Trieu and I return to the camp where the tents are already set up for a while.

“Thank you Trieu. I really appreciate the talk,” I lightly punch Trieu on the shoulder.

“Anytime,” Trieu smiles. “It seems your husband is finally getting the hint.”

Nillin stands a few meters away with a cup in his hand like the others around him and has a glare that in uncomfortable to me. It’s almost like I’m guilty of something.

I whisper back, “He’s only like this because you’re around.”

Trieu chuckles, “I don’t think so.”

My brows rise and my lips part. However, Trieu runs to greet and take the cup away from Nillin, and goes away into his own tent.

I follow behind Trieu in his act, but Nillin catches onto my wrist stopping me from going into any tent. I hear him whispers, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Or at least I don’t think so?” I try to ungrip his strength.

Nillin makes my efforts seem futile. He put our body together as his face stares down on me.

To others, it must be romantic; but to me in this situation, it just feels uncomfortable. His warm breaths that defrost my lashes. It makes my greens glitter in his blues. His long silver hair falls around us, removing worlds apart.

“I’m sorry if I have offended you and or your family,” his soft words ring in my ears.

My eyes follow his eagerly and I make my heart beats with his.

“You haven’t,” I reply. “Although I am confused as to why you made me and my whole family fall for you, when you…”

I don’t know what else to say or explain. What are his intentions? Wait. What are ‘my’ intentions?

Nillin picks me up in bridal form.

I heave, “What are you doing? Let me down, I can walk.”

He grins sweetly which is weird. We enter the largest tent, the one both Borscht and Kay, the other two soldiers under Lord Griflet, were putting up.

In a way, it’s very warm and cosy.

“We’re in here already. Let me down.”

To my surprise, he does let me down except he falls right on top of me in a high fever. His flushed face and harsh breaths burn against my skin.

I place his upper body on my shoulder as we walk to the already made bed. Nillin lies in bed with his hands together like a small child shivering from running around in the rain or snow.

“What happened? You look healthy just moments ago,” I mumble to myself while layering on some more sheets and covers for him.

I press my lips on his forehead just like how I remember mother and father do when I’m ill. Although I barely know him, my heart feels heavy and in pain seeing him in this state.

It’s like as if it is mother or father who love me so much is hurt.

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to get some darkfever barks for you to drink,” Nillin grabs my sleeve. I kiss his forehead and tuck his hand back under the sheets and cover. “I’ll be back, I promise.”

Once out of the tent, I search for Trieu and confront him on Nillin’s sudden fever; and along the way, I learned everyone of Nillin’s soldiers caught the fever.

The moment I found Trieu, I look at him straight in the eyes losing almost to wrath, “What are you planning?”

“Little brother,” Trieu cups my face with his goofy laughs, “Stay with your husband, I’ll fly us there in the morning.”

“You don’t mean—”

“Ah! But I do,” Trieu clicks his tongue. “I already got the darkfever barks, it’s the tree you were sitting next to.”

He hands me a cup, “Give it to your husband. My scales will cure him too fast. We don’t want him to know the way to grandmother’s house do we?”

Then everything clicks for me. I was just too emotional to see what Trieu is planning. I take the cup and return to Nillin’s and my tent.

Trieu must’ve cooked some of his hair or spit in the drink which he offered to Nillin right before I saw him. (Which caused the fever outbreak.)

The reason Trieu is doing this is because it is well known that Nillin lead the massacre of the Northwestern High Elves in Enzumin, a hidden civilization for thousands of years and is a long ally of my adopted family, the Dragons of the Northwestern Mountains.

In fear that the intelligence of Nillin might also lead to the end of the Dragons, Trieu poisoned Nillin and his soldiers so that they can’t find the lair of grandmother, the Mother of Zummarian Dragons herself.

Our most formidable enemy has become our family.

“Please drink some of this,” I help Nillin up to drink the tea made from darkfever barks.

He couldn’t finish it all, but for him to be better I put some in my mouth and give it to him lips-to-lips.

I get in bed with him sharing the same bed, pillow and sheets. I put all of my doubts and uncomfortableness away and hug his body warm.

Nillin needs me.

This thought glistens my hope. I want him to love me without knowing that I’m that ‘girl’ he saved a long time ago.