”

Gahn’s words struck me. I’ve always lived for instant self-gratification. Get work, kill criminals, and get paid. I don’t think I ever waited for something I wanted before. I don’t think I could ever give up anything for something that’s supposedly better. If it’s not available now, then what’s the point in waiting for it? But that epiphany aside, I hope Gahn is willing to wait till death for me because I’m not going to fall for him any time soon!

Gahn stopped by the campfire and looked down at the meal I prepared. Thankfully it was still there. Some wolf could’ve taken it while I was away.

“Glad to see that you cut them up into smaller portions instead of cooking them whole this time,” he commented with a smile.

“Shut it!” I snapped, still sore about my lack of cooking skills.

© Sorceress Myst 2009