Rom's lips curled in a warm smile " Maya!" he called, and jumped into the river and ran to his sister
Maya lifted her head at the sound of the familiar voice and did the same as Rom and jumped into the river, meeting him halfway and crashing into his chest.
" I'm so happy to see you!" she exclaimed in a loving voice while squeezing his waist, making Rom groan.
" Why? What happened? Is Sylus not being good to you?" he shot the questions, not giving her time to answer them.
Maya lifted her head and released him from her embrace, wiping her tears with the back of her hand " No, Sylus is very good to me! I'm just glad that nothing bad happened to you!" she replied with a pout while craning her neck to the side to look at the mountain of a man standing behind Rom, with a tied woman in his arms.
Maya gave them a warm smile " I'm Maya, Rom's sister!" she introduced herself to the man.
" My name is Lord Dakran Vamadar !" he correctly introduced himself with a bow, making Maya raise an eyebrow.
Maya sweetly smiled and curtsied in front of Dak, making him chuckle " At least now I know where all the good looks and manners went!" he commented while glaring at the back of Rom's head as the memory of his behaviour towards his sister flashed back in his mind.
Maya raised her eyebrows at the comment and looked at Rom; she already knew he had done something he shouldn't have and gave Rom a questioning look.
Rom sighed " It's a long story!" he curtly replied, not feeling in the mood to go over the same story again.
" What did you do?" Maya demanded in a serious tone while slapping him across the shoulder, making Rom whine at the stinging pain and Dak chuckle.
" Beautiful and brave! A woman after my taste!" Dak exclaimed while eyeing Maya's sultry curves and her eye-catching red hair and green eyes.
Rom looked over his shoulder " She is not into trolls!" he smirked while Dak's lips twitched, and he growled.
" He kind of asked for my sister's hand in marriage, thinking she wouldn't accept!" he cut the story short while Maya gaped at Rom and scuffed his head, making Rom bury his head between his shoulders.
Dak's laughter roared in the forest, and he finally moved from behind Rom to stand in front of Maya so he could look better at her; he found her even more beautiful at a closer look.
Sylus quickly came into view at the sound of laughter echoing to the hut and froze in his spot when his eyes fell on Rom and Dak.
He seized Dak up and down and realised he was not from around these parts, and by the way he looked at Maya; he could only hope that it was pure curiosity and he had no intention of chasing after her.
Sylus finally moved from his spot and stopped on the river bank, waiting for them to cross the river.
" Let's go!" Maya encouraged and turned around and walked to where Sylus was, stepping on the river bank and taking his hand in hers.
Dak glared at their joining hands and lifted his head, and studied Sylus closely to see what was so special about him and why she had chosen him when he was a much better option. Haren was right; reds are much more beautiful women than any other, he thought to himself. If only his brother had been there to see Maya, he would probably steal her away and never returned.
Dak chuckled at his thoughts and crossed the river to where Maya and Sylus stood, looking at each other lovingly and giving each other sweet smiles.
Dak glared at Sylus and walked past them, climbing the hill to where the hut lay on the small hill.
Rom stepped on the river bank as well and nodded at Sylus " How've you been doing?" he asked while he watched Maya from the corner of his eye.
" It's been good! We did some work on the hut and changed some things!" he vaguely answered while Maya furiously blushed and looked down.
Rom raised an eyebrow and turned to his sister " Anything I need to know?" he probed to see what she was hiding, he had a vague idea, but he wanted to hear it from her lips.
" No!" she shyly mumbled while Sylus blushed and cleared his throat.
" Why do I feel that you're not being truthful!" he firmly stated while walking past them, and now he knew how Dak and Haren felt when it came to Edýia.
Tell me about the girl you asked to be your wife?" Maya quickly changed the subject, seeing that her brother was probing for answers he shouldn't know.
Rom blushed at the sudden thought of Edýia " It would best that you don't get your hopes up!" he exclaimed while moving past them, feeling displeased at the thought that he might not get what he wanted in the end.
Sylus gave Maya a knowing look and looked at Rom retreating " I think he is in love!" she whispered, bearly containing her joy at the thought that her brother had finally found someone to his liking.
Sylus's eyebrows shot up, and he turned his attention to Rom, that had almost reached the hut, doubtful that there was a woman who had succeeded in winning over the ever-brooding and sulking Rom.
Maya giggled and kissed Sylus's cheek, breaking his train of thought and pulling him up the hill to meet the others.
Rom entered the hut, sizing up the small room and couldn't quite believe that a queen had lived in such a small shabby place. He quickly realised that Sylus wasn't lying, and he could see that indeed they had made changes, as the new items clashed against the old things in the room; new stumps of wood that could be used as chairs were added, and there were a porch and a new bed.
" Your sister is a beautiful woman! I want to take her as my wife!" Dak shamelessly stated, getting up from his seat at the table to stand in front of Rom.
Rom looked up at Dak " You will have to ask her, not me! It is not me that you want as your wife!" he deadpanned while walking past Dak and sitting at the table next to Dahlia, who sulked for some unknown reason.
Dak hummed, and his eyes fell on the approaching couple walking hand in hand while Dak glared at Sylus; if looks could kill, Sylus would have turned into a pile of dust in a matter of seconds.
Dak cleared his throat " I want to take you as my wife!" he stated in a serious tone the moment they set foot inside the hut, without wasting any more time.
Maya and Sylus froze in their spot and looked at each other, puzzled at the sudden declaration.
Maya awkwardly smiled at Dak and let go of Sylus, making Sylus hold his breath and look worried at the prospect of Maya accepting Dak's offer.
He watched Maya stand in front of Dak, which towered over her, grinning ear to ear; seeing the wild difference in height between them, he lowered himself and stood in front of her on one knee with a pleading look in his eyes.
" Maya, will you accept?" he seriously questioned while looking at her expression to see if there was the slightest chance for him to sway her heart and accept him.
Maya cleared her throat " I don't know what to say!" she finally uttered in a shy voice while her cheeks burned hotter than the sun as the attention suddenly shifted to her.
Dak swallowed the lump in his throat " You don't have to decide right now. We will be leaving shortly to meet with the Queen, and you can tell me your answer once we return!" he said in a warm tone, a stark contrast to his usual balky attitude.
Maya gulped, feeling flustered at the sudden attention and unsure of how to answer his question without causing trouble to Rom.
She looked over her shoulder at Sylus, who had a sheepish look on his face, and she knew that if she delayed her answer any further, he would probably die right then and there.