A Warm Meal Heals

After Laija closed the door, she turned to Domi and Aniya who were now fully awake.

'Who is that man?' Domi asked as he got down from the bed. But when his eyes saw the fresh vegetables and eggs on the table, he cried excitedly, 'What are you going to make us?'

'A healthy meal.' Laija answered and returned to her station.

Aniya turned to look at the man still hovering over the window. 'Will it be alright?' She asked, her brows knitted in concern.

'Yes, not to worry.' Laija said and snapped her fingers. The window screen turned foggy and the man could no longer be seen.

Having finally gotten rid of the distraction, Laija turned her full attention to the ingredients. She washed the vegetables one after the other. Then, with a zap of her finger, she ignited the fire in the furnace, place a pot over it and filled it with two bowls of water.

While the pot was heating up, she evenly cut the potatoes, onions and tomatoes into little box size pieces. When the water began to boil, she added all three ingredients inside.

Next, she cracked four eggs into a bowl and whisked it with a fork. Then, she poured them into the pot. She also added some salt and stirred them all together.

After letting it simmered for some minutes, the dish was ready. Lain warmed the bread, broke them into bite sized pieces and put them on the plates. In a big bowl, she poured the soup and garnished it with finely chopped spring onions.

Laija carried the wooden table with the food right next to the bed. Two pair of brown eyes shone as they stared at the colorful meal that smelled really good.

'Eat up.' Laija told them. Domi and Aniya picked the a piece of bread each, dipped them into the soup and ate.

'Delicious!'

'So good!'

Domi and Aniya gobbled the meal in only a few seconds. They were that hungry. The poor dears.

While she was cleaning up the dishes, the banging on the door returned in full force.

'Let me in! I'm starving!' Shouted the voice behind.

Before Laija could react, Domi rushed for the door and opened. The man hastily barged in and stumbled on the floor.

'That delicious smell made me hungry. Could you give me some?' The blond man cried in a dramatic manner.

'There is none left.' Laija said curtly. She had finished washing the dishes and was patting her hands dry with a towel.

She turned to face the man fully then said to him, 'I have no time to entertain someone like you. Please leave while I'm saying nicely.'

The grown man pouted but it looked ridiculous with his unkempt hair and stubbles.

Also, he was wearing a flamboyant jacket. He appeared quite comical and even a bit pitiful.

But Laija doesn't care. She turned to the two siblings and said,

'I will buy you both dinner and stay with you, only for tonight.'

'Thank you so much. How can I ever repay you?' Aniya uttered with a grateful expression.

'You don't have to pay me anything. Just get well.' Laija replied. She undo the bun on her hair, put back her gloves and wore her grey cloak. Turning to the man, she said, 'Come with me.'

The man immediately stood up saying, 'Of course, my lady!'

Once they were both outside. She grabbed the man by the lapels of his shirt and uttered harshly, 'What is your deal?'

The tall blonde haired man stared down at her. For the first time, she noticed his attractive features and deep violet-coloured eyes. Laija would have find him handsome if not for his untidy appearance.

Without any warning, the man caught her hands in his own large ones and bent down to meet her face. Laija tried to pull away but his grip was surprisingly strong.

With an easy smile, he introduced himself. 'My name is Francis Vermond. Please tell me yours!'

'Why should I tell you?'

'It is only fair after telling mine.'

'I didn't ask for it.' Laija retorted.

'Aw, don't be immature.'

This accusation hit a nerve. Before this man, she was acting as such. She unleashed a bit of her magic and forcefully pulled away from his hold. She was a good distance away from him now. He appeared slightly frazzled by her action.

'I will not see you again.' She said and left him.

At evening, Laija dressed up the kids in new clothes and brought them to a nearby eatery for dinner. Soon, as they entered inside, they were met with noise of drunk men. Laija did not pay any heed to them. She silently ushered the kids to an empty table in the left corner of the room.

Truth is, she did not want to bring them to a rowdy place but they needed to have scrumptious meal. She thought about making it in their home but it would take too much time so pushed aside the idea.

A young waiter came up to them and quickly introduced the menu. Laija ordered soups, salads and stew, all of them with some protein as the main ingredient, along with some breads.

The dishes were soon brought. Domi and Aniya ate up heartily while Laija watched sipping her hot beverage, pleased.

After finishing the meal, she got up to make her payment. She suddenly stumbled into someone, the abrupt action made her hood fall from her head.

Everyone in the room gasped. The large man who had bumped into her cried,

'You are freaking pretty! But you look like a foreigner!'

Laija tried to covered up again but the man wound his huge hand around her thin waist and gripped it. In a gruff tone, he asked, 'Hey what is your name?'

'Oh, Batho is going for it!'

'Hey, stop flirting or I will tell on your wife!'

'Yeah, just bring her to our table!'

'Come let us have the fun too!'

The men from the table nearby cheered and whistled. They were merrily drunk, in the mood for entertainment.

Laija could tell from the uniforms they were wearing that the men were guards who patrolled the town. They probably mean no harm, they were being mischievous after completing a their duties. Still, it was rather irritating to be made the centre of attention in a room mostly filled with men. She realised too late there was barely any women or children. It appears the establishment was inclined towards only one gender.

She thought of using her magic to get away. But it was likely she will create a scene with these many people, so she abandoned the thought.

She sighed inwardly. In a composed voice, Laija spoke, 'Sir, let go of my hand, please.'

'I will if you tell us your lovely name.'

'...'

Laija pursed her lips and turned her head sideway. She saw Domi and Aniya sitting stiffly in their bench, feeling overwhelmed by the whole situation.

Laija turned to face the bearded man.

'My name is Laija. Now, let me go.' She introduced, her tone impassive and dull.

'That wasn't so hard!' The man almost yelled. He still did not release her hand, instead he bend down to peer even closer at her face and said to her, 'Join us for some fun. I'm loaded I will pay for your meals.'

Laija considered punching him in the face.

'What is this? You refused me your name quite harshly this afternoon. And now, you tell him this easily?' A smooth voice interrupted them.

All eyes fell on the tall blonde haired man who swiftly walked to the large man and yanked away his hold from her hand.

'That is a terrible way to flirt.' He said, staring down at the man. He was much taller so it appeared intimidating.

'Who are you, bastard?'

'Someone who is very offended by your terrible manners.' He answered with a chuckle.

Laija understood they already made a scene. She snapped her fingers and created a magical spark that exploded into blue dust, making all the inhabitants in the room froze like statues except for herself and the kids.

Then, she dropped a few coins on the counter and left the establishment, taking the kids by their hands.

The magic was temporary, it broke the moment she left the door. Everyone gasped, astonished.

'Who was that really?'

'Must be an enchantress!'

'But I thought those kinds of people had exhausted their magic during the Purification of Mur.'

'Well, guess there is some left. How odd.'

'What a night! The capital must hear of this news!'

The men discussed amongst each other. The blonde haired man furrowed his brows not liking where this was going.

-

After returning to the poor building, Laija shut the door tight and cast a spell that will notify her if anyone dare to intrude. Domi and Aniya seemed tired, so they quietly went to bed. After they drifted off to sleep, Laija sat down in the corner for some rest.

She had just arrived to the town yesterday. To think it would become so hectic in one day. She decided to leave right away tomorrow morning. She had foolishly exposed herself too much here. Tonight was the first time she had used magic in public. Something told her, it was not going to go well.

She closed her eyes and yawned. She needed to catch some sleep too.

A long while later, Laija jolted awake from her sweet slumber. She turned to right hand and saw little sparks dancing between fingers, signaling her that barrier on the door was being disturbed. She sat up straight and gazed at its direction.

Who could it be at this hour?

Laija got up and silently walked to the door. She peek through the keyhole and saw the blonde haired man from earlier. What was his name again? Ah, Francis Vermond.

What a persistent man. What could he possibly want at this time of the night?

Reluctantly, she slide open the door. But before she do or say anything, the man pushed a hand over her mouth and barged inside.

Laija frowned. This man was really insolent. He should be taught a lesson. She gathered magic into her right, they crackled like firecrackers. The man noticed it and cried in a low voice, 'Wait, I have come to tell you something!'

Laija had a lot of patience, it seems. She nodded her head and decided to hear him out. If it turned out to be anything stupid, she will shocked him again with her magic.

Seeing that she was calm, Francis let go of his hand from her mouth. He also closed the door behind him without making a sound.

He began, 'We must leave at once. If you stay here it will be bad.'

'Why?' She asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

The man raised his and touched his own forehead in a sort of dramatic fashion. He spoke softly, 'Even though you are very beautiful and intelligent, you do not seem to know much about the affairs of this kingdom. You just publicly show your magical ability. The capital will come for you.'

Laija pursed her lips. She should have expected this kind of development. Of course, she knew she was the only one who can do magic. Her appearance was also very foreign. For those reasons alone, she kept a low profile and stayed away as best as she can. As a result, she was unfamiliar about many things. And now, it appears the attention she unnecessarily put herself in was going to have her pursued. It was going to troublesome.

Laija lifted up her face and met a pair of violet eyes staring down at her. She was reminded again of their encounter during the afternoon. She held her gaze, cleared her throat and in an assuring tone, said, 'There is no problem. I will be leaving at dawn.'

'That is good.' He uttered, relief evident in his voice.

'Is that all you want to say?' She asked him.

'Uh, yes.' He replied with a genial smile.

'Then, you may take your leave.'

'Huh?'

She pushed him out and shut the door on him once again.