She shifted her gaze down to a particular wound on his left leg. She slowly moved out of the cae and closer to the mysterious stranger. “ who-who are you?” She asked shyly. 

“ I am Maliki, guard of king Jahara. Please may I drink your water?” The only stranger at the lake was present at the moment. But why of all people did it have to be the one connected to Cileens’ past. 

She swallowed the knot in her throat, struggling to keep her recurring past incidents silent…quiet…peaceful.

“ You are a man that must be far from home. Please drink, the water belongs to all who sek eternal peace.” 

Maliki struggled to hobble toward Cileen. “ Eternal peace? Will I die?” Cileen laughed walking closer to the seemingly unscary guard. “ You will not die, you will simply feel nothing but happiness. No fear, no anger, no sadness all until the moon carries out the night just to start again.” 

“ In that case, I don’t want it.” Maliki refused. “ Cileen stopped in her tracks. Who could not want the water?”