Eleni had exhausted all plausible ailments till the point that Dimitri had stopped asking whenever he returned from his hunts.

Oddly, they'd settled into a routine over the weeks where she'd clean and tend his wild and forgotten garden while he'd return with meat from his long trips.
But now she faces the wooden posts that dermacated her from the rest of the world.

The road ahead was long and windy but she stayed hidden for long enough.
She had to be ready to face her past. For her and only her.

She lifted her chest imagining the faces of the people. She would talk back- let them dare. She would fight anyone who would try to make her feel small or less than for wanting something precious for herself like love and a family.
The emotion she felt was anger.
Finally. Instead of feeling sad and broken, Eleni had finally reached a stage of anger at the men who had wronged her. A majority was reserved for the man who had reached into her soul and tried to destroy it.

The bag over her shoulder felt lighter easing the burden on the little girl who crouched in fear of what Eleni was forcing them back into.

"Eleni." Dimitri called from a way standing at the break of the cypress trees with his hair tied away in a semblance of tidiness.
On his back was a sack of fruits and nuts, spoils from his hunt over his shoulder and wild flowers in his hand.

"If I hadn't returned as I have you would have been gone without a goodbye." His voice not shying away from the disappointment that showed on his face. He'd returned early from his hunt for another time- last time he'd been gone two weeks when before he'd claimed his hunts took months. This time around he'd been away for a week.

"Must you leave?" He asked her as he set the load before her.
The question... Eleni took half a step forward, confusion rising first.

"I must but."

"Naturally, you are finished healing."
He placed the flowers in her hand.
"I picked these on my way here for you." Then he gestured at the other things before them.
"Please take these with you."

"I can't." She refused not sure what to make of the flowers.

"You mean you don't want to. I'll help you carry them. Don't refuse, you wont have anything in your home and you shouldn't be an unnecessary burden to Konstantina."
Dimitri was always sincere with the openness of a child with no sense of deceit. It was refreshing at times and im times like these very annoying in Eleni's opinion.
His damned frankness was often the other reason she'd argue with Dimitri. The other reason was her hard-headedness.

"You can futilely argue with me as we walk."

"I must face this alone." She said in a sudden outburst.

"Fine. Then I'll walk ten paces behind you when we arrive. No one will know we travel together."

"I just need to face this by myself." She said much softer finally convincing herself.

So the steps she took were sure and dust that rose about her feet would be the evidence of dusting on her in this journey.

The road wasn't long, and in three dawns she stood as a lone tree untop a hill with the sun behind her and her eyes cast down to the town.

Men weaved through pulled carts to get to their farms and hawkers found stations to sell for the day.

They stopped to acknowledge her and went about their day. Uninterested as they seemed, they would speak of her return over supper. And their speculations would run wild- far from and close to the truth.

Little feet stampeded towards her their high pitched voices called her excitedly.

"Where did you go?" They asked.
"What have you been doing?"
"Why were You were gone for so long?" Their eyes were fixed on her expectantly as other questions flew from them.

"I went to heal and hide a little."

"Because the beautiful man left you?"

Eleni nodded.

"But didn't he love you?"

The other voices chimed in.
"He had to. He was always with you and loved with you the marry people do."

"He also looked at you with the funny dopey look."
They giggled at the faces the boys made to imitate Adris.

Eleni sighed.
This was harder than she'd imagined. Adults would hold their questions and manage their curiosity.
She'd forgotten about the children.

"He didn't love me." She responded honestly. It had probably been an act or he'd meant it. Whatever it was it hadn't been strong enough for him to be with her forever.
And he'd never promised her forever.

"You don't know that." Thalia said appearing like an apparition from somewhere behind the children.

"You can't be sure he didn't love you."

Eleni gave her a sad smile.

"Why should I lie to myself? I was stupid."

Her friend's hands were comforting.

"Will you be stupid again?" The little girl's question stung sharper than anything.

"I'm not giving up on finding love."

Lying to children was much easier.

She didn't want to assemble the pieces and hand them to someone else to destroy it. She believed Adris was her soulmate with everything in her.

She felt their souls connect like she'd know him all her life like she'd loved him in all her lives.
How wrong she'd been.

"What about him?" The children pointed behind her.

Dimitri pushed the wagon of provisions past the stalls, ignoring them as he walked by.
Eleni smiled. He really meant it when he said he wouldn't let anyone know they were together.

"Who? That man over there?" Eleni said overlooking the son of Ares because they had to be talking about someone else.

Dimitri slowed.

"He's not as beautiful as the beautiful man but he's nice. I like his hair."
The little girls clapped. One even said.
"He's big and strong like my papa."

He picked up his pace but he looked back briefly showing Eleni the smile he wore.

"I can't just marry any random man." She said to them, dragging them along as she walked.

"My Ma said beautiful men don't like to settle down."

Eleni nodded. She should have known that.

"My mama said sometimes men change. Just not this one."

"But apparently grownups never learn even worse than little boys."

"So you're one to talk?" Eleni said, playfully tugging at the little boy's nose.

"Shouldn't you finish your game of hide and seek?" Thalia asked them.

"If we go will you still be here?" They asked, fastening their hands on any part they could hold.

"Where would I go? This is my home."

Satisfied with her answer, the children ran about in every direction promising to find her later.
It was chaos and anarchy but it made Eleni happy.

They found Dimitri waiting at Konstantina's yard.

"You're a brave woman Eleni. That's one of the things I admire the about you."
He gave her flowers again.
Had he picked these along the way too?

Thalia greeted Dimitri.

"Yes, I know him." Eleni said guessing her friend's thoughts.
"He's my savior."

"He doesn't seem to agree with you."

Dimitri shook his head.
"She fought all by herself. I just fed her I'm not her savior. But I do hope to be her husband."

She laughed without mirth at his unfunny joke.
But for humor or not, his words scared her.