Lilliana didn’t know what made her heart melt in the puddle of sheer, overflowing affection. Was it the nervous, wavering look in those beautiful, mesmerizing orbs that stared back at her with curiosity or was it the softest whisper of a voice that Japheth had uttered from behind her veil that Lilliana and Orson hadn’t heard in their lives? She acted on impulse, giving in to her desires as she leapt forward and, in a snap, pulled Japheth flush against her chest in a bone-crushing hug making the other to rasp out a yelp of surprise.

DJ was taken aback by the abruptness of her action; his hands flew upwards to grip Lilliana around her shoulders instinctively. Squirming with the intention to create a breathable gap between them, the young boy tried to push her off. But all his efforts went in vain when the woman squeezed him tight and warm against herself, squealing at the back of her throat, while she hugged the breath-taking, beautiful Japheth in her hold.

Orson smiled in triumph, he watched his excited wife devouring the moment she was going to cherish wholeheartedly while he stood there at her back with adoration spilling through his wide smile.

The case of adoration was different with Lord Yael though. A concerning frown rested on his hard features for the distressed, slightly squirmy rescuer of his as he watched DJ in the arms of the smiling woman. The symptoms of something close to anxiety and stress DJ had shown earlier, found a home in his mind and that was enough for him to produce a disapproving grunt under his throat for the couple to hear.

Loud, rough and clear.

Lilliana pulled back instantly as soon as Yael’s voice rang in her ear, she smiled ear to ear as if she got her hands on a great treasure.

DJ, on the other hand, gasped for air. The boy stumbled back into Yael’s chest only for the other to grasp his waist and pull him closer until Jerry’s face was half hidden in Yael’s chest. Needless to say, DJ was overwhelmed with his condition, breathing unregulated and his heart threatening to beat out of his chest, the boy stared at Lilliana to Orson and then Orson at Lilliana with wide eyes.

The couple was more than welcoming, it was suffocating. Both Lilliana and Orson were smiling with their teeth on full display, the lightness of their presence, regardless of their build, created a sense of security around which was weirdly effective over the detective. The leading couple of the caravan was professional yet very kind, the people in Ferra market or the people DJ was used to meeting didn’t fall under the same category.

It pained him to manage the look of someone who can mingle with normal people, can converse with ease and can function properly like a normal person would considering how the boy suffered from distress and panic. But at the same time, DJ felt a feeling of warmth filling his chest and spreading like a wildfire as he stared at the woman who looked back radiating a motherly aura.

Lilliana looked beautiful when she smiled, her encouraging demeanour proved fruitful when DJ didn’t get caught up in any certain reaction regarding his nervous state. Glancing at the sweet wife, Lilliana turned to her husband and the both shared a silent talk, a small argument perhaps which left Orson shaking his head with a chuckle as Lilliana turned back to Yael and Japheth.

“Japheth can travel with us. She will ride my carriage and I will keep good care of her” Lilliana started, her voice soft but authoritative. She smiled in Japheth’s direction before meeting eyes with Yael once again.

“You can rest in my husband’s carriage if you like, there are few elders with us but they are kind……or you can merge with the crew” she suggested with a raise of brow. Orson nodded along with his wife while he shifted his gaze between the young couple.

DJ looked at Yael, silently conveying not to leave him alone at any cost but the older didn’t spare the pleading boy a glance and simply nodded in Lilliana’s direction. The lord was unfazed by the detective’s turmoil or so the boy thought, the way he was ignored by that grumpy man supported his churning thoughts and he narrowed his eyes.

“Crew is fine; I have rested enough” he decided making the boy in his hold scowl at him from behind his veil. DJ squirmed, trying to get Yael’s attention but nothing he would do got what he needed except for a squeeze on his hip by that large hand draped there.

“Very well…..Let’s get going then shall we?” Lilliana chirped happily, excited, she looked at Japheth and smiled, nodded her head once and then both she and her husband took off to the awaiting caravan.

Just as they left, DJ pulled away from the lord and looked up at him with complaining big eyes. The look in those orbs was nowhere near effective but still, Yael felt his heart skipping a beat when he looked deep into Jerry’s eyes while the boy mustered up the courage to speak.  

“L-Lord, why d-did yo-you….” the boy started with difficulty, protest ready on the tip of his tongue as he twisted his fingers together painfully, the sudden insecurity popped up in his mind making the boy restless and he couldn’t help but address his jeopardy with the one who promised him security.

Meanwhile, Lord Yael was lost in that stammer voice that was whining to him like a child would to the older when he didn’t get his way, eyes crinkling in concentration and breath ragged. The detective was twisting his knuckles to the point they turned red as he talked animatedly to convey how he felt about the decision.

All he demanded was to be cocooned under the arm of his protector and sleep until the land of Malia was under his foot but even that seemed farfetched because now that he was being escorted to that over-affectionate woman against his will, DJ was engulfed by uncomfortableness.

And Yael wasn’t paying any heed to it.

In a swift movement, the older placed his large finger on Jerry’s babbling mouth making the boy to utter a gasp softly and shut his mouth instantly. Yael then pulled both DJ’s hands apart and massaged his reddening fingers softly. He looked at the younger deeply, staring into Jerry’s mesmerizing, innocent eyes with his dark and fiery one, silently comforting the smaller one with his huge presence and no words.

The effect was instant to Yael’s surprise.

DJ’s breathing started to regulate, his frown faltered and the unnecessary fidgeting of his body reduced only for the boy to stand in his place comfortably while they both stared at each other, forgetting every and anything around for the moment.

Sensing the nervous edge off of the detective, Yael left DJ’s small hands and held onto the younger’s shoulders instead. Closing the gap between them slightly, Yael then decided to stir the topic that needed their utmost attention.

“Go with her and stay calm Detective” Yael muttered lowering his voice so that DJ wouldn’t flinch away. The younger looked troubled, he wanted to convey his discomfort again but Yael interrupted the boy gently.

“You don’t have to worry, I will be near and around you. If anything nearly alarming happens, I will keep my word and protect you” Lord Yael delivered while he looked deep into the eyes of the younger, he squeezed DJ’s small hands in assurance and the boy finally sighed lowering his gaze. Those words meant a promise to him, the only thing DJ could cling to when they had an urgent need to leave for Malia and so he had nothing else but to agree.

Jerry nodded his head

With that done, Lord Yael grabbed the luggage from the ground and grasped Jerry’s small hand in his huge one before he escorted a nervous Japheth towards the caravan. There, Lilliana was already waiting with a charming smile, she held out her hand for Japheth to take and the boy obliged nervously. He glanced at Yael briefly, only to get a nod of encouragement, and with that DJ was secured by Lilliana’s arms around him.

“Don’t worry about her Eugene, I will take good care of her” Lilliana said, repeating her promise, watching how Yael was slightly reluctant to leave his wife. The lord nodded in response and she led Japheth towards her carriage where she climbed after the young wife, she then settled in a way that Japheth was at Lilliana’s right side and a window opened at Japheth’s other side.

The carriage was like a cabin from the inside, large enough to home a bunch of people, windy and comfortable. Curtains with creative embroidery covered most of the windows and a soft, plush bedding completed the surface. There were small wind chimes that tingled softly with a warm swish of wind, producing a melody that calmed DJ’s nerves as he rested his head along the window pane and looked outside.  

Thankful for Lilliana’s attentiveness to his situation.

The view was clear and DJ could clearly see Lord Yael sauntering over to the crowd of men by the carriages, the older’s face was stoic but he was humble enough to shake hands and introduce himself briefly. DJ heaved a sigh of relief, keeping his eyes on the older for some sort of comfort, and prayed to the powers above for a successful journey.

With a jerk and a loud yell of perhaps Orson from outside, the carriage moved. As the tyres squealed to life and the jingles of bells and the moaning of animals reverberated around, DJ felt some kind of emotion building inside his chest, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to relax his mind and soul.

When he opened them back, DJ’s innocent eyes met with Yael’s dark ones staring at him from outside and afar.

With that, the journey started.

…

As expected, Japheth was swarmed by the inmates of the carriage along with the people of the caravan itself just because of how captivating her small form was and how beautiful she was even if covered from head to toe. Women of old age, young girls and Lilliana’s close friends from other vans swooned over the unnatural beauty while they took their turns stirring a small chat with the wife of a godly handsome man, complimented her and introduced themselves one by one.

The detective though, under his disguise, stayed alert. He roamed his mesmerizing eyes to each new person who came to him and scrutinized them under his personal radar before he let his guard down. The boy kept a watchful eye outside as well, watching Lord Yael from time to time provided him unknown sense of comfort and enough motivation to keep going with their plan.

Lilliana had offered some food, some dried meat and cheese, to the couple as a warm welcome to the large family on wheels and watched as they devoured it with a smile. Both the boys, starved, wolfed down the content in a few bites, Japheth from behind her veil, and drowned a jug of cold, fresh water before they took another humanly breath.

After that Yael took off for the men’s crowd outside leaving Japheth alone once again and making her fix her longing gaze outside.

At some point in the journey, the young girls had teased Jerry for looking over at Yael often, making him flustered under the weight of embarrassment. The anxiety and lack of breathing space clenched at his nerves and soon he found himself suffocated in that van. But then bless Lilliana for shooing those annoying girls away with a daunting glare and a final hand gesture as she comforted Japheth with her sweet tone and calming aura, rubbed her back and gave her space.

Her consideration made Jerry like her

Lord Yael, on the other hand, was pissed more than he was surprised with the amount of attention his apparent wife was getting. He was proud of deciding to veil over DJ’s gorgeous face, covering his captivating features otherwise, he could imagine the reactions if the situation were opposite. Getting nothing but compliments like ‘how lucky he was’ or ‘how he and Japheth made a beautiful couple’ tugged something in lord’s heart. He hadn’t thought about it, practically stopped himself from imagining that incredulous thought but here he was… forced to create an image of that alluring boy with him and that as a couple.

Romantic?

After getting to know a bunch of people, Yael volunteered to guard the parameters of the travelling caravan. The lord worked closer to the one where his apparent wife rested and occasionally peeked at him through a window, that simple gesture bloomed the tiniest form of affection in Yael’s mind every time for the boy but he refrained to show anything on his features.

That’s how he was.

Lord Yael didn’t find the journey likeable, the background voices of animals and children merged together to create a dramatic melody along with the hollering of Orson and other superiors when they wanted to convey a message. It was enough for the man to lose his nerves, the fact that he had been in the quiet for the past six months of his abduction didn’t help either.

As the caravan continued, the only thing that kept his mind trained to the commitment of the journey and not leave without noticing was the beautiful, vulnerable, stammer boy who had put all his faith in Yael and his promise. In his mind, Yael had pictured the big, innocent orbs filled with anxiety and panicking tears while the small hands of the detective were bruised by his brutal ministrations over them.

Yael really hated it when Jerry did that.  

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he averted his gaze sideways before anyone could watch him slip a smile. But just as he turned, a large extension of bushes of red berries carried his sight of the line and Lord's eyes shined involuntarily. Many children were jumping in front, some throwing the sweet red beads at each and some munching on the delightful treat and the lord couldn’t ignore the blessing for long.

Without a word, Yael walked ahead to the large shrubs and started to collect as many berries as he could in his hands, he dusted a few on his dirty clothes and tossed a bunch into his mouth. Surprisingly, the berries he chose were on the sweeter side than sour and that only produced a sigh out of Yael’s lips.

The penchant for sweet things made him so busy, as he tossed one berry after another, that the older didn’t notice a smiling detective watching his every move from the window of his carriage. Unlike Yael, DJ preferred sour stuff to put in his mouth more than sweet but the way the huge-sized man was munching over the small red beans of delight like he had found a treasure of the world, DJ couldn’t help but feel light in his heart.

It was until the lord raised his head in Jerry’s direction, instantly meeting eyes with him.

A blush so deep crept over DJ’s face and he lowered his trembling gaze down to his lap, twisting his fingers painfully, the boy tried to cater his thumping heart. The lord, meanwhile, smiled through his eyes, his face remained stoic and nonchalant as he bit on the fruit and kept his gaze intact. A mischief hovered over his orbs after seeing the detective blushing under his attention, unknowingly, the fact made Yael some kind of proud and for once he didn’t deny his honest feelings.

Savouring his berries, the lord thought about the caravan again but now the journey didn’t feel that bad.