My back was incredibly sore. I was doing whatever possible to try and get comfortable, uncurling and curling my spine, rolling my shoulders and tilting my neck from side to side. But none of it was working.

Yet I constantly did it as I sat where I was yesterday, the place where Seanne had told me Zachan had come back. Even though the very place was a reminder of his return; I wanted to sketch the cornflowers. Their bright purplely blue tone had me hypnotized, and had me wishing I could paint as well as draw.

It wasn't just for pleasure, drawing the flowers. It was a way to help me remember the native language. These flowers, like many others had different names here. To remember them, besides the drawing I would place the pronunciation of the name in my written language beside it, as their characters to write where completely different. Mr. Larkin had warned me that it would take years to understand it fluently.

I found my self there for a good hour, absorbed by my work. All my attention was on the arch of the petal, I almost didn't notice him approaching. Almost.

I nearly groaned aloud as Zachan took graceful strides towards me. He had discarded his winter gear for lighter clothing. A simple beige long sleeve shirt, light pants with a slip of fabric in-between his legs and woven with a tribal pattern of reds and browns. His hair was longer, as his tuck knot on the middle of his skull was thicker.

Compared to me, he looked well rested. For once his body wasn't as taught as a bowstring. His mouth was no hard line, but actually looking closer, the corners had tipped up the slightest.

"So this is where you come and hide..." he observes, his eyes gliding over the forest.

"Its not hiding-" I stop my angry rant abruptly, having a feeling that Zachan knew what exactly to say to have me reacting. Instead I sigh, composing myself." It's as good a place as any." I look back down to my sketchbook.

"Jaida wondered where you were this morning, she expected you to be at the farm." He tells me.

I was planning on going down, but something was stopping me." I would have helped, but I didn't have a good night's rest last night."

Without knowing it, I was craning my back, emphasizing my discomfort.

" I'm sorry to hear that Aleenia, I slept rather well." He replies as if he doesn't have a care in the world, standing closer, creating a large shadow over my work. I grumble to myself, nearly biting my tongue not to lash out at him.

I remain quiet, hoping by some force of nature he would get the point and leave. Instead, the shadow he created vanishes, only to have him sit right beside me.

I feel his eyes peering down at my sketchbook. It took a lot for me not to snap it shut, or shield it away with my hands. His finger slides up the white paper to point at my nearly completed sketch of a couple cornflowers." You draw these?"

My head slowly turns to look at him. My eyes narrowing, thinking to myself he has just asked a stupid question. But I guess the people here have not seen such life like drawings before, something as refined that my pencil lets me draw. "Yes?"

His face is expressed with intrigue, his eyes glancing back down at my sketch." They are beautiful." He tells me, his eyes wandering back to find mine. " You are very talented."

From the way his voice sounds genuine, my pinched expression relaxes. My mouth opens in slight shock at the... compliment I received by Zachan. " Thank you..." I whisper hesitantly, placing my pencil back on the paper. I had no idea how to react to him now.

A few strokes later, that tanned pointer finger comes back, this time indicating my writing beside it. I forced myself not to jab is hand with my pencil." What is this?"

" I might not know your written language yet, but in my own I write down what the name pronunciation is beside it... to help me learn."

Zachan nods once in understanding, removing his finger from the page.

"Does Andrew teach you this?" he asks, referring to Mr. Larkin. His tone is relaxed, but a small bite of curiosity underlining it has me looking to him with pinched brows.

"Yes..." I drag out.

"You see him daily?"

"Yes... if I am to learn your language quickly I must see him day by day. Is there a problem with this?" I question, tension now growing between us. He too looked troubled by something now.

"I find it odd you visit him so often." He tells me, looking away from me to the forest in front of him. His hands are clenched tightly together resting between his knees.

" It is only to help me learn faster-" I stop, realization dawning on me on what he thinks my visits might contain. It has my cheeks flushing bright pink. "Are you insinuating something Zachan?"

His eyebrows furrow in thought, taking in my words."In-sinuat-ing." He slowly speaks the word, having trouble trying to decipher the meaning. I suppose it was a harder word in our vocabulary.

"Are you accusing something of me?" I say louder, that nice moment shared between us gone to ash.

He seems to understand this wording, and looks to me. A hard look, mainly a disproving one directed at me." I am not sure..."

"The man is nearly twice my age!" I shriek, standing up with my book now snapped shut.

A receive a confused look from my husband." Are you-" he stops, trying to gather his thoughts." I was thinking you were conspiring together against us..."

Here I had thought that I was being accused of having... intermit relations with Mr. Larkin. But he had thought I was with him frequently to pass on information to my people, a spy to tell them the ways and weaknesses of the Ukan Tribe. My cheeks flush even warmer at my first assumption I had made.

Zachan realizes this to, seeming just as off put by the thought." Should I be thinking otherwise, Aleenia?"

It had my temper flaring, the already warn thread snaps in me. To have him even think I would do such a thing has me madder then I possibly have ever felt before.

"No!" I scream, some spit unattractively flying from my mouth." This marriage might not be what we ever wanted, but I have morels where I am from. And one of them is called loyalty. Even if I fell in love with another man I would never even think of betraying the vows of marriage. That is how I was raised. That is who I am."

I start to storm away, my angry stomps regrettably flattening a few of the precious cornflowers I had captured in my sketchbook. But Zachan couldn't leave it there.

" Are you running away Aleenia?" his tone could have been teasing but it had a blunt edge to it that was taunting.

I turn around in my steps, ready to hurl my book at him. But he to, is now standing, and his height like always as me second-guessing myself.

"I guess I learned from the master, didn't I." I mock, a sarcastic smile gracing my lips." You get to run away whenever things get too difficult. Well guess what, not everyone is so lucky. I resent the fact you get to leave on your free will, while if I even had the nerve to ask you permission if I could go back home it would be shot down quicker then a rabid dog."

I knew I should have stopped there, my mind already wincing from my choice of words. But that whole three months of pushing away these resentful feelings I had towards him were bubbling up to the surface, spewing up like a volcano.

"And I resent the fact you come back here pretending like nothing had ever happened. The fact you leave a man unpunished for trying to kill me now twice, and you talk to him as if no grave decision he made against you had ever occurred. And I resent that you still look at me as if a pebble in your shoe, unwanted-"

My voice cracks, and I look away for a moment. My wrist comes to rest against my mouth as if to push back the cries that want to be set free. Composing myself I continue.

"I know I am different to the rest of your people. But I still have feelings!"

I turn quickly, not wanting to see what his face shows. My knees felt wobbly as I walked away, my feet tripping over my skirt on a few occasions. The tears I had wanted to contain make their appearance, streaming down my face. My sore back had now become the least of my problems.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Zachan didn't come back to our tent that night.

Sorry for the late update, I got hooked on Netfilx...might have binged watched The first season of The Last Kingdom, it's really good. *Guilty face*

Well I hope you enjoyed that chapter; sorry it is not as long as the others. So please tell me what you think.

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