Can't stop thinking about this..

Rhia sat outside the house the others were staying in. It wasn't as though she wasn't welcome inside, but she never felt comfortable being in such a small space, and with so many men. Granted, she would probably have been safer inside. But safety wasn't something she commonly thought about in those days, despite recent happenings. The robes were soft against her skin and kept her warm in the evening breeze. It was definitely winter. Her gaze lifted to the sky, which grew darker by the minute. It would be dinner time soon.
A young man stepped out of the house and moved around in front of her. His hands lifted to his hips as he gazed down at her with a smile. She shifted her gaze to his face and couldn't help but smile back. He had a handsome face, long dark hair framing it. It was a bit frizzy and even a little curly, but the desert winds and endless sun did that to a man's hair.
"Why is it I always find you out here?"
Rhia's smile grew to hear his playful tone. "Why do you insist on staying inside?"
He laughed and moved to sit beside her. He let out a groan as he sat, leaning back against the house. Rhia returned her gaze to the sky, and he lifted his own to follow it. "You have been with us for some time now."
"And why not, my Lord? Who, with any sense in them, would choose to be anywhere else but at the side of God?"
His smile warmed and he looked over at her. "You have had a hard life."
She slowly lowered her gaze. "Yours, too, will be hard, won't it, Master?"
He sighed and nodded faintly. "I am afraid that may be what it comes to."
She closed her eyes. Her chest swelled with the pain of sympathy and love and brought tears to her eyes. After a few seconds, she couldn't take it any longer, turning and lowering her head to his lap. "I wish I could take your place..."
His brows lifted in surprise to see her so moved with compassion. His hands lifted and came to rest one on her shoulder, the other softly stroking her hair. "I know, Rhia. But, it is I who is to take the place of everyone else. You will have your time."