No Choice

Now, she had found herself alone in a village, which was in the dead of night. Edýia pondered whether it would be best if she stayed there for the night or went.

She was exhausted, but the thought of Haren catching up to her was terrifying. Tiredness and hunger were the least of her problems. No, she couldn't stay. She had to move forward.

Edýia nodded to her thoughts and began walking out of the dimly lit village into the darkness, quickly making her a little worried and scared of what things might hide behind the safety of the dark.

A low voice echoed in the village, making Edýia halt and turn to look at the village. She was wondering if Haren had finally caught up to her. She wanted to know at all costs, so she walked back in her footsteps, hid behind a house and peeked to see if she was right or if it was someone else.

Edýia gasped when her eyes fell on a tall, burly man, and she had received her answer since the people in the south were relatively small compared to northerners.

Haren stopped by Nyx, the same way that stopped Edýia not long before, with the same purpose, to find out if he was there to cause trouble.

" What brings you to our village?" Nyx asked as he measured Haren from head to toe.

" I'm looking for a girl!" Haren vaguely replied as he looked at the scrawny man in front of him, ready to squash him like a bug.

Nyx chucked " Aren't we all!" he smirked as he looked Haren in the eyes. Despite their tremendous height difference, the man stood and held his gaze.

" She is my sister!" he explained as he looked around the village. He was confident that she had come this way. She would have run to safety, and for him, she had chosen to follow Dak.

" I see! I thought you lived in the village on the edge of Fiahthyr forest?" Nyx questioned as he followed Haren's eyesight, glued to a house behind him.

Haren hummed " Is that so! She has two brothers, me and my brother Dakran!" he explained while walking towards the house he was staring at earlier.

" I remember two men passing through this village not long ago with a woman! Now that I think about it, you and the other man look alike!" Nyx commented as he followed Haren through the village.

" Don't think too hard. You'll hurt yourself! Edýia! I know you're here, so just come out!" Haren stopped in front of the house where Edýia was hiding.

Edýia breath hitched, and she closed her eyes, hearing Haren call her name. She knew even if she ran away, she wouldn't stand a chance and cursed herself for making such a stupid mistake in entering the village.

" Edýia, don't make me come and drag you myself!" Hare threatened as he took a few more steps towards the house.

Edýia shoulders slumped, and she stepped from behind the house with her hands raised in surrender and halted her steppes in front of Haren and Nyx. Now, she was dreading the punishment that Haren had in store for her, and she wished that her feet would move faster.

" Ooho, look what we have here!" Haren excitedly exclaimed while his expression was far from being excited.

Edýia looked at him sheepishly " You caught me, now what?" she dared to question while looking at Nyx with pleading eyes, but she knew he wouldn't stand a chance against Haren and her attempt to gain sympathy from him was pointless.

" Now we go back home, and believe me when I tell you that you won't see the sunlight until Dak returns!" he stated his punishment for her and took a step closer and grabbed Edýia by her hand, dragging her through the village.

Nyx looked at the scene before him and couldn't help but think that the man was a brute. He had no idea what the girl had done, but he was sure that she was far from being a criminal.

With that thought in his mind, Nyx waved his hand, and people stepped out of their homes holding pitchforks and axes, ready to fight the man threatening their peace.

Haren halted his steps, and Edýia grinned at the thought that she might see the light of day one more time before her brother ended her life.

Haren let go of Edýia's arm, unsheathing his sword, and took his position, ready to defend himself against the villagers.

" Let the girl go!" one woman shouted as she stepped down from the porch of her house and onto the road.

" Even if you are her brother, you should never treat a woman like that, you beast!" a man shouted from behind Haren as he approached with his pitch and a flaming torch.

" If you are truly her brother, why would you hurt her? I'm sure whatever she has done, it wasn't enough to be punished so harshly!" Nyx butted in as he looked at Haren's sour expression.

Edýia grinned " I accepted a man's marriage proposal, and he locked me in a room, then I stabbed in the shoulder to escape!" she tattled Haren's doings while looking at the people that now surrounded them and looked displeased hearing her words.

" Doesn't sound like she has done anything wrong, but you, on the other hand, should ask for forgiveness!" Nyx butted in again while the people around nodded in agreement, and Haren's displeasure increased tenfold

" She is my sister, lives under my roof, and I'll punish her as I see fit! Now, out of my way and stop poking your noses in matters that don't concern you!" Haren roared at the people around them, utterly displeased at how fast things were getting out of hand.

" Our village, our rules!" Nyx stood his ground and tried to save Edýia skin. Although Haren did have a point, and they wouldn't have interfered, he took pity on the girl.

Haren let a low growl and looked around him, and sheathed his sword making the men and women relax and sigh in relief, thinking that the man had finally seen reason.

" I don't need to stain my sword with your blood. My fist will suffice!" Haren commented, fisting his hands in front of him, and looked at them. He glowered.

Edýia panicked, seeing that Haren wasn't relenting, and decided to end things before blood would be spilt on her account.

" Please, there is no need for bloodshed because of me! I'll come home with you. Just let these people be!" she softly added as she started to walk as the villagers made way for her to pass.

" You make it sound like you have a choice!" Haren mocked as he followed her.