Reeve looked at the figure sleeping on the bed and sighed. He didn't know most of what was going on, but he was sure that it was worse for that girl. Imagine just being told one day that she was now being given to a zombie as a wife. Well, he imagined the worst kind of scenario, and it wasn't pleasant.
The girl abruptly woke up and sat on the bed. She scanned her surroundings, and she came to the realization that there was nothing familiar about them. That was if you discounted the zombie sitting by the table. It seemed to be thinking about something, considering it didn't notice she was awake. She coughed slightly.
"Oh, you're awake? How are you feeling?" asked the creature.
Eskaria remembered the scene from moments ago, where this thing re-attached its head after being decapitated. And then she remembered she was supposed its wife. Her complexion turned pink as she thought about this.
Seeing no reply, the creature extended its hand to touch her forehead. Eskaria panicked and tried to dodge, thinking it was about to do something lewd.
"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to check your temperature", said the creature.
Her what? Eskaria was speechless. She didn't know what to do. She allowed the creature to touch her forehead. Maybe it was some sort of bonding ritual, and if the Grand Priest found out she refused, he'd have her head. Unlike the creature, she didn't believe she could walk away without it.
As the creature touched her forehead, she felt a sense of comfort, which was really weird. The creature's hand was quite warm, which defied logic, considering it was dead, rather, undead. After touching her head for some time, the creature withdrew its hand and said, "Your temperature seems normal. Are you feeling better now? If you don't want to speak to me it's fine. Just nod your head."
Eskaria nodded her head. That word again. She didn't know what it meant. Did it mean her affection towards it? Maybe it wanted to check if it had any affection so that it would tell the Grand Priest? As these thoughts flooded her mind, her face turned pink, again. She didn't know if she was supposed to be more afraid of the creature or the Grand Priest. Technically, he was her grandfather, but he was more mysterious than her own ancestors, whom she barely even knew. Maybe it was the magic he had?
Back to the creature. It was staring at her, with some type of gaze that she couldn't even decipher. At first she thought it was just a pervert, and it was eyeing her. However, those red eyes which were barely visible in the dim light of the lamp, showed confusion. There was a slight shade of familiarity, but she thought that was absurd. They had never met before this. Well, she had seen it on six occasions, and on all those occasions, it was lifeless.
"If you're feeling better, then it's all good. So your father is the chief of the tribe?" it asked.
Eskaria hesitated, before nodding.
"I see. How many other Earth tribes are there?"
Hearing the question, she wanted to remain silent, but the creature seemed sincere. It's not like it could steal her voice if she spoke, right?
"Four", she replied, hesitantly.
"Okay. And all of them came from where?"
What kind of questioning was this? Why was this creature more interested in knowing these things, instead of knowing more about her? 'Wait a moment. Why am I even thinking of things like these?' her face turned even more pink as she thought.
Seeing the girl not responding, the creature said, "It's fine if you don't know, or don't want to answer."
"We migrated from a country called Alvarlon before I was born. According to my father, there was war, as the Three Kingdoms Alliance invaded the country. Our clan decided to migrate from Alvarlon to run away from the war. After crossing the borders, we came to this country. However, the clan chief died after the crossing, and there was a dispute over who would take over the clan. My grandfather decided to leave the clan with a small number of warriors, and my parents followed", she paused.
She continued after taking a few breaths, "We arrived in the southern part of this country, and invaded the small tribe that was living here. The others also split up and settled in various other places. That was how there came to be four Southern Earth Tribes."
"What is the name of this country and who is the ruler?"
"This country is called Vyren. It is under the Three Kingdoms Alliance, which is ruled by King Pectus Volo."
The creature became silent, as if it was thinking about something. Eskaria hoped that this was the end of the questioning. The knowledge she was giving this creature was basic knowledge. Why couldn't it ask her for more about her family and wellbeing instead of asking about these non-consequential things? 'Why am I thinking about this in the first place?'her face turned pink, again, as she thought.
There was a very awkward silence, which was caused by the fact that neither party knew what to do. One party had been left by their grandparent, unconscious in the hut, while the other party was just there waiting for said grandparent.
"Ahem. So what do you know about magic?" asked the creature, after a slight cough.
Eskaria didn't know if this was a serious question, so she decided to keep silent. Despite the silence, she didn't know much herself. There were only four people in their branch of the tribe who could use actual magic. One of them was her grandfather, while the rest were the apprentices he was teaching. Aside from that, she didn't know anything at all. The question now was, how would she confess her ignorance to the creature? 'Why am I even talking to it in the first place?' she thought, as a lighter shade of pink showed on her cheeks.