Chapter 11

Accepting her Fate

By day 21 of her capture, Moriyah had fully accepted her fate. Since it appeared that she would be stuck in Spades for many years, Moriyah decided to stop crying and to start trying to find something positive in the place she was in-and Ludwig noticed the change in her personality. It seemed that Moriyah was rather relaxed now, and for once she wasn't crying or acting depressed in some way. In fact, she was not only drawing, but she was enjoying her time drawing while showing Ludwig how she drew things the way she did.

"And when you use short strokes along the edge like this, it gives the fox a furrier texture, see?" She explained while she began adding details to her fox.

"Yes, I do see it," Ludwig acknowledged as he watched in fascination.

"And we just keep making these strokes around the edge—but on the ears and parts with short fur we make the lines very tiny so that it looks like shorter fur—see?" Moriyah continued.

"Ah, yes…. How did you learn all this? I never figured out how to draw anything myself," Ludwig questioned with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Well, I looked at pictures of real animals, and tried to draw them," Moriyah answered with a smile, "Believe me, it wasn't easy, but I kept trying and learning, and as you can see, I have come a long way."

"Indeed," Ludwig commented as he admired how the fox was taking form on the paper. It looked like he could reach out and pet it. As Ludwig scanned the paper, he noticed that some of the pencils on the desk were crooked, and he carefully straightened them for her.

Noticing what he did, Moriyah halted her drawing and stared at Ludwig in surprise.

"What is wrong?" Ludwig asked, pondering what he did to upset her.

"Nothing," Moriyah hesitated, "…it's just…just… I… do that too."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow and replied, "You mean… straighten things out?"

"Yes… that," Moriyah responded with a sheepish grin and a nod. For a long time she felt like the only person on the planet who had a habit of straightening random objects on tables and desks.

Before either could add anything to the conversation, Matthew entered the bedroom.

"Hello," He greeted them in his quiet voice, "How are you feeling today, Moriyah?"

"I am doing well," Moriyah answered with another smile and a nod.

"Good… wow, that is a beautiful picture," Matthew remarked as he walked closer and spotted the fox drawing.

"Oh, thank you!" Moriyah answered happily, "I could tell you how I drew it, if you wish,"

However, before Matthew could answer, Berwald entered and sternly announced, "Ludwig, King Alfred needs you-oh, he needs you too, Matthew."

After that, the men left the room, leaving behind another guard to take Ludwig's place as Moriyah's bodyguard. As Moriyah finished her drawing, she considered how friendly some of the people in Spades were, and she knew that even if she did have to live there the rest of her life, it wouldn't be too bad.