Part I.

The village was dry. Dry heat. Dry sand. Dry air. Dry everything.

Kaim was trying to get this strategy session done before everyone involved died from the heat. Although, the villagers were better suited for this weather than he, so maybe he was just trying to save himself from the agony. Sarah was doing her best to keep chipper but she could really only do so much. He knew that she was trying her best to stay in a good mood while the sun baked the ground and the people living on it. This little place needed some help in the upcoming month, and Kaim was grateful for Sarah's patience but even he knew it had to be wearing thin.

Some vacation.

Little Oyora was losing a war. The old mercenary in Kaim itched to help out, to get these people back home safely with one swing of his sword, but he promised himself he would let that fighting side go for a while. Concentrate on his own thoughts, or at least on his family.

He did decide to help the little village out in making an end plan. A plan that could hopefully give them the upper hand and finally lead them to victory. The villagers could use a few lessons on strategy and that was all Kaim promised to give them.

Meanwhile, Sarah was left to her own devices. He wasn't sure if that was the best thing to let her do in this little village, but he also knew she wasn't going to have it any other way.

. . .

Sarah hiked up her dress. She cursed herself for deciding to wear a long skirt out that morning. It was chilly in the early hours so she had hoped it would stay that way throughout the day, but with the way the heat kept on climbing she wouldn't be surprised if she died of heatstroke in what she was in. Not that she wouldn't just wake up a moment later. "Probably with a headache," she grumbled to herself.

This village lay in the south of the continent. It was summer, and summer meant sun for most of the day. Almost fourteen hours of it.

"And this is supposed to be a vacation!" People were starting to look at her strangely. Not only was she not dressed for the weather—having to hold her skirts high so that she wouldn't ruin them dragging through the dirt—but she was talking out loud to herself. It also didn't help that she was not from here, an outsider, and most couldn't understand her frantic chatter. And her chatter sounded a lot like yelling. "Next time I pick were we go, and it might have to be the freezing mountains of Gohtza!"

She found a tree with some shade. She folded her legs and skirts about her and sat down for a rest. Despite the heat and her complaining, she was a little bit excited to be in a place she had never been to before. Although the place itself was a little bit of an oddity. She pulled out one of her many journals, titling the page: The Desert Town. Not the most original title, but that was the only thing she could think of. "Better than sand here and sand there," she bit out to herself.

Oyora was just on the edge of the Uhran Empire, and very close to this earth's equator. This made summers brutally hot and winters only marginally cooler. People here live in mud huts with straw thatched roofs, which surprisingly enough block out a lot of the heat, leaving a cool habitable home; and have built plenty of large shaded areas around the village. The people themselves were all very beautifully caramel tanned and sun kissed, making very pale Sarah the odd one out. The even odder one out, she added to herself. The women all seemed friendly enough, and there were many different foods she had been very excited about trying. Sarah took a little more time and wrote more about the city in a positive light before she sighed and turned the page.

"The way this town is run isn't exactly fair to the 'weaker sex,'" Sarah said, jotting quick notes about life here in Oyora. "Women are treated like…" She found that she didn't want to write down what exactly it's like here for the ladies. Well, they aren't treated equally. That's what I'll write.

Just earlier this morning she watched as a woman dropped a basket of fruit because she tripped over a man's carelessly outstretched leg. Then he had the gall to yell at her about it as she struggled to pick them all back up into her basket. Sarah had watched in a bit of horror, but knew she couldn't step in to say anything. This was the way of life, or at least according to Kaim. All Oyorians followed the submissive woman rule. Even the women made sure to not step on any toes, and it drove Sarah up the wall.

"Note to self, I need the blessing of whatever gods there might be to not throttle these people." The more she wrote, the angrier she felt. It was not her place to say anything, though. Kaim had warned her about the people of this village. He had to deal with them in the past and according to him nothing much has changed in this aspect of their lives. These people were very set in their ways. She pushed up her glasses that slipped down her sweaty face. Not even in the shade could she escape the excess of salty moisture that was clinging onto her skin.

Sighing in frustration she snapped her journal closed and found her way back to the little place her and Kaim would be staying for, hopefully, just the weekend.

. . .

Feeling refreshed in lighter clothing and a wide brimmed hat, Sarah made her way back out into the sun to find her husband. It was noon, and not so many people were out and about like in the morning. The sun beat down on the earth with intensity making the villagers want to escape back to their homes and into the shade. Sarah found herself shielding her eyes even with her hat as she walked through the marketplace.

She had to stop in front of a seller, an older kind-looking woman, selling odd fruit. She was waving a fan in her face, but paused when Sarah approached. "Try some, yes?"

"Oh, well, actually." Sarah looked down at the different fruits that lay out in front of her. She always loved trying new things, but didn't want to ruin her appetite if it was too sweet or sour. Thinking about meals made her realize that she was running a little late to meet up with Kaim. "Ah, maybe another time?"

Before the old woman could respond, there was a sudden cry that interrupted the light babble that thrummed through the street. Sarah looked to see that young woman who dropped the basket this morning holding her face. The man in front of her, hand still raised from the slap he just delivered, yelling at her.

While Sarah hadn't caught up to the language spoken in this little village, she knew when a woman was being abused for no reason. Before she knew what was happening she was in front of the poor woman, hands outstretched trying to protect her from further harm. "Stop it!"

"Woman needs to know her place!" he said, straightening up. She could tell he was trying to intimidate her with his size. It wasn't working. She just frowned a little deeper. This made the man a little angry. "You do, too. Get out of my way."

Sarah shook her head. "I will not stand by and watch someone get hurt!"

The man scowled, and that only put a little bit of fear in Sarah's heart before she grounded it out and reflected his expression. This angered the man even further, and he raised his hand again. This time, Sarah knew it was meant for her. Kaim warned her about what would happen if a woman defied an order, and she would just have to take this punishment. She watched the hand begin to fly; flinching, knowing it was going to sting, and screwed her eyes shut.

Though nothing happened. Sarah opened her eyes to see that someone had pulled his hand away before it could strike. "I know the rules of this village are to stamp out any defiance in those who are weaker." Kaim's eyes were slits and he was speaking in a very deep and hushed tones.

"Then you know that I am in the right!"

Kaim squeezed his hand and the man cried out in pain. "You also know that it is not your place to discipline another man's woman. She is mine, and I would appreciate it if you never raise a hand to her again."

Kaim let his hand go, and the man rubbed his wrist trying to soothe the pain away. He gave a short nod to Kaim before turning to leave the street.

.

Kaim turned around to see Sarah helping the younger woman back onto her feet. The young woman bowed deeply to Sarah, which caused his wife to stammer out many excuses to not bow to her, before she went back to what she was doing.

Kaim reached a hand out to Sarah's shoulder only to have it shaken off. "So. I'm your woman now, right?"

He winced at his words were echoed back to him. "Sarah, you know what I meant—"

"Oh, yes I do!" she interrupted, whipping around to face him, her hat hitting his face a little. Her voice was high and rang out clearly through the market. He could see she was upset, and didn't blame her for his poor choice of words. "And now I'm going to go do my husband's bidding and go find lunch and bring it to him, because that's what a good, submissive wife should do!" Sarah turned on her heels before Kaim could think to react.

People stared at him in the center of the market, some ladies tittering behind closed hands. He was left thinking if anyone had anything better to do in this heat than to just stand around watching a poor man get yelled at by his angry wife in the middle of the street.

. . .

Sarah had delivered Kaim his food to the chief's house, but left as soon as it reached his hands and before he could even say any type of apology. Knowing better than to chase after her when she was in a mood, he had sat down to eat it alone. His appetite was gone, but he figured he needed this energy to get through the next few hours of meetings.

He remembered telling Sarah about the traditions and ways of the people in this village, but he should have known that she would step in if she saw anyone being hurt. He knew there wouldn't be any other way for her to react in that situation.

His mind wandered to the moment. He was just trying to make it through the throng of people to see why Sarah was late to meet him for lunch when he first saw the man hit the unsuspecting woman. He had sighed inwardly but decided it wasn't his place to try and lecture anyone from Oyora. Not when it would go through one ear and out the other.

But then Sarah popped into his vision. He made to join the group a little faster then, correctly predicting that his wife would be bold enough to stand up to this man in the middle of the marketplace. What he wasn't expecting was the other man to raise his hand again, this time aiming at his wife. That's when his heart dropped to his stomach and he sprinted the last few yards remaining between them.

He was used to the customs of this village. Oyora was one of the only villages that knew of his immortality, a little bit by accident on Kaim's part, so the villagers gave him respect for all of the help he had given to them in the past. Kaim aided in wars, trading, sickness, and anything else that might have happened in the past three hundred years. Never, though, had he thought that any one person would disregard one of the higher laws of this village: do not touch another man's woman. Or wife, Kaim amended in his mind. Everyone knew that Sarah was married to him, so it came as a shock that a man would try to lay, or even threaten to lay, a hand on her.

That shock quickly made his blood boil. The anger that swept through him so quickly almost surprised him as he gripped the man's wrist in his hand with a bit of unnecessary force. Kaim wasn't trying to be a possessive person, certainly his wording could have been different in any other situation, but he knew he had to communicate himself in a way that would make the upset villager understand that this was not how this situation should end.

Bringing him back to Sarah who was now upset and barely speaking a word to him. He sighed into his spoon.

"I see someone is having some trouble," came a teasing voice. Kaim looked up to see the old leader of Oyora, his eyes creasing into his smile. It would seem that news traveled fast, and Kaim wouldn't be able to move an inch without anyone teasing him.

"It's nothing I can't handle." Kaim set away his half-finished food to stand up, showing reverence to the leader. The old man shook his head, making a motion for Kaim to sit back down. "Sarah…isn't used to these customs, and I didn't help make the situation any better."

"Customs that probably should be thrown out." The leader sighed and Kaim could tell from it that the leader was trying to fight the ruling. This fight, however, wouldn't swing well with the current men on the village panel or any of the other men in the village itself. They were all raised the same and it was hard to break that teaching. Kaim smiled a little at the thought, though he knew change wouldn't come easy to a place like this. "But that is another problem for another day."

Kaim quickly finished his lunch and soon he and the village leader were talking about this impending dispute.

. . .

Sarah carried her staff with her. Not because she thought she needed to defend herself from the people of this place, but because she was starting to feel a little sore under the sun and wanted the extra support. It did well to quell the place of its gossip, though. No one would try and talk to her when they saw her weapon. Sarah smiled a little to herself despite the heat.

It was getting to be later in the afternoon and people were starting to wander back outside. Children started to run around, in the shade, while mothers with fans watched from open doors and windows. The heat was cooling off, if only just a little bit, but still not enough to get more people outside.

Sarah had managed to climb up a dusty hill to take a better look over the village. Oyora didn't end at the horizon line stretching out farther than she imagined, and from where she stood at the top of the hill, she could see the center. She frowned a little thinking about her husband, and also thinking that maybe she was being a little bit too short with him. But that thought led her back to earlier in the afternoon, and she couldn't yet find it within herself to be more forgiving of the situation. Instead she turned in her place, leaned back and took a long draught from her waterskin; happy that she had found a way to make it refilling. "My black magic is getting better," she found herself saying out loud, bringing the water back to her lips. "Ever since that boat…attack…"

In the not so far distance she could see a lot of people running towards Oyora. She stared at them for a moment before realizing that it wasn't just a random group of people but rather an army, and they kept on coming down the distant hill.

She immediately thought of the playing children down below. Holding her staff close, she didn't waste any time racing down the hill. By the time I make it back there they are going to be too close to the village! she thought desperately.

Her mind raced thinking of what she could do. She didn't have time, or the knowledge of just how large Oyora was to make a barrier. It only took a few minutes to make a barrier for Tosca, but she knew exactly how large to make it from living there for a few centuries. Even if she knew the size of this place, it would take time to go around and construct it.

Just as she reached the edge of the city she made her plan. "You!" She called out and pointed to a group of adults huddled around a tree. The men gave her annoyed looks but she didn't have time for it. "There are people coming around that hill! Soldiers! I'm sure of it! I need you to go get your Chief and Kaim!" Their faces paled and she could tell that they were hesitant. "FINE! Don't listen to this woman warn you about your death, but I will not watch these children get hurt!"

Sarah raised her staff and slammed it down into the dirt. That seemed to jump start the little group and half of them ran into the village. The others started to go around to warn everyone of the oncoming assault, some going as far as dipping into houses and grabbing a weapon. Concentrating, Sarah focused on her body. The space around her seemed to waver a little before settling again. Unlike Oyora, Sarah knew the exact dimensions of her own body. It only took her a matter of a few milliseconds to construct and weave a wall around herself. It wasn't the most sound idea, even barriers could be broken if there was a very hard direct hit to it, but it was enough to keep her safe from a distance; and Sarah didn't plan on getting too close.

The women gathered the children in their homes and when the street was clear, Sarah marched out to the edge of the village. With only a few moments to spare, as she was soon met by slowing warriors of all sizes. She stood her ground, face and mind concentrated on her staff and magic.

There was a snicker, loud enough for her to hear. "They send a pale woman to guard their village!"

It might have been the heat. It might have been the insults from the man at the marketplace, and the continued misogyny of Oyora, and now this mystery army. It could have been the need to get out of here before she burnt to a little crisp. It might have been her slightly misplaced annoyance at Kaim.

Or the fact that a well strung arrow managed to graze her leg before her magic had a chance to deflect it. She silently cursed the sting of the wound and the fact that she decided to not concentrate really hard on anything lower than her mid thighs. These men are probably just out to wound me for the sake of being a woman—and that thought sent her into overdrive. She let out a breath and swung her staff quickly in the air. She then slammed it into the ground with a loud thud.

The earth magic swept through the front lines so fast the opposing side didn't know what hit them. The ground shook and cracked and shifted, and men toppled over. They couldn't quite catch their feet. Another swing of her staff, and another hard hit to the dirt underneath her, and the earth split open. She concentrated, feeling sweat prickle on her skin at the energy she was exerting, and let the gap widen a little. The first few lines of people were swallowed up.

She was sure to make the hole not very deep, just enough that there would be some major broken bones and some bought time.

She lowered her staff and saw that it definitely would buy them some time. The army was scrambling on uneven ground and not even paying any attention to her. If they did look her way it was in fear.

"Good! Maybe you've learned your lesson!" She raised her staff again, waggling it a little, and several of them ran away. She gasped out a little laugh, but it turned into a little moan. It was after that she started to feel the effects of the energy she just exerted and things started to get hazy. Just trying to stay on her feet felt like a battle. "Maybe I overdid it."

"Sarah!"

Sarah turned and fell flat on her face.

.

Kaim could feel the earth shake and knew that Sarah was using magic. Since the boat incident that happened almost a century before, Sarah had made it her goal to become better acclimated with all the different kinds of magics in the world. She was already pretty efficient in white magic—being the only healer Tosca has ever known—and knew about protection charms and walls, but hadn't really touched on black magic or anything on a deeper level.

Kaim, by the way the earth split open in front of him, could tell that her composite magic was definitely up to par. He watched as the soldiers from the other side were swallowed up by the spell.

He came to a stop when Sarah finally came into view at the edge of the hill. She had just taunted the other side of the gap and Kaim almost laughed at the faces they made, but then he noticed the red that was running down her calf.

He called out her name, and started to panic when she fell right on her face.

He ran up to his wife and attempted to touch her, but the barrier that surrounded her deflected his hands. He took a deep breath in and scrambled to remember the conversations he had with her about breaking a barrier if he was going up against an enemy.

"Really all it take is just one perfectly aimed, really hard hit," she had told him one lazy, rainy day. "There's always a chink in the armor. Find the place where the magic is frayed and strike it! If it doesn't work the first time, try again. Most people don't have time to look for the opening in the wall when they might be attacked, so that's why it can be hard to take down without killing the user."

Kaim spotted it in the open space between her ribcage and arm. If he hadn't have known what to look for, he probably would have missed it completely. He was thankful he wouldn't have to strike over her body, as he made a fist. He punched the space, feeling the wall tear under the strike. Another hit and it faded away completely.

He carefully rolled her around to face him. Her glasses were cracked and she had busted her lip in her fall. She was very hot and breathing hard, and though she was alive, he was very worried. As gently as he could, he brushed his hands over her to check for broken bones. Nothing looked out of place except the gash on her leg. He thanked whoever was listening it had clotted but it needed cleaned before it was infected.

"She…she did that?"

The villagers gathered around having finally caught up to where Kaim stood, lifting Sarah off of the ground. "She must be a witch!"

Kaim just turned and without making a sound made his way back into Oyora.

. . .

Kaim watched as Sarah finally opened her eyes. He let out a breath he was didn't know why he was holding. It wasn't like she could die. "Kaim."

"Don't talk. Just rest."

"I think I had a heatstroke." Sarah was blinking up at him. He sighed as she disregarded his advice. "My head hurts. I think I'm going to be sick. Is that possible? I feel like I've never thrown up befo—" Kaim only had a moment to move his legs before Sarah retched over the side of the bed. It wasn't much, but Kaim could tell it was enough to surprise her. She slumped down. Kaim rubbed her back as she let out a sad moan. "First time for everything."

"Have you been drinking water?" A slow nod. "Have you eaten anything today?" A pause, and then a shake of her head. Kaim sighed and held back Sarah's hair as another wave of nausea hit her. It was only dry heaving this time. "Sarah, I thought we were working on the not eating thing."

"Sorry," she managed to rasp out.

After a while, Sarah finally lay back down and fell asleep. Kaim went outside to fetch water to clean up the mess.

He wasn't expecting anyone when he stepped out of his little hut, but there the chief stood under an old paper umbrella. The older man waved him over. Kaim walked towards him bucket in hand.

"Well, your wife has some skill! She must be just like you." The chief shifted so that Kaim could be under the umbrella as well. He accepted the offer and they began to walk to the middle of the village. "In the few hours that has passed all of the enemy has gone away. That'll probably keep them away for a long while."

They made it to the well in the middle of the village. Kaim noticed that the villager were avoiding his gaze, shuffling away from him as fast as they could. He watched as people flittered about, knowing that Sarah was the reason they were a bit wary. He tipped his bucket into the well. "So long as they think you've got a witch on your side."

The chief sighed as he caught the annoyance in Kaim's voice. "Yes, I heard that. I'll be sure to stop that little rumor floating around."

"I think," Kaim started, pulling the bucket up from the well. He unhooked the handle and they made their way back to Kaim and Sarah's hut. "I think we might be leaving soon."

"I'm sure Miss Sarah needs her rest." The chief nodded, agreeing with him. "You've done enough for this old village for now. Take all the time you need until she is better."

The chief patted Kaim's arm once before making his way back to his own home. Kaim watched as he walked past a group of men, shooing their questions away.

. . .

Sarah took two days to recover. She couldn't eat the first day and the second day it was mostly just bread and a weak soup, but by the early morning of the third day after the attack she was up and packing.

"Good riddance to this place!" She folded the last of Kaim's undershirts and locked their baggage away. She nudged her broken glasses back up her nose, and sighed. These were one of her better pairs and now she would need to visit the closest big city for an optometrist. It wasn't something she wanted to do on vacation, if she could call this vacation. In another huff, she went about folding the light blanket and leaving it on top of the bed she shared with Kaim, and fluffing the pillow up at the foot of the bed.

When she turned around, Kaim was walking into the hut with their light breakfast of fruit and bread. She took it without a word and ate while she double checked her journals and books she brought with her. It was several minutes later before she heard, "Sarah."

"What?" She turned to Kaim and reprimanded herself. They still hadn't really talked about what happened the other day, but she didn't need to be so testy with him. After all, he did take care of her while she was down and out.

"I'm sorry," the both of them said at the same time. Sarah could feel an embarrassing blush creep up on her face.

Kaim shifted on his feet; not exactly looking at her eyes, but, Sarah guessed, her chin instead. He started again, "about the other day. I shouldn't have said what I said at the marketplace. I just…the thought of him hitting you. That's…not okay. It's against the laws of the village, but also—" here he finally looked into her eyes. Sarah could tell he had been thinking about this while she rested. "I am not fine with anyone laying a hand, or even threatening to harm you, Sarah. My anger, I believed, was in check and I thought that saying what I said would defuse the situation. I didn't think about my wording until you…well, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so…possessive." He looked down again. Sarah just wanted to squeeze the dejectedness out of him as his shoulders slumped forward a little. "I'm not…I hope you don't think I'm like that."

Guilt wrapped itself over her like a heavy blanket. All this time he was mulling over that thought, while Sarah was trying to dispel that anger. She couldn't help the few tears that slipped out of her eyes suddenly. How could he ever consider she would think so little of him? For the century they've been married and the three hundred years before, never once did Kaim treat her like any of the women were treated in Oyora.

She tried to wipe away the wetness before he noticed, but she couldn't even do that quickly enough. He made to step towards her for a half a second before he paused. Almost like he wanted to ask permission to touch her; and she could have slapped him for being so dumb, but then she remembered that he thought he had really overstepped his boundaries this week. So, instead, she found herself pulling him into the fiercest hug she could muster and planting a kiss somewhere on his face. She attempted his mouth, but her perception was a little off with her glasses being broken. He found her lips after a moment though, and she could practically feel his unease melt away the longer she stayed near him.

"Kaim, please don't ever think I don't want you to touch me," she said after they broke apart. His hands, as if to agree with her, squeezed her hips.

He dragged her closer, and this time the kiss landed on the mark the first time. "Okay."

With flushed cheeks, Sarah finished her breakfast and pulled her pack onto her back. She didn't exactly apologize herself, but could only hope that the kiss explained to him what her mouth was failing to get out. Kaim grabbed his own pack and opened the door.

They were greeted by half a dozen faces. The ladies looked at Sarah with a shy curiosity. "Miss Sarah! Please do not go!"

Sarah blinked. She stepped a little closer and noticed that it was the woman who she kept on bumping into. "I'm sorry miss…?"

"Ada!" She held out her hand and Sarah took it. "I am so sorry to ask you to stay."

Sarah could see Kaim cross his arms from the corner of her eye. He looked amused. Sarah cocked her head to the side. "Ada, we were just leaving and…this was really only supposed to be a short visit—"

"Miss Sarah!" a young girl stepped out from behind Ada. She held herself with her arms crossed behind her back, not exactly looking into Sarah's eyes. "I saw what you did with ground."

"They call you a witch!"

Sarah sighed. This conversation wasn't getting anywhere, but the smallest voice continued. "I want to learn!"

"You want to learn?"

"Your witchcraft."

Sarah definitely heard a chuckle come from Kaim. Her lips twisted into a frown. "Really, it's not witchcraft. It's magic—I'm not a witch!—but I can't just teach it to you. You have to show some skill…"

"Miss!" The little girl looked up at Sarah again. Sarah watched as she uncrossed her arms from behind her to reveal a stick in her hand. "Watch!" She mimicked Sarah's own stance from a few days before and tapped the stick on the ground.

Sarah almost smiled in sympathy and a little humor at the little girl's antics, but then she could feel the air gathering around them. It wasn't much, only a little bit of wind like a breeze, but the girl was channeling the wind through her manmade staff. That much the older woman could tell. Sarah's excitement almost overwhelmed her. "Where did you learn to do that? How long has this been going on? Is there anyone else—?"

Kaim cleared his throat stopping Sarah mid thought process, and she caught back up to herself. She knew her questions could last forever. "Ah well." She looked at the young girl, who was excited to show off her skill. Here could be an answer to some of the village's problems. Let the ladies empower themselves. Become a force to be reckoned with. And as much as Sarah disliked the idea of staying any longer, having magic users in the village could give them the upper hand in finally ending this feud. Who knew how many ladies, or even men she was loathed to admit, could have potential to produce magic? What about healers, or those who would be good at protection? How long would it take to train them? That thought made her sigh.

Sarah looked up at Kaim. He shrugged, pulling off his pack. "Are we staying then?" He knew the answer already.

"How can we not?" Sarah agreed with a small smile. The women in front of her called out their excitement and Sarah couldn't help the warm feeling in her chest.

What was another year or three in ensuring the future of a village to an immortal?

As an author's note: I had posted this earlier last year on my ao3 account and forgot to put it up here! It is a kind of sequel to my other story To Die, but you don't really have to read it to understand what's going on here!

-La'Ruelia