In time, the rain fully ceded, leaving behind only the damp smell of earth. I went to the fields to gather what I could, but my mind was completely absent. I kept accidentally mixing in useless weeds and even some flora that could be harmful if ingested.
Why am I so preoccupied with what they are doing?
I kept imagining them returning hand-in-hand, laughing together, and the picture genuinely stung. Damn it. I never should have spoken to Granny. Now, she had manufactured these annoying feelings that hadn't even existed this morning.
So lost was I in my own thoughts that time slipped away. I hadn't gathered much useful material, but I didn't care. I hurried home, anxious to see if they had returned.
Only those I had left were in the house.
"You seem pale, Lylly. Are you alright?" Demelza asked, turning to me.
"I'm fine, Demelza, just hungry. Did Eleanor return yet, Mother?" I walked past them and further inside.
I sat down, picked up an apple, and took a bite. It felt like swallowing tree bark; my stomach immediately rejected the food.
"She did. She's inside with your grandmother," Mother confirmed, busy with dinner preparations. "Go help them. They're taking account of the supplies we need from the city."
I slowly went inside, expecting to find the three of them. But he was not there.
"Hey, Lylly, is there anything you want from Malai?" Eleanor turned to me, completely neglecting to mention the man she'd left with. "We are organizing the summer trip with some of Granny's council friends. It's still weeks away, but I'd rather have your requests at the top of the list. Bear in mind, our budget is... slim. We probably won't go again until early winter."
I wanted a host of things, but my coin purse was light. First things first, though:
"How is it you're back alone? Did you find Ilianna?" I stepped further inside, striving for a look of detached curiosity. I couldn't just blurt out, where the hell is he?
Eli looked momentarily flustered. Had she seen through my clever phrasing?
"We did... she refused to come near us until I left!" she huffed, punishing a bag of innocent calendula. "He's with her now, I suppose. He promised her some lessons. I can't believe she didn't let me stay!"
A wave of shameful relief washed over me. I needed to go and check on them immediately.
"...Where are you going, Lylly?" Eleanor's voice stopped me mid-stride. I had nearly left without a word.
"I'm going to check on Ilianna. You must have frightened her," I declared, pointing toward the door. "I left the herbs I gathered outside. Go sort through that mess for me, will you?"
I left without waiting for her reply.
I ran past villagers who looked at me strangely. Me running wasn't that big a surprise, was it? But why was I running?
I stopped halfway, panting. Stamina was definitely not my strong suit. I walked the rest of the way to Alexander's house. Once close, I heard the telltale clashing of metal. Is he fighting?
I went around the back and saw two boys from that morning sparring awkwardly in the middle of the field—pitiful imitation of actual sword fighting.
Where are they?
"Lylly?"
I turned to my side, and there they were. Ilianna was clinging to his neck, seemingly asleep, wrapped in a blanket. Her hair was still damp from the rain, but she looked utterly peaceful, perfectly safe.
"H-hey... I heard what happened from Eli," I managed, trying to wipe the sweat from my frantic run and conceal my eagerness. "She is distrustful... but not with you, huh? You two seem close already."
I stepped closer and gently caressed her back, careful not to disrupt the moment.
He smiled softly, resting his head on hers. There it was: his real smile.
"I don't know why, but she seems to trust me. I need to be careful not to break it," he said, his eyes filled with more life than I'd seen since he woke up.
'She might, with our help, change his heart.'
Granny's words rang in my ears. He had met this girl only hours ago, yet he clearly cared already. Remembering his past injuries, perhaps his amnesia was a blessing. He must have had a terribly hard life. Why not stay? Why not at least try?
"Then maybe... you shouldn't," I said, keeping my hand on her back, striving to sound impartial. "Maybe you should just stay... at least until she is better. You promised her lessons, no?"
He looked straight into my eyes with an unreadable expression. Then he looked at little Ilianna's sleeping face. He looked so long, so deep in thought, I feared he would simply say no.
Before he could answer, Eli arrived with her friends.
"I see you were able to bring her out of that cursed forest. Good for you," she said, slightly breathless.
For Ehlite's sake, couldn't they have waited ten more seconds?
I got up, my face burning.
"Yes, she is a very shy little lady," he said, adjusting the girl slightly before turning to my sister. "I'm sorry, I never would have thought she might ask you to leave."
"Please don't worry. She just needs time. One day, we will be close, I hope." She shook her head, unable to decide whether to touch the sleeping girl. "You two look adorable together."
"Thank you, Eleanor. I'm sure you will be close soon."
Debatable. Though, now that I thought of it, Eli had spent more time trying than I had. I genuinely believed, however, that this little girl's unconditional need might be exactly what he needed to heal his mind.
"We heard this morning about a little fight with Jartok," a plain-looking brunette, one of Eli's friends, interjected. "Is it true you almost killed him with a single kick?"
She was spouting inflated nonsense. Zephyr had obviously won, but to someone who saw the entire incident, it was clear Alexander had been the aggressor.
"No, that's not... it's not what happened," he said, confused and slightly annoyed. He looked at me, and I understood him perfectly.
I told Eli and her little friends what actually happened.
"I can't believe he almost killed you," they were quick to condemn Alexander after hearing the true story. "...but, it sounds like you put him in his place." The two friends laughed like screeching seagulls.
Eleanor was giving me the evil eye, but I let it roll off me. I would fight... in my own way.
When I saw him smiling, gently holding that little girl, I knew I had decided to at least try Granny's words and see where fate would lead if I fought. It was sudden, yet not so sudden after all; I had watched him since he woke up. Granny's words had simply forced me to confront these hidden feelings and dissolve the doubts stemming from my bad experiences with men.
"...Hmm..."
Ilianna woke up, startled by the noise of the girls. She rubbed her face into Zephyr's shoulder and closed her eyes again. She felt protected once she smelled him and offered a small smile—a complete change from her fearful expression earlier.
"Hey, you can just go back to sleep, honey... I'm sorry we woke you."
She looked at me and stiffened under my gaze, but once Zephyr met hers, she relaxed again. She still looked distrustful, but... "Hmm... okay," her voice was shy but not hostile.
I felt happier than I should have, and the look on Eli and her friends' faces was priceless.
"Ilianna," Zephyr said, gaining her attention, and she looked right at me after his explanation. "She is my friend and the granddaughter of my benefactor. Her name is Lylly, like the flower."
"It's nice to officially meet you, Ilianna," I offered my hand, unsure if she would take it.
"Hmm." She shook my finger a little.
She then hid back into Zephyr's chest and pulled the blanket over her head. She must have done something under the blanket because Zephyr suddenly laughed out loud, lifting her high into the air, blanket and all. He spun slowly, having fun, and the little girl's laughter was so infectious it stopped even the sparring.
The scene looked so peaceful, like a father playing with his daughter. Alexander came over and tried his best to amuse her, which soon turned into a silly tournament of the four trainees and their master making various faces and beating each other up. It was a tranquil scene.
"You seem to have completely changed your attitude toward him, big sister. What happened?" Eli walked beside me, smiling at the group as she talked.
"You know what happened, Eli. You most likely asked for every second of it since we left," I retorted, enjoying her puffed-up cheeks. "My, my, you seem annoyed. Perhaps children are just not your thing. Or is it the man who holds them?" I pretended to think hard, then nudged her gently.
"What is this? Are you really interested in him now?" she kept her voice down, but gripped my elbow. "...and the kid didn't look in love with you either, if my eyes didn't cheat me."
I didn't want to upset her too much, but she did have a point. She had made her interest clear from the moment we found him. But did that mean she automatically won?
I looked at the wholesome scene in front of us. "Who wouldn't be interested, Eleanor?"
She looked at Zephyr as well. I felt a sense of relief now that the truth was clear and out in the open.
"I suppose you were right, Eli... our boring days truly came to an end."