A PLACE UNKNOWN

NOAH

The closeness is such, and I feel uncomfortable, he looks at me intensely. I don't know how to act, normally I would put him in his place, I don't like being taken liberties with me, or looking intensely at me. Paolo's gaze flicks between my eyes and my mouth, and it makes me angry.

— Are you mad at me? she asks, I look at him, and he speaks again. —Your eyes have changed from violet to blue, and now they're violet again!

— What are you trying to say?

— Violet, you were angry with me, and blue, with desire, and now violet again...

— For a noble, you talk a lot of nonsense, don't you think?— I ask, and he smiles. — So, if so, your eyes are blue, and...

— Am I lusting after you?

— Don't look at me like that!

— Can't I look at you?

— No, you can't! — I say in an angry tone.

— Because?

— I don't like the way you're looking at me!—

— The same way you're looking at me too?

— I don't, it's ... I look, I mean, I'm not looking at you the way you look at me! — I need to clean your wound...

What's happening to me? Why do I feel so vulnerable? I'm not like that. I feel confused by the way this man looks at me, he doesn't say anything at all, and just turns his head a little for me to clean his wounds.

I bring my hand to her hair, pushing away the strands that are close to the cut that was caused by the blow I had received from one of the soldiers in our territory. I try to clean his wound gently, and at the same time carefully, but something bothers me, this delicacy, I've never acted like that. Every touch of my fingers on her hair, and on the bruised skin, makes me feel strange, it's scary, her scent is still strong. I bring my hand to my nose in an attempt not to smell it, but I can't, and jerk away. The prisoner stares at me confused.

— It's over? Did you clean it right?

— I'm done and don't worry, your wound is all right! — It's... Are you hungry?

— It's quite ironic, they almost kill me with a clear blow to the head, and then offer me food, how nice! He responds sarcastically.

— I'm trying to be nice to you, but I can't see much use. You don't seem to know what it is, because nobles never treat anyone kindly?

— Oh, are you being nice? he asks ironically once more.

— I am, but if you don't think so… Oh, you know what? If you're hungry, keep going, because I'm not going to give you food, die of hunger! 

— Who do you think the boy is, to talk to me like that? — I demand to speak to the leader of this place, because it's probably not you!

— Wants to know? fuck! — I answer, I walk away quickly, I open the door and leave without looking back, the soldiers ask me something, and I don't answer anything because I can't.

The man is extremely annoying and arrogant at the same time. I won't waste my precious time on someone like him. I walk quickly towards my house.

[...]

— Brother, I hear you've been interrogating the prisoner, did you get any information on him?

— If he is telling the truth, he will be a great asset to us, for he is the son of William of Spaldi , and we can use him as a bargaining chip!

— Noah , what happened? — You look a little annoyed, was it something with the prisoner?

— I got a little angry with him, because I tried to help him, and he was very arrogant with me, or rather a real idiot! — I even treated him politely, was gentle trying to clean his wounds, but he... Arghh ! — I reply angrily to my brother without finishing what I say.

— You what? Cleaned a prisoner's wounds? Since when are you nice to anyone, and especially a prisoner?

— He was bruised, with a head wound that was bleeding. What did you want me to do?

— It's not what I wanted you to do, but the reason you're so worried about a prisoner, I know you asked Duric to spare your life.

— As I told you, he can serve as a bargaining chip! — I say and sit down at the table, Balck sits next to me. 

— I know you, you never cared about prisoners, always supported Duric when he sentenced them to death, what's going on?

— Nothing's happening, Balck ! — I answer irritated, I look at my brother, who stares at me as if he was investigating me. — I already told you, nothing's happening!

— Alright, if you say...

[...]

It was night when I got back to the prisoner's hut, he seems to be sleeping, and I was assigned a few hours ago to stand guard inside the hut. I didn't particularly like the idea, but unfortunately I can't deny a request from Duric . Sitting on the floor, consumed with boredom and watching the light reflected from the torch on the cabin wall, I turn my face quickly at the sound of something.

— No, no... I need to find him! — Isn't it possible that besides being arrogant, impertinent, he still talks in his sleep?

It's inevitable, I turn my attention to him, and I notice that he cringes a little, he seems to feel cold. I get up and grab one of the blankets that is beside me, I approach and cover the arrogant nobleman. I look at him, I don't know what's happening to me, what's so special about this man, that in such a short time he catches my attention? I pull away, and shake my head in the negative at my action.

I don't recognize myself, I never cared about prisoners. I go back to my seat, grab the other blanket spread on the floor, and lie down. Thoughts populate my mind, and I dislike them. I think about the contact with the prisoner, I try to shake it out of my head, and I remember the conversation I had, and consequently what I learned about him helping the prince escape. Something bothers me a lot, the fact that he said my eyes were changing color, and I smelled what was probably his. Why is this happening?

[...]

                                                                                                            

The sun has already cleared the rebel territory when I finally open my eyes, I sit down, feeling exhausted, I haven't been able to sleep very well, I've spent part of the night awake waiting for another soldier to reinforce security during the shift change. I open my eyes definitively, and I notice the look of that insolent man on me, and it bothers me, I don't like being looked at, much less being done in the way this bother does.

— Why are you looking at me? — I get up quickly and ask annoyed.

— Oh, I forgot that it's forbidden to look at the boy with no name. What's wrong with that? Will you kill me because I'm looking at you? — he answers ironically, making me even more irritated.

— I think you still don't understand that you're a prisoner, you owe me obedience and respect, you shouldn't look at me like that. — The only reason I don't do something to you is because... — I can't finish my sentence.

— I already know, because you need me for the rebel resistance's plans! — I heard you talking to your friend yesterday.

— Oh, you mean you listen to other people's conversations?

— The conversation in question involved me, so I had to know what it was about!

Just as we were discussing one of the soldiers, Yan, enters the hut bringing food.

— Noah , our leader is waiting for you, and he wants to see you urgently.

— I'll look for you soon! — I inform.

— Is there a problem with the prisoner?— I heard what it sounded like... A little argument , is that all right?

— Don't worry, Yan... It's all right! Our prisoner is a bit of a rebel...

I try to cut the conversation short as quickly as possible, and as soon as he leaves, I turn my attention to the food, but the prisoner is really insistent, and seems to want to annoy me.

— He seems interested in you!

— What?

—The soldier, the way he looks at you, the worry in his voice, the smell he emits around you...

— Is it a joke?

— No, and why would that be a joke?

— Because Yan is just someone I train with every day, and…

— It's a friend?

— Not exactly, he's friends with my brother, I don't talk to him much, and… But what is this?

— What? he asks in an ironic tone.

— Are you wanting to know about my life? — Listen well, you are the prisoner here... You know what? I won't waste my time arguing with you

— Alright, Noah ! I understood...

— What? Did you find my name?

— Your friend called you by name… — I look at him, and an urge to rub his face against the wall surges through me.

I leave slamming the door and catching the attention of Yan who was on guard beside the door. The boy with his big green eyes stares at me scared.

— Is there a problem, Noah?

— Not Yan. There is no problem! I say, and he continues to stare at me without understanding what's going on, although I don't know the reason for my anger either. I make recommendations to him to serve food to the prisoner, and I quickly withdraw from that environment.

I continue walking through the village, and my mind is betraying me, because the face of that irritant appears in my thoughts, and I wonder what is happening to me, I feel vulnerable. I don't know why I opened my mouth to talk to him, tell him about Yan and his friendship with my brother... I feel angry with myself, I don't know why I'm wasting my time to talk to someone like him! Damn Paul!

through the trees , past some plantations, up a sloping ground, and stop, staring at that vast green expanse, but my mind is still flooded with the prisoner. Why am I thinking about this? What's happening? 

I keep walking, I follow an area covered by a light grass, distracted I don't notice that Duric is in the middle of the soldiers, in the training field. I only notice when he calls me.

— Noah ! Noah !

— Ah... Sir , I'm sorry I didn't see you!

— Everything is fine? You seem so distracted, and... — He asks, by his look he seems to notice something strange about me.

— It's... I just woke up feeling unwell, I didn't sleep much, that's all!

— Were you able to extract any information from the prisoner?

 — Yes, his name is Paolo, he is the son of Guilhermo Rivvera , it appears that he was helping the Prince to escape, but as the soldiers captured the King's son, Paolo fled, and ended up getting lost.

— You mean he's the son of damned Guilhermo ?

— It is yes!

— I liked this information, but at the same time I was a little worried...

— Why ? I ask. 

— Because his father is an infamous mouse, who has greatly damaged my life, and especially my great friend, King Moriam . Having that bastard's son trapped in my domain is a great asset, but at the same time it's very dangerous!

— What shall we do with him? Are you going to keep him as some kind of collateral, trapped here? 

— Yes, but we have to strengthen the guard, because even with Killian 's magic blocking , it could be that those rats are using this boy as bait to get here, and so we must strengthen security even more, and inspect the area. outside the Petrified Forest. 

Duric explained to his subordinates what each one should do and assigned them to their activities, in addition to determining that one of them should take a message to Algor informing what happened within the movement. He knew that having William 's son as a prisoner was important and dangerous, he would need to strengthen security and assign more soldiers to guard the hut where the prisoner was. Besides, he put me in charge of watching over and taking care of that infamous man.  

— Sir, I'd like to keep an eye on the prisoner's hut from the outside!

— What's the matter, Noah? — You've already watched other prisoners! 

— This Paolo guy is insolent, I don't like the way he talks to me or...

— Or what? This isn't the first time you've dealt with insolent people, you're a warrior trained to face any kind of danger and besides, Paolo is a noble and most of them are snobs, just like his father, so don't expect that let him be kind and obedient to you. Be hard on him, hit him if you have to, but don't risk his life, this insolent boy is our trump card!