"Then be a nice girl, and don't complain," Rio spoke as he moved to kneel down, his back facing her as he patted his shoulder for her to climb.
Helia opened her mouth to protest, but the words died on her lips. The blonde-haired beauty knew that she was in no condition to walk, but she didn't want to take his help either.
She looked at Nyla who indicated with her eyes that it was okay and not to hesitate, this encouraged her to take the aid Rio was giving her.
Helia moved her hands to wrap around his neck as Rio grabbed her legs tenderly to coil them around his waist.
He got up from the ground, straightening his knees as the boy carried the girl in a piggyback posture to give her a comfy ride in the blistering desert.
This time it was better than before as he didn't have to carry her in front using both of his arms which were more bothersome and consumed a lot of stamina.
With Helia on his back, Rio and Nyla pushed on traveling towards their destination in the east, determined to make it to the end.
As they were walking, Helia felt guilty for burdening him with her weight and moreover for an abashing reason.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, her voice barely audible over the sound of the wind.
"For what?" Rio asked, he sounded exhausted but his tone was filled with politeness as he knew the girl was feeling bashful to ride on him after what past they had shared together.
"For stinking so bad," Helia said, her face turning red with embarrassment as She didn't want to annoy him with her foul smell.
What if he made fun of her after returning to the castle that she was reeking bad in the desert?
Rio let out a small chuckle, "Don't worry about it, Lioness. We are all stenching after walking in the desert for hours."
"Yeah... It can't be helped, Sister Helia. Even I'm stinking like a dead fish." Nyla said in an exhausted voice but her face was vibrant as she responded to her to cheer her.
Helia felt a sense of relief wash over her as She knew that they were right, and she was grateful he didn't abandon her, despite knowing she had a method to withdraw from here but was stubborn to not give up on her sister.
With that, Rio continued to carry her through the desert, Nyla walking along the way.
Helia closed her eyes, letting herself be carried to safety in the arms of the less-annoying fellow who she didn't like much before today.
The boy's selfless action today caused many creases and cracks to appear in her iron fortress-like heart but there was still a hesitation there which held her back. She was indebted to his unconditional help but it was still not enough to make her completely fall for him.
So far Rio experienced three kinds of love in his life from three different young maidens who were all different than one another and were special in their own way.
First was unconditional love which was given by Layla. She loved him for who he was and didn't demand anything from him. Her pure affection was able to defeat his own parents' love towards him in the trial.
The second was Lia, she was his devoted wife despite being a forced marriage but her love was also pure as their bonding became deeper with each passing day. Rio didn't get to check in on that monarch beast's trial If Lia loved him as much as Layla and this question would remain a mystery.
The third was the crazy Nyla who was too shameless but sacrificed herself to not only win his heart but even his wife's Lia. She loved him even when he rejected her and hurt her intentionally so she would find someone else but the girl didn't give her and when she became his wife it didn't take her long to win over Helia either who hated the human race.
The most complicated of all was with Helia, Where falling in love with one another had no chance at all, and was hard to fix their sour relationship.
Their bonding was created on a foundation of hatred and fighting. She drew his blood on the very first day they met because he was just a human.
Neither of them liked one-another but they had to come together for the person they treasured.
This helped them slowly diminish the differences between each other but they kept fighting like kids. In the end, today came a day when he was helping her despite the hateful things she did to him in the past.
Helia was embarrassed seeing how he was helping her without blaming her. Not only today, but even in past he kept it a secret from Lia that she had hurt him. The Lioness was sure if he told Lia she might get mad at her, knowing how much her sister cared for Rio.
Her own voice resounded in her mind from their first meeting, "I, Helia Rainheart, swear on heaven and my core that if I ever regret my action today, for making this disgusting creature in front of me, suffer in pain I will accept him as my lord."
Then she remembered another person's voice from that time that was familiar to her, "One day I will make you regret it that you will cry for how you treated me unfairly today."
She was still confused about the oath if she regretted injuring him that day but it wasn't at that level where she would cry for how she treated him.
'Do I regret that?'
She kept asking herself but she couldn't get the answer although it was obvious that she was guilty now because there was no hatred for that not-so-much-annoying-anymore fellow in her maiden heart that was slowly transforming.
'I promise I won't hate you or dislike you from now on.'
The blonde-haired beauty mumbled to herself as her heart was feeling jumbled up with emotions.
It was understandable for her heart to have a change as the boy was bringing her along the way in a torturing situation where even walking without carrying someone else was already a hellish task.
On this day, she finally let go of the knot in her heart where she was stubborn to not like him at all.
This was also the new beginning for Rio and Helia's complicated story even though the boy was unaware of his impactful action toward the Lioness's revengeful heart that hated humans. It was hard to say where this would lead them but at least their sour relationship would improve for the better and Lia wouldn't have to worry about her two bickering kids.
Helia placed her head on his shoulder, a feeble smile appeared on her dry face as she let go of the hesitation from before. She accepted her fate which was bound to not hate this human and coexist with him in harmony.
Rio could feel that the lioness had become comfortable as he felt her neck taking rest without worry.
As they kept walking, they noticed a change in the landscape in the distance. The sand had begun to give way to rocky terrain, and the heat seemed to dissipate slightly.
"Are we finally going to escape this hell?" Nyla said, as her gaze was fixed on the horizon.
Helia also inclined her head to see in the distance the sea of sand was no longer the only thing her eyes welcomed.
With delighted hearts, they trudged on towards the less warm place, the sun was about to set in the west.
As they came closer to the rocky terrain, they saw something that made their hearts leap with joy.
In the distance, the trio could see the glint of water with verdant green trees around its periphery.
Rio and Nyla quickened their pace, all of their spirits lifting with each step.
As the boy drew closer, he saw that it was a big oasis, with a blue freshwater spring and blueberry fruit plants growing nearby.
The spring was surrounded by lush green plants and tall palm trees filled with fruits, providing much-needed shade to the surroundings.
"Yeeeeeee... We've finally found the water!" Nyla exclaimed, pointing to the oasis, her joyous voice sounded as if she had found heaven.
Helia also looked up, and her eyes lit up with hope. Finding water meant she could drink and take a bath to get rid of this stinking smell that was making her abash.
They hurried towards the oasis, their feet sinking into the soft sand with each step as they were finally going to escape the searing desert's torture.
As Trio reached the oasis, they could see the crystal-clear water in the middle, it was inviting and refreshing, giving a soothing sensation to their body.
There was a cool breeze flowing in the area, they weren't feeling the scorching sunlight burning effect on their skin anymore as shade from palm trees gave them a place to relax.
Nyla moved closer to the water spring as she wanted to quench her thirst by savoring it. She kneeled at its edge and used her palm to lift the cold refreshing water to drink.
"Wait..." A voice resounded that made her stop in her track as her eyebrows scrunched.
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Edited By: TheWhiteSnow
