BXBX NOVEL Chapter 77: Recovered parents
As she approached the small cluster of homes, she saw familiar faces and smiling strangers sitting outside, chatting and enjoying the warm afternoon sun. Rona greeted them with a warm smile, "Hello, everyone! How are you doing here? I couldn\'t visit in a long time,"
A cheerful woman named Elara jumped up from her seat and exclaimed, "Rona, you won\'t believe how amazing this place is! All the people have been so kind to us, and we\'re all doing well. The people here have been so welcoming, and we\'re finding opportunities to work and contribute to the village."
She said, her face showing pure excitement and happiness. "And the food here is insane. I don\'t know how but, they are completely different. I\'m learning how to cook better food since I want to feed my kids."
Another man, Thoren, chimed in, "Yes, Rona, the surroundings are beautiful, and the villagers have been teaching us various skills. I\'ve learned to farm, and I\'m helping with the crops now, they said soon, I will be able to make a house in the main part of the village."
Rona\'s eyes filled with pride and joy as she listened to their stories. "I\'m so glad to hear that you\'re all doing well," she said. "It warms my heart to know that you\'ve found a home here. Garnt has always had a big heart, so keep up your good work until you can enter the main village."
A young girl named Lila shyly approached Rona, clutching a bouquet of wildflowers. "Rona, these are for you," she said with a smile. "I pick them from our garden,"
Rona accepted the flowers with gratitude and held them close to her heart. "Thank you, Lila," she said, her voice filled with emotion. "You\'ve all shown great strength and resilience, and I\'m proud to have you as part of our village." She then looked at others, and shouted.
"If you ever need anything, don\'t hesitate to ask."
As Rona continued to bask in the warmth of her villagers\' stories and the wildflowers from Lila, a few women, both young and mature, began to gather around her. Their whispers and giggles couldn\'t escape Rona\'s keen ears, and she soon realized what the topic of conversation was.
A bold, older woman finally summoned the courage to ask, "Rona, dear, we\'ve been hearing about Garnt\'s kindness and strength. Does he have a mate? Some of us were thinking about trying our luck with him. If we can mate with him, it would be great."
Rona\'s smile remained, but she decided to share something rather intriguing. She cleared her throat and said, "Well, I\'ve been thinking about it, and I\'ve decided to be Garnt\'s mate and he also accepted me. In fact, we already did that."
The gasps of surprise and astonishment that rippled through the group were audible. Rona had always been a fierce and independent leader, and the idea of her taking a mate was unexpected. A lady-like blush even graced her usually composed face.
\'I need to teach them how important mating is. Now I understand why Garnt was talking about sexual knowledge like it was one of the most important things. After all, these girls look like animals now.\'
Rona thought, as she decided to ask Ayra or Gundo to assign someone that could teach her people, the basics of everything.
As the shock settled in, some of the younger girls couldn\'t contain their excitement and admiration. "You\'re so lucky, leader." one of them exclaimed. "Garnt is strong, kind, and handsome. You two will make a wonderful couple."
Rona\'s smile grew, and she exchanged knowing glances with her villagers. "I know. After all, he is the man I decided to be with" she said but then added some context. "There are many good men in the main village, so try to learn things and enter."
Rona then looked at the boys, who were looking rather grumpy. "Don\'t look jealous. There are many talented and beautiful girls in the main village. Try to become a proper man and impress them.
I will soon send some people that you can learn from."
Rona\'s happiness remained, but a hint of concern shadowed her features as she changed the topic. "Speaking of men," she began, "how is Amel doing?
He\'s been one of the closest people to me since our cave days, and I\'ve always admired his dedication and support since my parents picked him up from the caves."
The group exchanged glances, and one woman spoke up, "Well, leader, Amel went hunting early this morning like he always does, but there\'s something strange we noticed." Her voice held a tinge of worry.
Rona\'s expression soured as she realized that something might be amiss. "Strange? What do you mean?"
Another villager chimed in, "He\'s been acting rather distant lately. Usually, he\'s the first to come back from hunting with a big smile, but today, he barely acknowledged us and rushed off and when we try to cook our meat, he refuses to eat it."
Rona\'s concern deepened, and she bit her lip. Amel had been a constant presence in her life, a source of strength and support, and any change in his behaviour was cause for worry. "Thank you for letting me know," she said, her voice tinged with concern.
"I\'ll go talk to him and see if everything is alright. I hope he\'s not facing any new troubles."
Rona looked at the people and realized it was time for her to visit her parents. After giving her farewell to the people, she made her way towards her parents\' hut. As she approached, she noticed two women standing guard outside assigned by Garnt, and their faces lit up when they saw Rona coming.
"Rona! You should go inside and see your parents," one of the women said with a smile. "They\'re feeling much better now."
She tried to enter, but two of them quickly stopped her. "Wait! They are better, but still, Lady Gundo asked us to take precautions, so wear this mask,"
Rona nodded in gratitude and walked inside the hut after wearing the mask that was made out of leather. She found her parents sitting next to each other, sipping on a nourishing soup. Tears welled up in her eyes as she knelt in front of them.
"Mother! Father!" She muttered, as her eyes got wet.
Her parents looked at their daughter, their eyes filled with tears as well, even though their bodies were still weak from the recent illness. They set aside their food and reached out to embrace her.
"Rona, I\'m glad to see you again." Her mother muttered and they started to exchange their happiness, talking with each other until they saw another woman entering the room.
Their joy was interrupted when Gundo, the village doctor, entered the hut and saw them trying to exhaust their weakened bodies.
Gundo scolded all three of them gently but firmly. "You shouldn\'t be overexerting yourselves like this," she admonished. "Your health is still fragile even though the sickness is over."
Rona wiped away her tears and promised, "We will explain everything later, Mother, but for now, rest and eat a lot, so you can get better."
Gundo nodded and advised them to continue taking their medication and get plenty of rest. She then shared some news, "There are three more villagers who were also affected by the illness, but they have been transferred to different huts and are slowly recovering."
Since Gundo didn\'t have highly effective medicines, she had to use natural stuff to prevent the disease from growing and with Eva\'s help, Gundo was able to do that without any problems.
Rona felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Gundo for all her support and care. She got up and hugged her tightly, saying, "Thank you for everything, Gundo. I promise to protect and help Garnt with my utmost loyalty."
Gundo returned the hug, her eyes filled with pride for the strong and resilient people of the village. Together, they faced the challenges that came their way, determined to protect their loved ones and their way of life.
"That\'s all I need from you." She patted Rona\'s back, and then looked at the confused parents.
"You might need to explain things to them and make sure they don\'t exhaust their bodies," She said and gave the medicines to Rona and left the hut.
"Rona, what is this place? Who are these people?" Rona\'s father questioned and she sat down, so she could explain things to them, but before that, she decided to feed them so they would have enough energy to understand what was happening.