Calajhan's House,

Nortze waited for Rikilda to put the roasted chicken on his plate. Even though Nortze had hunger the colour of the chicken alone didn’t trigger his appetite. When the chicken was on his plate, he had already lost half of his hunger.

He picked a knife from the table. And a fork in the other hand.

Digging his fork inside the dry chicken, he sliced the piece of leg out and took a bite of it.

"Who roasted this today?" Nortze gazed attentively at his daughter, "Overcooked and borderline burnt."

Nortze stuffed another piece of meat in his mouth for keeping his daughter's heart.

"Tell this to mother." Rikilda said, holding pot of gravy beside the table.

"Would she listen?" Nortze put the fork on his plate with bits of meat strands glued to his tongue, "She hasn’t dined with me ever since I returned from Pryeg."

Rikilda poured vegetable stew in a bowl and pushed it towards her father. Nortze dipped his spoon in the stew, rescued perfect cooked peas but didn’t take it to his mouth.

"Try gravy with chicken." Rilikda put the mug on table, "The man you have brought here said the food is delicious."

Nortze Calajhan put the spoonful of peas back in the stew and pushed his chair behind.

Rikilda came infront of his face before her father could walk more towards exit.

"Don't be a grumpy old man, father." She still had the spatula in her hand.

"I take my words back about the food." Nortze tried to walk past her.

"Bugger the food." Rikilda squeaked.

"Aren't I allowed to leave table with unfinished supper?"

"Why do you refuse to understand what we are going through?"

"Okay, I will tell Braden to fuck off at sunrise." Nortze walked but the stubborn daughter stopped.

"Why should he go when he is not the reason of our melancholy?" she continued, "Like it or not but I don’t think anyone of us can stay in this shit house if you keep secrets like this."

"I haven’t kept any secrets with you."

"Then tell us what happened in Pryeg. You have no idea how terrified we were when you returned with hole in your stomach."

"Don’t ask many questions, girl. And never dare to be rude with me." Nortze pointed his finger as he spoke, "Or consider my plans for you called off."

Rikilda didn’t stop him this time.

"I know you won't."She was so scared to say anything at his face so she cried out when his father had been long gone from the kitchen, "You are more desperate for it than I am."

Nortze could hear her but he decided to get in his room instead of teaching his daughter few words of moral lesson.

Angry teen stomped the floor.

She would have gone to her mother's room had she been in there. The daughter was well aware how much mental pressure she had endured. Spending dinner time with Nortze had given him an insight on what listening and obeying everything the old man said was.

Rikilda could give her pass on going out in the woods for fresh air. Informing her father about her mother's absence was going to worsen the situation so she kept it to herself.

Father will not even realize when mother comes back. Rikilda began covering pots. She was quiet heavy handed with it.

Their family dog came running towards the kitchen after listening utensils making noise.

"Trov!" Rikilda's face lit up when the big dog sat infront of her. She couldn’t stop herself from stroking the dog.

"Are you hungry?" she touched Aedo's stomach, "Yes you are. Mother forgot to feed you."

The dog waited patiently for the piece of bone.

Aedo held the chicken leg bone between its teeth then Rikilda moved towards the oven. She had washed few plates when the dog barked.Someone was at the door.