Inside the tree.
"We'll have to think about better plots."
Ayla advised as they sat under the shade of a tree, on a wooden bench, which was few metres away from the house. That was the new form of their home in the tree.
Vulcan was seated in the middle of the two ladies. That was the only way to ensure a sane conversation amongst them. Else they would lose the time to irrelevant strays and unnecessary arguments.
"But we succeeded with the one we already have. Two out of three isn't bad. Is it?"
Prium shot at Ayla. Vulcan didn't know who to look at at that moment. He wanted to catch the expression on the faces of the two of them at the same time.
"It's quite different now? You don't know how intense things are becoming."
Ayla hurled at her again. Prium didn't let that drop for long,
"Is it because I didn't go with you guys the previous day and yesterday? Is that why I'm now an ignorant who has no faintest idea of what is happening?"
"Yes!"
Ayla replied. Prium shot, her tone harsh,
"Not that I didn't want to. Twas because of the hurt. The shit that fucking girl did to me. If not because of that, wouldn't I had gone? Plus if we hadn't resolved for living in this shitty tree, which was your top-notch plan, would such thing had happened to me?"
Ayla scoffed and hurled again,
"And why didn't your dad get hurt? Why? Maybe because he wasn't as upfront and wannabe as you are."
Prium stood up at that. She didn't have the peace to contain that any longer,
"Do you realize that I'm still you mistress and you're my slave? Talking to me in such manner!"
Ayla didn't look at her while she said,
"I hold you in no seeming regard, Prium. I only follow your father's words. And since he told me to serve you, I had no choice."
Prium had been waiting to shoot,
"You have only few more days, Ayla. Just few more days and our Quest will be over. And then you'll find your bearing."
Prium sat down again. Her face was flaming with rage. She didn't even look at any of them anymore. Her gaze glued to the stream few metres towards the portal to the west of the space.
"Can we just stop this? Did any of you know why I'm sitting in the middle? Come on, we are no kids. Let's get back to discourse and build on our differences. We all have differences, let's understand it that we can move forward together."
Vulcan intervened. He knew too well that what he had said had no strong effect on the two but at least twould get them somewhere.
Then there was an awkward silence. What he had been trying to avoid had caught up with them. He thought of how to bring them together again with words but that seemed rather remote. He resolved for an alternative.
"Ayla, tell us, what is the newest state and why did you say the plan should be altered or say, adjusted?"
Ayla didn't hesitate before replying,
"The first two processes went smoothly because there were no complications. But now there are more than enough complications."
She paused and continued,
"Firstly, there is a search for both you and your daughter. And anyone who gets to lay his hands on the two of you would earn himself a the princess of the land."
She didn't wait to catch the surprised reaction of Prium. She continued,
"So at this kind of moment, your daughter's mother and your wife, or ex wife won't be by herself again. She would be walking around or have the custody of the king or any other person, since Myclops, the priest, her lover is dead. So, she won't be an easy catch."
Before either of the two could interrupt, she drew a curtain on her argument,
"And like you saw, master, our actions at both the market square and the forest would never go unnoticed. Not the corpses left in the forest, nor the fellow summoned."
Ayla quit talking. Prium had a question immediately,
"What happened at the market square and in the forest?"
Vulcan thought of that as his best shot. He said,
"Ayla will tell you if you politely ask."
Prium scoffed instead and shot,
"I'd rather die than ask her."
Ayla chuckled. Her face concealed from Prium by the broad side and face of Vulcan. His bounty and greyish beard. Rough face and wrinkled draws.
Vulcan shook his head at Prium's comment. He shouldn't had made that a dare. He shot instead,
"Tell us Prium, now that we know what the nature of our problem is, what should be done. What should our new plan be?"
Prium looked at him, a pressured glare which she was trying to train into an ambiguous stare. But she seemed to be lagging at accomplishing that.
Vulcan stood up immediately. He walked to stand before the two ladies and said,
"I think I'll leave it to the two of you to make out a new plan for the success of we all. That we may be done once and for all with this plot and enjoy the rest of our days. Make lots of travels and be the best of ourselves."
He could see the are-you-kidding-me kinda look on Prium's face. He didn't wait for neither to say a thing before he turned and began to walk away,
"I'll be at the pool when you're done with the plan. I'm your puppet, ladies."
He had called over his head. The two ladies watched him walk away. His heavy legs flexing there borrowed strengths. Even though he was that old, he still had the strength a youth would offer sacrifices to the gods for.
There was an awkward silence between the two ladies for some while. Then suddenly, Prium sprung to her feet and said,
"Why am I even sitting here. I'll just go to my room and prepare myself something to eat."
She walked past Ayla as soon as she said that, without looking back. Then she heard Ayla say,
"Alright, mistress."
Prium halted and turned to look at Ayla. She shook her head and began to walk away towards the out. How impossible.
Then Ayla stood up too and began to walk towards the pool to meet Vulcan. As soon as Prium noticed that. She began to nurse several thoughts. The possibility of Ayla making out with her father.
She changed her mind and began to walk towards the pool too. Ayla looked back at her and chuckled. She shook her head at the drama queen.