a new {world} ; a new {life} ~crystal~

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

He patted the mare's neck and watched her closely. Eventually, he decided not to respond to that, which had to be the stupidest statement he'd ever heard. "I'm Dyami," he said.

[~echo~]

Hannah looked over him with a suspicious air before responding. "Hannah."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Dyami nodded and walked over to lean against the tree. "What brings you to the new world, Hannah? Are you just here to marry that horrible man?"

[~echo~]

Hannah stared down at her shoes. "I came here for a better life. I never knew I would marry such a person..." her voice trailed off and she shivered.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Dyami wriggled his eyebrows at her. "Well, you could always run away. It's so much more fun."

[~echo~]

"I barely know how to survive by myself in a city, much less the wilderness," she said critically. "I would die within three days."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Dyami grinned. "Well, that's why I'm here, isn't it?" he said. He knew full well that he couldn't bring the poor girl back to his village, though. They'd never accept her. What had his mother said about him being reckless?

[~echo~]

The girl looked at him with a mistrustful gleam in her eye. "I don't know you."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"And I don't know you," Dyami agreed. "But I'm better than your husband."

[~echo~]

She paused a moment. "What do you know about him?"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

(Lol, what if Mr. Ewing is his father? I don't think we ever said how old the man is)

[~echo~]

(You read my mind xD literally. I was just thinking that)

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

(Haha. Great minds think alike)

Dyami's lips thinned. It had taken him fifteen years to find out who his father was. Sometimes he wondered if he'd be better off ignorant. "Let's just say I know a bit about his history with women."

[~echo~]

"And I can already attest to the fact that it isn't good," she said quietly. "He isn't a good person."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Dyami's eyes narrowed. "What did he do to you?" he asked. His eyes swept over her body, searching for bruises, but if they were there they were covered by her clothing.

[~echo~]

She shook her head. "Nothing very serious. But I accidentally disobeyed him and he... he just blew up. It was scary."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Dyami's brown eyes turned dark. "I should have killed him when I had the chance," he muttered. "Then he wouldn't be able to get his hands on any other girls."

[~echo~]

"Other?" she asked.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Dyami snorted. "What? You don't think the gentleman Ewing takes the slave girls whenever he wants? Being his wife doesn't mean much."

[~echo~]

Her eyes fell. "You're right. I don't want to go back there."