Rom was the first to reach the house, with Dak closely following behind him, trotting on his horse, seemingly unbothered by the impending threat.
Pulling on the reigns to stop in front of the house, he unmounted the horse and tied it to a pillar next to it. He took a deep breath and walked towards the house, halting his steps in front of the door to take a moment to gather himself before seeing Edýia.
Rom lifted his hand to knock on the door, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to knock on the door, feeling a little nervous to see the girl that he had fallen in love with and not knowing what to say to her the moment she opened the door.
Dak's heavy footsteps broke Rom's train of thought, bringing him back to the present, where he stood in front of the door with his hand in the air.
Dak chuckled " Terrified of a small thing like her?" he jokingly muttered while approaching the house, stomping the ground beneath his feet like a giant.
Rom turned to look at Dak with a small smile " A little!" he shyly replied while turning his attention back to the door and finally finding the strength to knock on it.
" Who is it?" her soft voice echoed from behind the door while Rom held his breath when he heard her sweet voice.
Rom froze in his spot, unable to answer her question, while Dak chuckled, " It's us, Edýia! Open the door!" his raspy voice cut through his muddled thoughts, making Rom jump from his dazed state.
The clicking sound of the door unlocking made Rom pant, feeling his blood rush to his cheeks and his ears burn like hot iron while Dak chuckled and shook his head bearly, containing his laughter at the sight of Rom's state.
" I'm still baffled at how a small thing like Edýia can turn the man who stood up to Haren into this!" Dak pointed in an amused tone while waving his hand at Rom to emphasise his point.
The door slowly creaked open, and Edýia appeared in front of them. Rom took a silent breath in when his eyes met hers and couldn't help himself but stare at Edýia, who had a bright smile on her face; her eyes shined with joy, while for the first time since Rom had met her, her curly hair cascaded over her shoulders like the rays of the sun that caressed the hills of Hessia.
Edýia blushed when her eyes met Rom's " You're back!" she beamed with a child-like smile while crashing into Dak's sturdy chest and hugging him, making Dak hiss in pain when she pressed on his wound with her arm.
Dak put his big arms around her shoulders, covering her so that the only thing Rom could see was the golden waves.
Dak chuckled " Good to see you, little one!" he lovingly whispered while bending down and kissing the crown of her head.
Edýia giggled and pulled out of his embrace, turning to look at Rom." Glad to see that you have returned safely!" she shyly greeted him while her cheeks fervently burned under his gaze, and the memory of his lips on hers came rushing back like a tornado, that wreaked havoc in her heart.
Rom let out a shaky sigh and bowed " I'm glad to see that you are well, Edýia!" said Rom in a wavering voice, feeling his heart would jump out of his chest at any moment if he didn't do something about it.
Her sheer presence turned everything inside him upside down, and for the first time in a very long time, he felt utterly powerless.
Edýia bowed in return and walked inside the house, followed by Dak, who couldn't stop grinning and dragged Rom along inside the house, seeing him incapable of moving his feet.
Rom absently followed Dak, which tugged at his tunic and sat him down on a chair while doing the only thing he could do and followed Edýia with his eyes wherever she went inside the room.
Dak saw that Rom was bewitched by his sister, and he couldn't help but be amused as he had never seen a man look at his sister like he did.
He now knew that his sister would have a good life with Rom if she decided to settle with him, and whatever worries they had regarding her future they could put to rest since Edýia would be safe with Rom, but not the same coould be said about him.
While Edýia kept herself busy laying the table for them to have some food, Dak stepped outside to bring Dahlia inside so they could closely watch her.
Dak lowered Dahlia's unconscious body to the floor. At the same time, Edýia watched the events unfolding with a questioning look that was directed at Dak, who just shrugged and walked out of the room, quickly coming back with a rope and tying Dahlia's hands and feet together so she couldn't move, just in case the witch had plans for another round.
Seeing Dak was mum, she turned her attention to Rom, who hadn't taken his eyes off her since she opened the door " What happened ?" she curiously asked while narrowing her eyes at Rom and stepping closer to him and finally saw the scratches on his face and judging by the state of the woman that lay on the floor she had gathered that there was a fight.
Rom shyly smiled and frowned " We fought, and she lost!" he cut the story short, not wanting to delve into the matter any further since he had lived through the unpleasant experience, and he felt that there was more where that came from.
" Oh! Will she be alright? She doesn't look very well!" Edýia pointed it out while looking at Dahlia's bloodied hand and face, knowing that Dak had something to do with that.
Rom cleared his throat " We don't know, the witch is possessing her, and it isn't a pleasant experience!" he explained to Edýia, who frowned and looked worried hearing his words.
" Did the witch possess you too?" she worriedly exclaimed while looking a little frightened at the prospect of that happening to any of them.
Rom heaved a heavy sigh " Yes, it was before I came here!" he explained in a pensive tone, remembering the feeling of his mind being invaded by the damn witch, using his body to her biding while he felt utterly helpless.
" How did you get away?" she continued her questioning, wanting to know more about the witch and what was happening outside since she hadn't had the opportunity to experience the world like others because of how her brothers kept her away from all the ugly things that occurred around her.
" The Queen's husband, he was the one that rid us of the witch!" he answered, looking at Edýia; Dak frowned and measured Rom's words, quietly listening.
" Hmm! Interesting! Dak absently hummed while Edýia and Rom turned their attention to him, wanting to know his thoughts.
" So, if the husband can break the bond, why doesn't he do it?" Dak posed the obvious question while intently looking at Rom.
Rom clicked his tongue " I didn't have a chance to ask him, but I think he can only do it one person at a time!" he assumed while taking a deep breath and shakily letting out.
" Hmm! I guess I will have to ask him when we meet him!" Dak concluded while grabbing the bowl and scoping food into it, and placing it in front of Rom.
Rom puffed his cheeks at the thought of meeting Ian again, already dreading when he would face the man.
The sound of the door closing with a thud snapped Rom out of his daze " You're back!" Haren excitedly exclaimed while making his way to where Dak was, next to the fire, and patting him on his back.
" What took you so long?" Haren teased, " You said you'd be back in two days; it has been five! You're getting slow, Dak!" Haren continued teasing his brother while looking at Rom, who sat there quietly, staring at him.
" He's got short legs, and we couldn't find a horse!" Dak explained, grinning, shifting the blame onto Rom, whose expression turned sour when Dak blamed him for taking longer than they thought they would.
" Blame the red, how lordly of you!" he chided while laughing at him while Rom frowned looking puzzled at the mention of the word lordly.
" You're a Lord?" Rom exclaimed in disbelief at the new information while Dak smiled awkwardly.
Dak nodded " I'm Dakran Vamadar, Lord of Gaerwen!" he correctly introduced himself while standing to attention with his thumb in the sword strap.
Rom cleared his throat, suddenly feeling uneasy around them now that he knew they were high-class people
" We are not that tight in the North; if you're worried about addressing me with Lord, you don't have to!" he leisurely informed Rom while placing the food on the table for the others.
" We don't have time for tea parties, ballroom dancing, and things like that when our land is ravaged, and our people die every day because of the creatures that freely roam our land!" he fervently preached while sitting in his chair at the table with a sullen look on his face.
"Gaerwen has been almost destroyed, and most people have fled to neighbouring villages further from the lake!" Haren added while he joined them at the table.
" Nobles, women, men, they all carry a sword and knotw how to fight, but we are losing! No one cares anymore about titles; survival is a priority!" he stated in a pensive tone while glaring at the plate in front of him.
Rom fell quiet, trying to imagine their life, where every day was a battle for survival, and the creatures had taken the little joys of life away from them.
Haren heaved a heavy sigh; his shoulders slumped while he scowled at the plate in front of him, reliving the memories of the days he had spent trying to stay and keep others alive. His guilt increased each day they spent in southern territories, living a quiet and peaceful life while his people fought and scraped for the food they put on the table.
Rom felt for the first that his life as bad as he thought, and his witch problem was a speck of dirt in the puddle of mud they were swimming in.
" We will leave tomorrow at sunrise!" he firmly stated while pushing the plate to the side, having lost his appetite after hearing their story.
" You should eat, the journey will be long, and we don't know if we will find food on the way!" Haren encouraged, finally looking up from his plate at Rom.
" I will eat later!" he asserted while placing his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his knuckles and staring into space.
Haren shrugged, eating his food while Dak did the same, gobbling it in a matter of seconds as it had never been on his plate.
Edýia stayed silent and listened to the story just like Rom did, trying to keep her composure, knowing well what kind of life they lived and how they fought to stay alive each day.
Rom clicked his tongue " I'll take first watch over Dahlia!" he broke the stifling silence while getting up from his seat to check on her, seeing that she shifted and groaned.
Rom fumbled in his bag and pulled out one bottle of the potions he had picked from her house, and poured it into her mouth, hoping that it would do the trick and wake her up, so she could have some food and water since he didn't know for how long the witch had been in control and she didn't seem to care whether she lived or died.
" I'll take over from you in a few hours so that you can have some rest!" Haren offered while getting up from his chair and clearing the table, helped by Edýia.
Rom nodded and proceeded to make his bed like last time in the same spot, not far away from Dahlia, who didn't show any signs of coming to her senses for the time being.
Edýia washed the plates while Haren dried them and tidied up to leave everything neat, leaving Rom's plate untouched.
" I will see you in a few hours! You can take my bed once we change!" Haren added while folding the towel and placing it on the counter.
Rom nodded and lay on the floor on his back, mulling over what they said about the creatures, seeing that they found it difficult to speak about since it brought so many painful memories.
Everyone left the room in somewhat awkward silence, leaving Rom and Dahlia alone.
Dahlia groaned and grunted while slowly opening her eyes to look around, but her sight was somewhat hazy, and she couldn't see much.
She tried lifting her hand, and when she realised she couldn't, " Help!" she breathed out, panicking, not recognising her surroundings and not understanding why she was tied up.
Rom pulled himself up to look at Dahlia, a little wary of her, not knowing if the witch was playing tricks on him or if she had finally let her free.
" Dahlia?" Rom uttered in a hushed voice, staying glued to his spot at a safe distance from her.
Dahlia squinted her eyes " Who are you, and what do you want from me?" she asked in a shaky tone, trying to pull herself up from the floor but feeling too weak, she lay back down on the floor
" Ron, we met while I was passing through the village; You helped us wake up the girl that had been touched by sorcery, remember?" he recounted the events while slowly pushing himself off the floor, still wary about her, waiting to see if she remembered anything from that day.
Dahlia forcefully blinked, trying to clear her hazy vision to have a better look at the man speaking to her.
" The red-haired man, I remember you!" she replied while attempting to push herself off the floor but to no avail; she slumped back, letting out an exasperated cry.
" Why am I tied up?" she asked, feeling vexed at the fact that she was tied up and had no clue why?
" Well, It's a long story, but I came to find, and the witch got to you first, and now we are here!" he cut the story short, leaving the details for later since he knew he didn't have a lot of time and the witch could return and at any moment.
" Oh! Help me up!" she asked, making one last attempt to push herself off the floor while Rom finally moved and gave her a helping hand but quickly put some distance between him and her when the memory of him getting kicked in the groin flashed in front of his eyes.
Dahlia let out a shaky sigh." Where are we?" she asked while grimacing at the pain that she felt when she spoke, feeling jolts of sharp pain in her face whenever she spoke.
" That's a long story!" Rom curtly replied while shuffling a little closer but still at a safe distance from her.
" When we last met you in the village, you spoke of your teacher teaching you about that kind of sorcery! Do you know how to break a bond made by blood magic?" he cut straight to the point without wasting any time, wanting to know if she knew how to do it; if she didn't, then all of this was a complete waste of time, and they were back to nothing.
Dahlia fell silent at his question; her expressions changed from pensive to worried and finally sullen." No!" she breathed out, frowning while lifting her head to look at Rom, who clenched his fists and looked utterly desolated at her reply.
" But Pelham would know!" she added while looking around the room with only the things one would need, a table and four chairs, a counter with some cupboards and a fireplace.
" Pelham?" Rom echoed while his expression brightened and followed Dahlia's line of sight.
" My teacher, but he doesn't live in Lathian anymore; he moved years ago to Gaerwen!" she absently explained while carefully studying the room.
Rom's eyebrows shot up at the village's name, and he quickly realised that her teacher and the seer they spoke about were the same person.
" Gaerwen?" he questioned, trying to see what else she knew about the village, hoping that she would shed some light on the events unfolding in the northern territories
Dahlia clicked her tongue." Before he left, he spoke about creatures and other unearthly beings; impending doom and the end of things as we know them!" she replied absently at the memories of Pelham, who sounded more like he had lost his sanity.
" Did he say what kind of creatures?" he carefully probed for more while intently looking at her waiting for the inevitable to happen.
Dahlia shook her head " He kept repeating the same word " Shikari"! I'm not sure what that means, but he left shortly after!" she recounted the events looking down at her tied hands, hoping that he would let her leave once he gets what he wants.
Rom hummed " Anything else you remember before he left? Does Líadan mean anything to you?" he curiously asked while narrowing his eyes, seeing that she lifted her head look at him but nothing came out of her mouth; she just stared at him.
Dahlia snickered " Well, well! What do we have here!? the witch commented, letting out a fake sigh of contentment.
Rom frowned " We are having a party! Would you like to join?" he sarcastically replied while hugging his knees, feeling confident that she wouldn't be able to escape her bonds.
" Don't mind if I do! After all you're a very handsome young man and I like fresh meat!"the witch replied licking her lips while Rom grimaced in disgust at the picture that she painted.
"I have allowed you to spend some time with the girl! That is a show a good faith on my part now it is time for you to hold you end of the bargain!" the witch bargained while trying to free herself from the bonds making Rom chuckle and sigh.
" You seem to be in a pinch!" he pointed out while getting up from his spot, pouring himself a glass of water and leaned against the counter.
" I never made a deal with you and I think I did your biding for far too long!" he stated in a serious tone while placing the glass on the counter and sitting at the table.
"I can give you whatever your heart desires; jewels, riches, women!" the witch bargained again, still trying to break free from the bonds.
Rom let out a wry chuckle " I want you dead! Can you make that happen!" he deadpanned while getting up from his chair, hearing footsteps aproaching; Haren was coming to take over from him.
" Enjoy!" he wished while meeting Haren in the doorway, to let him know about the witch.
Haren nodded and patted his shoulder "Go have some rest! I will deal with her!" he reassured while walking to where Dahlia was and did the same things a Dak did and rendering her unconscious, make Rom flinch a sheer violence Dahlia had to endure.
Rom walked through the narrow corridor and opened the door to the first room he saw in the dimmly lit corridor, walking inside the room and stumbled through in the dark until he felt something soft and assumed that it was the bed, ploping himself on it without too much thought.
Rom closed his eyes, feeling his body slowly overtaken by exhaustion and he slowly started drifting to sleep.
A soft moan and something moving next to him, made Rom open his eyes and pat the spot next him, only to feel something warm and soft under his hand, making him jump up and look around the room, but since it was pitch black he couldn't see a thing.