"Aleenia..." the singsong voice of Mr. Larkin draws me out of my daydream.

Even though after a dreadful nights sleep, and a beyond awkward conversation about the man yesterday, I still came to see him, Mr. Larkin. I wasn't going to stop my lessons because of what Zachan thinks.

" You seem rather distracted today?" Mr. Larkin observes, sitting behind his desk, me opposite him. I looked down to see I had stopped writing mid sentence on my pronunciation lines. Looking back up, he has casually leant back on his chair, his eyebrows raised, waiting for an answer.

Not wanting to really discuss my marital problems with the man who has somewhat caused it, I give a one-shouldered shrug as a response. I should have realized that it wouldn't be good enough for Mr. Larkin, as he investigates deeper." It wouldn't have to do with Zachan's return?"

"Possibly..." I murmur, my eyes drifting away to the side, studying the cracks in the wooden wall of his tree house. I wish he would let the subject drop.

"Has he touched you-" Mr. Larkin approaches the subject with caution, but the question has me grinding my jaw.

"We both know Zachan wouldn't even touch me with a ten foot pole. His presence alone annoys me."

There's a pause before a low chuckle. My glare turns to an amused Mr. Larkin, his eyes twinkling in delight." I'm sorry Mi Lady, but you can be very dramatic sometimes."

"Well I'm glad I have been able to amuse you, Mr. Larkin." I get up, closing and collecting my book.

"Wait, wait!" Mr. Larkin was still chuckling as he called after me, I turn to see him standing to. He was covering his mouth as if to push back in his laughter." Sit back down Aleenia, I'm sorry."

With my mouth tort, I slowly make my way back to my seat. Mr. Larkin does the same. He was trying not to smile, but it turned into a smirk.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again." Mr. Larkin manages to straighten his face." You have no reason to fear Zachan."

I sigh." I know this... it is just-" I stop myself, giving hesitant eyes to Mr. Larkin. I couldn't possibly tell him what Zachan and I argued about yesterday. He would continue laughing and never live it down. Instead I bring up another subject that has been eating away at me." Zachan returns with no word, and enters the tribe as if what had happened never occurred. No on even speaks of the... incident with Saria."

Mr. Larkin gives me skeptical eyes." I thought you would have been happy to have that all behind you, the past is the past. Leave it be."

Now I was confused, my face clenching up in frustration. " Yes, but also Zachan last night spoke to Kern as if nothing has happened between them... as if that man hadn't tried to kill me twice. He walks around as if-"

Mr. Larkin puts up a hand to signal for me to stop, his eyes downcast to the table." Technically Mi Lady, Kern only tried to kill you once, the second was using you as, well... bait."

"A technicality, the man knew I could either freeze to death or bleed out. They show no reg-"

"Regret?" Mr. Larkin takes the word right out of my mouth. He sees my wild eyes and leans forward on the table with his elbows, a huff of a laugh escaping." We hadn't come to this in our lessons yet, but I guess now is a good time... the people on the Southern lands don't have a word for 'regret'"

My mind is left rattled for a few seconds. Then something like a disbelieving laugh escapes me." They have no such thing as regrets, they have no regrets." I shake my head, eyes lifting in astonishment." No wonder they show no remorse."

"Remorse, sorrow, grief. There is a word for that here." Mr. Larkin answers." But regret, no... The people here don't dwell on the past; they see the happenings in life as something to learn from, to grow from. Everything happens for a reason..."

I still wasn't understanding this concept. " So what, a man kills another man's wife and the husband shrugs his shoulders, saying it was meant to be."

Mr. Larkin looks humored again." What a great little example you gave..." He gives me knowing eyes that has me giving him a flat look in return." But no, there is a law, a justice system for that... maybe even more brutal then your use to. If the man succeeded in killing the innocent wife then the man shall die to. Balanced is restored, justice paid. I'm sure the husband would grieve for his wife, but have no regrets in the time they shared."

I look down to my lap." And what of Saria?"

"That, is a tricky situation. But I guess there was no other option." Mr. Larkin says. I wanted to argue but found nothing to indicate otherwise. I remember Seanne saying Saria rather death then living as the wolf. They granted her wish, so they should feel...no regrets.

" Kern, he tried to kill me, is there no punishment for that. Or maybe he does have a regret, regret he didn't kill me."

Mr. Larkin smiles. " You have such a dark humor, Mi Lady." he muses head rolled back in amusement, before looking back at me." He might but I doubt it. Besides, if he did kill you, how would he have tried to kill you the second time?"

I clench my jaw, giving the older man icy eyes.

Mr. Larkin seems unaffected by my glare. "As for punishment... I don't think you realize what had happened."

"Enlighten me." I ground out.

"Kern was dishonored, cut once along the back for the first attempt, another for the second. I hear it is quite painful as they fill the cut with some form of poison to make sure it scars for everyone to see. A reminder of his disobedience to the law."

My stomach churns at the thought. For a crime like the one Kern had done, at Fellshore he would be locked away or forced to join the army. The method here was a lot more... brutal.

"I guess you were too busy hating him to have noticed." Mr. Larkin suggests, nearly having me roll my eyes at the little jab.

"Or maybe I was to busy being left in the dark to have noticed." I smirk back.

"Man mastuy tjana sannigina" Mr. Larkin likes to remind me. "One must earn the truth."

How this man continually one-ups me every time has me grinding my teeth. " And you feel I earned it today?"

"Yes." Mr. Larkin says simply, no doubt in is voice which has me looking up to him." I think the time is fitting... and I think that ends our lesson for today."

Agreeing I nod, collecting my sketchbook once again and heading for the exit to Mr. Larkin's tree house. He still had not installed a door yet, but he wasn't using an old sail to block it anymore. I suppose the warm spring nights had no need to be blocked at the doorway.

Yet my mind was still thinking quite adamantly about what I had leant, I stopped on my way out." Mr. Larkin?"

He hums in response for me to continue.

" How could one not regret anything? I have many."

He seems to think of his answer before speaking, his nails scratching the grey stumble on his chin." As I said they like to believe in things happening for a reason, and not to focus on something they have no control over... yet-" He takes another moment to himself." They might not have a word for regret, but it doesn't mean they don't feel it."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dusk had arrived, the sky a pale pallet of purple, pink and blue. I felt a slight shiver up my spine from a small breeze whispering through the haven. There were not many people out at the moment; I suppose many families were preparing food for dinner. But I did see some children, a few with the stones I had painted. I had noticed they like to trade them, swapping them for the ones they liked.

Making it back to the tent I was fully expecting it to be empty. I had not seen Zachan all day, not near the farms or anywhere else in the tribe. But now he had magically returned, sitting in the dining room, the low table filled with dinner.

It was strange, after the conversation with Mr. Larkin I didn't feel as much anger as I would have thought when seeing his face. Especially as he had disappeared once again, returning as if nothing happened.

People saw life differently here. And instead of trying to force my way of living into every situation, I wanted to see what it was like to try seeing things from their point of view.

I stood there quietly observing my husband. He was filling his flat bread with meat and vegetables. He didn't acknowledge my presence right away, only looking up when he saw me staring. He gives me wary eyes, yet they turn hard when they see my sketchbook in hand. It was answer enough to where I had been.

Letting out a long sigh, I move to join him at the table." He is only my teacher Zachan, nothing more."

"There is plenty of other people here that can teach you." He tells me, taking a bite of his wrap.

I shake my head." He was your teacher for English, like many others here. He is most qualified for the job."

Zachan swallows, looking down at the table. His lips seem to me moving, sounding out a word. Qua-li-fied...

I changed my wording." He is the best for the job here." When he says nothing more, taking more forceful bites of his wrap do I speak up again." May I ask you something?"

He peeks an eye up from the table" From your tone, you just asked one."

"I suppose..." I drag out, giving him an unimpressed look." Why is it you do not trust Mr.Lar- Andrew?" I stop myself, thinking it best to call Mr. Larkin by his first name. Zachan will probably take it as a pet name I've given him, when really it is what I am used to from the way I grew up, addressing those by their last names." I mean, from my understanding he has been here since he was a boy, I find it dreadful you do not treat him respectably."

" I feel the man has too many secrets... and when we ask him about them, he slithers back into his tree." Zachan says, a deep irritation straining his voice.

I open my mouth to object, to defend the man. But I to notice Mr. Larkin shares little of his day to day life. Or there could just be little to tell, as he lives alone in a tree house with company that really only consists of me and the birds that perch on his balcony.

I say nothing, and don't ask about the meaning behind Zachans words. Instead I ask the next thing that pops into my head." Where have you been all day, I did not see you around the haven?"

" That is because I was not in the haven." He answers, taking another bite of his wrap. This man surely likes to avoid real answers.

"You know..." I ponder aloud, placing my sketch book on the table beside my clay plate." For a man who hates another man for keeping too many secrets... you sure are very similar."

It takes a second for the words to process but once they do, a short laugh leaks from Zachan's lips. Surprise is my first reaction... had I just made him chuckle?

"Right now, where I went is none of your concern. I can tell you Aleenia, it is not important." His amused expression dies down to a smirk.

A little annoyed at the response, and lack of truth I make a move to get up.

"Aleenia... I wish to speak with you." Zachan didn't sound like he was giving an order, but a request. It had me sitting back down.

" Yesterday, you spoke truth." He begins slowly, his intense focus entirely on me. I was shocked he admitted that something that came out of my mouth was true, but still I was apprehensive about where he was going with this." I have come back speaking little about the past... and I do not wish to bring it up, but leave it as it is. I have spent months thinking of it, and wish no more to have to talk of it. Can we move forward from it?"

It takes me a moment to realize he had asked me a question. But could I move on? I still had so many unanswered questions about the past five months. Yet, many were answered, and I feel, like I hope for Saria, they can be laid to rest. As for Kern, I will never fully trust him... but he had suffered to. I had moved on by myself these past months, changing as well...

I nod in response. Zachan seems to relax, if only slightly." Thank you... yet there is one thing I would like to bring up." He furrows his eyebrows, his eyes showing the hard thoughts conjuring in his mind." You said yesterday, from what I could understand, is I had treated you wrong from the moment I laid eyes on you."

My cheeks flush at the memory of yesterday. My words like a knife I kept twisting, wanting to hurt him. It wasn't a proud moment of mine... yet I felt most of it had to be said.

"I realize now I was wrong, I-" He struggles for the right words." It will be a... mistake... one to remember, no matter how I think..."

There is a line between his eyebrows from the way he is thinking so hard. It's almost like he doesn't understand his emotion. Yet the expression, and his words bring a small smile to my lips.

"Where I am from." I say, his eyes lifting to me." We have a word for it... it is called 'regret'. It is when one is very sad, disappointed or angry over something that did or didn't happen in the past."

Zachan nods along, taking in the meaning to the new word.

"But..." I say, a half smile gracing my lips." Regrets weigh you down, they don't let you move forward. It's better not to have regrets. How about there be no regrets here?"

Zachan nods, even though he still seems very serious, still milling over what I had said. He goes back to eating, and I stand using the table to help push me up. Taking a step out the room, I halt at the entrance. My eyes wander back to my husband, calmly eating his wrap once again.

He was sorry for the way he treated me, he even regretted it. It had me beyond puzzled on who the man really was. I mean, I barely knew anything about him, but could I go as far in saying he cared?

I did know one thing. There was no such thing as regrets here. I had thought it was a bad thing at first, but now I never felt lighter.

Hello, sorry for the one day late update, my sister just got back from travelling and I wanted to see her for the day!

But I hoped you like that chapter, I really liked writing this one. I found it very poetic! Tell me what you think.

Also tomorrow is by Birthday! So I might be gracious and post another chapter tomorrow if I get some love for this one....

So please Comment and Vote!

I might update tomorrow or in three days!

Love U all!