• In the end she only managed to sleep for an hour. Deciding not to test Ro’s patience, Eliza started preparing Ro’s breakfast long before the sun had even risen. At first she had worried about not having any food but after looking through the sacks leaning against the wall, she was able to find some dried looking fruits and a bag of oddly shaped nuts. She wished that she had some bread to give Ro but the only bread she found had molded and was crawling with bug.
    By the time Ro appeared, the sun had been the sky for at least an hour. Nervously Eliza waited as Ro examined the meal that she had put together. At first he said nothing, turning the bowl back and forth, watching the fruit and nuts roll around. Then he picked up a few nuts and took a few experimental bites. All at once he made a face that looked like he was going to vomit. Seconds later he was spiting out the nuts and throwing the remaining food onto the floor.
    “Where did you get the food?” Ro demanded as he approached her, looking angrier than ever.
    Eliza, frightened, backed up until she felt the wall behind her, “From those sacks,” she answered innocently as she gestured towards them.
    That’s when two things happened. The first was Ro slapping her; the second was a knock on the door.
    Ignoring Eliza who was cowering in the corner clutching the side of her face, Ro stepped over her and towards the door. Before he could even open it, the door flew open, revealing a heavy set man with dark red beard stretched with grey. Without even giving Ro a second to recover, the man opened his arms and threw them around him.
    “My friend,” the man exclaimed as he lifted Ro off the ground trapped in a bone-crushing hug, “it’s been far too long.”
    “Jesseb,” Ro managed to say, “I can’t breathe.”
    Releasing Ro, the man, Jesseb, stepped back and flashed him a toothy smile, “I’m sorry dear friend I often forget my own strength.” Glancing past Ro, Jesseb motioned towards Eliza, “Don’t tell me you finally found a wife.”
    Ro turned and glared at Eliza before pulling Jesseb outside, “Just ignore her.”
    Jesseb frowned and gave Ro a little shake, “How can you say such a thing? You know better than to treat a women like a common slug.”
    “Can we talk about this later?”
    Jesseb scratched his beard deep in thought for a few moments before smiling, “Tonight you dine with me and my family,” Ro started to protest, “I will not take no for an answer. You barely eat enough as it is, and now you have another mouth to feed. Be at my home at sunset.” With that said, Jesseb gave Ro a friendly slap on the back that knocked all the wind out of him before heading back to town.
    When Ro walked back into his home, Eliza was still cowering on the floor holding her cheek in her trembling hands. Taking a step towards her, he held out a hand for her, “Let me see it.”
    Startled Eliza jumped at the sound of his voice. Watching him advance towards her, she shook her head and backed away from him, clearly terrified of his presence.
    “No,” she cried, as she continued to retreat until at last she reached a corner.
    Ignoring her protests, Ro continued to approach her until he was standing before her. Kneeling down, he reached for her. “Please let me see it.”
    Keeping her eyes closed, Eliza shook her head again though she couldn’t help but notice how gentle Ro’s voice sounded.
    Hesitantly, Ro took Eliza’s hand and gently pulled her closer towards him. Reaching out, he brought his other hand to the side of her face and pushed her hair away so he could see where he had slapped her. The area was red, and he wouldn’t be surprised if a bruise formed. He had hit harder than he had thought. Feeling something wet hit his hand, he looked at her eyes and saw tears in them. Carefully, he wiped the tears away from her eyes before suddenly being overcome by something that he didn’t have words to describe. He gazed at he for what felt like a lifetime not realizing that he was slowly putting his arms around her.
    “Please don’t,” Eliza whimpered as she pushed Ro away, pulling him out of his dream world. “Just tell me what I did wrong. I promise to never to it again.”
    Startled by her words and his own actions, Ro stood up and turned his back to her. “The food in those sacks are from months ago. You were supposed to go into town and buy fresh food.”
    Nodding, Eliza got to her feet and started to pick up the food that he had tossed onto the floor.
    “I promise to get it right next time.”
    Her voice was flat, deprived of the enthusiasm that had been in it before. He found himself hating the sound of her emotionless voice. He knew that he shouldn’t have hit her, but what was he suppose to do? Hold her hand and guide her step by step? Jesseb was right, he did know better than this. Hitting her like that had been out of character for him
    “Stay here, I’m going into town for a few hours. Don’t bother preparing lunch, I’ll eat something in town,” he started to walk out before glancing back at her, “tonight were eating with a friend.”
    Then he was gone.
    Sitting in silence, Eliza replayed the last few minutes in her mind. Ro had hit her. Never before in her life had any ever raised a hand to her and yet Ro had done it without so much as a second thought. And when he had gone to put his around her, she had panicked. She understood that he wanted her to trust him but how could she? His mood was unpredictable and it scared her. Crawling back to her corner, she rested her head against the wall and thought of her family. If her father had been around, he would have had Ro carried away in chains for raising a hand to his daughter. Sighing, she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.
    Ro came back just before sunset. When he walked into his home, he was surprised to see Eliza fast asleep leaning against the wall. As much as he hated to, he crossed the room and shook her awake.
    “Get dressed,” he said as he held up a brown dress for her to wear, “all Dúnedin women are required to wear full length dresses that cover their arms and legs.”
    “Thank-you Sir,” Eliza whispered as she took the dress in her hands.
    Her depressing attitude was killing him; didn’t she understand that he was sorry?
    Ro pointed to his room, “You can change in there.”
    Once the door to his room was closed, Ro collapsed into the wooden chair and buried his head in his hands. As grateful as he was to Jesseb and his wife who had done so much for him, he was not looking forward to dining with them. Jesseb liked to talk, sometimes a little too much.
    “I’m ready.”
    Looking up, he was astonished at how beautiful Eliza looked despite the unflattering dress. A part of him wished that he could send her back to her family, but it was already too late. If another Dúnedin found her before she reached them, than she was doomed. Foreigners were hardly ever made into wives. Often a band of Dúnedins would ambush a group of people traveling through the desert, kill the men, and take all the women and children. The young and pretty girls were often sent to Nazareth while the older ones were kept as slaves. He hadn’t wanted to take her as a wife, but if he hadn’t, another Dúnedin would have and they wouldn’t have been nice about it.
    Standing up, Ro cleared his throat before handing her a shawl, “Never go outside without an escort and always keep you head covered.” He walked over to her and took her hand, “Jesseb doesn’t live far from here. He is a good man and a loyal friend. If I’m ever away, go straight to Jesseb’s house, he will take care of you.”
    Promising him she would, Eliza let Ro lead her outside into the desert air. Like the night before, the town was quiet and dark. Every now and then they would pass a hut filled with men laughing and drinking. Eventually the turned down a street and approached a house that was full of light. Before they could even reach the door, it flew open, revealing a beaming Jesseb.
    “Welcome, welcome my friends,” he spoke with a heavy accent that made some of his words hard to recognize. Reaching Eliza he took her hand and kissed it lightly, “Ro doesn’t deserver such a rare beauty.” Turning to Ro he switched to Dúnedin and spoke in a hushed voice, “You better have a good explanation as to why your wife is a foreigner. The only men I know who have foreign wives are those who killed the girls’ families.”
    “Later,” he replied as he pushed Eliz inside Jesseb’s home.
    The inside of Jesseb’s home was smaller than Ro’s but had a warm homey feel to it. There was a wooden table in the middle of the room; shelves lined the walls full of food, bowls, and spices. Against the walls were cushions and blankets. Scattered around the one room home was candles, each glowing warmly. Standing in the middle of the room was a woman with grey streaked hair, heavy with child.
    Jesseb walked over to join her, “My wife, Mesha, the prettiest woman in all the land,” he explained proudly before giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.
    Mesha let out a hearty laugh, “My husband is nothing more than a big flirt but do not fear, he’s harmless,” she winked at Eliza when she said this.
    “Come in, come in,” Jesseb said as he gestured towards two chairs, “my wife has been preparing all day for your arrival so please my friends, eat and may the king bless you.”
    While Mesha went and sat besides Eliza and described what each dish was, Ro went and stood with Jesseb, “You didn’t have to do this. Your wife is expecting any day now and yet you foolishly waste all your food on us.”
    Jesseb only smiled, “I know you hate it when we treat you to a meal, but what of your wife? She probably hasn’t eaten properly since you stole her away.”
    Turning Jesseb away from the women, Ro dropped his voice, “I didn’t steal her from anyone nor did I kill her family,” glancing back he watched Eliza take an experimental bite out of a rice and meat dish. “You know of the city that we refer to as ‘the City of Angels?” Jesseb nodded.
    “I have heard that there has been many problems there, especially among the locals.”
    Nodding Ro went on, “One night there was a big riot and those idiot locals decided to protest by setting the city on fire. I was there,” here Jesseb interrupted.
    “What were you thinking? Did you want to get yourself killed?”
    “It’s fine, no one knew that I was a Dúnedin, anyway they were too busy dealing with their own problems to notice. As I saw saying, the city was set on fire and all of its inhabitants took to the desert for shelter. Among them were Eliza and her family. Her family was visiting the city and would have perished in the desert if I hadn’t guided them.” Ro went on to tell him about the deal he had made with Eliza’s father.
    “You didn’t have to take her,” Jesseb sneered.
    “We both know what would have happened if I hadn’t.”
    “What are you two boys talking about that you cannot share with the rest of us?”
    Both turned to see Mesha standing with her hands on her hips, “Come join us, and that means you Ro,” she said as she took Ro’s hand and forced him into a chair.
    Jesseb moved to join them and stood by his wife, “And now for a little entertainment, I will share with you,” he pointed towards Eliza, “how me and my wife were fortunate to meet Ro.”
    Ro started to object but Jesseb silenced him, “It was about six years ago if I’m not mistaken. It was spring and I, at the time, was working in the field as an under worked shepherd. One morning I woke up and went down the fields as normal. The sun had already risen and the sheep were restless. One of them, a young ewe ran off and I chased it. I followed that troublesome ewe until at last I came upon a terrifying sight. Not far from where I stood, I could see that a small portion of the field was dyed red with blood.
    “Without waiting a moment, I ran towards the scene and what do I find,” Jesseb walked over to Ro and put an arm around him, “a boy no older then thirteen lying unconscious among the bloody grass.”
    Mesha sat down besides Eliza, “I remember when Jesseb brought him home, there was so much blood I thought that he was dead.”
    “It wasn’t that bad,” Ro mumbled.
    “Not bad? Bandits attacked you the night before and left you to die in that field. For a week, you struggled between life and death until at last you opened your eyes and begged for something drink. And you say that it wasn’t that bad.”
    “After he recovered,” Mesha said picking up where Jesseb left off, “we asked him where his family was and if he need help getting back to them. Ro said that his family had been killed when he was young and had been traveling by himself. Once he was able to walk again, he thanked us for our kindness and started to head out the door that is until Jesseb stopped him.”
    Shrugging his shoulders Jesseb said, “He was so small and weak, not at all old enough to be by himself so I asked him to stay.”
    “Correction,” Ro snapped, “you made me stay.”
    “Does it really matter? As I was saying, I convinced Ro to stay with us and over the years, he grew strong and tough. Finally when he was seventeen, he moved out and into the house he currently lives in now. About ten months ago he left on a journey and we are very happy to have him back.”
    Eliza looked over at Ro who looked uncomfortable at having all the attention focused on him.
    For the remainder of the evening, Jesseb told countless stories about what Ro was like growing up, stories that Ro would deny ever happening. As the night drew to a close, Eliza helped Mesha clear the table while the two men went outside to talk. Once they were alone, Mesha turned and whispered to Eliza, “Ro is like my husband, both are very good men. He may not show it, but I can tell that he cares for you. Ro has always been like that, struggling to show his emotions. I must warn you though that not all Dúnedin men are good, some absolute monsters. You are very lucky to have Ro as your husband. I know that in my heart that he would never do anything to hurt you.”
    Automatically Eliza’s hand went to the spot where Ro had hit her. As much as she wanted to believe Mesha, she couldn’t. Ro had already made it clear that he didn’t care if she suffered or not, in the end, he was her master and she his slave.
    After their conversation, Mesha showed Eliza how to prepare a number of dishes that she promised were Ro’s favorites, then it was time to go. As the two women said goodbye to one another, Jesseb pulled Ro aside and spoke quietly in Dúnedin, “Have you heard anything about the king?”
    “You know I don’t care about the ‘king’.”
    Jesseb motioned for Ro to follow him outside, “I have heard that he is dying.”
    A rare smile appeared on Ro’s face, “About time.”
    “Perhaps the new king will finally be able to repair our crumbling civilization.”
    Ro rolled his eyes, “There’s not going to be a new king and you know that. The king’s only son ran away years ago, they found him remember? He was dead. ”
    Jesseb sighed and turned to head back inside, “I hope that my child doesn’t grow up to hate me like the king’s son did. It is a terrible thing to have a child grow to despise their parent’s existence.”
    Ro looked out over the valley, “I wouldn’t know what that’s like, though I can imagine that it must have been harder for the child than the parent.”
    “What makes you assume that?”
    “It must be hard growing up ashamed of your parents, especially when they expect you to carry on their ways of living after they depart from this life.”
    Before Jesseb could reply. Mesha appeared at the door, “It is late, let these two young people go home and rest.”
    The walk back home was full of silence. Occasionally Ro would catch Eliza staring at him but would always look away when their eyes connected. Finally he couldn’t take it anymore. “Say something,” he demanded flatly.
    “Wha…what do you want me to say?”
    Irritated at the way the night was turning out, Ro didn’t even bother holding back his anger, “Anything! I don’t care what it is, just say something!”
    They were in front of a crowded hut and the light escaping from the window and doorway created shadows on Eliza’s face. Glancing at the ground she mumbled something while kicking at loose stones.
    “What did you say?”
    “I asked if you ever missed your family?”
    Sighing, Ro leaned against the stone hut, “No, not really but I imagine that you miss yours.”
    “All the time,” her voice wavered and a moment later she was crying, “I wanted to be able to watch my sisters grow up, I wanted to be there when my father grew old so I could take care of him. But now I’ll never see them again. Even if you tell me I will, I know that you’re lying…” her voice trailed off as she was overcome with tears.
    He couldn’t deal with this. All this emotional crap was too much for him especially when he viewed it to be pointless. Turning his back to her, Ro walked down another street so he could be alone for a moment. The sadness that Eliza was experiencing was new to him. Not once in his life did he ever cry at the thought of his family, in fact he was happy to be rid of them. He had always been grateful that he lacked any good memories of his family; otherwise it would be harder to forget about them. He knew perfectly well that he would never experience the same sadness that Eliza was because her family had actually cared about her while his father wouldn’t have even batted an eye if he saw his son being carried away unlike hers who seemed ready to give him everything that they had just to keep her by their side.
    For five minutes, he stood alone in the dark gathering his thoughts. Finally he decided it was time to go retrieve Eliza before she ended up doing something that would only but her in harms way. But before he could reach her, he heard another man’s voice fill the streets.
    “What’s a pretty thing like your self doing out here all alone? Why don’t you come with us, we’ll help you feel better”
    Breaking into a run, Ro followed the voice back until he reached its source. There was Eliza, surrounded by three men far older than her. One of them was pulling at her dress while the other two cheered him on.
    All at once, Ro felt something he hadn’t felt in years, rage.
    “Come on girl, we’ll show you a good time,” one the men said as he pinned Eliza up against a wall by her neck.
    Glancing around, Ro stooped down and picked up a sharp rock and then with all his might, threw it just as one of them leaned in to kiss Eliza. Like he had hoped, the rock smashed into the head of one of men, causing him to crumble onto the ground. The other two turned around and glared at Ro. The one holding Eliza pushed her onto the ground before charging at him.
    Though he was out numbered, Ro fought as hard as he could. Normally he didn’t believe in violence, but the moment he saw them grabbing at Eliza, something inside of him snapped. She was his and his alone. Fighting like the savages that Ro often accused his race of being; he fought with a merciless rage.
    Of course the other two men were determined not to be defeated.
    While one of them distracted him, the other pulled out a knife and stabbed Ro in the arm. Ignoring the burning pain , Ro, using his other arm, grabbed the man that had stabbed him and started to strangle him. A moment later, he was pushed onto the ground before the two men jumped on top of him. Punching, biting and kicking, he beat the men’s bones into dust with rocks from the ground.
    In the end, he proved victorious. While the two men limped away, dragging their fallen friend, Ro made is way over to Eliza and ordered her to stand up. Clutching his right arm tightly, he asked her if she was all right.
    Eliza nodded now understanding what Mesha meant when she had told her that some men were monsters. Mesha had also been right about Ro, he truly would do whatever it would take to keep her safe.
    “Please,” she said in a soft voice, “let me help you.”
    Exhausted from the fight, Ro gave in and allowed Eliza to help him back to their home. It was his fault that this had happened. He never should have left her alone and yet he had despite knowing better. Once inside, Eliza took some cloth and poured some warm water on it before pressing it to Ro’s arm. She didn’t know much about healing but she had been told that applying pressure over wounds would often stop the bleeding.
    Ro watched in silence as Eliza tended to him. She didn’t have to do it, and yet to his amazement, she insisted on taking care of him. Eventually the bleeding stopped and for extra measure, Eliza tied a bandage around Ro’s arm.
    All this unwanted attention was new to him and he didn’t know how to react. Standing up, Ro said nothing, not even a thank-you as he walked past her and into his room. Once he closed the door, he collapsed on top of the blankets that served as his bed. Shutting his eyes, he tried to forget about her, tried to erase the image of her weeping in the darkness, but he couldn’t seem to get Eliza out of his mind. Even after the vile way he had treated her, she still helped him. It would have better if she had just ignored him, that’s after all, what he would have done. Cracking one of his eyes opened, he glanced at the door. Right now she was probably curling up in the corner he had assigned her to and attempting to fall asleep. It was cold in their drafty home and he wouldn’t be surprised if she was trembling from the stale air. Sighing he got to his feet and walked out of his room.
    He had been right. There she was, shivering in her corner, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep.
    “Tonight,” he said, his voice a little uneasy, “ tonight you sleep with me.”
    Eyes widening, she merely nodded and stood up. Eyes concentrated on the ground, she walked into Ro’s room with him following behind her. Brushing past her, Ro lay down on the blankets before staring at her awkwardly.
    “What are you waiting for? Lay down.”
    Cheeks turning red, Eliza obeyed and nervously crawled onto the blankets and lay down besides Ro. She was scared, scared what Ro might do to her knowing his unpredictable behavior. All to easily she could picture him pinning her down and forcing her to sleep with him. Just thought made her inch as far away from him as possible. But in the end, Ro did nothing, instead he simply threw a blanket on top of her before lying down again and moments later he was fast asleep. For an unknown amount of time, Eliza lay awake listening to the sound of Ro breathing besides her. Whenever she did attempt to sleep, she would dream of a young boy lying in a bloodstained field, hoarsely crying out for help but no one ever came to his aid. At one point in her dream the boy would roll over and she would see his face. It was Ro. Ro covered in his own blood, slowly dying. Then she would awaken drenched in sweat. Heart racing she would look over at Ro who was sleeping soundly besides her. Closing her eyes, she would try to calm herself down by reminder herself that it was nothing more than a dream.
    In the end, she didn’t manage to get much sleep that night.