1214-05-02
Liliko ? :
The day starts like any other.
I wake up to the sun glowing faintly behind a fog-filled sky.
I walk toward the center.
A large tent waits ahead, with women and children standing in a long line.
My mind keeps circling back to my conversation with Adrian. I wonder if I said the right things. Should I have thanked him? Should I have done something differently?
I catch myself thinking about him often. Why did he treat me with such kindness? Why me, of all people?
The wounds I carry run deep. I sometimes wonder if he could see them. I think about the Lion, a being I still do not fully understand.
Adrian holds his faith close, and it has clearly shaped him. Ahk is a country built on those beliefs, and Adrian shows that in everything he does.
My thoughts loop again and again around him until I find myself lost in my own mind. Part of me wonders if this is how he works his way into people's heads. Another part of me hopes he is genuine.
I stand in line. The sun casts a glow across the camp.
None of us have been sleeping well. The children complain about the strange sounds coming from the city each night.
The digging. The scraping. The endless noise.
Even I cannot sleep. Rumors swirl about movements from inside the city. Whispers of something happening beneath our feet.
WHUUSH
I flinch. I reach for a dagger that is not there. My hand grasps empty air.
I look around..
Lucius steps into line beside me. His presence is calm.
"It is good to see you," he says.
"Lucius, it has been a while," I reply, smiling back as the line inches forward.
"Have you been busy?" I ask.
"Not yet," he replies. " I have a feeling that will change soon."
He looks down at my hands. "How have you been holding up?"
"I have been good."
"I heard you spoke with Adrian."
"Oh… yeah."
"Can you tell me what you talked about?" he asks. He nudged me gently.
"We mostly spoke about family."
"Do you have any?"
"No. I mean, Itsu is the only family I have left."
"Itsu," he repeats, pausing for a moment.
"What about you?" I ask before he can go on.
His expression changes. His eyes grow tired.
"I am sorry," I say softly. "Did I ask something I should not have?"
"No, it is fine," he says. "I do have a family. Two sisters. Well, one is technically my cousin, but I see her as one. And I have a wife."
"Do you have children?"
He does not respond. Not right away.
"I always thought about it," I say, smiling a little. "But I don't think I'd be good at it."
"Why not?" he asks.
"I don't have the patience," I say
He smiles and says, "I think you'd make a great mother."
The line moves faster. Not many people are ahead of us now.
I look at him. "Tell me about your sisters."
Lucius shifts beside me. Then he starts to speak.
"My sister and I used to fight a lot," he says with a small laugh. "She was better than me. Smarter. Faster. Everyone liked her more. It made me so mad. I would yell just to wipe that proud smile off her face."
His smile fades.
"Then she got hurt. It was an accident. She couldn't walk anymore. Everything changed. Everyone looked to me after that. I had to carry the family. That's why I became a doctor. I wanted to fix her. I wanted to help all of them."
I stay quiet, watching him.
"What about your cousin?" I ask gently.
Lucius pauses. "That is complicated. I always knew she existed, but only recently found out we are actually family. She is tough. Always has been. I admire her. I would never admit it to her face."
He glances toward the line ahead.
"I should get going," he says with a small smile. "Take care of yourself, Liliko. Soon the gates will fall."
He steps out of line and walks away.
The line moves forward. I can't stop thinking about what he said. His words stay with me. They echo quietly.
I finally reached the front. The food is simple. A bowl of oatmeal, an egg, and some meat.
Nothing special.
But the way the staff treated me. How they treat us. The gentle tone, the warm smiles. It made my heart skip.
These are my people. No matter what happens, I care about them.
I eat slowly. I savored the warmth of the food. The eggs are soft, the meat just salty enough. It is not much, but it is enough.
After eating, I walk toward the far end of the center of the camp. Two guards stand watch, their expressions unreadable.
"I need to speak with Adrian," I say.
They glance at each other. One of them steps away without a word.
A few minutes pass before Adrian appears. His gaze lands on me. His posture relaxes slightly.
"This is Liliko," he says. "Rowan … allow her in anytime."
"Isn't she the one with the weapon?" Rowan asks, a faint smirk tugging at his mouth.
"Do not worry," Adrian adds quickly. "Everything will be fine."
He looks directly at me. His voice is softer now.
"I hope you enjoyed your food."
The guards stepped aside, letting me through. I followed Adrian past his tent, across a gentle slope that opened to a small patch of grass. No one else was around. No guards. No curious eyes. Just the two of us.
He turned. His eyes are unreadable, and he tosses me a sword.
"You trust me with this?" I asked, catching it.
"Of course," he said. "How else are we going to practice?"
We stood for a moment in silence. The wind brushed past us. Then our swords met.
The clash of steel rang through the quiet field. He struck with focus. I matched his rhythm. We move back and forth, blades cutting through the air, feet shifting on the ground. Each hit feels heavy. Not just from the weapons, but from what we hide inside. I look into his eyes, and for a moment, I forget this is a fight.
"You fight like you want to prove something," I say while swinging.
"I do," he answers, pushing me back with a strong blow.
"You're strong," I said. "Stronger than I expected."
"I am angry," he muttered.
We kept moving. Blow for blow. I stumbled. He caught me. I pushed back harder. He disarmed me in a final clash, sending my sword flying into the grass. I fell to my knees, chest rising and falling.
He lowered his blade. He stepped back.
"I am sorry."
"For what?" I asked.
"For fighting like that. I... I should not have."
"Why are you so angry?" I asked.
He opened his mouth. No words came at first. His expression cracked. His shoulders tense.
"Because..." he tried again. "Because I received some bad news."
I stood slowly, brushing dirt from my hands. The weight of the fight still lingered between us.
"What happened, Adrian?" I ask.
He looks away, tears filling his eyes.
"I'm … my …"
"This war ripped him away from me and tore apart my people leaving nothing but pain and loss in its wake! The emperor of Wara bears the full blame for this devastation and I swear with every ounce of my being that he will pay for what he has done! If this conflict drags on any longer I will not hesitate to reduce his entire kingdom to ashes burning it to the ground until there is nothing left to remember! My fury is boundless and my resolve is unbreakable! Justice will be served no matter the cost!"
His eyes keep welling up, and I wipe his tears.
"Was your offer real?" I ask.
"What do you mean, a real offer?"
"About letting me stay. About becoming a citizen of Ahk?"
He looked at me again, this time clearly.
"Yes," he said. "It was."
"Then I want to change my name," I said.
"You do not need to," he replied.
"I want to," I say with a soft smile. "Why would I keep the name of the enemy? I want to be called Lilian."
He gave a small nod. "Then Lilian it is."
A silence passed between us. Then I reached down, picked up the sword, and held it ready again.
"Come on," I said.
He smiled. He raised his blade.
"Then let us begin."
The wind is soft now. No words pass between us. Only the shifting of our feet, the slight tightening of our grips.
We move.
Blades flash but no words pass between us. No jokes, no teasing. Only pure focus. Our swords clash again and again. They each hit sharper than before. The quiet feels heavy.
Adrian fights with skill, but I hold my own now. I sense myself learning, adjusting, matching his rhythm. His moves are sure, but mine are calmer and more precise.
A step forward. A fake strike. I duck under his swing. I spin, and knock his sword from his hand.
It falls to the grass with a soft thud.
He looks surprised, but before I can enjoy it, I lose my footing. I stumble and fall right on top of him.
We hit the ground.
I gasp. Our faces are close. My hand presses against his chest.
I feel it. His heartbeat.
Steady. Strong. Clear.
My cheeks are warm. I try to pull back but stop. The heat of his body beneath me, the gentle look in his eyes now that the fight is done. It stirs something inside.
He looks up at me, breathless. Neither of us speaks.
My fingers stay pressed to his chest. I feel the steady pulse beneath my palm.
For a moment, everything feels still.