*Long chapter*

-Keegan-

"What are you slamming doors for?" His father muttered as Keegan stormed out of his own room. "What are you trying to do? Take the whole house down with you?"

Keegan ignored his father and growled curses underneath his breath. He was so aggravated by his mother for assuming the worst of him! She was blaming him of doing something he had tried so hard not to do. He had only seen the girl naked once for Gods' sake! ONCE! Or was it twice now? It didn't matter! He was practically fuming!

"Mother is imagining things and calling me a filthy animal." He growled and threw a dark look towards his door. "She is deluded..." He spat.

"Now you! Do not speak of your mother like that." His father said with a booming voice. It was loud enough so his wife would hear him take her side in the argument - all the while he blinked at his son. This was to let Keegan know that his father was well aware of just how frustrating -and unfair - his wife could be.

Keegan's anger poured out of him and he had to suppress a laughter. His father adored his mother. However, he rarely took her side... which she of course didn't know. Keegan ran his hands through his dripping wet hair, before letting them fall to his sides. Out of nowhere, a wet and warm tongue was feasting at the back of his right hand. He looked down and was met by big dark brown eyes which belonged to his beast of a dog; Blackie.

Keegan had gotten himself this black mountain of fur on the day of his twentieth birthday. To be fair, it had always felt like the once small dog had chosen him. Not the other way around. Blackie had run up to Keegan in the village square during market. The pup had been hiding from a scommon traveler, who was the owner of the pup's mother and her litter.

Keegan had been waiting by the well, waiting for his mother to be done with her shopping. When suddenly, the little soul that was Blackie, had taken shelter behind Keegan's legs after appearing out of nowhere. Keegan still remembered how scared the pup had been, rushing out from between the legs of people around him and straight to Keegan. He had sat himself down immediately after taking shelter behind Keegan's left leg and then the pup had looked up at him with big soulcrushing eyes. 

Blackie had been shaking all over as he hid from his owner. The traveler had approached them with his hand raised to hit the little creature but Keegan didn't have the heart to stand aside and let it happen. He had scooped he little fur ball up and held him out of harm's way. 

"Hand over that little shit!" The man had yelled and waved his hands at the pup as he came through the crowd to claim what was his. "I swear this is the last time, you little pester! I will wring your neck next time you run off!"

"Hey, calm down!" Keegan had told him and taken a step back once the man tried to snatch Blackie out of his grasp. 

"Hand over my piece of shite dog!" The traveler spat. Keegan stood fast, prepared to go head to head with the traver. His heart had sunk by the thought of the little pup getting hurt - or killed - s so before he knew what he was doing, he offered to take the dog off the man's hands. To Keegan's surprise, the man didn't blink before accepting his offer, he didn't even want anything for the pup. He was so fuming mad that he screamed that he never wanted to see the creature again and that he was fed up with the little shite running away constantly. Keegan wondered why the traveler bothered to go looking for the pup if he was so sick of looking for him, but didn't say anything.

So there he stood;  with a furry little friend with the blackest fur he had ever seen and the most adorable little snout. Blackie had immediately wagged his tail as his previous owner disappeared, and had given Keegan a big wet kiss.

Now, five years later, Blackie was nothing less than huge. Keegan wasn't sure his friend was all dog... Sometimes he suspected that there might be some bear in the creature. His mother prompted on wolf blood, but Blackie didn't share any traits with wolfs. However, to Keegan it was all the same... That day at market, he had gotten a friend for life. Blackie seemed determined to repay his new owner for taking him in, because he almost never made a mess and when he did, he made sure to charm his way out of it, especially if mother was throwing a fit.

"Stop that, you monster." Keegan chuckled and withdrew his hand from Blackie's large pink tongue. "If you're thirsty there's water outside, and you know it." He said and roughly petted the black fur ball on the top of his head, causing the large ears to wobble back and forth. Blackie panted happily in response.

"So..." His father muttered and gesticulated for his oldest son to take a seat at the table. Keegan walked over and sat down.

"So... what?" He asked back.

"What is the meaning of this?" His father waved his hand towards Keegan's bedroom... where the girl was. "Your mother is right; when did you fall for your siblings' pleadings? It is not like you, son... " He chuckled and threw an eye at his daughter who was serving herself some of their mother's potatoes. Which was all they were going to have tonight since there hadn't been caught any animals to eat. "If I know my little fox right, she might have threatened you into doing her bidding..." Keegan's father almost snickered.

"I did not threaten him!" Orla told their father off while rolling her eyes. It hadn't been meant for her ears, but she'd managed to pick it up anyway. Keegan scoffed at her. She met his gaze as he crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair, and gave her a look that reminded her of the slaps that she had distributed earlier.

"Don't eavesdrop, Orla!" Their father scolded her. "If I was speaking to you, you would know it. Stay out of it."

Orla sighed, shrugged her shoulders in defeat and sat down next to Keegan to eat.

"I don't know." Keegan answered his father's question. "I don't know why I went along with it. She's here now, so what is there to do?"

-The Girl-

The woman dressed her in very loose fitting clothes and then made the bed for her. Afterwards, she managed to convey that the girl was meant to sleep in it.

For some reason, however, she wasn't allowed to leave the room, but it felt safer in there anyway. The feeling of safety was nice but it didn't calm her down. Something was still very wrong and she couldn't figure out how she had ended up here. In this... place? Perhaps the more important question right now was; who were these people? No. What really concerned her was that she couldn't remember anything... 

No matter how hard she tried, nothing came to her. Only sharp flashes of light and the sensation of being completely naked, and freezing cold.

I know there is more! There has to be! Why can't I remember what happened to me or who is did this to me? She thought, wanting to scream out in frustration. 

Feeling of being beaten down, and extremely tired, she crawled into the bed newly made bed which was one of the three things in the room. There was only the bed, a dressed and what appeared to be some sort of small table next to the bed. The room felt naked from the lack of addidtionak furniture.

The girl placed herself in a corner of the bed - the one farthest away from the door - so she could see if someone would enter.

In a poor attempt to stop herself from shivering, she put her arms around her legs and clenched her arms tightly around them. It didn't feel like it helped. Her whole body felt tense and her mind was spinning with questions;

Where am I? Who are those people and why are they dressed like that? In rough fabrics and what looks like... hides? She thought as she studied the door and the light that shone in from underneath it. She could see shadows stepping into the light from time to time as the people on the other side held low key conversations outside of it. I wonder if they are talking about me... she thought and tried her hardest to even remotely understand what they were saying... but nothing. She didn't understand a single word. This was also very worrying.

Tears started to flood down her cheeks and she couldn't stop them. They poured down like waterfalls and it felt like they would never stop. A quite loud sniffle made its why out of her and the voices outside the door went quiet.

"Is she crying?" A male voice asked.

"Of course she is crying..." It sounded like the girl. Her voice was quite sharp and unforgiving. "She has no idea, I think, of where she is and the only way out for here is through a door which leads her to a room full of strangers... Of course she is crying, she must be panicking."

"For fuck's sake, Orla. I am sorry that things aren't as obvious to me as they are to you!" The male voice turned louder in volume and the girl could hear that it wasn't the man who had carried her. It wasn't that... soothing and husky voice she remembered from before.

"Will the two of you just pipe down?" The woman snapped something at the two who were arguing. "Eat your supper and go to bed."

Before she could hear anything else the room was drenched in light when the woman opened the door. The girl inhaled sharply but was met by kind eyes.

As the woman walked in, the door was left open and she could see out into the other room for a moment. There was a table and around it sat four persons. The man and the girl from before sat so they were facing her, and the other two she didn't recognize from the back of their heads, but they were men.

Suddenly the man who had carried her looked up and their eyes met for a brief moment. She got caught in his emerald green eyes for a second before he quickly turned his gaze away in a sort of bothered kind of way. Like he didn't want to look at her...

Why did he look away? She thought and frowned a bit.

The woman noticed what was distracting the girl and her brows furrowed. She closed the door with her foot, her hands were full with a bowl which was steaming from its content and in her other hand she held a cup.

"Here you go." She spoke very softly and handed over the bowl first. In it there was potatoes and carrots.

The girl gave her a very confused look and the woman seemed a bit embarrassed. She clasped her hands and smiled faintly.

"Yes, I know. It's not much, but the children were supposed to bring meat home... but they brought you instead." A short laughter followed. "So, this is our supper for tonight." She seemed to be explaining something but there was no way to be certain since the girl still didn't understand a single word. Still.

"Thank you." The girl answered quietly and took another look in the bowl. Her stomach roared for food.

The woman's face lit up. Her eyes filled with kindness.

"I will assume that you thanked me for the food." She said and then left the room.

The girl finished her bowl quickly and drank the water in her cup. It had been a bit dry to eat only potatoes and carrots without any gravy or sauce, so she was quite thirsty afterwards.

When she was finished, she felt energized and decided to at least take her dishes out just to show the woman some gratitude, even with such a small gesture.

When she opened the door she heard a soft murmur of the family's voices. They looked just like any other family. Laughing quietly or bickering. It looked wonderful.

When the door creaked the murmur completely ceased and all eyes were on her suddenly. It felt like that type of awkward scene in a movie where everything stops, and all eyes are on the main character and the camera zooms in. However, this wasn't a movie and it wasn't just awkward... it was strange and confusing. It felt like someone would jump out at any second and scream that this had all just been a prank... but nothing like that happened, and it only made things even scarier.

Everyone's eyes were on her, except the man with the emerald eyes. He kept his gaze lowered and she couldn't help but to feel a bit offended, even though she had absolutely nothing to be offended by... but he had been so kind in the forest. Why did it almost seem like he didn't even want to look at her?

I couldn't have said anything wrong because he doesn't understand me, and I don't understand him... She thought. Maybe he just acted kind so I would go with him? But... why? And why would he offer to carry me if he was only pretending to be kind? It doesn't make any sense...

The girl stepped towards them and held out her dishes, silently asking where to put them. She glanced to her left and noticed that there was a counter but no sink. There was no faucet for water either... Her brows knitted in confusion by the sight and at the same time she felt her spectators studying her closely.

"I am sorry, I didn't want to interrupt your dinner... Should I put the dishes over there?" She asked timidly and walked over to the counter with quick but silent steps. The wooden floorboards beneath her feet felt rough and she made a mental note of it so she wouldn't get splinters.

Now the whole family was looking at her. Even the him.

"So... at least now we know that she's not a mute!" The younger man chuckled whilst studying her up and down.

An older man, probably their father, gave his son a swift smack on the back of his head.

"Stop hitting me!" The voice of the younger man was sudden and the tone frustrated.

She couldn't help it when she winced at his outburst and involuntarily dropped her dishes. The wooden bowl bounced on the floor and the cup broke into two pieces.

"For fuck's sake, Flynn... Don't scare her." The girl's eyes landed on the man with the green eyes as soon as he spoke. He was giving the younger one a tired look. It felt like he did everything in his power just to not look at her.

The girl dove to the floor and picked up the pieces of the cup and the bowl. Suddenly the other girl was by her side and flashed her a faint smile before she took the dishes out of her hands.

"We already know she's not a mute." The older woman spoke. "I think she thanked me for the food earlier. And do not swear, Keegan! I hate it when you children swear..."

-Keegan-

The girl just stood there. Dressed in his mother's clothes that were too big for her. They were so big she almost drowned in them. At the same time, he had a very hard time keeping his eyes elsewhere... She was just... so beautiful, even in his mother's clothes. However, he wasn't going to fall victim for his mother's or Orla's jabs, so he stayed clear of being seen observing the girl. This proved very easy since everyone in the whole family were staring at her at the moment.

Mother had dressed her in a cream-colored shirt and tied a knot with the strings that usually went over the bosom. On the girl the strings rested at her clavicles so she wouldn't show any cleavage at all, his mother's idea without a doubt. Around her hips mother had tied one of her dark green skirts and it also drowned the poor soul. He could just see a hint of her bare feet and ankles as she placed her weight on her right side, making the fabric move slightly.

"Did anyone understand what she just said?" His father mumbled and gave both of his sons a puzzled look.

"No. Not a single word." Keegan answered and Flynn just shook his head.

"If... she is staying here... The talking will be very constricted if we don't understand her and she us." His father muttered and Keegan agreed.

But we don't know for how long she is going to be here... He thought and gave his little brother a questioning look, asking for an idea.

"Don't look at me!" Flynn chuckled. "I am the stupid one, apparently."

The three of them laughed as the women helped the girl back to Keegan's room. A short while later his mother and sister returned alone.

"Poor girl. I hope she gets some sleep tonight..." his mother sighed as she walked back to them.

"Are you serious about the girl sleeping in my bed?" Keegan sighed and gave his mother a pleading look.

"Yes." She answered very simply and shrugged her shoulders. Flynn couldn't hold back an amused snort. This didn't bode well for Keegan. If she answered him like this, then her mind was already made up.

"Then where am I supposed to sleep?" He asked and raised his eyebrows at his mother.

She put her hands on her hips and this was another bad sign for him. He already knew that he wasn't going to like her answer.

"You are sleeping on the floor." His mother said very calmly and shot off a very soft but fake smile. "I will get you a blanket."

Keegan's eyes widened and he pouted his lips in astonishment of the situation and his mother's reasoning.

"Are you only going to treat me like this?" He snapped. His mother's left eyebrow rose a bit. She was surprised and still amused that he had something to say. "You are aware that all of this wouldn't have happened if Orla, you know her," he pointed at his sister, "hadn't been so damn stubborn!"

No one said anything.

"Are you serious?" He exclaimed and got up from his chair. "Am I the only one being punished?"

"No." His father suddenly spoke. "Your brother and sister will also be punished, as you call it."

"How?" He asked immediately.

Keegan could feel his siblings scorching gazes on him but he was content. He would not go down alone for something that he himself had advised against from the beginning.

"That remains to be seen." His father answered and it was easy to tell that he wasn't having this discussion anymore.

After that they all went to bed.

Keegan got a blanket and a sack of flour for a pillow. He grunted as he was left alone and threw the blanket and sack on the floor. He looked at the door to his room and growled on the inside. He wasn't mad at the girl... he was just very pissed that she was sleeping in his bed.

I shouldn't be the one to sleep on the floor! At the very least it should be Orla! He growled to himself in his mind.

When he had settled in on the floor he looked up in the ceiling and put his arm underneath his so called pillow. His mind wandered off to the girl again but now it wasn't her beauty that occupied his mind. It was her origin. Where did she come from and what language does she speak? It was all so strange, and he couldn't fathom how they were going to be able to help her if they couldn't understand each other...

Keegan rolled over to his side and was facing his door.

From his room he could suddenly hear the faint sound of the girl crying...

-------------------------

I hope you liked this chapter. It is slowly moving forward, I know.

I am having a little trouble getting the chapters and the story together at the moment, I made a slight change from my Swedish version and it just f*cked everything up lol. So... I am not quite happy with this chapter, but I am working on it because I really do not want to stray from my original version too much.

What I wanted to say was: Things will start to happen soon!

THANK YOU FOR READING ♡