The Spoils of War Ch. 02

After hearing the footsteps getting close to her, Celine looked up and noticed that Reyna was now right in front of her. Much to her surprise, the Yeveland soldier had some fruit in her hand that she collected earlier, and was cutting it open with her sword.

Celine remained frozen, as Reyna untied her arms from behind her back and handed her the fruit. The Ishla soldier was so scared, she didn't know whether to take it from her hand or not. But then, as Reyna nudged it closer to her, she simply smiled before accepting it.

Did she really just offer me food? Celine asked herself, feeling her heart pumping. Then, after taking a bite and realizing the fruit was not only edible, but somewhat delicious on an empty stomach, her cheeks became red again as she thought, This woman... She's so nice...

In an even more shocking move, Reyna then took off her small jacket and placed it around the shivering woman. Now, blushing just as hard as she did when she was being searched, Celine slipped her arms through the jacket sleeves and wore it just like Reyna had, earlier.

"Thank you," she whispered with a big smile. "I know you can't understand me... but I really appreciate it..."

Reyna stared into Celine's smile for a brief moment, as her heart began to race. I don't know what this feeling is inside me... but this is kind of nice... she thought to herself.

Once Celine was done with her fruit, she thanked the Yeveland soldier once again by bowing her head. Then, in her own surprising move, she placed her hands behind her back, signaling that she was ready to be tied up again.

This has been pretty nice, she thought to herself. But I know you have a job to do, so go ahead and secure me again.

Reyna stared at her for a moment, with a pleasantly surprised look on her face. After thinking it over for a few seconds, she just shook her head. That's okay, she thought. There's no need to tie her up again. Just to be safe, though, I'll retrieve her rifle while she's sleeping and bury it. But until then... I'll just sit with her like this... because it's kind of nice...

Later that night, Reyna noticed, that not only did Celine still look cold, but she looked exhausted too. Sitting on the ground with her, she pulled out a large cloak she had in her bag and put it over Celine like a blanket.

Tonight is going to be pretty painful for me, but she needs it more than I do... Reyna thought, as she watched Celine happily cover herself with the cloak.

Nervous about the odd feeling she had in her heart whenever she saw Celine smiling, she then looked away for a moment, to make sure the coast was clear. However, she became startled, once she felt herself being covered from behind.

When she turned her head, she saw Celine trying to share the cloak with her, so they could both use it as a blanket. Then, for the first time in her life, she felt her own cheeks growing warm, as her heart continued to race.

Celine lay right next to Reyna that night until she eventually fell asleep. Reyna, on the other hand, just rested on her back and stared up at the stars.

Yeah... this is kind of nice... the Yeveland soldier reiterated, silently. I should stay awake tonight... to make sure the fire doesn't spread or go out...

And I'll also stay awake because... even though we're enemies...

...I want to protect her for some reason...

To be continued...