Her Fierce Protector

Chapter 8

Ashera didn't know how she was asleep, she just woke up when the sun was about to set. She looks around to check if the man she was with earlier is still there, but the man disappeared without any trace as if he is not true and just a product of her dream.

She checked the mangoes, and that's the only proof that Amaru, that gray-eyed man, was there earlier with her. She smiled when she saw her basket there. Inside the basket were a variety of fresh fruits, she is sure that it was Amaru who put them all in there.

Zelda will surely like these.

She stilled when she realized that it was almost dark, and probably, her father is so mad about her now and probably gone crazy by looking at her.

She gulped when she felt her heart pounded faster than usual. After this, when she got home, her father would surely be mad at her and would triple his efforts in guarding her.

She sighed and immediately took the basket and she hurriedly left the Alawin forest. Her steps were at a full fast pace and were big. She is also preparing herself an explanation. Just a few steps, she can already see the torches lighting their village, and from there, she saw her father with the other tribesmen. As if on cue, her father turned and immediately saw her coming.

"Ashera!" her father's voice thundered like he was ready to punish her once she got near.

She suddenly felt guilty, also afraid of what her father could do to her. She may be a stubborn child but she loves her parents so much, it's just that no one could ever change her mind about visiting her beloved forest.

"Gido, we will leave now, your daughter is already here," one of the tribesmen said.

Her father just nodded while glaring at her.

"I'm… sorry, Father."

His father dragged her harshly towards their home, some of the fruits she was holding fell on the ground from her basket.

"Get inside!" her father yelled. She immediately gets inside the house, where she finds her sister Ria and Zelda. Her mother also watched her from the kitchen.

"Father—"

"Do you know how worried sick we are because of what you did, Ashera?!" her father asked in a thundered voice, his eyes full of anger while looking at her.

"I'm safe, Father…" she pouted. "I even brought fruits for Zelda… Ria… Mother and you."

"I don't care! I told you to listen to us, didn't I? Which part of that order do you not understand, Ashera?! We kept reminding you! Where did you go? Ruso kept searching for you the whole day, even the tribesmen were bothered from doing their work only to search for you!"

"I'm safe, Father!" Ashera tried to tell them her point, "Look, Alawin forest is not the place you thought—"

"So, you went to Alawin forest again, Ashera?!"

"Father—"

"Alawin forest is a dangerous place for you! We never knew what kind of creatures are inhabiting there, Ashera! It is the home of ferocious werewolves! And you know that werewolves will not even blink while hunting you!"

"But I'm safe, Father!" she said frustratedly, "I kept visiting the Alawin forest a lot of times, I even slept there a lot of times, nothing happened to me, not even a scratch! How can ferocious creatures live in such a beautiful paradise, Father? The beauty of Alawin can tame even the wildest creature we know!"

"Alawin Forest is not for us!" his father shouted with emphasis. His eyes darted at her, "From now on, Ashera, you can no longer go with anyone else. I will be guarding you, doubling the effort to make sure you'll stay here in the village. When I'm at work, you will be guarded by your sister and mother—"

"Just me?! What about Ria?" Ashera said, pointing to her sister who is even worse than her, "Ria suddenly went missing for days, she came back after three days and nights… Why is it that I feel that everything she does is fine with you, Father?"

"Why are you making me involved with your argument, Ashera?! It's between you and Father!"

"Ria is capable of protecting herself, Ashera," his father said like it was the most acceptable reason, "She is trained to protect herself, she knows how to use swords… unlike you who is… a soft-hearted with a stubborn attitude."

"Then train me to be capable of protecting myself too! I want to learn what Ria knows—"

"You're unbelievable!" Ria laughed sarcastically, "Are you even sure that you want to learn? You couldn't even tighten your grip for your basket, and couldn't even carry a jar of water and you're aiming to learn how to hold a sword? Come on, Ashera! Just listen to Father, that'll be good for you!"

Ashera gritted her teeth after hearing the insult from her sister. She kept hearing that. She may be called the most beautiful maiden in their place, but she is also treated like the clumsiest and the weakest member of their village.

A lot of their tribesmen tell her that her beauty fits at home, the one who sits pretty every day in her whole life, the one that stays pretty from morning 'till night… Their neighbors even advised her parents to take care of her, when she was younger, she barely walked on the ground. Her father always carried her afraid that her feet might get scratches from walking barefooted.

She grew up wanting her life to be normal, to be treated equally, but because of her beauty, her different beauty that is admired by everyone, that thought is very impossible to happen.

"I can be strong too, only if you'll let me to," she said in a slow-paced way, emphasizing each word, "You kept on telling me that I'm weak… how can I become strong if you just kept on treating me that I'm weak? How can I train myself to become strong, when you couldn't even let me stand by my own feet?"

"Ashera…" her mother finally went to her, "Ashera, we are just taking good care of you. You are too precious for us, Ashera…" her mother said softly caressing her cheeks.

"Enough! Let's have our dinner so we can finally rest!" her father told them. Zelda stood up and went to the kitchen to have their food prepared on their table.

Ashera looked at her father but looks like her father already had enough of her words and is not willing to listen to her. Her mother also went to the kitchen, and so did Ria.

She sighed. When can I find someone who can treat me equally, who can believe that I can protect myself too?

She sighed and went to the kitchen when her mother called her. She ate with her family and after that, she helped her sister, Zelda, wash their wooden plate, their father was the one who made it.

"I thought you brought fruits for us, Ashera?" her sister asked after they finished washing the plates.

Ashera forced a smile and nodded then took the basket of fruits she was carrying earlier and gave it to Zelda.

"Thank you, Ashera," her sister said and messed her hair. Their parents are already resting, they're the only ones awake inside their home, "I'll eat these here."

Ashera forced a smile on her sister. Zelda is the nicest person she has ever known. She is the purest, the most genuine person, and the best daughter any parents could dream for. Though she sometimes scolds her, Zelda is harmless, she scolds her for being hard-headed and that's it.

Ashera sighed and looked at her sister who was enjoying the fruits, "Aren't you tired of being a good daughter, Zelda?" she asked innocently, "Aren't you tired of following our parent's orders?"

Zelda smiled at her and shook her head, "I love what I'm doing, Ashera. This is me… this is what I am and this is what I love to do."

Ashera looked at her sister's eyes, and she felt that she was telling the truth.

"You're like our mother," Ashera said and smiled, "You're dedicated to household chores, you know what we need, you're good at comforting… you cook good food, you love taking good care of us."

Her smile fades away and looks outside through the window in their kitchen, "But that's not me… my love is not for the house, Zelda… how I wish to find the happiness that I want here just like you so it'll not be complicated anymore…"

"Well, we are all different in our own ways, Ashera," her sister said and caressed her face. She guided her to go near her sister, she laid her head to her sister's chest, "Someday, you will be appreciated for what you wanted to be, Ashera. Just do not put yourself in danger, okay?"

Ashera smiled and immediately felt relieved, "Thank you, Zelda."

"You're welcome, my dear sister."

"Thank you for always understanding me, thank you for listening to me. I just wish that father would be like you…"

"Father is just like that," her sister said, "Maybe you got your stubbornness from him."

Ashera chuckled after hearing that from her sister.

"I got mother's maternal instinct, Ria got father's bravery, strength, and stubbornness, and you got our mother's gentleness and our father's stubbornness… but you are the only one who got the unique attitude that you didn't inherit from our parent's Ashera… You're cheerful… you make anyone's day great, you can light everyone's path with your smiles, your laughter is music to our ears… You are like a goddess gifted from the most powerful one to make our life great to live… And to remind us how beautiful the world is, Ashera."

"Thank you, Zelda."

"You are such a beauty… even me admires you for that. When you're sad, everyone mourns with you… but when you're happy a lot of things work, even the most impossible things… Maybe that's the reason why everyone cares for you and everyone protects you from harm, Ashera."

Ashera took a deep breath and smiled at her sister.

"When you were born, our village didn't experience hunger anymore, the crops grew healthy, our land became prosperous… and I'm hoping for you to be happy, Ashera… because that's who you are… and what you are."