Obey me

Remesis wrinkled her nose as she tried to touch her own stomach.

After all the injuries she had received, the girl could barely stand on her feet. She couldn't remember very well how she had gotten back to the tavern. At least none of the villagers had followed them. Asil walked silently just behind her.

Her normally impassive eyes flickered a couple times: when Remesis slumped down in the middle of the road because she didn't have the strength to keep going. But the moment Asil hesitated whether to move closer or not, the girl would get up on her own and they would continue on their way.

Once back, Remesis was afraid to look at her own reflection in the bathroom. She looked just awful. Even though her mistress hadn't hit her face directly, it was still swollen. A streak of dried blood could be seen on the skin next to her mouth. Her hair was a mess.

But worst of all, of course, was her stomach…

Remesis was stunned, to say the least. In all her two lives, she had never experienced such a brutal beating. And it had happened where she hadn't expected it at all. Life really is unpredictable at times.

The girl groaned. Even breathing was difficult for her. She tried not to think about what had happened and just healed her wounds.

Remesis lifted the hem of her dress and turned pale at the sight of her own belly. The wound on her skin was blue. No, even darker… The bruise covered almost her entire stomach. It became terribly painful at the mere touch of it. Despite that, the girl gritted her teeth, going to apply ointment to the wound.

She dabbed the most effective remedy she had brought with her on her finger and gently applied it to her bruised belly. Snake venom ointment. An expensive remedy that was not easy to obtain. Remesis was disappointed that she would now have to use up most of it so soon.

But what else was there left? She obviously wouldn't be able to continue traveling with this much pain.

The application of the ointment made the cold spread throughout her body, but the girl only endured. When the treatment was complete, she screwed the vial back on and lowered the hem. Snake venom was indeed a very effective remedy. Even such a horrible bruise should be better the next day.

Remesis returned to the room.

Asil was sitting on the windowsill subdued. She stared at Remesis with an indescribable expression as she walked in. Remesis looked at her and even lifted the corners of her lips slightly in a smile she found hard to find. She informed:

— Tomorrow… Tomorrow we leave. We'll have to get up early to pack.

«…»

Even though Remesis was hurt, one thing was abundantly clear: they could no longer stay in this village. More precisely, the girl didn't want to linger here for even a moment. It was only because it was late that she had agreed to wait here for one night.

Asil looked at her silently. As always, it was hard to guess what she was thinking.

Remesis got into bed and turned out the light. She hoped she could fall asleep, but in the middle of the night she suddenly cried.

— Woahhhh…

It seemed like the sobs she had been diligently suppressing all this time were finally bursting out. To avoid waking Asil, Remesis clamped her hands over her mouth, but it didn't help.

She was crying and couldn't stop.

Remesis vowed that she would never allow herself to show weakness again. Just as in her past life she could only sob and complain, she was sure that in this life she would not shed a single tear.

Seyla also said that Remesis was not like a normal child at all. If another child fell down and cried, the girl would only look at her bruise coldly and move on. That's how she's been all these eight years.

But now…

No matter how hard she tried to stop, the tears wouldn't stop.

Remesis hated herself for it.

«I promised… I promised I wouldn't be such a wuss anymore!»

Remesis cried like a normal little girl. Soon she heard a rustling in the darkness. Well, it was to be expected that her tantrum would wake Asil. It would be surprising if she didn't hear it from the next bed.

The princess's amber eyes twinkled in the darkness. And the expression on her face seemed puzzled.

— Wha… What are you doing?

The girl briefly stopped wiping her crying eyes and stared at her with equal surprise.

— What do you mean, what am I doing?

— Ahh… Uh… You have water running down your face,» she mumbled.

Remesis was discouraged. Had she never seen people cry before? And never cried herself? Judging by her reaction, though, she had.

— I… I'm crying,» the girl replied confused.

— …?

— J-just ignore it. It'll pass soon…

Remesis spoke confusedly through her hysterics.

— …it'll pass.

The last phrase sounded uncertain. The girl's voice trailed off under her own sobs. Though she tried to calm herself down, her body wouldn't listen at all. She continued to sob in spite of her own desire.

— Waaaaaah…

«…»

The room was silent for a while, interrupted only by Remesis' cries. And then… The girl was astonished to find something heavy in her lap. Asil's silver hair was like the glow of moonlight in the darkness.

The princess suddenly laid her head in her lap.

Remesis was confused.

— Y-Your Highness… Wh-what are you doing?

Asil didn't answer and didn't move from her seat. Visually, this scene reminded her of a dog that came to comfort its master when he was sad. As a rule, they tend to do the same thing at such times.

Remesis was so surprised that she even forgot that she was crying.

Usually, when someone is sad, people around them would say comforting words or at least give them a pat on the shoulder. But no way this…

Asil just silently walked over and laid her head down. Apparently, it was the only thing she could think of in this situation. But it still looked really funny.

Especially when the girl involuntarily compared her behavior to an animal.

Remesis couldn't hold back her laughter any longer and laughed. Laughter and tears mixed on her face, and she must have looked terribly ridiculous now. Her face swelled up even more and looked like a tomato.

Be that as it may, the main goal had been accomplished. Remesis had stopped crying after all. Which meant that Asil's «method» had worked.

When the girl calmed down a bit, she found the strength to speak up:

— Thank you. Really thank you.

The head that lay in her lap shuddered slightly.

Remesis only now realized that she had forgotten to thank the princess for her rescue. They had only known each other for a short time, after all. Asil could have easily left her and gone off on her own. But she… She had come back after all.

Asil froze in response to her words, and even her breathing stopped being catchable. She must have heard that word for the first time in her life.

— Thank you.

— …

Remesis said it one last time.

— Thank you so much.

Asil opened her mouth silently.

***

Remesis and Asil left the village of Araken at dawn. As they walked through the streets, the locals hid in their homes. Apparently, in their eyes, the children were nothing more than monsters. However, after what the princess had done in the middle of the square, it was not surprising.

As soon as she glanced at a house, its inhabitants immediately froze in horror. Regardless, the princess walked beside her little wife quite calmly. However, the intense bloodlust in her was evident.

Asil wanted to tear each and every one of these people to pieces. That probably would have happened if Remesis hadn't told them to hurry up. She wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. Besides, massacring these people was pointless anyway.

Remesis' stomach still ached, but not as much anymore. The snake venom ointment had really helped. At least she could continue on her way without bending over in pain with every step.

They did not leave the village empty-handed. Despite Remesis' hesitation, Asil had shamelessly taken all the most valuable things from the tavern. Especially the food.

When Remesis saw the landlady's orphaned children, her heart squeezed a little. Even though their mother had done this to her, these children were not guilty of anything. In any case, what had been done could not be undone.

While Asil «scoured» the tavern, snooping back and forth, Remesis decided to leave the children something. They were poorly dressed and looked hungry. But the boy and girl recoiled fearfully from her, their faces contorted with horror and hatred.

— Don't come any closer, you monster!!!

The ten year old boy was covering his three year old sister. He hated them for what had happened to their mother. Remesis understood his emotions quite well. She was about to leave them and quietly walk away when the boy suddenly grabbed the knife lying on the table and desperately lunged at her.

— Aaaaaaah!

Remesis didn't even have time to do anything. Everything happened too fast.

Even though Asil was on another floor, she heard the noise. The boy's knife stopped just a centimeter away from her chest. When Remesis opened her eyes, she saw only a corpse in front of her. The child lay with his throat cut open and bleeding.

— .......

Remesis didn't even know what to say. She was in shock.

At this moment, Asil was shaking with anger and her amber eyes were filled with lust for murder. Before the princess could do anything else, Remesis hurriedly led her away from the tavern. In the end, the three-year-old girl was left all alone.

It was an unbearably pathetic sight.

«I didn't mean to…» — Remesis couldn't find the courage to mutter those words.

She didn't even dare to turn around and look in the direction of this child. The horror frozen in her eyes was not hard to imagine.

After all, Remesis herself had experienced such a thing many times.

The North… A very cruel place.

No doubt that was the reason why the girl was so desperate to escape from here.

Once out of the village, they wandered for another week or so. Unlike Araken, the next village was quite far from here. It was quite an arduous journey.

Originally, Remesis had intended to hire a coachman in the village to help them move. However, she hadn't expected something like this to happen. After Asil's massacre, people were afraid to even come near them. Obviously, they couldn't expect any help either.

As before, they spent the night in caves or other such hiding places, and continued on their way in the morning.

The supplies made in the village certainly helped them along the way. Once the girls had left the dangerous border area where most of the barbarian communities were located, Remesis had a welcome opportunity to build a fire.

Stopping at yet another cave, the girl gathered all the dry branches and started a fire using a flint. Asil stared at it mesmerized.

A sound of amazement escaped her mouth.

Even though it was the first time she had seen fire, the princess was not frightened in the least, as Remesis had expected her to be. On the contrary, the girl moved closer and even wanted to touch the flames with her hands…

Remesis stopped her.

— Your Highness, fire is not to be touched. You could burn yourself.

Asil looked at her puzzled. But she obeyed and took a few steps away. Remesis struck the flint a few more times. Asil opened her mouth again when she saw the flames erupt. Remesis watched her reaction with a chuckle.

At the same time, she was in a bit of a state of confusion. «Sometimes I really don't understand her… Sometimes she acts completely different, and sometimes like this.» Remesis distinctly remembered with what expression and intonation Asil had said those words to her yesterday. It was as if she had become a different person then. Now Remesis was back with the animal for whom fire was the most amazing thing in the world.

— …Would you like this?

Remesis held out the flint to Asil, and she took it with some excitement. Compared to the recent past, now she didn't falter when Remesis came even a step closer to her. The dark corner was still her favorite place though.

The princess twirled the flint in her hands and regarded it with undisguised interest.

That night Remesis regretted giving her the flint. All night she couldn't sleep because of the rumbling.

Some time later, they arrived at another northern village. Remesis paid for two rooms in the house of an elderly woman who agreed to shelter them. Unlike the previous stop, this landlady showed not the slightest interest in their personalities.

Seeing a handful of copper coins, the old woman was completely indifferent to who they were and where they were from. This came as a great relief to the girl.

They were going to stay here for a few days. At first, Asil regarded the woman with great distrust. After what had happened: every inhabitant of the North was now a threat in her eyes.

Nevertheless, Remesis managed to convince her that this old woman was indeed not to be feared.

She had also shared some useful information with them.

— Ah, so that's how it is. So you're going to the capital?

At breakfast the next morning, Remesis let slip their plans.

In response to her question, the girl nodded. Fortunately, the older woman was quite perceptive, and didn't elaborate on their purpose. Remesis didn't even have to come up with an excuse.

— It's a long way from here to the capital,» she said in a thoughtful, aged voice, «If you get there on foot, it'll take at least a month. Is there really no one to take you there?

— No, we're all alone here.

— Oh! In that case, you're in luck. My brother is a coachman.

— А?

— It's only fifty shellengs one way. What do you say?

The girl was speechless for a moment.

She suddenly realized why the enterprising old woman was interested in their trip. Remesis mentally grinned. She didn't really mind.

— It will suit us just fine. In that case, when can we leave?

The old woman's face brightened.

— My brother is returning to the village tomorrow. So you can go almost immediately!

— Okay,» the girl's expression brightened too, «we agree!

She turned to look at Asil, who was spreading the meat pie with a nonchalant look. The princess frowned.

Remesis was willing to pay fifty shellengs, or a hundred, to stop wandering the North. Living in caves and wandering through snowdrifts every day had worn her out.

The princess, however, did not share her joy. The thought of having to go to the big city was not a happy one. Living in a cave isn't so bad. At least there are no bad people there to harm her.

Although Asil accepted it, the strong disapproval on her face was obvious.