When Dahr came, I did not move from my protective nook nor did I acknowledge his return and chose to keep staring at the artwork painted on the walls, trying to ascertain the best mix of colours to obtain those exact shades of blue.
I did not want Dahr to think I was scared, but I didn’t want to speed up the process either, still not understanding what I had done to deserve such a treatment. Except being a woman prisoner in a camp of overly inflated male egos.
I heard how his steps pressed along the room, how he moved towards the table and splashed a bit of water over his body, probably to relieve the remnants of the daily fights and how he put his actions to a stop, ceased by a deep sigh.
“Do you expect an apology?” Dahr finally said but did not move. He did not step towards me, did not make a single motion to force me into a reply. Still, my entire skin covered with gooseflesh, the anticipation of his deep voice carried on overwhelming my senses.
“I don’t deserve to be treated like this,” I finally snapped from under the covers, my voice escaping with more harshness than I initially intended it to. I knew I was in big trouble, so shouting at him wouldn’t bring me any extra credit.
“I know…” he sighed slowly in reply and only then, started moving again, his heavy footsteps carrying the weight of his body echoing into the tent. I knew he was approaching my bed and, as a last resort to keep hold of the little power I had left, I grabbed the pillow and placed it over my head. A childish move, I was well aware. Yet, one that felt instinctual more than logical.
I didn’t expect to feel Dahr’s body close to mine as he took a seat at the edge of my bed, his wide frame pushing into my own body to make a little space for him to sit.
“I apologise…” he spoke slowly, the words coming out like a heavy thud, shaking the world around us. “I should not have left without speaking to you this morning.”
“You should have told your henchmen not to kick the shit out of me, that’s what you should have done,” I shouted from under the covers, knowing that I was opening myself up to his exploding fury. Not only was I not apologetic about whatever mistake they thought I had made but also protested it. I knew this would be the end.
But if I was to die, I would rather do it with my head held high, showing these people that just because I was a woman and did not possess their strength, I still merited the same rights as them. I very much doubted that when one of Dahr’s warriors made a mistake, he was treated like this, so why wouldn’t I demand the same privilege?
“I didn’t…” Dahr started protesting but stopped abruptly. I didn’t even think he breathed properly when his voice turned as tumultuous as a hurricane. “What???”
Oh my god, this was it. This was the moment.
“Look at me!” Dahr ordered and moved to remove the covers and the pillow from my face, but I kept pulling at them, desperate for that illusion of protection.
“Nora…” he threatened, but even so, my name on his lips echoed like the sweetest sounds, like the very last accord thatjoins the perfect tune of an orchestra. “Look. At. Me.” he said slowly, uttering each word with the utmost care, using a tone of voice I hadn’t heard before.
“Please…” he said, that final plea becoming my undoing.
I took a deep breath and pushed strength into my body as I removed the pillow and fully turned to him, letting him see the effect of the punishment his men had inflicted. Hoping that it would give him enough satisfaction and make him understand that I would be terrified to leave the camp on my own from now on. And hoping that he did not need to reiterate the message.
Instead of a grin, a snarl, or even a smile, Dahr’s face was the complete opposite. His eyes flew open at the sight of me, gaze burning into the swollen flesh for long seconds. I even thought he was paralysed — he remained in some sort of a loop— but the more he breathed, the more his nostrils flared and his brows furrowed. His dark irises glinted with a fury I had not seen before and, were I not already pinned in bed, I would have felt the need to take a step back from his rage.
Wordlessly, Dahr raised a hand to grab my chin, his movement slow and gentle, taking care to let me know exactly what his intention was, and moved my face to the side to better display my injury to him. I hadn’t seen it, I didn’t even want to touch it, but by Dahr’s angry face, I knew it must be bad.
My jaw tensed as he asked, “who did this to you?”
I blinked in confusion at his question, at the rage that kept boiling in his veins, at the shake of his hands which twitched with wrath yet remained surprisingly gentle to caress the side of my face.
Did he not know?
Did he not order this himself?
“Nora,” he spoke again and damn it, the way he pronounced my name did something to me. “Who did this to you?” he asked again, this time with a lot more threat in his tone.
I didn’t want to risk all this anger being directed at me, so I told him the truth.
“I went for a swim and one man pulled me out of the water by the hair.” I didn’t know if this information was important to him or if he simply wished to know who marked my face, but I decided not to take any chances. “When I got to the shore, there were a few others. One hit me across the face, and another kicked in my back a few times. I hadn’t seen them before.”
“Were they uniformed?” his lips formed such a thin line that they only became visible when he spoke.
“They were wearing rakis,” I replied and Dahr’s eyes widened only slightly, probably surprised that I knew the traditional name of the pants they were all wearing.
“I will send someone to take care of this,” he announced and, with a final caress across my cheek, Dahr stood from my bed. “And I will be back shortly.”
I nodded, unsure of what the correct answer would be in this situation and watched him fly out of the tent, his fury leaving marks where his steps had been.
Not a few minutes later, Mira returned to the tent, this time carrying a small basket with various medical supplies I instantly recognised and hurried to my side, looking both surprised and shocked at the sight of me. I only knew her name because Karisha was kind enough to tell me which of the two she was.
