Chapter 9

Waiting and Weeping

A day or two later, Moriyah decided that if she was going to be a prisoner, she needed to do something other than sit down in her room all day long. Politely she asked for a sketchpad, and Ludwig sent a servant to fetch one for her. Thus, Moriyah commenced drawing. She sat at the desk, carefully marking the page with her pencil, which helped to relax her inner stress and worries. As she worked, she formed the lines into various shapes, until they formed a closed rose. Drawing helped Moriyah feel like she could actually do something-it made her feel like a person and not a card in a game, being used by others while not actually doing anything of her own free will. Ludwig, who had been watching her, was fascinated with how she was able to draw such an accurate picture.

"How did you learn to draw so beautifully?" Ludwig asked as he leaned over Moriyah's workspace, eyeing the picture she drew.

Moriyah stared at him, unsure of what to say. After a few seconds she answered, "I have been drawing for a long time and… I just… figured it out…. If you wish, I could show you some things I learned."

"I have no talent for art," Ludwig confessed as he scratched his neck in embarrassment and shook his head slowly.

"I'm sure you could draw well if you knew the basics," Moriyah assured him with a friendly smile.

Ludwig contemplated what to reply with as he looked at her ice-blue eyes. For a few moments, he forgot she was an enemy, and simply noted that she was a genuinely friendly young lady with admirable eyes and talent.

"Well… since I will be watching over you, I suppose… you could teach me something," Ludwig agreed at length.

Moriyah's smile widened across her scarred face as she began explaining how she drew the various curves and how she determined where to shade. Day after day, she taught him different techniques and tricks for drawing, and Ludwig did his best to copy her, although he wasn't anywhere near as skilled as she was, but that was to be expected, considering he wasn't used to drawing. They had this time to themselves because their Decks were at the Neutral Isle, attempting to come to an agreement once and for all on who should win Moriyah and Clubs's land. Since the letters didn't help, they determined that meeting in person would be more effective. Ludwig was ordered to stay behind with Moriyah, to keep her safe, hence Moriyah was confined to her room with Ludwig guarding her for these days, and thus Moriyah began teaching Ludwig how to draw.

Sadly, as the days passed, Moriyah became more and more depressed, for although she enjoyed drawing, it often reminded her of all the pictures she showed her brother, which reminded her of her brother, which made her heart ache for her homeland. Eventually it came to the point where she didn't want to draw anymore and she merely laid on her bed all day.

"Moriyah, you really need to do something to entertain yourself," Ludwig insisted, worried that her inactivity would make her sick.

"I don't want to entertain myself," Moriyah sighed as she rolled over and hugged a nearby pillow.

"Well… you really must," Ludwig urged, "Why don't you read a book?"

"I don't feel like reading anything," Moriyah moaned.

Ludwig rocked on his heels, trying to find some argument to make her do something. As a military general, he was used to his men obeying his orders without question, but Moriyah was not a soldier-she was a lady who was his hostage, and she clearly did not feel like obeying while she was in her depressed slump. For Ludwig, this was both frustrating and confusing. He was used to people doing what he said, but this time he had to deal with someone who wouldn't listen. At the same time, however, he knew that Moriyah was very heartbroken, and he didn't blame her too much-she was a prisoner far from home, after all-so he tried to be patient with her, but his temper was threatening to snap at her.

"Listen, Moriyah," Ludwig replied firmly, "It is not good for your health to be laying in bed all day-you NEED to do SOMETHING…. That is it-you and I will take a walk; it will be good for you."

With that said, he grabbed Moriyah by the arm and pulled her out of bed. With a sorrowful groan, Moriyah followed him as he took her on a walk around the castle halls. Ludwig felt like he should say something to her, but he wasn't sure what to say, and since she wasn't speaking to or even looking at him, he decided it would be best to keep this a silent walk. Even if they didn't speak to each other, the walking should help them both get rid of stress.

As she walked, Moriyah kept thinking about her brother-would he be killed in the meetings like their father? Did he miss her? Would he be able to persuade the decks to come to a peaceful agreement? Overall, the walk did help her to feel more energetic, but all she did was make herself more worried than before due to her longing for her brother. Over time, her emotions and stress became worse and worse, until at length she knew she had to say something in order to keep herself from going insane.

"Ludwig… how many years do you think this war will last?" Moriyah blurted out suddenly.

Ludwig turned his head to look at her, and slowed his pace as he considered the question.

"Well, hopefully our suits will come to a decision and the war will end within a few weeks… if that falls through, it could be anywhere from five to fifty years or more," He answered truthfully.

That was the last straw for Moriyah. Instantly tears were coming down her features as she sniffed, "So that is it… I'll be here the rest of my life...there's no hope for me, is there?"

Ludwig stopped, realizing he said the wrong sentence. He knew all about how to command an army, but he didn't have the best strategies when conversing with emotionally-torn women.

"I… well… now that's… what I mean is… not necessarilly," Ludwig tried to comfort her, but he didn't know what to say.

Moriyah wept.

"I… please don't cry.." Ludwig sighed, officially giving up on making her feel better as he decided, "I'll escort you back to your room."

Moriyah nodded, and soon she was crying on her bed again. For some time she had hoped that she would be freed, but then she felt she never would, and then again she felt a ray of hope… and once again her hopes were dashed to pieces. Part of her wanted to cling to the idea of seeing her brother and her homeland again, but the other part told her she never would see either ever again. Her heart tore to pieces. She didn't know if she should even try to have hope again, yet she wanted to have hope, she truly did. However, it seemed that every time she found something good to think of, the dark cloud of realism came and squashed her moment of happiness. Why did this war have to start? Why did she have to be kidnapped? Should she curse the black joker? Should she curse herself? All sorts of fears, anger, and pain clogged her mind day and night, especially in this moment. Of course, she wasn't the only one with problems. Standing a meter away from her, Ludwig cursed himself for making her even worse than before, but he didn't know what else to do. What else could they do but wait until their kings returned?

Special thanks to Imperator Anonymous for being my beta-reader.

The pioneer with a heart for people and a thousand stories to tell ~+~