The Story Of Dusk

Before they left, Gong Xu gave the villagers another big pocket of money.

From how bright those people expression, Senja knew how much they appreciate the money and how grateful they were toward Gong Xu generosity, Senja also felt grateful for them.

After all Gong Xu wasn"t a bad person, aside from his temper, which sometime really annoying, he was someone who would like to help other. It was hard to see Gong Xu hurt innocent people. At least that was what Senja thought.

If only Senja knew what he had done, she would have thought about him differently.

Gong Xu helped Senja to get on the horse and like before, he would take the rein while riding his own horse in front of her.

"You have to learn how to ride a horse." Gong Xu said when they left the village.

"I will sell this horse, so for what I learn how to ride it?" Senja retorted as she enjoyed the scenery around her.

Gong Xu couldn"t ride very fast as he needed to keep the balance between the two horses.

"I will learn how to ride if you take me with you, how is that?" Senja asked, apparently after being sick for three days, she was in good mood now and talked more than usual.

However, no matter what Senja said, Gong Xu whose focus was on the road ahead of them, couldn"t give a response for her, in spite of that fact, it didn"t cease down Senja"s happy mood as she kept talking along the way.

Probably because she knew Gong Xu wouldn"t be able to hear her that was why, she felt free to say whatever the thought that crossed her mind. She didn"t need to worry to be judged or being scolded while she pretended Gong Xu could hear her.

For her, this was the first time she confided her complain and inner thought toward someone else, but felt different because, even thought the person was only a meter away from her, but he wouldn"t know what Senja had said.

"It will be nice if you can take me with you." Senja said lightly. "I can cook, though I don"t know how to wash clothes, but I will learn if you say so." The little girl tried to bargain. "I will help you with whatever things that you need me to do, but of course I don"t want to kill people, even if they are bad people. I am afraid of blood… and…"

Senja kept rumbling along the way and Gong Xu kept their horses ran in steady pace, wasn"t aware about the girl behind him, who had turned to be a garrulous little girl who chattered idly like a magpie.

However, he felt something was off and turned around to check at the same time Senja stopped talking.

"Did you say something?" Gong Xu furrowed his eyebrows questioningly, after being with Senja for some time, he developed an understanding that this little girl has a habit to talk to herself, probably because she thought he couldn"t hear her that was why she didn"t bother to voice out what was inside her mind.

However, that was often irritated him.

"No." Senja shook her head, obviously lied. She didn"t really good to lie without a good consideration.

"No?" The furrowed on Gong Xu"s brows deepened. "You are obviously lying to me." He remarked coldly. "If there is something that you wanted to tell me, then tell me directly, don"t talk behind my back. Just because I can"t hear you didn"t mean I am not aware."

Senja averted her eyes as she looked down and mumbled something incoherently. "I didn"t mean that way."

Suddenly Senja"s horse moved forward abruptly, so Gong Xu and she were on a line and he could talk to her in the same eyes level.

Fortunately when her horse moved forward, Senja reflexively held her seat tightly, or else she would fell on her back from the back of the horse.

"Why did you do that? I can fall!" Senja cried as her grip tightened.

"Now answer me, what did you say earlier." Gong Xu wasn"t going to let Senja go easily. "I know that you said something."

"What do you want to know?! You will not agree either." Senja pouted, she also felt irritated, why this man so adamant to hear what she thought?

"What? Was that about; you wanted to follow me, again?" Gong Xu was squinted his eyes when he said that.

"Yes, that"s it!" The little girl"s eyes glared viciously at the man who was older eight years than her. "Even you hear that, you will not allow me to follow you, right?"

Probably because she has just recovered from her sickness that was why she was being a little bit sensitive, a moment before, she was happily chattering with herself and now she was throwing tantrum. Or this probably because, no matter what, she was still an eleven years old girl, who was seeking for a bit more attention.

"Right?" Senja asked sullenly. "You will not bring me with you."

"No, of course not." Gong Xu shook his head adamantly. "I will not bring you with me, so just stick out with our original plan. I will bring you to the village and we will go separate ways."

"Heartless." Senja mumbled under her breath.

"I think I know what word that you were mumbling." Gong Xu glared at her. "After I took a good care of you during your sickness, we are even now and I guess my responsibility had ended there. But, considering you are only a little girl, I willingly bring you to the nearest village."

"I am just saying what was inside my mind." Senja retorted. "If you don"t want to hear it, don"t ask."

"Just go back home silly girl. The world outside is much scarier than you can imagine." Gong Xu remarked wisely as he led them away.

"You don"t know what world that I had been through inside the mansion and what kind of human my step mother and step sisters are." Senja didn"t like even a bit to think about those people. "Once I return she will sell me again, no one could say that I will have a chance to escape again."

Gong Xu sighed. "Stop talking, you know that I can"t hear you." He said callously while Senja was making a face behind his back, but then she really stopped talking.

They had been on this road for almost three hours by now, based on what those villagers word they would arrive in the next village tomorrow afternoon as well.

However, Gong Xu doubted that, with this speed they would take a longer time to reach their destination. Though they were riding horses, but the speed wasn"t any better than when someone walked.

During that time, Senja would sing and made a comment or two about her surroundings and asked many question about the trees, which she saw for the first time, of course there was no answer from Gong Xu, but it didn"t stop her.

The little girl treated this as a picnic. She liked being in open area like this, feeling the warm of sun and the breeze wind that blew pa.s.sed her hair.

But then, suddenly there was another horse rider who approached them.

Senja immediately tugged Gong Xu"s sleeves afraid that they would b.u.mp into each other. This was a narrow road and with Gong Xu and Sonja"s horses, it was almost impossible for the third to pa.s.s.

However, Gong Xu had realized it before her and pulled her horse closer to the back of his, so they made one line to let the other person pa.s.sed through.

The other horse ran very fast as if someone was chasing after him, but instead of ran pa.s.sed them, the horse stopped right beside Gong Xu.

The horse rider abruptly got down and knelt before him.

"Sir, please help our village!" The man cried anxiously, he lowered his head until his chin could touch his chest.

Gong Xu and Senja recognized the man as one of the villagers, he was the one who had fetched a doctor from another village for Senja when she was sick.

"What happen?" Senja asked, she looked at the direction where the man came from, thought there was someone who chased after him, however, there was no one. The road was empty.

"When you left not for long, bandits came to our village, they were looking for a girl named Senja, but we didn"t know and never heard that name, so we said the truth, but the leader of the bandit didn"t like the answer and started to burn our village, they not only took away our money, but also held our children as captive. Now they are still in our village and will not leave soon." The man talked between his sob.

Gong Xu used fake names when he introduce himself and Senja to the village people, so no one ever heard that name.

However, why the bandits specifically were looking for Senja? Was it possible that they were the bandits from before? But, hadn"t Gong Xu killed them all? So, what was this?

Because the village man talked so fast, Gong Xu was a bit confused with what he said, moreover the only thing that he could see was only the tip of his head from his position.

He frowned and looked at Senja, fortunately the little girl was quite witty as she knew what the meaning of his gaze.

"The bandits come and run amok in their village." Senja informed him, her eyes were worry.

Gong Xu made a nonchalant face as he pulled Senja"s horse, ready to leave.

"Sir!" The man cried when he realized Gong Xu would leave. "Please help our village!" He crawled on the ground.

"Gong Xu…" Senja tugged his sleeves worriedly, she couldn"t bear to see someone was begging for their help and they would just leave like that. "Shouldn"t we help them?"

"We?" Gong Xu raised one of his eyebrows incredulously. "What do you mean with "we"? There will never be "we, it is only me and you!" He said in low voice sternly with derision on his face.

"This is not the right time to argue. We need to help them!" Senja looked at Gong Xu in disbelief, why he was being annoying at time like this? "Alright, you and me need to help them." Senja pointed herself, him and the man, who was still kneeling on the ground.

 "I don"t want." Gong Xu replied directly without a second thought. "We have nothing to do with them! Why do you think we have obligation to help them?!" He was squinted his eyes toward her as Senja stared right back at him.

"They had helped us!" Senja was agitated by his nonchalant behavior. "If it wasn"t for them that help us, we will not be here."

"They helped you, because you were sick and I had paid them with big amount of money that was more than enough. So, yes I will be here even if they didn"t give any help!" Gong Xu pulled her horse.

"No!" Senja pulled back the rein. "They help me, so you and I need to help them." Senja used all of her strength to prevent her horse to move.

"Then you go and help them." Gong Xu abruptly released the rein and made Senja"s horse stumbled because she pulled it to different direction.

"What can I do?" Senja wailed. "Don"t you feel ashamed to ask an eleven years old girl to fight a bunch of bandit?"

"Did I ask you to fight them? I told you to leave them alone!" Gong Xu remarked sharply. "I have another matter that more important than this!"

The man moved his head from right to left, seeing their bantered with confusion etched on his face, he thought they were sibling, but from their conversation, seemingly they were not.

"But, they are taking their children!" Senja shouted agitatedly. "No matter what your reason to fight the bandits, who caught me and the other children, it seemed they have the same intention!"