Awakened by the sound of birds singing and the early morning sun, Adelaida pushed herself up from the bank of the lake, her eyes gently blinking as the sun reflected the water beautifully.
Another day - still alive.
As she sat herself up, she wondered if what she had seen the night before was real or if her injuries had finally gotten to her head. Surely a man who looked so strangely ethereal couldn't be real, and even more so, surely someone couldn't possibly be so nice to her. The thought of someone being so kind to her, and even seeming to have some concern for her well-being was simply astounding her - utterly unbelievable. Adelaida swept her hand gently over the patch of grass just by her the man had been standing the night before, a gently smile coming to her lips as she sighed in acceptance - real or not, he was gone now.
Moving to the water side more, cupping her hands and letting them fall into the ice like water, Adelaida slashed a handful of water up onto her face, rubbing it onto her skin as to clean it. Then moving to her arm where her most severe wound was, splashing water as to clean the blood from the now seemingly closed wound - she wondered how and why it had closed so fast as she was sure it was going to be a real issue, but she decided not to question it and simply thank her blessings that it was closed and not infected.
Adelaida knew that today like any day would be difficult and that her life would be on the line if she carried out her regular ritual - stealing food from the city. Given that she had no money and the fact that she was no-where near strong enough to hunt, scavenging the cities was the best she could do. It was either she took what she could from the city, or simply die - and at this point, having come so far, dying wasn't an option.
Reentering the city once more after making her way through the forest, Adelaida immediately ran for the alleyways, cramping herself into the small space as her frail body scuffed against the stone walls as she hid herself from the light of day. She sighed gently as she stood in silence, only the sound of talking and passing horses gracing her ears - no shouting. It was a pleasant surprise that no-one had seen her yet, but she knew it wouldn't stay that way for long if she stayed in the same area for too long. As if on cue to make her day harder than it already was, the Heavens suddenly opened as rain began to lightly fall from the sky, the small girl grimacing as she had nowhere to hide from the rain and no other clothes but her dress to cover her. Knowing that the rain would make her more ill, she felt a direness lean on her as to find something to eat for the day as to not be out in the open rain for longer than she had to. Moving through the catacomb like alleyways swiftly, her long dress trailing the ground as she walked, she found herself staring out to a cart of vegetables in the middle of the market. Food. Hunger gripped her mind like a vice, and thus, she picked up her dress and ran in the open street, swiping a small tomato from the corner. Never even stopping to take a breath as the sound of people screaming at her began, she continued to run, ducking and diving through every small street she could find. She knew she just had to get far enough away for the screams to stop so she could eat as fast as she could - she felt as if she was starving to death.
Yet, fate was never quite on her side, and as she turned her last corner, a rock was thrown at her, hitting the back of her head harshly as she finally collapsed into a pile on an alley corner that boarded a street, the girl coming to her knees as she grasped the back of her head. She was bleeding again - but from the silence, she was safe for the time being. Tears spilled from her eyes gently as she sniffed, wiping her eyes with her small hands - she knew this was just how it was now, but still, the pain and mental strain of it all hurt her more than anything she'd experienced before.
Wiping off the tomato on her dress and then taking a large bite into it, Adelaida tried to relax for a moment, leaning against the street corner with a sigh - this was hardly enough to see her through a few hours never mind the whole day, but it had to do, she couldn't possibly go back to the market now, especially with people looking for her. About to take her second and final bite, her attempt to relax and eat where disrupted by a loud shout just by her.
"You! You stole from my cart!" With a gasp and raising her eyes, Adelaida saw a very large, gruff looking man marching towards her, sword in hand and with fire in his eyes - the cart owner. Stutters escaped her mouth as she shook with fear, attempting to get to her feet even with the great shoots of pain that struck through her. "I'll have your hands you thieving little-"
"That's quite enough of that." A familiar voice spoke out as another tall man moved past her gracefully, standing in front of her almost protectively as she sat staring up at the man from behind. It seemed like the cart owner was ready to strike the man who had stood in her way, but as his eyes raised to look the gentleman who had stepped forth properly, the fire in his eyes instantly faded and was exchanged for what seemed to almost be intimidation. The cart owner grumbled to himself as he nearly immediately stood down, bowing his head gently to the man before turning and marching off again. It was one of the strangest confrontations Adelaida had ever seen - but she couldn't complain, her life had been spared. And as the man turned, a hand came to her chest as she stared upwards in utter shock - the man from the lake. He was real.
"Oh, it's you again. I'm glad to see you're-," His voice trailed off for a moment as if he was contemplating what to say to her. "Well, I was going to say 'glad to see you're in one piece', but, only just barely," The blonde man sighed as he slowly crouched down to the trembling girl's level, his golden eyes staring into what felt like her soul, his head tilting as he studied her. "I'm guessing this was the work of Humans. Playing witch hunter to calm their fears of what they don't understand. At this rate..." His voice trailed off once more as his eyes washed up and down her broken figure as she sat in the gravel, his expression growing nearly sympathetic for a second before returning to neutral, the tall man standing once more, towering over Adelaida.
"Listen carefully. I have things to attend to, but, if you're ever in danger, true danger, run to the castle in the woods, I can guarantee your safety. I hope for your sake that you never have to flee there, "Once again, his voice sounded almost pained by what he said. "Goodbye for now." And just as last time, the stranger left Adelaida with more questions than answers, a frail hand reaching out after him as he walked away into the crowds of people, seemingly once again, disappearing. For the second time in a very short span, this stranger had treated her with more kindness than anyone ever had - and she didn't even know his name. For a while she didn't even think he truly existed, but there he was before her once more, treating her better than anyone had in so long. She wondered if perhaps he had an angle, a reason for treating her so well, but when she looked into those eyes she knew he truly meant her no harm. Adelaida could only hope that she could see him again one day, but hopefully not under the circumstance he had suggested.
Another day - still alive.
