Luca tried to understand his stammering sister, who had just woken him up. She was soaking wet and her teeth were chattering. She hastily pulled off his covers and tried to drag him out of bed. He grabbed her cold hands between his warm ones and looked at her. ,,Calm down. What happened?", he asked and noticed how her tension jumped over to him. "Amaya, she is... she needs... I have...", Terra started to cry and Luca grabbed her scared shoulders: "What about Amaya? Where is she?" His throat tightened when Terra didn't answer and his muscles tensed. "Terra! Where's Amaya?" Now he yelled at his sister and jumped out of bed. He ran out of his room and pushed open Amaya's door. Your bed was empty. Terra stopped panting next to him: "She's unconscious. Oh, Luca, I didn't want that!" A cold shiver ran down his back and his stomach tightened convulsively. "Where?", He couldn't bring himself to say more. ,,Towards town. Near the bridge." Terra sobbed and a slave wrapped a blanket around her. Nathan also came into the room and looked at his daughter worried: "What happened?". Terra dropped into her father's arms and buried her head in his shoulder.
Luca stormed out of Amaya's room and walked out through the house into the rain. He jumped on his horse and galloped off. The pulse was pounding in his head and the still heavy rain made it difficult for him to see. But Luca knew the way well and pushed his horse on and on. Not long now and he would be at the bridge. He focused his gaze on the muddy ground. _Where is she? _Then he could see the old bridge in front of him and sharpened his gaze a little. Had he overlooked her? No, this could not be! Or had someone found her and taken her away? The fear for her grabbed him even more and he reached the bridge. No sign of Amaya. He crossed it and rode on. Maybe she was on the other side of the bridge. However, the hope of finding her faded the further he got away from the bridge. He turned around a slight curve and then he suddenly saw a petite figure, completely soaked, lying at the edge of the forest. His heart clenched painfully. He jumped off his horse and ran to Amaya, who was lying motionless on the ground. He stopped beside her and knelt on the ground next to her. Her eyes were closed but her eyelids fluttered. He gently put his hand under her neck and slowly lifted her head up. She groaned in pain but kept her eyes closed. "Everything will be fine Amaya. I'm here.", his heart pounding wildly against his chest. She had a high fever and was completely frozen. He gently picked her up from the wet ground and carried her to his horse, holding her tightly and her head leaning against it his warm chest. He carefully placed her on his horse and slowly led it back to his house. He was relieved to have found her, but that didn't mean that Amaya was now out of danger. She had been lying outside in the mud in the cold night for far too long and on top of that she was apparently already ill before that. Luca rubbed his neck. He should have checked if Terra had really gone to sleep. It wasn't the first time she'd betrayed Father, but this time she'd gone too far.
Two riders came towards him and Luca recognized the two house slaves. They stopped next to him and one of them wanted to give him his horse and put a blanket around Luca. Luca shook his head. He wanted to stay with Amaya until she got home with him. He immediately pulled the blanket off his shoulders and laid it over Amaya, hoping she would at least warm her up a bit. When she reached the house, the sun was slowly rising behind the hills and the rain finally stopped. Luca lifted Amaya off the horse in his arms and carried her up the wet stairs into the house.
She was still unconscious and her slender body was icy and turned a little blue as a result. Luca was relieved to see the doctor coming toward him. "Give them to me Luca. I'll bring her upstairs and you should dry yourself." Luca reluctantly retorted and handed Amaya over to the doctor, albeit reluctantly. He looked at her pityingly and Luca went into the bathroom.
Amaya felt the strong hold that had made her feel safe leave her. She heard voices around her, but she couldn't place them. In her mind she was still in Armenia. The Romans were just invading their beloved city and destroying everything they held dear before their very eyes.
And she couldn't help but watch helplessly. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare. Open your eyes and scream, but you didn't succeed. She felt weak and at the mercy of the darkness she would not let go. The doctor laid her on her bed and slave girls stripped off her wet tunic and gave her a dry one. Several warm blankets were placed over her, but Amaya didn't stop shaking. "It doesn't look good, Nathan." She heard a voice say. I'll give her something for the fever. Then she needs a lot of rest."
"Is she in a lot of pain?" asked a familiar voice. "I suppose so. But luckily she won't notice while she's unconscious and on the painkillers." The voices faded again and Amaya was pulled back into the darkness and into a deep sleep.
Luca's body warmed up in the warm water. His head hurt and his cold hands felt like someone was poking them with a needle over and over again. He got out of the water, dried himself off and changed into something fresh. Then he quickly went to Amaya's room where the doctor and his father were still standing. Luca stood next to her at Amaya's bed and looked down at her. How peacefully she slept. Her hair was almost dry and her cheeks were flushed from the cold and fever. He had to smile and resisted the compulsion to push the strands of hair out of her face.
"How is she?" The silence after his question worried Luca and he looked worriedly from the doctor to his father. "Not good." Luca nodded. He understood. "What she needs now is rest. That's all we can do for her at the moment." The doctor led Nathan and Luca out of Amaya's room and closed her door. Terra's room door opened almost simultaneously and she looked out through a narrow gap. "You found her? How is it you?" Disappointed in his daughter, Nathan ignored her question and continued talking to the doctor. Luca went into his sister's room and sat down next to her on the bed. ,,Poorly. What were you thinking, Terra?". "I didn't want that."
"Of course not." Terra's eyes filled with tears again. "Amaya was already sick before you dragged her into the rain in the middle of the night!". "I didn't force her to come!" Luca clenched his fists in frustration. She had known that Amaya would not let her go alone. She was too loyal a slave for that. "You should have just listened to us! Then Amaya wouldn't be lying on the brink of death in her bed!". "And me?! I got wet too and could have been lying there. Nobody worries about me. Is Amaya more important to you?"
"Of course not." He rubbed his sore eyes and leaned forward. "Then why are you so worried about her?" - "Am I?" Terra raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Let's not argue about a slave, Luca. I'm exhausted and want to lie down." Luca got up and drew Terra's curtains, through which bright rays of sunshine were already shining. ,,Is good. that he would replace her with a worthless slave girl? She would even prefer her best friend Lana! Terra's fingers twisted convulsively in her blanket. She wouldn't let Amaya take her brother from her. And suddenly Terra hoped she wouldn't get well again.
Amaya heard a soft rush of wind and birds chirped outside her window. Through her closed eyes, she noticed the bright rays of the sun in her room. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was alone in her room and there was a glass of fresh water next to her bed. What happened again? She vaguely remembered last night. Emin, had he really been there?
She tried to sit up, but her vision went black again and she fell back into bed with a soft groan. Only after a few minutes could she see clearly again and stared at the cool ceiling. Her thoughts revolved around last night and she tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The creaking of her room door tore her from her thoughts and she pulled the ceiling a little higher. Luca walked in and stopped in surprise, staring at her while his mouth curled into a warm smile. ,,You're awake. Sorry I would have knocked but I assumed you were asleep." He walked over to her bed and stood a little further away out of courtesy. "How are you?" he finally asked. "Better, thanks.", Amaya answered shyly and hoped he would leave the room soon. "You slept for three days." That sentence hit Amaya like a bolt of lightning. "We didn't know at first if you would even wake up." Luca looked deep into her blue eyes and Amaya tried to hold his gaze, but then turned her face away. "I'm sorry that I put you through such trouble ." - "You don't have to be sorry." An awkward silence fell in the room, which Amaya felt increasingly smaller. "How's your sister?" she finally asked. "Fine. She's out in the garden right now." Amaya looked out the window, she couldn't see Terra, but at least she didn't have to see Luca's worried face anymore, which completely confused her feelings. "I'll get the doctor." Amaya watched him leave her room and then closed her eyes. Every time she saw him, her feelings for him grew stronger - no matter how much she fought against it. It didn't last long, when the door was flung open again without a knock and the doctor, followed by Luca, came in. "Good morning, Amaya. How are you?", asked the little man with the round glasses. "Better, sir." Amaya watched him open his suitcase and then to Nathan, who also came into the room and stood next to Luca. The doctor touched her forehead and his hand felt icy. "You still have a fever. But it's not that strong anymore." He handed her the glass of water and helped her to sit up. "You have to drink a lot. And you'll get a warm soup soon." Amaya felt uncomfortable under the gaze of the Romans, who followed her every move.
"I'm glad you're awake, Amaya, and I apologize for my daughter's irresponsible behavior," Nathan said as she put the glass down. "No sir. I have to apologize. I should have let you know must." Nathan smiled slightly. When he first saw Amaya, he knew right away that she was a loyal girl. This woman would not betray her mistress. He appreciated her and was even more certain now that she was the person his difficult daughter needed. "It's not your fault." Nathan nodded to the doctor and left the room.
"I'll leave the pills here for you. If you take them regularly, you'll soon be completely healthy again. And you, Luca, take care of that she stays in bed until she's completely recovered.", the doctor laughed and patted Luca lightly on the shoulder. Luca knew he wasn't serious since the slaves would take care of Amaya, but Luca would really take care of her. The doctor left the room and Luca looked at Amaya. She had raised an eyebrow questioningly and instead of a slave, he suddenly saw the confident, educated woman she really was. A woman who was incredibly strong and from whom he didn't know where she got this trusting hope from. One look into her calm eyes took away all his worries about her. She smiled slightly and Luca noticed how long he had stared at her. He answered her smile with a grin and then walked out of her room as well.
Amaya looked after him. His worried look still hurt her. She began to tremble and burrowed deep into her blanket. A short time later she fell asleep again, so she didn't even notice Luca coming back with a plate of warm soup. He put the plate down and watched her bed covers move up and down with her even breathing. Then there was a soft knock on the door and Terra came in. She eyed her brother, her eyes narrowing in thoughtful slits. She looked at Amaya with a cold, expressionless look that even sent a shiver down Luca's spine.