RAI WAS A COWARD!

"I have eaten raw meals before...."

"Not while I'm there." Akira said before he had the chance to finish his statement.

Thaggar sighed and sat down patiently, waiting for her to tell him he could finally eat.

"You've been such a behaved man so I'll give you a lot of food." Akira humoured him as she put some of the still boiling soup on his plate that he was still holding,"But first help me to put this pot in that corner."

Thaggar smiled childishly and got up. He put the plate on the table and walked to one side of the pot, lifting it off the fire with her help. He sat back down to eat and she sat next to him, obviously wanting to be fed. He fed her without complaint and she ate quietly. When the food he'd plated out finished, she got up and put another heap of rice on it, stew and pork. She sat next to him and this time she was the one to feed him.

"I hope I'm not disturbing."

Akira looked back at the door with a smile having recognized Tak's voice. Thaggar smiled at him as well but didn't speak as he was still chewing.

"Are you hungry, brother?" Akira asked about to get up but Thaggar stopped her with a frown.

"He has hands of his own, he'll get it himself." Thaggar said as he pressed Akira back onto the floor.

"Don't worry Akira. Just stay with your husband."

"I haven't seen you the whole day, where have you been?" Akira asked sighing.

"I was with the....what did they call themselves....smiths! The taught me how to make a dagger from real iron!" Tak said excitedly pulling out the small blade from his pouch.

It was unevenly shaped showing just how inexperienced he was. Akira smiled at him, glad that he was getting to see new things. It was hard for her village to trade as there was nothing valuable on the land and also the unreasonable rigidity of their chief.

"Tak, there's something mother asked for before she..." Akira started and she stopped seeing his frown.

"Something from who?" Tak asked impatiently with a raised voice.

Feeling defensive, Thaggar shot Tak a warning glare and a deep rumble came from within his chest. Tak shivered and forced himself to take a few steps back in case the king decided to attack him.

"She wanted for you to marry Taki and settle down here." Akira said standing up to avoid any fights between her brother and husband.

"I won't fulfill the those wishes, I'm afraid." Tak responded without hesitation,"I would be shunned by my people for abandoning them this way..."

"Then you can still marry Taki and live together...."

"No. My sister is a princess, she won't go there." Thaggar said standing as well.

Akira looked at him in disbelief but he remained steadfast.

"There's no need for you to even worry your majesty. I have no plans of marrying the princess whatsoever."

"Tak...!"

"Yes Akira, I will not marry Taki. I have no will to fulfill the last wishes of someone who took their own life and even dared to force others to witness it!"

"You don't know what burdens she was carrying!"

"Rai was a coward!" Tak snapped.

Akira didn't scream back at him. She was crying and looking at the tears in his eyes that he refused to let fall. Even though he wanted to step in, Thaggar realized the seriousness of the situation and only patted Akira's back to help her calm down.

"She was a coward who lived her life blaming others for her circumstances and died doing the same to make others feel that they were responsible too. She didn't live her life as she wanted but still did nothing to change it and still blamed it on others. Do you know that chief Kanaq freed her of her responsibility to the village after father's death? She could have lived her life however she wished but do you know what she told him? 'I have two more burdens I have to se through till the end.' Us Akira.... that's what she thought of us. Even though her words hurt me back then.... she couldn't even see it through and decided to leave that way...."

Tak begun to sob, clutching his chest through the shirt he wore as if he was trying to remove what was hurting him. Akira walked towards him and hugged him. He didn't pull back or fight her but he didn't hug her back either. Thaggar stood awkwardly and turned away to give them privacy. In his peripheral he spotted her....Taki standing by the door with her back facing him. She was half hidden but he knew it was her from the fading birthmark on her shoulder. He walked towards her slowly and hugged her. She didn't try to run and hugged him back.

Thaggar sighed in defeat. Tak was going to be the first person, after their father, that she longed for that he couldn't give her.

"I still want him..." Taki whispered,"I don't have to be his wife."

"I won't let you." Thaggar responded making Taki raise her head from his chest, a look of disbelief in her eyes.

He pushed her head back against his chest and held her down while she struggled to get away from him. She soon gave up and resumed her crying, more intensely. Time went by and Thaggar heard the sobs in the kitchen stop. His sister also seemed calm so he let her go but he had to hold her again as he quickly realized she had fallen asleep.

"This girl...." Thaggar mumbled clicking his tongue.

He heard footsteps in the kitchen and peeped seeing that Tak had left and Akira was sitting on the floor with her legs folded in her hands. The need to comfort her nearly made him drop Taki. He lifted her and placed her on his shoulder like he was carrying a slaughtered lamb then he walked in.

"Let's go." He said extending his hand for Akira.

Akira looked up and immediately, a look of jealousy flashed across her face. She got up and looked at the face of the girl he was carrying and sighed, her jealousy quickly replaced by embarrassment.

"It's just Taki, my queen." Thaggar mocked her even doing a half bow to her.

She punched his shoulder and chuckled when he pretended to be in pain.