Homeostasis

"Stop sniveling and get up."

She flinched at the harsh tone, one that no one else could hear. Every day it seemed to grow louder and more harsh. Ashtar blurredly stared at her thin, bruised wrists; she wasn’t sure what had set him off this time, surely this wasn’t what a marriage was meant to be.

"You will carry on with your duties and stay subservient to your husband, your vows do not become null because you decided it."

A snarl echoed through her head, so strong she swore she could feel it in her bones. "Husband?!,"Another voice, thin and reedy, growled," Leave him. Save what's left of yourself, nothing is worth the suffering he causes. It’s dark enough that they may not find you at all."

She wept harder and rolled onto her stomach. She was unsure if she should stand and continue making dinner or take the chance and dash out the back door. All at once, Ashtar felt a sense of calmness wash over her body. Her tears ceased and her face became eerily calm as she slowly shifted to her knees and began to clean the ruined dishes around her. Ashtar felt as if she were watching her body move on its own, she could feel her muscles contract and relax but the movements were not of her own making.

"Stop it!," the demon cried," you can't force her to do anything! It’s against our rules! Leave, Ashtar, leave him while you can!! Your life is worth more than a marriage of convenience for your father."

The sound of flesh hitting flesh rang out in her skull, she paused briefly but soon continued cleaning.

The saint cupped his cheek and glared at the demon that had dared to touch him, "Foul creature. You would have her sever her sacred vows made to God himself and shame her family in one night! Her duty lies to her father and to her new husband. So, it is written by the Lord. I will not allow her to stray from a God Fearing man who knows how to handle an unfit wife."

The demon gave another fierce snarl, " I would have her live. Have her free and joyful than subjugated to this…,” the demon gesticulated wildly, “... abomination you call a man."

The verbal fight continued as Ashtar threw the larger pieces in the trash and swept the floor. She felt...disconnected. Even the yelling and cursing in her head felt far away, like the beginning of a dream; hazy and unshaped. Ashtar felt her eyes begin to close, a dream sounded nice, an escape from the aches of her body and the fear of her husband’s wrath. Mentally, Ashtar had fallen asleep, but physically her body continued to clean what dishes remained, her eyes glassy and unfocused.

There were no longer words being hurled at one another, weapons had appeared in the fray and the clash of metal against metal echoed in the darkness that was the embodiments’ space. The demon knew this was his only chance to truly save Ashtar. The demon huffed as she leaned into a deflection. A demon saving a human life, how ironic.

Seeing an opening, she kicked at the saint’s knee; the resounding crack of bone breaking made her grin. The saint shouted in pain, and a holy light lit within his eyes. Now he was truly out to smite her.

Outside of the fight, Ashtar’s body continued on autopilot. She cleaned and made sure their dinner was properly stored. This was her duty as a wife, as a daughter to her family; this was all she was good for.

Her body shook as she approached her marital room, though no longer truly ‘present’ Ashtar’s subconscious still knew what awaited her in that chamber. But, as a dutiful wife and daughter, she would obey.