As the day wore on, and as Calla looked to her for guidance and approval, a bit of disquiet settled on her. A small doubt began to take root in her heart. Did she behave towards Calla as the slavers had to them? Did she use these methods to force her to work, even if she didn't use a whip?
"Eerika? Is something wrong?" When Calla's hand slipped into hers, her presence momentarily pushed it away. But it wouldn't stay silent, and her demeanor changed because of it.
"No, nothing's wrong. We just have so much work to do." The doubt now bloomed, and she felt a sliver of dread in her heart.
What if I drive Calla away from me with the way I treat her?
Unfortunately for Eerika, she pushed her away with that chill in her eyes, and that doubt in her heart.
Calla sat beside her on the stone, quietly chewed on freshly roasted wolf meat, and stayed silent. She put the boots she had finished earlier on Eerika's feet, but turned away when she went to thank her. Eerika felt eerily cold because of it. Her Calla was already further away then she could bare, but had no idea how it happened.
While the fire burned in the fireplace, and they laid beside each other, Calla did not snuggle up to her side like she did the night before. She turned away. This made Eerika feel more alone then she had while back at the village.
It wasn't long before her sense of unease filled the room, and Calla moved away from her entirely. The space between them was so pronounced, it snapped within her like a twig underfoot.
"Calla, what's wrong?" She turned towards her, and saw the shimmer of tears on Calla's cheeks. That did something that her will could not do all day. She closed the gap between them, scooped her up in her arms, and held her tightly. "Please, don't cry. I'm sorry." Calla leaned into her.
"Why? Why did you push me away?" She asked miserably. "I love you." Eerika felt her middle clench something fierce, but a chill went through her as well.
"You love me? Is this because I saved you?" That was gratitude, and Eerika wanted nothing to do with it. Calla shook her head.
"I know you would never hold that over my head, or try to use it against me. I love how strong you are, how gentle you are, and how concerned you are about me. But why did you push me away?" She turned her tear stained cheeks into her chest, and let Eerika's strength cradle her against a truth she may not be ready to hear.
"I didn't want to be like the slavers. I didn't want to force you to do something just because I gave you approval, or a smile." Calla frowned.
"Well, that's just stupid." Eerika rocked backward in surprise.
"What...."
"I was looking for approval! I wanted to know if I did it right, or wrong! I've never had approval before, and when you gave it to me, it felt so right! I liked to see you smile at me! I would do anything to see that smile aimed at me! It makes me feel warm, and wanted." She trailed off. "Wanted, in a good way. Not dirty, like back there." Eerika sighed sadly, and held her tighter.
"It looks like I did what I didn't want to do. I didn't want you to feel like you were a slave, or push you away, and I did those very things." Calla inhaled her scent.
"A slave? We're working together! Has any man ever done that? We chopped the wood! We harvested the fields, worked like dogs in the sun while they laid about, and ordered us around! Or they whipped us when we moved too slow. You worked with me! How could you ever see yourself as one of those things?" She punched her in the chest.
"Ow." Eerika said softly.
"That didn't hurt you." She said in a low voice. "But you hurt me." Eerika sighed sadly.
"I did. I am sorry, love." Calla looked up at her, and gave her a smile that took the loneliness away so fast, she could scarcely believe she had felt it in the first place. Then she wrapped her arms about Eerika' neck and hauled her down for a kiss.
"Don't do it again." Eerika sucked in her breath. There was a spark in Calla's eyes she had never seen before. An angry spark that made her desire, and respect her even more.
"I won't, love. Never again."
Calla frowned as she looked around the field, and her eyes opened wide in surprise.
"Eerika!" She smiled as her partner came outside.
"What's wrong?" She asked quickly, her ax in her hand, and ready to use.
"I forgot to tell you something! I found a door in the ground near the back of the house yesterday!" Eerika tilted her head slightly.
"Why didn't you tell me this yesterday?" Calla shrugged.
"I was distracted! Anyway, its back here!" She walked around the back, and swept some moss and dirt away from a wooden door that was recessed in the side of a jut out of the cottage foundation. Eerika frowned, and gripped the handle.
"Its rotted away. How is it that the door managed to stay upright? The wood is soggy, and punk." Calla giggled.
"That's what the old women say about the men in our village!" Eerika grinned, and pulled the pieces away from the stone. "Holy....its a stairwell!"
"Its pretty dark down here. I don't think it would be safe to go down like this." Calla bit her bottom lip, then smiled.
"Hold up a minute. I'll go get a torch." She rushed off, which left Eerika to stand there, a frown on her face.
"A torch? We don't have torches." A few minutes later, Calla reappeared with two lit torches.
"I learned that if you wrap a thick stick with fabric dipped in fat, it will act like a torch. The fat will make it light quickly, but the fabric acts like a candle wick. It will stay going until the fat and fabric is burned away." Eerika smiled, took one of the torches, and walked down the now lit stairwell. Calla stayed near the top with her torch so she would know the way out. A minute later, Eerika came to the bottom of the stairs.
"Calla? I think you should see this."
"I can't believe it! A horde of goods! Swords, spears, shields, leather armor, torches, furs, salt, and even tools! Lots of tools!" Eerika smiled at her partner's excitement, but that smile fell as soon as they pushed open the door to their cottage. A slimy voice spoke to their side.
"I knew I would find you somewhere!" Calla turned a deathly shade of white as she turned to the voice. "Do you have any idea how much gold you've cost me?!"
"No no no no no!" She backed away as soon as the hand reached out for her.
"Do as your told, you whore!" Eerika turned livid.
"Don't touch her!" She yelled in rage, but when the man turned his sword to Eerika, he saw something he had never seen before. Not only did he face an extremely large opponent, but now, his slave turned on him in absolute insane fury.
She screeched as she dashed forward, her spear held in a death grip, and she drove it through his chest, right out the back, only to break off as it hit the stone of the cottage wall. Eerika could only watch in dumbfounded silence as her timid partner grabbed a hammer she had dropped, and started to pound on his body with reckless abandon. By the time her rage played itself out, the body was no longer recognizable.
And neither was Calla.
"He was my father." She said woodenly as Eerika took a piece of fabric and gently wiped away the blood and viscera that had caked to her front. She had carried Calla to the porch, dragged his body out by the slavers, and filled a bronze basin with water from the nearby stream.
"I could see his face in my nightmares every night. He raped my mother every night, and started to do the same to me when I came of age. He stole her from a neighboring village when she was barely a teenager. She laid down not long after he started to rape me. The slave lord, the so called mayor of our village, found out that he had broken me in, and decided he had enough fun. I was sent to the auction house, and was there for only three months before I escaped." Eerika kept herself calm, but only barely. The one she wanted to kill was already dead, and though she was proud of Calla for doing so, she needed to kill someone else now.
"I hate them. I hate them, Eerika." She nodded and continued to wipe away the blood. "They made me feel fear my whole life. I'm still afraid I'll wake up and be right back there in that slave house. Or back in his house. Not here. Not at home." Eerika smiled, which made Calla frown. "What?"
"You called this home." She nodded. "Then we'll have to defend this home, won't we?" Calla's eyes took on some life again.
"You mean it?"
"After we are done figuring out what we have down there, and seal it back up so only we know of its existence, we'll start training, and scouting between here and the village. I want to know all the paths. What ones they can take to our home, and how to protect ourselves if they ever try to come here." Calla leaned in to her front, and held on to her waist.
"What then?" She smiled at the answer.
"Then we'll start raiding that village and put as many of them to the sword as we can. Its time for them to understand what happens when you back a wild animal up into a corner." Calla grinned evilly.
"They bite back."
"I won't, love. Never again."
Calla frowned as she looked around the field, and her eyes opened wide in surprise.
"Eerika!" She smiled as her partner came outside.
"What's wrong?" She asked quickly, her ax in her hand, and ready to use.
"I forgot to tell you something! I found a door in the ground near the back of the house yesterday!" Eerika tilted her head slightly.
"Why didn't you tell me this yesterday?" Calla shrugged.
"I was distracted! Anyway, its back here!" She walked around the back, and swept some moss and dirt away from a wooden door that was recessed in the side of a jut out of the cottage foundation. Eerika frowned, and gripped the handle.
"Its rotted away. How is it that the door managed to stay upright? The wood is soggy, and punk." Calla giggled.
"That's what the old women say about the men in our village!" Eerika grinned, and pulled the pieces away from the stone. "Holy....its a stairwell!"
"Its pretty dark down here. I don't think it would be safe to go down like this." Calla bit her bottom lip, then smiled.
"Hold up a minute. I'll go get a torch." She rushed off, which left Eerika to stand there, a frown on her face.
"A torch? We don't have torches." A few minutes later, Calla reappeared with two lit torches.
"I learned that if you wrap a thick stick with fabric dipped in fat, it will act like a torch. The fat will make it light quickly, but the fabric acts like a candle wick. It will stay going until the fat and fabric is burned away." Eerika smiled, took one of the torches, and walked down the now lit stairwell. Calla stayed near the top with her torch so she would know the way out. A minute later, Eerika came to the bottom of the stairs.
"Calla? I think you should see this."
"I can't believe it! A horde of goods! Swords, spears, shields, leather armor, torches, furs, salt, and even tools! Lots of tools!" Eerika smiled at her partner's excitement, but that smile fell as soon as they pushed open the door to their cottage. A slimy voice spoke to their side.
"I knew I would find you somewhere!" Calla turned a deathly shade of white as she turned to the voice. "Do you have any idea how much gold you've cost me?!"
"No no no no no!" She backed away as soon as the hand reached out for her.
"Do as your told, you whore!" Eerika turned livid.
"Don't touch her!" She yelled in rage, but when the man turned his sword to Eerika, he saw something he had never seen before. Not only did he face an extremely large opponent, but now, his slave turned on him in absolute insane fury.
She screeched as she dashed forward, her spear held in a death grip, and she drove it through his chest, right out the back, only to break off as it hit the stone of the cottage wall. Eerika could only watch in dumbfounded silence as her timid partner grabbed a hammer she had dropped, and started to pound on his body with reckless abandon. By the time her rage played itself out, the body was no longer recognizable.
And neither was Calla.
"He was my father." She said woodenly as Eerika took a piece of fabric and gently wiped away the blood and viscera that had caked to her front. She had carried Calla to the porch, dragged his body out by the slavers, and filled a bronze basin with water from the nearby stream.
"I could see his face in my nightmares every night. He raped my mother every night, and started to do the same to me when I came of age. He stole her from a neighboring village when she was barely a teenager. She laid down not long after he started to rape me. The slave lord, the so called mayor of our village, found out that he had broken me in, and decided he had enough fun. I was sent to the auction house, and was there for only three months before I escaped." Eerika kept herself calm, but only barely. The one she wanted to kill was already dead, and though she was proud of Calla for doing so, she needed to kill someone else now.
"I hate them. I hate them, Eerika." She nodded and continued to wipe away the blood. "They made me feel fear my whole life. I'm still afraid I'll wake up and be right back there in that slave house. Or back in his house. Not here. Not at home." Eerika smiled, which made Calla frown. "What?"
"You called this home." She nodded. "Then we'll have to defend this home, won't we?" Calla's eyes took on some life again.
"You mean it?"
"After we are done figuring out what we have down there, and seal it back up so only we know of its existence, we'll start training, and scouting between here and the village. I want to know all the paths. What ones they can take to our home, and how to protect ourselves if they ever try to come here." Calla leaned in to her front, and held on to her waist.
"What then?" She smiled at the answer.
"Then we'll start raiding that village and put as many of them to the sword as we can. Its time for them to understand what happens when you back a wild animal up into a corner." Calla grinned evilly.
"They bite back."
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