“Hey there, my friend! Wait for us!” The merchant jumped a little and looked around quickly, trying to find the source of the words. Seeing the two young people approaching—one armed with a huge sword—he recoiled a bit, though Glaide was quick to reassure him. “Don’t be afraid. We saw you in the distance, and wanted to buy some of your merchandise.”
“Ah, customers. In that case, come here, I beg of you!”
“We need some clothes better suited for traveling for my friend, here.” Glaide motioned towards the girl. By then, they were close enough that the vendor could see their faces, and the man stared when he saw the girl. The boy immediately didn’t notice that the man wasn’t paying any attention to him, but he soon noticed the strange silence. Turning towards the man, he noticed that he was frozen in place, his gaze fixed on the young woman, who was doing her best to avoid his gaze, obviously feeling ill at ease. Glaide tapped the merchant on the shoulder and winked at him. “Not bad, huh? But sorry, friend, she’s with me.” He finished the comment with a loud laugh. The man seemed to recover slightly, and Glaide heard him murmur something.
“No... it’s just... her face...” Then, to the girl’s great relief, he spoke up then, his voice joining the young man’s. “You’re sure a lucky devil, aren’t you?”
“Oh, I’ve no complaint!”
“Excuse my rudeness, milady,” the man excused himself, and the young woman nodded timidly. Glaide felt reassured by that. He hadn’t been wrong when he’d assumed her distinctive features were rare here. The merchant’s surprise was proof of that! Happily, his little intrigue had worked, though, and the vendor had begun busily pulling out pieces of clothing.
“Right, we just need traveling clothes,” the young man repeated. The other man nodded and dug through the contents of his cart, pulling out a few different sizes and types of pants made of sturdier material, a few vests and jackets out of leather or other durable fabrics, and a variety of other pieces. The young woman seemed in awe of the selection, and turned to Glaide, as if to ask what she should take.
“Pick whatever you like,” the adolescent answered in reply. “The only important thing is that they’re comfortable for you. You need to be able to walk, run, and sleep, all in the same clothing.” With that, he left her to choose for herself. She looked at each piece carefully, moving them about to see how well they matched other pieces, and constantly changing her mind until the young man began to wonder whether a woman could really take an infinite amount of time to pick out clothes. The merchant, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be in a hurry. He didn’t seem surprised by his young client’s silence, either, and soon struck up a conversation with the boy instead.
“So, where are you two headed?”
“Oh, we’re heading east. By the way, do you know if there are any villages in that direction? This is the first time we’ve ever come this way, and my map doesn’t show any.”
“Hmm... Truth be told, it’s been a long time since I’ve explored this part of the Known Lands. If I remember right, there are quite a number of small villages. Well, most of them aren’t even villages, so much as just small groups of people who’ve settled close together.”
“How likely do you think it is that we’ll come across some of them?”
“Oh, you might meet up with them. I’d imagine some have packed up and left, and some have been destroyed, but there should be some that are still around.” None of that information would change the young man’s plans much. They had enough food for the journey, and in a few minutes, his companion’s needs would be taken care of. Then, it didn’t really matter if they came across anyone. “So, you’re headed east together,” the man continued. “Why, then? No, let me guess... You’re... getting married?” The young man didn’t react right away. Getting married to who? Then he suddenly understood: the man meant to the young woman he was traveling with!
“Oh, no!” he cried, turning beet red.
“No?” The man looked truly surprised, then he seemed to find a logical explanation to the adolescent’s reply, and his face cleared a little. “Oh, I understand. I was young, too, once! I’m familiar with all of that... The two of you are eloping, so you don’t want anyone to know!”
“No, no, that’s not it. We’re just friends. She’s a friend, and we’re just traveling together, that’s all.” Behind the merchant, he saw that the young woman had overheard their conversation and had turned to watch the two of them. Glaide shrugged pathetically at her, and he noticed that she seemed ready to burst into laughter at his troubles. Nothing came out, though, besides a shake of her shoulders—as though she were holding in her laughter—and a smile before she turned her attention back to the clothes.
“And you?” the boy said, trying to change subjects. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, well, I’ve just come from some small villages over in the southwest, and I’m headed to Ojilon. I had to choose between one of the more northern roads or the more southern ones to head that way. Most people choose the northern roads, because there are bigger villages along the way, such as Adrish or Endre, but I prefer the southern road. It’s much calmer. And, what many people don’t know is that there are actually a lot of people who’ve settled in this part of the Known Lands.”
“Does he mean near the Forest of the Worlds?” Glaide wondered, perplexed. “No, he probably means further up than that.” Out loud, he continued, “So, at the moment you’re heading to Ojilon, then.”
“Right.” The young woman stepped over to them then. She seemed to have made her choice, but wanted Glaide to give his opinion. She’d chosen a loose fitting pair of pants from thick fabric, much like Glaide’s, though in brown. She’d also picked out some boots in the same color that would reach halfway to her knees. For a top, she’d picked the black cotton bodice, which was exactly what he would have picked out for her, and to put over that, she’d picked out a fitted jacket of pale, thin leather.
Glaide gulped a little as he pictured her dressed like that during the day, and he had to fight off the image that came to mind of her in just the bodice during the night... He cleared his throat loudly.
“Is that what you want? You’re sure?” She nodded quickly. He sighed in resignation, while the merchant winked at him. He paid, then put the clothes in his bag; they’d have to wait until they’d found a forest or some other cover, where his companion could have privacy to change. A river or hot springs would certainly not be unwelcome, either. Glaide certainly wouldn’t say no to a bath, and he was sure his companion would love to wash off the dirt from the road, and especially the remnants of her time in Zakorth... While the merchant began to pack his merchandise back into place, talking all the while of how he’d never imagined he’d get to do any business in this remote part of the Known Lands, Glaide suddenly realized that the young woman had no weapon. He didn’t intend to arm her with a sword, ax, or even a bow and arrow, but something small to defend herself with couldn’t hurt.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a dagger, or some kind of knife to sell, would you?” he asked.
“Hmm... I might have something...” The man dug into his things in search of something of that sort, tossing aside a few leather laces that he evidently used to tie up packages. The young woman picked up one, and with a quick, graceful movement—one Glaide couldn’t help but admire—she tied her hair up into a ponytail, leaving her face bared for a change.
“Aha,” the man exclaimed then. He pulled a dagger with a very simple guard and handle, held in a brown leather sheath, from his things. Glaide drew it from the sheath and, though he was no expert, he thought it looked to be of quite good quality.
“That would be enough to slice off a few fingers if an ork got too close,” the man said with a laugh. “Of course, it’s nothing compared to what you carry,” he added, pointing towards Glaide’s sword.
“It wouldn’t be for me,” Glaide replied. He turned to the young woman. “Would you like to have it? You never know what might happen...” Her re
action was instantaneous: she froze in place, and an indescribable fear filled her face. With great effort, she forced herself to shake her head ever so slightly.
“She’s that afraid of a simple dagger?” the young man thought to himself. He remembered then the reaction she’d had a few minutes earlier, when he’d made his sword appear before approaching the merchant, and she’d recoiled from it. “Right, in that case, I’ll hang onto it. If you ever decide you want it, know that it will be yours.” With that, he turned back to the merchant. “How much is it?”
“Oh, no, you can just have it.”
“Are you sure?” asked the boy in surprise.
“Absolutely. Take it.”
“Okay, excellent. Thanks so much!”
“It’s nothing!”
Glaide undid the belt the inhabitants of Orte-Feldir had given him, and slid the dagger’s sheath onto it. He slid it over so that it was attached to his right hip, while the sword hung on the left. Once that was done, he added, “Okay, we should probably be on our way. Thanks for everything. Farewell!”
“Good luck to you two!” Then, with a wink at the young man, he added in a whisper, “And no funny business, now! At night, travelers sleep, even if they’re not together!” Glaide reddened in response as he mumbled out an incomprehensible reply, and the man burst into laughter. He climbed back into his cart, waved to the two young people, and whipped his horse into motion at the same time. Soon, he was just a point on the horizon.
“He’s something else, that one,” Glaide thought to himself with a smile.
Chapter 10
A few hours later, the two travelers reached a woods. It was a small stand of trees, with trunks that stood a good distance apart from each other. Though there wasn’t a path to speak of, it would be easy enough to pass through. Without any apprehension, Glaide started through the woods, and the young woman followed him. At the late hour, the sun was already hanging low in the sky, and the golden rays filtered through the branches, dappling the forest floor. The sight was so magnificent, the adolescent couldn’t help but stop to look at it. Behind him, his companion stopped, too, though he couldn’t say if it was because she, too, was enjoying the sight, or if it was just because he wasn’t moving forward anymore.
After a moment, the girl stepped in front of her companion and pointed at something further into the forest. Glaide looked that way and realized that he could make out a few wisps of smoke. He felt so relaxed that he wasn’t even worried, and headed that direction rather calmly. He quickly realized that the wisps weren’t smoke at all, but rather steam; they’d found a natural hot springs, like the one he’d used so often near Kezthrem’s home. He wondered for a moment if elves might live in this forest, but there was no sign around him to suggest they might. However, he looked around carefully, trying to make out any sign of the presence of such a being. After a few minutes, he gave up, and decided that in the end, it didn’t really matter, as long as they were left alone. It was only then that he noticed his companion had collected her new clothes and seemed to be waiting for something...
“Oh, excuse me!” exclaimed Glaide. “I wasn’t thinking! It’s very lucky that we’ve found this spring at just the right moment. I’ll let you enjoy it. I’ll stay somewhere nearby, so if there is a problem, just...” He stopped himself then. He’d been about to say she should just yell, but that would be a rather doltish suggestion considering the circumstances. “If there’s a problem, just make some noise, or come find me,” he finished instead. To himself, he added, “But make sure to be dressed if you do...” Then, with a quick wave to the girl, he moved away, a smile on his face.
After walking several yards away, he stopped to listen. He could hear her slip into the water, and to be sure he could intervene in case of danger, he decided to settle in right where he was. He didn’t intend to prepare a fire that evening, so instead, he settled in against a tree, admiring his surroundings.
Suddenly, though, he lifted his head as he heard the sound of a breaking branch. Instinctively, he tried to make out where the sound had come from, but it didn’t come again. He jumped up with a bound and headed for the spring, concern on his face. “What happened?” he cried out as he arrived. He looked around for a sign of danger, then his gaze fell on a broken branch that had evidently fallen from a tree. He realized then that the sound hadn’t been a particularly loud one, and the thin branch had probably been broken under the weight of a squirrel, or something small like that; as used to searching for signs of danger as he was, he’d thought he recognized the sound, and hadn’t considered a more innocent explanation.
As he realized that, he realized too, that he ought to excuse himself. He looked up without thinking, and his gaze fell on the young woman standing in the middle of the spring, completely naked. She had her back to him, but before she had a chance to turn around, Glaide spun around himself, and with a voice louder than he intended, he cried out, “I... I’m so sorry.. I just... It’s just that I heard something... And I wanted to make sure... you were okay...” He thought he could feel the gaze of his companion on his back, though he couldn’t tell if she was outraged or staring at him reproachfully... Actually, he guessed she was probably frozen in surprise, and he heard no sound to suggest she’d plunged into the water to hide herself. However, he wasn’t about to turn around and check. Instead, ill at ease, he declared, “Right.. I... I’ll head back to our camp... Umm... Come join me when you’ve finished.” With that, he left.
“First that merchant had to twist everything I said, and now this; what a day!” he thought to himself, shaking his head. This time, the boy decided to light a fire after all, first to distract himself from what had happened—which still embarrassed him—and secondly to give a bit of light to their surroundings. He carefully built a fire pit with stones, to help hold the flames in and prevent a potential forest fire, then he arranged branches within it. Finally, he removed any leaves and small branches from the area right around the fire pit, so that only bare ground remained. Once he was finished, and just as he moved to sit down near the crackling fire, he spotted the silhouette of the young woman approaching. She was wearing the clothes they’d bought earlier, and Glaide had to admit that her taste was excellent. However, he waited apprehensively for her to sit, and he hoped against hope that she didn’t hold his surprise arrival from earlier against him. He was soon reassured, however. When the light of the fire fell on her face, she simply smiled at him. She held her old clothes and the cape she’d been given and, after setting the cape on the ground, she threw the rest of the clothes into the fire with a look of disdain.
“And good riddance,” the boy declared. His companion nodded her agreement. “Right, then,” he went on. “I’m going to go wash up, too. You can stay here and watch the fire. After all, we don’t want to start a forest fire!” He got up then, but before he left, he took out the knife he’d bought and set it on the ground.
“I know you don’t like weapons much, and you certainly don’t have to use one, but I’ll leave this here for you, just in case.” With that he left, humming happily. He found the spring quickly, undressed in a flash, then plunged into the warm water with a sigh of contentment. He felt the fatigue from the journey disappear along with the dirt and grime it had brought, and memories of his first visit to the hot spring in Adrish with his friends came to mind. Then, he thought back to the springs near the home of his master. “How time flies,” he thought to himself. He leaned against the stone at the edge of the spring, resting his head backwards so he could see the night sky and the branches of the trees forming a canopy above him. Suddenly, his field of vision filled with the face of the young woman.
“Ah!” He jumped a bit. He tried to catch his balance, but his foot slipped on the smooth stones, and he fell into the water with a loud splash. He got his feet under himself again, all while taking care not to let anything more than just his head peek out of the water.
“Hey, I’m sorry about what happened earlier, but it was an accid
ent! You didn’t have to return the favor!” He realized then that he was wrong about his companion’s intentions; she hadn’t come to get her revenge. Rather, her eyes seemed glazed over with fear, and she was reeling about in a panic.
“What is it? What’s happened?” Glaide asked, feeling dread fill him, too. She pointed frantically towards the camp. “The fire? Is that it?” She nodded quickly in reply. “There’s no time to lose! Anything near the fire that can burn has to be removed! If the flames reach just one tree, there will be nothing left to do.” The young woman took off at a run, and Glaide climbed out of the water and dressed in record time before taking off to join his companion.
When he arrived, he found the situation was much less serious than he’d imagined. A few sparks had landed in patches of grass and moss, and the fire had spread a bit. His companion had already done excellent work to contain it, however, and the flames had nowhere else to go. Glaide knew, though, they couldn’t leave the fire to just go out on its own; a small gust of wind would be enough to turn this into a proper blaze. “Cover the fire with dirt, to smother the flames,” he cried. The young woman followed his orders quickly and efficiently, putting out the smaller fires here and there, while the adolescent covered the campfire itself. Finally, covered in sweat and smoke, they found themselves in complete darkness.
“And there you have it. There’s nothing left to do but bathe all over again,” Glaide declared with a laugh. His companion smiled too, relieved. Then, she headed towards the spring while the young man picked up the dagger which still lay on the ground, before taking a seat once again.
An hour later, the two were clean once again, and launching into their cold dinner. As they ate, the boy shared a few stories from his travels, from different times when he’d had to pass the night alone in the middle of nowhere. He recounted the story with the ghosts on the way to Oclin-Fer, and the first meal he’d shared with Gelden’s band of nomads. When he mentioned that name, the boy felt his throat tighten, and the young woman took notice. Seeing the worry on her face, Glaide made an effort to smile.
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