Soon, the night came like the drifting wind. The road was covered from the shadow of the night sky upon their heads. Some of the village's houses gave off a dim radiated-like yellow light. Only candle lights could warm and lighten up a house in the village. Even though some of the houses gave off a hint of life like this, some of them were lurking with shadows.
Damien was walking down the street, and in his hand he held the girl he just saved. She seemed to have fallen asleep. His main objective was to find a way to pass the soldiers that guarded the south gate, but he didn't expect to find a girl who was being assaulted. And he couldn't just watch. Even though his plan failed unexpectedly, he didn't have a single thread of regret. After a while Damien found where she described as her home.
A small house that stood among others because of the apple trees that grew outside of the house. Inside the house gave off a dim candlelight. It was a sign that someone was already inside."It should be her family, but it could also be the soldiers that came after her." Damien came to a quick conclusion.
"There is a high chance that the soldiers found her home. Of course, no matter how idiots, they are still soldiers. And they have the authority to search houses if it's necessary. Damn it… maybe someone gave them the way to her house just to have some coins." Damien's thoughts formed in a second.
"Whatever, I still have the sword in my hand," Damien muttered before checking his wrist belt and confirming. Then he took a gaze at the girl in his arms, still sleeping. Her hair was a mess all over her forehead. Damien leaned in and gently blew, trying to move the stray messy hairs from her forehead. He could see her face becoming more and more red while this. "She's cold again, huh." He calmed his mind down, braced himself for everything, and got closer to the door.
Knock, knock, knock
Damien knocked three times before it opened. There weren't any soldiers at all, but a woman. Her hair was messed up and dropped to her face, and he clearly spotted the eye bags under her eyes. Even though all of this, she still looked beautiful and mesmerized. Her face was chubby like Lila's and kind of reddened up not from embarrassment but from crying. She wore an old but still charming green dress. Damien easily saw through these resemblances. It was Lila's mother.
Hump, hump
Tears dripping from her eyes: "Lila, my daughter. Where… where have you gone?" she yelled after seeing Lila in Damien's arms. The yell was filled with concern and some gloomy sadness. And this sudden voice of her mother caused Lila to wake up from her sleep, looking confused. And just after seeing her mother in front of her, she broke free from Damien's arms and ran over to her mother, hugging her tightly. "Mother…"
Damien stared at both of them, Lila and her mother both filled with tears. This moment reminded him of his mother. Even if Damien was a bit late, she would be worried like this. That's how strong the love between a mother and a child was. It was more magical than the river of magic itself.
"And who might this young man be?" Lila's mother asked while wiping off tears from her face.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Damien." Damien politely turned and introduced himself while scratching the back of his head. "I'm Lila's mother, Katharine. And how did you two meet, Lila?" Katharine who was Lila's mother, said while getting a good look at Damien, although still filled with gratitude.
"Mother, he is the one who saved me from the soldiers." Lila explained everything, while her mother offered Damien a seat and brought him some tea. While enjoying his tea under the candlelight, Damien still had to fill up the rest of Lila's story from time to time. But her mother listened to them carefully and with full caution.
"And after that he saved me from them, and treated my wound, he carried me all the way home," Lila said while looking at Damien. Her face was reddened up again, but she never took her eyes away from Damien.
"Oh, it must be God sent you. Even going as far as offending guards to save my daughter. I can't… I have no words, Damien." Lila's mother spoke with gratitude filled on her face. Her face was filled with happiness, but when Damien got a closer look from the candlelight she looked a bit gloomy and sick at the same time. Like she was incapable of repaying this.
"We don't really have much coins on us," she said while gazing at her hand."But if I can, I would give everything." After that she took a ring off of her arm. "This is the only valuable thing in this house. Please accept this, Damien." Lila's mother spoke while looking away."
Mother, no… that's the ring that father gave…" Before she finished her sentence, Lila stopped, Katharine looking at her with concern and tears on her delicate face.
"No, I can't accept this. I didn't save Lila for some reward." Damien rashly stood up suddenly. "I did it because I wanted to. And a beautiful girl like Lila, how could I possibly not think about taking her away from them. If I had the chance, I would take Lila for myself and take her home." Damien's words came out straight from his heart; he didn't even think about what he just said.
Lila and her mother looked at each other and again at Damien. For a while no one spoke a single word."Ohh… what did I even say, taking her home. Stupid, stupid." Damien was blaming himself. "This is what I get from not speaking to girls.
"Lila stared with a reddened face, constantly looking away and staring back again at Damien. And finally, her mother broke the silence: "I didn't know it was like that. Lila, you too feel that way?"Lila nodded, trying to hide her face. "Yes… I feel that too," she muttered.
"Oh, it's fine, I didn't mess it up." Damien was lost in his thoughts. "I politely declined her reward and Lila seemed to feel that way too. Pewh… finally I can go back to the dark forest." And just as he began to feel relieved—
Katharine seemed to be lit up, her face filled like a newly bloomed flower and nodding.
That moment Damien and Katharine spoke at the same time: "Then you should get married as soon as possible."
"Yes, I should go as soon as possible." Damien froze mid-sentence and even his heartbeat seemed to stop.
"What… what… marriage?"