The acts of Caidine.

Inside a tree.

"You can't keep me hostage here for long. I will not have you treat me with such contempt. You will let me out of this shithole once and for all. And I mean it. You will let me out of this place right now."

Vulcan raged, he occasionally would look away from Aynea to the princess who pretended as though he was not there.

He had tried all he could to get himself out of the place but he simply couldn't. He still couldn't understand how he had been able to walk out of the tree when he was with Prium and Ayla. Only Ayla had the answers to that. He wished she was there. A part of him missed her.

"Only one day more. Aynea be take her words seriously."

Aynea said, meaning to stand up and enter into the hut she had called out with magic.

Vulcan hurried to her and held her arm. He spun her around that their faces brushed. He could almost rest his lips on hers. He let go of her and stepped back a little bit. Then said,

"I have very urgent business to attend you and you've been staying me here against my will. I will not have that anymore. Even if it takes contending, I do not care. I shall leave here today."

Aynea moved closer to him but he moved backwards. She did that over and over again and he kept moving backwardly. He didn't know what she was doing. He didn't have the patience of asking her.

Then she stopped again and shot him a narrow smile. Then she turned her back on him and began to walk towards the hut again.

He hurried and grabbed her again, but that time was conscious of the way he spun her around.

"You leave me no choice. But I won't lay my hands on a woman. Why do you feel so obstinate, what do want from me?!"

He asked but got no response. He was tired. He was ready to do everything and anything but have something sexual to do with the Aynea lady. He didn't know why. He didn't feel attracted to her in such manner.

She turned away from him as soon as he let go of her arm and she walked towards the hut again. That time, he didn't bother hurrying after her again. Probably she was playing a game, but he wasn't interested.

He watched her enter into the hut and the door closed behind her. He stood there wondering what to think. He was distracted by the call of birds on the trees beyond the lake which had grown out of the earth alongside the hut.

He hated to think and rule out his fate as that of an animal. He had expected Athena in his dream the previous day. But he was disappointed. He didn't know what to hope for anymore.

He dumped the distraction and fancied the sight of the princess. He didn't know why she felt so peaceful and responsible to the dryad. It didn't make any sense to him.

He began to walk towards her. He knew he couldn't feign his interest. The princess on the other hand was looking towards the lake.

Then she stood up immediately and began to walk towards the lake. Was she really trying to avoid him? He wasn't sure. And he didn't let that get to him. He walked to catch up with her.

She got to the mouth of the lake before him. He fastened unto her and was walking to stand beside her by the left.

"You seem to possess a great deal of integrity than I thought. Or who knows too well, you might be feigning it."

She said as he got to her. He looked at a side of her face. He fancied her to some extent, but he didn't think he had a mind for it. He was spoken for already.

"Wish I could say the same about you."

He shot. She looked at him, a fiery glare eating up her face,

"Beg your pardon."

He scoffed,

"Oops. I didn't know you could look at me. Thought you were made of iron. Didn't know that petty insults get to you."

She looked away from him instead without saying a thing.

"Maybe I was wrong about you. You seem to be a shadow of who I thought you were."

He chuckled, trying to make her feel how irritated he was when she was seated idle while he argued with Aynea.

"It doesn't matter what you feel about me. What matters now to me is leaving this shithole. But it's quite a wonder that you don't seem to care or think. Even if not for you, but at least for the child you're carrying."

She glared at him and tucked her arms into each other, then pressed them on her chest.

"It's quite obvious that you do not understand my plight. If you do, you wouldn't be saying what you've just said."

She paused and turned to him. Her face now washed in the rays of neutrality,

"Who do you want to go and meet immediately you get out of this tree?"

She asked. He thought for a while what the relevance of that was but he didn't get. Why ponder when she would answer.

"My servant and --, my annoying daughter."

She scoffed,

"At least you have a reason to go out. I have none, and now you want me to return to fighting the wild cats myself? It's safer for me to live with a powerful creature as Aynea than being vulnerable, defenseless and helpless outside."

He sighed as soon as she stopped talking. He decided to change the topic.

"You don't by any chance know me, or do you?"

She looked at him and thought for a while, he added,

"The name Vulcan doesn't ring any meaning in your ears?"

She shook her head in denial and said,

"I'm afraid not."

She lied. She was scared that he would harm her and her daughter. Twas better to deny.

"And you want me to believe you?"

He argued and continued intermittently, not concerned about her reaction,

"I saw you peeping at me the day I was brought into your father's or guardian's palace. And now you're lying?"

He turned to her now, facing her,

"I mean no harm to you, but one thing I do not understand was why you lied on me. Such grievous accusations of rape. What have I done to deserve it?!"

She peered at him, he could see plea in her eyeballs. She said,

"Did you hear the allegation from my mouth? Did I accuse you?"

He didn't know what she was trying to say. He let her continue,

"Saying otherwise would had only been my word against the king, chiefs and several other people. Nobody will see sense. So, do not blame me."

He felt smothered. He still found it quite hard to believe in her tale.

"Why would they do such then, if you claim not to have any idea of it?"

She looked at him and said,

"Ask Caidine, your wife."

She said turned away from him. She began to walk towards the hut.

He stood there, tracing her generous shape with his eyes, as he struggled to keep up the pace of his thoughts.

What could he had done to deserve that from Caidine? That seemed to be his only argument.