Eikthyrnir and Ylevä had exchanged uneasy glances, but relief was pervading their bodies and bones even despite their hesitancies and reluctance.
"So tell us one more time..."
"Do I have to?" Their looks said yes. "Alright, so, I kept running, and it turned from swamp into this cave- I guess where all the water had been but it had been drained or dried up- I don't know, but eventually I was underground. And the haze cleared- well, sort of. And it was really hard to breathe. I mean really hard to breathe- but then I almost ran into her and she was by herself. She said she got kidnapped by some pride that spoke a weird language and she asked me for my help. I said I would bring her back here as a thrall, and we went out the other exit- the way that she came through. She said they were scared off when they heard me coming so we weren't worried about running into them by going that way. I know. It all sounds like a lot..."
Two sets of eyebrows were raised. Very high. Looks were exchanged.
"Did you explain what being a thrall-"
"Yes. A little. Sort of. Not yet. I'll get to it."
"Where is she from?"
"I forget. Or maybe I forgot to ask." Siavash looked at the black lioness cowering behind him. She looked even smaller than when he'd found her, but she was just probably terrified. He cooed to her softly and bumped his head against hers to try to bolster her confidence. She smiled and whispered her thanks for only him to here. It was hard to tear his gaze away from her amethyst eyes but he faced the other reavers again.
"Ok but if it's a pride we're on good terms with-"
"Look, I'll figure it out, okay?" Siavash snapped defensively. There weren't that many prides that the Myrsky Stynyt were on good terms with so he was probably in the clear to hold onto her for a little bit longer.
"Excuse me, miss," Ylevä said kindly, side stepping Siavash to gain an audience with the lioness. She shank back a little bit more and tried to put Siavash between them. He just felt in his bones that there was something bad about her. Whether it was consequences of Siavash's actions or something malignant about the lioness herself, he had yet to determine, but he could read Eikthyrnir's expression and thought he felt the same. "Where are you from?"
The lioness looked to Siavash, as if for permission to answer, and he nodded. "Go on," he encouraged. She swallowed audibly and his heart went out to her.
"I-It's a small pride..." she spoke so softly that all three of them had to lean in to hear her. "N-not many recognize us officially, but..." all three of the males internally breathed a sigh of relief. Good. No political repercussions. Probably. "I was one of the heirs." Oh. Yikes. Maybe this could still cause them some problems. More looks were exchanged though the lioness seemed to be oblivious.
"I had an arranged marriage..." she continued, and now their interest was really peaked, "but it was to one of my half-uncles... He's old and ugly, either disfigured from inbreeding or his wretched soul... I was the daughter of the handsome and righteous king and a princess from another pride, but part of the family has been mated to itself again and again to keep the bloodline 'pure.' My father wasn't from that side, but his half-brother had his sights set on me since I was small..." She shuddered and began to silently cry. Siavash put his paw around her shoulder and she leaned into him. "I think..." her voice grew even softer, "that my uncle had my father and mother killed to get to me. There's nothing for me to go back to, there, but my captors were no reprieve. Siavash is nothing short of a miracle- even if I have to be one of his 'thralls' or whatever they're called..." She leaned even further into him.
Siavash looked at the reavers, feeling as though they were on trial and the pair were judge, jury and executioner.
"Well? Are you both satisfied?" He asked pointedly.
"Well... " Ylevä started, uncertain. "We won't make you go back to your pride. We can conceal you here, if we have to," he offered to the crying female, which managed to coax a smile from her.
Eikthyrnir stayed quiet. What would his sister think? He hoped she wouldn't blame him for what his nephew had gotten himself into. Oh and gods... what would their mother think?! Chayah still bore the scars from when she and their half-sister, Kifuani, had been captured and taken as a thrall into the pride years ago. She had a very strong and disapproving opinion of any of her children or descendants becoming reavers, and was prone to bouts of rage and fury on the occasions where she'd learned any of them had taken thralls. He gulped. Maybe he should go back out to the rouge lands for an indefinite period of time- or however long it would take for things to sort of blow over... But whatever bad feeling about this lioness that Ylevä had, Eikthyrnir felt it exponentially so. He couldn't put his paw on if it was because he was afraid of Adelheid's and Chayah's reactions, or if it was something about the pride she came from, but he felt it was most likely rooted deeply in the lioness herself. His white eyes seemed to be boring a hole into her, he felt himself wishing he could See and have visions at will, but he wasn't that powerful of a seer, despite his god father and god grandfather lending their divinity. He frowned and switched his gaze to Siavash.
"Are you sure about this?" He only addressed his nephew.
The lioness looked up at Siavash with baited breath as she waited for his answer, but he only squeezed her closer to himself.
"Don't worry," he told her, before locking eyes with his uncle. "Yes. I'm sure."
the end
1,026 words
1,026 words