The Enemy’s Mate

Beneath the Monster

They walked for a very long time without uttering a word.

Aurelia was walking barefoot. Her body shook as she took every step, but she couldn’t complain.

Ryker was by her side. He was still bleeding, but he couldn’t stop. He kept moving forward like someone who couldn’t afford to stop.

Ryker finally broke the silence. “We need shoes. There’s a village nearby; we’ll stop by there and rest for a while.”

“A village!” she gasped with relief. Finally, I’ll be able to sleep on a good bed and eat good meals and—

“Princess—don’t get too excited. This is not a castle.”

“I don’t care. I just need somewhere to sit for now.”

“We’ve been walking for hours. When are we going to reach the village?” Aurelia asked.

“Now,” Ryker replied.

She looked ahead. A poor village huddled against the hillside: wooden huts, thatched roofs, smoke curling from chimneys. It wasn’t big, nor was it beautiful.

She almost ran toward the village, but Ryker held her back. “You’re not used to this place,” he said.

“I’ve never been made to. I mean, I’m a princess, but with time I’ll get used to it.”

They went into the village together. She bowed her head, but she couldn’t help looking.

Her first sight scared her. Men with missing arms, children with hollow cheeks, women with scars on their faces.

“What happened here?” she asked.

“A few years ago, your father sent war here.”

She felt sick. “I didn’t know.”

“You wouldn’t,” he said.

He looked at her. “Your gown is ruined. Wait here; let me get you clothes and shoes.”

He went into the village and disappeared into the dark. She waited for a long time. She was scared. She watched every villager pass. Her heart pounded heavily. Then he came back.

She felt a bit of relief.

“Put these on,” he said.

She changed behind a hut. After a few minutes, she stepped out.

The clothes were rough and ugly, made of wool. The boots were worn out.

“You look beautiful in these outfits, you know,” he teased her.

They reached a small market. Ryker brought out a silver coin from his pocket and handed it to one of the traders in exchange for bread and water.

“You walk with a quiet confidence. The villagers aren’t even afraid of you. They look at you with a lot of respect.”

“Have you been here before?” she asked.

“A lot of times.”

“Why do they trust you? Aren’t you a warlord?”

“I am.”

“They trust me because I protect them.”

“You?”

“You’re shocked, I know.” He handed her the bread. “I’m not the monster your father says I am.”

“What about the villages you burned?”

“I only burned my enemy’s village. I’m a warlord who chose to be something else here. Someone has to protect the innocent. Your father doesn’t, but I do.”

She stared at him in shock. The man her father called a monster was actually a savior.

She was about to reply when someone interrupted her.

“Sir.”

A tiny voice spoke. They turned and saw a little girl who looked unhealthy and malnourished.

“Are you the warlord?” she asked.

“Yes, I am,” Ryker replied.

The girl burst into tears. “My mum is sick, and she cannot get up.”

Aurelia could see tears gathering in his eyes. A warlord was crying over a little child.

“Take me to her,” Ryker replied.

The girl led them to a tiny hut, where her mother lay. Her face was pale and sweating.

He touched her forehead. She was burning with fever.

He knelt before her and brought out some dried herbal leaves from his belt.

“Aurelia, take these and boil them.” She obeyed.

Although she didn’t know how to make a fire or boil leaves, she sought help from villagers nearby. She found a pot, built the fire, and made tea. Within minutes, she was done.

She was kneeling beside the woman, spooning tea between her lips.

The little girl watched them. “Will my mother be okay?” she asked them.

Ryker replied, “She’ll be fine, I promise.”

Aurelia made more tea. They stayed for hours. Ryker didn’t leave her side. He bathed her forehead and whispered words of comfort to her.

Hours later, the fever broke. Tears ran down the woman’s cheek. “Thank you, Ryker,” she said repeatedly.

“Rest,” Ryker said. “You’ll be fine in no time.”

The girl hugged him.

Aurelia stared at him. Her chest ached, not from pain but from something warm. The man who killed thousands, burned villages, and was claimed to be a monster was someone’s protector. She was amazed.

“Let’s go,” Ryker whispered.

They walked into the inn. They rented a room. One bed.

Inside the room, Aurelia sat at the edge of the bed.

“You weren’t what I expected.”

“What did you expect?”

“A monster,” she replied.

“And what did you find?”

She went quiet for a moment. She stood and walked up to him.

“A caring man, a savior, a protector, a man who cries when he sees others suffering. A man who is more human than everyone I’ve ever known.”

“Why did you save her mother?” Aurelia asked.

“She reminds me of my sister. She died when she was seven during a war. I couldn’t save her.” Tears slid down his cheek.

Aurelia rested her head on his shoulder. “You’re a good man, Ryker.”

“I’m a monster.”

“Then you’re my monster.” They both laughed.

He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. His body shook with relief and hope.

“I don’t deserve you,” he whispered.

“Maybe not.” She hugged him back. “But you’re stuck with me anyway.”

He laughed and kissed her. Soft, gentle, full of everything he couldn’t say.

When they parted, he pressed his forehead to hers.

“Rest. We’ll leave at dawn.”

They lay together.

He wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned on his chest, listening to every single heartbeat.

He pressed a kiss to her hair.

She smiled. “Together.”

“Together.”