Since Penn agreed to ignore the actions of Stanley, Rima had been lost in thoughts. Penn was a better man than Stanley was. He was kind, considerate and loyal to those he cared about, all qualities she was looking for in a husband. And it also helped that Penn was easy on the eyes. His beauty rivals hers and she was the girl. His brown mop of hair he never bothers to care about, framed his face in unruly cuts, something she had learnt that he did himself with a sharp knife. His face although it was shaped like a woman, there was nothing womanly about Penn. His eyes were hard, that of a man who had seen things in life. Enough things to haunt him but he refused to let them get to him, Penn spirit shone bravely from his eyes. His nose was a little crooked from being broken multiple times but they added to his appeal. His body was a bit on the slim side…not racking up muscles like other boys but he was muscular enough and people rarely know of his slim nature since he was always wearing free fighting clothes or normal free clothes, she couldn’t wait to see him in nobles finery like the ones Lord Vallas always wear and although she knew that he has enough clothes like that, Penn always turns his nose up when she mentioned that he should dress like that.

“What did I do wrong?” Penn looked at Rima with an unsettled expression on his face.

“What?” Rima jerked out of her thoughts about the man she was walking besides, she could feel her cheeks getting red and couldn’t believe that she was lost in her thoughts about him.

“Keep staring at me with a weird expression on your face, come on. You cannot be mad at me for the little stunt of earlier. You have to admit, it was fun.” Penn grins.

Rima mentally slaps herself, she was lucky that Penn was not around any girl who can analyze the way she acts or the girl would have run her mouth to Penn that his teacher was falling for him and she was also thankful that Penn was more denser than a usual guy if not, he would have put two and two together and come up with the same conclusion.

“It was fun to you but it wasn’t to me. Imagine if Lord Vallas had come in then, I would have been a disgrace to my family.” Rima snaps to cover up her thoughts, thoughts she would be better off without.

“He would have listened to me and I would have told him to punish me instead of you.” Penn shrugged like it was no big deal and Rima knew that to the boy, it really was no big deal. Penn had never met a situation he couldn’t handle, he always seems to know what to do.

“You make it sound so easy…” Rima started but Penn cuts her short.

“You make it seem like it is something bigger than it probably is. I make it sound easy because it is easy.”

“Nothing is ever as it seems.” Rima said quietly as Penn stops and stares her down.

“Is there something bothering you?”

Rima's heart skips a beat, he wouldn’t rest until he knew what she was thinking about. “Yes. Something is bothering me.” Rima's mouth flung out.

“Well, let’s hear it, after all we are trekking to town so that we can talk more on the way.” Penn says.

“How did you just agree to what Leda said just like that?” Rima blurts out the first thing that came to her mind, she couldn’t really tell Penn her former thoughts.

“Because Leda for all intents is supposed to be my mother just like Master is my father, that makes Stanley my errant brother and if my mother wants me to protect my brother, I will do that, even though he annoys me.” Penn simply explains.

“In other words, Stanley is like family to you.” Rima suggests as Penn nods. “But he isn’t family. None of them are. What happened to your family Penn?”

Penn jaw ticked. “I don’t want to talk about them.”

“Please… You know I won’t tell anybody.” Penn sighs as if he knew that he didn’t have a choice and that I was going to badger him until he tells me. It’s good that he is learning.

“My family is no more. They longer exist because of something I did. I no longer have a home to go back to, my home is with Master now and that is all you will be getting, drop the issue.” Penn commands as Rima nodded.

She was satisfied with that answer after all, she was sure that she knows more than everybody in the compound about Penn origin with the exception of Lord Vallas. She tried to bring up topics with Penn as they continued but Penn shuts everything down. He was lost in his thoughts and suddenly, she no longer felt good about knowing about Penn past.

The boy was young, sixteen and at most Seventeen but he seems to have a dark past that haunts him and she had just brought up the memories. Rima didn’t feel good about being the person who knows more about Penn again for the rest of their journey to town which was spent in silence.

****

Penn missed her family, Rima digging had brought up bittersweet memories she had with her father and mother and it made her sad and it was difficult to cover them up like she always did. She had tried for a long time not to think about them but her thoughts were now centered on them.

“I am sorry.” Rima said when they reached town and Penn looked at her with a frown.

“What are you sorry about?”

“I shouldn’t have brought up the topic or pushed you to talk about them. I am sorry I did both.”

“It’s okay.” Penn feigned a smile at Rima hoping she would let it go but Rima shook her head.

“That is your answer to everything even when it is not okay. I am sorry I made you think about them.”

“It is my answer to everything because it will be okay. Honestly Rima, it isn’t your fault. You never met me with them, you don’t even know them. The memories just affect me more today because it is one of those days and I do miss them but that doesn’t make it not okay. Sometimes it is good to get a reminder of why we are on certain paths in life.” Penn replied as Rima nodded then narrowed her eyes at her companion.

“Why do you sound so philosophical when we are the same age?”

Penn laughs at Rima. Sometimes the girl was a scatter brain. The characteristic which noble women had perfected down to an art. It made them seem more warming to men and Penn wondered if that was why Rima was cute to her. “You make me happy Rima with your unpredictability but let’s get the things which are needed okay?”

“Okay.” Rima answered with a smile.

Everything was going well for a while, Penn laughed with Rima and was actually having a splendid time with her until she caught the sight of a group of boys who kept watching her with side glances.

“Penn, what wrong?” Rima asked noticing the change in Penn, she went from being carefree and happy to silent and tense within five seconds.

“Nothing Rima, if something happens, I want you to take yourself far away from me as possible.” Penn orders as Rima lost her concerned look and fixed an annoyed expression on her face.

“Really Penn, you want to start pulling my legs in the middle of the street. I won’t fall for whatever silly joke you are planning.”

“I am not joking.” Penn tells Rima who rolled her eyes at her.

“Penn you have protected her. Master Vallas own everything, no one would dare attack …”

Penn saw the swing a moment before it reaches her, all she could do was push Rima out of the way. The blow from the wood sent Penn on the ground with her eyes dizzy. She shook her head as she struggles to concentrate on the person approaching him.

“Not so rough now that you are not in the compound are you? Hold him up, nobody should touch his pretty face, Master would notice. God knows that he notices everything about the boy.” Stanley's voice sounded as Penn gritted her. She tried to fight against the arms holding her up but she couldn’t and then Stanley punched her stomach.

“You cannot come in here and start acting like you control everything because you don’t. Making me look like a fool…”

“Please Stanley, Don’t. Master Vallas will not be happy with you.” Rima begs.

“And who will tell him, you? You better keep your mouth shut or your boyfriend will not survive.” Stanley threatens as Penn laughs.

“Touch Rima and you are dead. Try me.”

“You brat, you are not in a place to make demands.” Stanley said and then punch Penn again.

“Stop it. What kind of bastard are you?” Rima said as she rushed to front of Penn to protect him with her body.

“You bitch.” Stanley screams as he slaps Rima who feel because of his blow.

“I warned you.” Penn said as she looked up at Stanley who shifted back at the look in Penn's eyes. She threw her weight at one of her captor who collapsed under her and then swung a fist at the other face which landed in his eye and then kicked his chest to prevent him from falling on top of herself then she turned to face Stanley who had gone pale in the face, still staring at the girl who he hit. The girl who was crying on the ground. The only daughter to one of the finest martial arts masters in the empire who had five elder brothers in different parts of the army.

Penn glared at Stanley and punched him and when Stanley stared at her in shock. She just sighed. Stanley's punishment would be too much of a burden for him to bear and he was lucky that his mother had pleaded for him earlier because Penn would have gladly thrown him to the wolves if not for his mother. “Leave my sight and act like you never saw me.” Penn orders Stanley who looked at him in shock. “Get away from me now.” Penn thunders as Stanley scrambled to his feet and took off. Penn knelt beside Rima.

“Let me see your face.” She ordered and Rima sobs reduced as she allowed Penn to see her face which was swollen and had turned red.

“How horrible do I look?” Rima whimpers when Penn touched the side of her face.

“Like a blushing bride on her wedding day with the make-up and all.” Penn lied as Rima hits him.

“I cannot wait to tell my father about this. Stanley will surely get what is coming for him.” Rima promised but Penn shook her head.

“Rime just follow my lead okay?”

“Why?” Rime eyes Penn suspiciously.

“Please.” Penn begs as Rima nodded.

They returned to the compound without getting the items and when Leda saw them, she gave a shout. “Who did this to you girl?” She demanded, tilting Rima's face so she could see the skin angry skin better.

“I did.” Penn replied as Rima stared at her in shock.