CH118 Thera’s perspective
byAh, why did I have to act like that? It’s not like he was trying to get rid of me, he just thinks I need someone better to hunt with, which maybe isn’t wrong, but… Auhg.
“Um, Thera, is everything okay?” Steph asked her while they kept watch together. The first two nights they’d been able to make a small amount of chitchat at least, but on this one she was completely silent and absorbed in her thoughts.
Thera’s first instinct was to just lie and say everything was fine, but she didn’t end up getting a wink of sleep after how she’d been feeling and she did want to talk about it. Since Sonya wasn’t around and the person she’d normally talk to about her issues was the one she was fighting with, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to open up to her just a little.
“I had a fight with Ben,” She admitted, feeling awkward as she did.
“Oh no, what happened?”
“It’s dumb, he tried to talk to me about finding a real party to hunt with and I reacted badly.”
“He is a craftsman,” Steph said, trying to be careful with her words. “Mind telling me how you both ended up hunting together to begin with?”
She’d gotten the abridged version of the story in Ben’s letters but was curious about the finer details that she’d previously missed. Thera was agreeable at least and began awkwardly recounting the tale of how they started working together, both of them being forced into it from by her uncle, his annoying way of trying to form a friendship while she just wanted to keep her distance, what they both went through dealing first with Roan, then everything her mother set up in Anailia.
When she looked back on it, she couldn’t help but think that despite all the insanity they’d been through, it had been a fun year, maybe one of the most enjoyable she’d had. Even when considering that she’d faced death from both a madman and a god’s trial, it was still better than the monotony that life previously held for her.
Reminiscing like that brought a faint smile to her lips, hidden by her hood, but Steph seemed to take away something different from Thera’s story.
“That idiot,” She fumed, keeping herself from yelling it out for the sake of those sleeping. “In not a single letter did he tell us how many times he’s apparently almost died.”
“Ah, I’m sure he probably just didn’t want to worry you,” Thera was quick to say, realizing that she might have revealed more than she should have.
“Mmh, I’ll be talking to him about that later. But anyway, aren’t you just worried about losing him?”
“…”
Her silence spoke volumes, making Steph want to dig deeper. She wanted the chance to grow closer with Thera after all, not to mention satisfying her own curiosity.
“So about the whole marriage thing-”
“What’s that have to do with anything?”
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“Just humor me,” Steph told her. “Let’s say you can’t cancel the engagement, your mom sounds crafty, maybe she’ll be able to force the issue. How do you think you’d feel if you had to marry Ben?”
Thera thought for a moment. She hadn’t even considered the prospect that her mother might try to force things more than she already had, but it was more possible than she’d like to admit. As for how she would feel…
“Sad. I think it would make me sad.”




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