It had been seven days since the message had been found at the border of the village.
The village was quiet with mournful silence and fear. Some villages snuck away in the dead of the night, leaving the village that promised them death behind. Besides, they were given three moons. Why couldn't they escape before then?
Unfortunately, not every villager was blessed with such resources to leave and never return. Many had their lives here, their families, and their livelihoods. Besides that, many of the surrounding villages feared that receiving visitors from the village of Ilusu might draw the attention of the Drakkons to them, so they turned them away.
It was better for them to die alone for their crimes against the Drakkons than for them to suffer along with the guilty.
But what crimes?!
They committed no crimes! They hadn't angered the Drakkons in any way, they had never even had any interaction with the cursed people until they left that message at the border!
But no one wanted to listen to them, instead, they slammed the door in their faces.
Chief Umbari had written to the seven Kingdoms of the Realm and the many little villages that he knew, but just like his people had been turned away and rejected, his plea for their protection had also been rejected.
All but one had refused him.
The Kingdom of Feytiviti.
It was like a wish come true, but what they requested for was beyond what he could give.
So, he kept it a secret. Hoping that the other villages that hadn't responded to them would have a positive message to give soon.
But more and more rejections did they receive and yet the Feytiviti's offer stayed a secret.
Five days had passed and it was now twelve days since the message had been found at the border.
It was on the day the Chief held a meeting with the villagers at the market square, about the rejections that had been received from different villages.
"We are left with no other option but to fight for our lives!" He declared to them and they returned to their homes with sadness in their hearts.
The Chief returned to his hut with his daughter holding the letter from Feytiviti. Her anger was plain to see and she had questioned him about why he kept this a secret.
"They want you in exchange." He replied. "You are no cattle, no sacks of grains—"
"Without their help, we will all die. Let me go, Baba."
"Silence, Child! You do not know more than I do."
"Baba, please," she fell on her knees and hugged his right ankle, tears welled up in her eyes. "Let me go so that we may live. Baba, please. If I do not go, you will die too."
"I do not care for my life." He tried to pull his leg away from her but she didn't let him go.
"What about the people?"
His hands balled into fists by his side and he stared on, caught between fire and a hard place.
"What if their son is a cold-blooded brute?! A savage? What if that is why he is still unmarried? There are so many kingdoms— why us? Why you?"
Her anger subsided and she heard the fear in her father's voice. She looked up, and she saw the fear in her father's usually guarded eyes. Her mother had died from labour and they had been each other's family since then. Her father was all she had, and she was all he had.
Instead of hating her for killing his wife like most men in his situation would do, he loved her and called her his Moon.
And anytime he looked at her, he saw his wife's love for their daughter. She loved their baby so much, she laid down her life for their Moon to live and gave her those eyes for her to see the beautiful Realm with.
How could he ever let her go without ensuring that she would be safe? Give her away just like that?
"My mother's spirit will guide me and protect me. My eyes are hers, that shall see no evil. Let me go, Baba and I will come back with children for you to play with."
A laugh vibrated in his chest and he pulled her up to her feet.
"No man can kill me, Baba."
His smile vanished and his face hardened with determination as he pressed his palm at either side of her head. "And you better keep those words. Let no man kill you."
She smiled.
He pressed a hand over her necklace. "May your Mother go with you. May our goddess never let you out of her sight."
"Si'en," she replied.
He cupped her face in between his hands again.
"Aryka, my daughter, my Moon," he pulled her into an embrace so she would not see him cry. "Sta
y alive for Baba."
"You too, Baba. Stay alive for your Moon."
She wept.