Barak seated with his heavily pregnant wife in his arms, big Botch seated on the floor next to his wife, Bashan was seated on an old stool that could barely hold his weight and silently, all their eyes were on the two people who stared at each other like long lost acquaintances.
"I do not understand, mother." Barak finally broke the silence. "How do you know Rug?" He asked the question that everyone was dying to know the answer to.
How in the world did an old and wrinkled elven nobody who spent his days in various kinds of beer become acquainted with a dragon blood royalty. The queen of Trago for that matter!
No matter how much Botch and Mileka thought about it, it was impossible. They could not just conjure the image in their head. An image of Rug being acquainted with the Queen, yet she calls him an old friend.
How?!
"Twas a long time ago. He saved my life then just as he saved yours." Rakavi said with a smile. But there was something bitter about her smile. Almost as though the long time ago she spoke off were memories that bore a hole in her heart every time she remembered them.
Bashan who sat beside her saw this big yet bitter smile upon her face, and he heard her words and in that same instant, he knew. He knew of the time she spoke of. Although she said nothing beyond that, Bashan had quickly realized who Rug was to his wife and his hand went over hers and in the eyes of those seated, it would seem like a loving husband merely holding on to the hand of his wife but it was more. It was a way of offering comfort for the unsaid words that only he, his wife and probably the old man Rug knew. It was a way of reminding her that he was by her side now and always.
Rakavi felt his comforting hold and staring at his hand upon hers, a more pleasant smile crawled over her face and without looking at him, she placed her other hand over his own that was still holding hers.
"If not for Rug, I would not be here." She calmly said.
"Yah have always been far too kind with yah words towards me. I merely did what needed to be done." With a wave of his hand, Rug brushed her praises away.
"What happened?" asked Neriah, who was as curious as her husband and the remaining two people who were perplexed by the entire thing.
"Oh, ’tis a long and boring story that will cause us all to fall asleep." Rakavi said with a slight wave of her hand. "More importantly, we need to figure out a way to draw out that Nile scum since we already know his whereabouts."
"Aye." Bashan sided with his wife.
"I want to wring his neck and—" Barak paused as he realized he was saying such things in front of his wife. "Y-You hold no more affection for him, do you?" He asked and Neriah instantly turned on his body so she could see him. The shock on her eyes was evident.
She looked like she could not believe he had just said that. Not like she was angry or bitter he said it. She was just genuinely shocked he would ask her when she clearly wanted to wring his neck more than anyone else.
With a deep sigh, her hands rose and rested upon his face. "Whatever affection I might have had left for him died the night I lost you." After saying those words as sweetly as she could, the green in her eyes slowly darkened and Barak could feel her hand in his face turning cold.
" I once thought stabbing him in the heart would do. But after seeing your body all torn and wounded, I do not think that will be enough."
"N-Neriah..." Barak stuttered as the look in her eyes was one he’d never seen before.
Even when he believed she hated him. Even when she declared it everyday back then, she had never once had such fury in her eyes towards him before.
"Now all I want to do is lay him down and cut him limb from limb. Very slowly, I will rip him apart. Starting from his toes, his fingers, chopping of his limbs like a beast for slaughter. I want to hear him scream in pain as I peel his flesh off his bones. By the goddess I want him to suffer. I want him to suffer a double portion of what he did to you and then... Only then will I send a long stiletto into his heart. After which I shall stuff his head and hang it on a cross for all to see."
For the first time since she began to speak, Barak blinked and then he closed his mouth which he did not realize had fallen open in the first place. And at that moment the only thing he could think was... May God have mercy on whomever got on the bad side of his dear wife.
And at that moment, not only Barak thought that way. Mileka, who had been the one to inform Barak of Neriah’s presence in the small village, was now hiding behind her husband for fear of the princess.
"Indeed." Rakavi says with a proud smile upon her face. "For all that he put you through, he deserves that and more, my dear." Barak stifled a laugh as the sight of his mother encouraging his wife’s rage was quite pleasant to see.
Oh how much he had longed for this. It was all finally coming together.
"Then it is settled. Lyle of the Niles will fall." Barak declared.
And just like that, the long story of how Rakavi knew Rug was buried under the rug by other topics with everyone’s curiosity shifted to other things. Little did they know that that story would soon flow with the dust on the ground, crawl out of the rug and stand in front of each and everyone of them again.
And when that time would come, even if Rakavi would wish to keep that bitter story that swelled in her memory to herself, she would have no choice but to tell it.
For it would be the key to victory.