: Couldn’t Escape

"Hey." Kayda said nonchalantly.

Micheal smiled mischievously as he held his hands behind his back.

"What are you doing?" Kayda asked as she looked at him with a raised brow. She had learned that Micheal hadn't really outgrown his childish side over the years. He would usually show it around her now as they had gotten closer. But he was cold and authoritative in front of the other knights.

Micheal grinned at Kayda's question. "Close your eyes." He ordered.

Kayda was skeptical but complied with his demand.

Suddenly, her nose was overwhelmed by the scent of flowers. But the smell was oddly nostalgic. Like she had smelled it before.

She couldn't quite remember it no matter how hard she racked her brains. It started to annoy her.

Seeing her nose twitch and her brows knitted together in concentration, Micheal laughed. "Open your eyes."

With a flutter, her eyes opened and took in the sight before her.

Right in front of her face was a small bouquet of pure white flowers overwhelming with soft and silky petals. On the tip of each petal was a bright and gem like green while the petals shaped into tear drops.

They were overwhelmingly beautiful and Kayda felt a rush of emotions engulf her.

"Some of the knights got back from a dungeon down at a port town. They happened to bring back some souvenirs and one of them brought back these. Kaydathiums. The flowers you were named after, right?" He smiled brightly while holding the flowers out to her.

Kayda stood frozen to her spot, staring at the flowers with a blank expression.

Slowly, she reached out and held the flowers to her chest. Her eyes had turned moist and it took every fiber of effort not to let the tears fall from her eyes.

Calming her shaking hands, she looked up at Micheal with calm and steady eyes, a complete contrast with the earthquakes happening within her.

"Thank you." She said in a soft voice.

Micheal smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.

Looking down at the flowers, Kayda gently touched one of the soft petals. "Michael. Can I ask for a favor?"

Micheal looked at her and didn't hesitate before he smiled while saying sure, not at all worried that she would ask for anything unreasonable.

Kayda hid her eyes behind her lashes. Not looking at Micheal while she conveyed what she wanted.

Hearing what she was asking for, Micheal's expression turned serious as he looked at her with a solemn stare. He listened to her intently and nodded his head a few times while listening to her speak. There were a few times where she had to persuade him but once she was finished, she had gotten the answer she had wanted.

Kayda sat by the window in the room, looking at the flowers in her lap. She couldn't stop gently petting the flower's silky petals and breathing in their fresh scent that was unique to this sole flower.

Aylin walked in on that exact moment and saw Kayda with her silver hair breathing in the scent of beautiful white and green flowers with a look of pure content.

"Miss Kayda." Aylin called out grabbing Kayda's attention from her flowers.

Tearing her nose away from the soft and fragrant petals, she looked at Aylin curiously. Wondering what she called her for.

Aylin went forward and started tidying up the room, even though there wasn't much to do as Kayda never made a mess or slept on the bed. "If you would like, I could dry and press those flowers into a bookmark so they last longer. And I can make the extra into perfume." Aylin excitedly offered while trying to contain her anticipation in doing some sort of craft.

But Kayda easily noticed her excitement. Looking down at the flowers in her lap, she finally noticed that some of the petals were wilting and that they weren't going to last much longer.

Kayda nodded. "Ok."

Aylin was instantly overjoyed and gently took the flowers from Kayda while rushing out of the room like a wild wind.

Later that afternoon, Maggy came in with dinner and started to teach her more on how to speak the language of the Eastern continent.

Maggy had taken time out of her schedule to teach Kayda an hour during every meal time this entire week, resulting in three hours a day. This allowed Kayda to absorb as much as she could in this time.

"That's wonderful miss! I can't believe how fast you're learning this. My old heart is having a hard time containing all my amazement." Maggy exaggerated while putting a hand over her chest like some kind of proud grandmother.

Kayda didn't think that it was that hard. She already knew three other languages so learning a new one wasn't that difficult.

Kayda gave a humble smile while thanking Maggy for her efforts.

The day passed and Kayda knew she had learned enough to gain a simple understanding and foundation of the eastern language.

The next morning, the moment Kayda opened her eyes, a light seemed to pass through them before completely disappearing.

The day went on like everything was normal, no change in routine or change in person.

Aylin had come by and dropped off a beautifully made bookmark with a pressed Kaydathium placed delicately within it.

Kayda played with the green tassel she tied onto the corner while staring intently at it.

Aylin grinned from ear to ear, preciving Kayda's intent and gentle stare at the bookmark as satisfaction.

She left right after as she came between chores.

Slowly, the sun laid to rest beyond the horizon and the moon took its rightful place in the night sky.

The residence became solem. Not a sound was heard within the walls as people, one by one, closed their eyes as the day came to an end.

Kayda sat at the window. Dressed in attire for moving and not for rest.

She stared at the moon, not breaking contact with the bright orb lighting up the night while her hand inattentively played with the tassel hanging on the bookmark.

Hours passed. She stayed as still as a statue.

Finally, the moon fell in position high in the sky.

She didn't waste a second more to tacitly swing open the window. She couldn't waste a single second more.

She stilly moved out the window. With quick and adept movements, she flashed through the courtyard.

She took turns left and right without an ounce of hesitation. Her expression was serious and solemn as she concentrated on the movement of her body and the disturbances in the air around her.

Quietly, she made it to a tall stone wall placed at the edge of the estate.

Her eyes scaling it up and down.

As she stared at the obstacle before her, a rustle of grass passed through the wind.

Kayda could feel her ear move to pick up the sound as she deafly turned to look in the direction the sound originated from.

From within the shadows, a figure revealed itself.

Looking at Kayda standing before him with an unwavering expression and a burning gaze that glowed through the darkness of the nights, Micheal could do nothing as he reached for the satchel at his side.

Taking the strap from around his neck, he tossed the bag at Kayda in which she caught it with one hand. With ease, she placed the strap around her neck so it could now hang at her side.

Micheal continued to look at her.

Her small frame seemed to be able to be consumed by the darkness. Her white blouse and black pants acted to accentuate her frail and thin frame.

Micheal could only give a sigh.

Walking up to her, he pulled a black cloak from his side and pulled the cloak over her to hide her face.

"Be careful." He muttered as he tied the strings together, successfully.

Kayda looked at him. Her emerald eyes flashing with a light that soon dimmed.

Looking away towards the grandiose estate in the distance, she remembered a bright and unhampered smile with pale and dim Hazel eyes.

That little girl's smile seems to still trap her mind. Even after she had kept her distance for such a long time.

"Micheal, meet me once a month at the inn you recommended. I'll give you three pints of blood you must give to Ceneth." Her eyes bore into him with all seriousness. "Do not let him know it was you who dropped it off."

Micheal looked at Kayda's determined gaze with a slightly confused expression. "Why do you need to give him your blood."

Kayda was taken aback for a second before her eyes narrowed. "You don't know why I'm here."

It was more of a statement then a question as she easily read into his confused and unknowing expression.

"What are you talking about?" Micheal had at first wondered why she had even showed up at this particular place. He had wanted to get answers from her, but with the way they had reunited, he didn't really have the guts to ask her in person. Especially since he couldn't get any information out of the servants who seemed completely ignorant to her reason in staying here as a guest.

But since he thought they had become closer over the past weeks, he started to lose the formalities.

Kayda sighed. Debating whether she should tell him. Depending on his response, it could either hinder her or help her.

She didn't care for his friendship, but he seemed to be loyal to the relationship he seemed to think he had built with her.

The question was, was this friendship strong enough to withstand his devotedness to this estate and the estates lord.

When she looked into his eyes, they urged her. Begging her to tell him.

Alright, let's see if he will become an obstacle or an assistance.

"They want my blood to find a cure for the young miss." Her words did not hold any emotion to indicate how she felt about it.

But she had carefully observed the change of emotion happening within Micheal.

At first he was shocked and wide eyed. He then conflicted with his eyes turning away, lost in thought and clashing beliefs.

But as she continued to observe, she saw how something deep inside him showed. A deep rooted anger.

But it wasn't being directed at her.

Yes, he was inwardly angry. Micheal grew up with Kayda in one of the darkest places in the world.

A place where it was a literal dog eat dog world and if you didn't soak your hands in blood, others would use your blood to soak their own.

He was lucky enough to be an average human with a scrawny frame and a weak constitution. So they used him to clean up the corpses left after a day of others enjoyment. But Kayda wasn't so lucky.

She wasn't human, and she was strong. And because of that, they used her. They used every ounce of her sweat and blood for the amusement of others just to satisfy a sick urge.

A deprooted rage filled his body then. A rage he felt when he saw how she was used along with his friends and family, just because they could. Just because she was different.

And because she couldn't get angry for fear of the captores that held a noose around her throat, he got angry for her.

He hadn't felt this familiar rage in a long time.

Of course he was conflicted when he heard that they wanted to use her blood to cure the young miss. Should he stay true to the loyalty of the house that brought him in, or should he bite the hand that feeds him for a friend that went through a hell worse than his.

But the more he thought about the conflicting decision, he realized, the reason he became a knight in the first place was to stop that disgusting practice of using the weak for others selfish gains.

And while his lord's reasons aren't selfish, it didn't change that fact that she was being used for her body for others' gains and not her own.

She was still being used even after escaping that place.

And that reason completely enraged him.