Not Your Woman

Danyel came out from the hollow first. Gianna left the hollow only after Danyel confirmed that the villagers had gone. Seeing each other in the bright light was more awkward. Gianna kept staring at the ground while Danyel tried to explain the situation. He could not stop stuttering.

“Um…I just… I just wanted to uh, stop you from screaming. If they heard you…um, it would be bad. That’s why I… Gianna, I’m so sorry.”

“I-I understand you, sire.” Gianna stuttered too. She wanted to pretend that she did not like it, but she could not deny that she had already developed feelings for Danyel. She just did not know when it started.

“You know what, let’s forget it. Let’s both erase it from our memory, alright? Whatever happened between us was a mistake. No need to make it a big deal.” Danyel said while avoiding Gianna’s eyes.

Though Gianna nodded and agreed, inside, she felt sorrowful. A man kissed her and awakened her feelings, but immediately told her to forget it because it was a mistake?!

Then she recalled about Yasvie.

“Come to your senses, Gianna! He’s already someone else’s lover. How can you turn your back to that sweet little girl?!” Gianna told herself.

Suddenly, Gianna felt an insufferable pain around her wound. Due to the movements that happened inside the hollow, it was hurt. She almost forgot it because of the kiss and all, but the wound started to cause immense pain again. Gianna put one hand on her chest, the other hand on a tree to get support, and sat on the ground. Danyel stared at her; confused. For a moment, he too had forgotten that Gianna had a wound.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“It’s my wound. It is hurting again.” Gianna spoke with great difficulty. Danyel came closer to her and knelt.

“Let me take a look.” He tried to open Gianna’s upper clothes as if he had forgotten that she was not her wife or anyone. Gianna quickly blocked him.

“Sire, please don’t. It’ll be fine. We have to go now.”

“No, Gianna. If it’s serious, we have to go to the healing house.”

“What about Yasvie? We have to go there first.” Gianna pushed Danyel’s hands.

“I know. But if the cut is severely damaged, it’ll be worse if you don’t get proper treatment. Do you want to die now?” Danyel kept opening Gianna’s upper clothes.

Gianna silently looked at him for a moment. She felt her heart burning. Why would he care this much about her even when he had zero feelings for her? Gianna did not want to let him play with her emotions. She pushed him using all the energy she had and covered her chest.

“Sire, I don’t like what you’re doing.”

“Gianna, try to understand. I’m…” Danyel could not complete his explanation.

“Don’t make another mistake with me! I’m not your woman!” Gianna shouted.

Danyel paused. He slowly took his hands off Gianna and looked at the ground. He felt slightly embarrassed and disappointed. He was so confused why he treated Gianna that way, even when his world only belonged to Yasvie. He too knew that his way of treating Gianna was different from his interactions with an ordinary friend.

For the past few days, Gianna had gotten closer to Danyel, and both of them felt like it was something more than a friendship. But Danyel had Yasvie. He was already on a path in which Gianna had no space to exist. They were in two different worlds which were never meant to meet. Gianna and Danyel were two different people who should never cross paths.

Gianna was afraid that her feelings would lead her to a horrific destiny, just like what happened to her mother. She identified many changes in her behavior and feared that she was becoming someone she never wanted to be. After battling with her own thoughts, Gianna concluded that Danyel was acting weird around her only because he missed Yasvie desperately. She thought that he had lost his mind by losing Yasvie and tried to fill her absence with Gianna. She did not want to be used by him.

“I can walk. Let’s hurry.” Gianna stood up and walked, but every step she put, caused her wound to hurt more.

“You can’t walk.”

“Sire, I’m sorry for saying this, but I won’t be able to reach Hesmia. You’ll have to go alone. I’m really sorry.”

Danyel could not decide what to do. Both of the girls’ lives were in danger.

“How can I save both of them?” Danyel unknowingly uttered.

“Don’t think about me. Yasvie must be very scared. We don’t even know what she’s facing right now. Please go save her. I’ll try my best to reach the healing house. Come to get me when you find Yasvie.” 

Though Gianna spoke with confidence, she knew that it would be a miracle if she reached the healing house on time. Already bleeding, she thought that she was…dying. But she pretended like everything was fine, although the pain was already killing her.

Danyel decided to go for Yasvie. He asked Gianna to be careful and left immediately. He walked the swiftest way he could.

After a few minutes, Danyel reached the temple where he faced a terrifying battle the previous day. Also, it was where he lost Yasvie to save someone else. Danyel paused for a moment and regretted leaving Yasvie there, alone. Then he came back to the present and hurried towards Hesmia.

As the tunnel was discovered by the enemies, Danyel had to find another way. When he kept observing the woods for a path, he saw someone coming his way. He hid behind a tree and pulled the sword out. Danyel understood that only one person was approaching him. He prepared himself for a quick battle as he was expecting a Lisdonian soldier.

But, much to his wonder, it was no one but….Yasvie!!!!

What a miracle!

Danyel did not even have to enter Hesmia. She had brought herself out to him. Danyel could not believe what he was seeing.

“Yasvie?!” He shouted.

Yasvie was panting, but she managed to smile in relief. Danyel ran to her and hugged her in an instance. He did not release her for minutes. He could feel Yasvie’s tears rolling down to his clothes.

“I never thought I could ever see you again, sire!”

“Me too, Yasvie. I thought I lost you. I’m sorry for being an idiot.”

Then Danyel looked at Yasvie’s face, only to see numerous marks left by Nimue’s slaps all over it.

“I made you suffer a lot, didn’t I? I’m such a jerk. What did they do to you?” Danyel rubbed Yasvie’s face in sorrow.

“Don’t blame yourself, sire. It wasn’t your fault. They just hit me several times and asked where you were. I told nothing.”

“How’d you escape? Did anyone follow you? Oh Yasvie, I never thought you’ll ever be able to do something like this.” Danyel checked around.

“A soldier I knew helped me, a Hesmian soldier. No one saw me escape.”

“We’ll get Gianna and find a safer place. It’s not good to be around here. Let’s go.”

“Sire, I know a way. That soldier told me the safest route to Sesiil. We’ll go there. It’s the nearest kingdom to Lisdonia.”

“Hmm, alright. We’ll get Gianna first.”

Yasvie stopped. She gazed at Danyel with disappointment. How could he always speak of HER? Yasvie had to face intolerable tortures just because Danyel chose to save Gianna. Yasvie was angry.

“Why do you always choose her? Because she’s your wife and I’m no one?”

Danyel was shocked to see Yasvie’s sudden change.

“Darling, there’s nothing like that! And she’s not my wife either. We were on this together. We have to proceed together.” He rubbed Yasvie’s head.

Yasvie suddenly began to cry.

“Sire, don’t you see these marks on my face? She caused all these. How can you still stand by her side, even after seeing how I suffered because of her? It’s like you no longer want me.”

Danyel’s heart ached. Yasvie had no one but him. She should have been the utmost priority of Danyel.

“Yasvie!! Don’t ever say things like that! I’ll never leave you again, okay? We’ll go get Gianna and then act out your plan. That’s what I’m telling you.”

“No! I’m not going to that witch again!!! If you want her, leave me then!” Yasvie shouted.

Danyel sighed. He could not believe that Yasvie was yelling like that. The girl he loved was a sweet, nice person. But he still loved her, no matter what.

“Yasvie, listen to me. Gianna’s got wounds all over her body. She needs help. And she always worried about you. Try to understand, please.”

From what Danyel said, Yasvie had caught up only one part.

“All over her body? Did she show it to you when I wasn’t there?”

Danyel was totally shocked as if he was struck by a lightning. He did not want to believe what he just heard.

“Yasvie, stop it. I never thought you’ll say things like that. What do you want me to do now?”

Yasvie understood that she had crossed the line. She wanted to take it back.

“I’m sorry, sire. I didn’t mean to say that. I’m only worried about getting killed. I don’t want to see them again. I think they’re already coming after us. If we go to get Emse Gianna, we’ll run out of time. Please help me save my life.” Yasvie uttered innocently.

Considering everything, Danyel decided to leave with Yasvie.

“Gianna has skills. She’ll save herself somehow. After all, she’s not my woman. It’s Yasvie. She has no one but me. I have to choose her. I’m sorry, Gianna.” His inner voice whispered.

Danyel truly wanted to save Gianna but the fear of losing Yasvie stopped him. He started following Yasvie. But he could not refrain himself from glancing at the direction where he wished Gianna would suddenly appear.