Hope you enjoy!
~ She was an angel craving chaos; he was a demon seeking peace. ~
His vision cleared for a moment, allowing Roan to observe the woman better. She was, again, wandering the forest, apparently without a destination in mind. The mop of dark hair was pulled up, away from her face, making the pale skin stand out against the greens and browns around her. She still regarded everything with curiosity, but alas, seemed more reserved about touching and smelling every flower. He was surprised she was still drawing breath after weeks on the ground
It was funny how he was going to die before the silly sky girl.
Roan's sight got blurry and the forest spun with him, earth running from beneath his feet. He knew it was all in his head, knew it was the poison making him weak, unable to save himself, but he still had to grip the nearest tree for support. His breathing became labored and every mouthful of air was harder to inhale than the last. It wouldn't be long before the real pain started. If only he could reach that ditch over there. His legs went numb and he had to place one knee on the ground to steady himself.
"You don't look very good." Perceptive little thing, wasn't she. She was there to gloat over his dying body, laugh at him for his stupid mistake. It wasn't truly a mistake; more of a risk he thought, at that precise moment, would be worth the trouble. He should have suspected at least that more of the Commander's people were near. His plan to steal their weapons and food backfired rapidly when a poisoned dart connected with his neck. Without the poison at play, he wouldn't have had trouble dealing with the men; he had been, perhaps, too confident. Well, at least he didn't go down without a fight, having left the lifeless bodies behind, robbing them of food, weapons and a new pack full of other things he deemed useful.
Much good they would do him once he was dead…
Vivian was having a wonderful day. Things in camp were still strange, the tension between Abby and Kane almost palpable. But the ground was great. The fresh air was amazing, there were new things to discover at every corner, flowers, birds, waterfalls. If you got passed the grounders and mountain men that were trying to kill them for whatever reason, the ground was paradise. It was still scary, sure, but in a good way. Exhilarating, thrilling. Like nothing she could have dreamt of.
Besides, she was convinced not all grounders were blood thirsty savages as some people in camp believed. The Blake girl seemed to share her beliefs. The people from Mount Weather were also a bit of a mystery – enemies, not enemies, no one really knew. They seemed civilized and willing to help. Who knew, maybe there would be peace, alliances. After all, no one wanted to spill blood, right?
Even if she secretly hoped to meet the valiant grounder that saver her again, Vivian wasn't really thinking she'd see him so soon. Especially after so much time passed without there being a single glimpse of him. And she definitely hadn't expected to see him feverish and pale as a ghost. He looked like he was dying. But what could she do? She had no medical expertise, nor had the slightest idea what was the cause of his predicament. Poison? Was he hurt anywhere, loosing blood? Was it some disease specific to the ground? Did it have a cure?
She was weary of him still. She wanted to believe he was a good person, but all the talk in camp was making her at least question him and his motives. But the pain looked real, sweat rolling down his forehead, his labored breaths sounding loud in her ears. She took a step closer, then another, finally kneeling besides him when he did nothing to stop her or even acknowledge her presence.
"Tell me what to do." She hoped he was still conscious. If he weren't she was at a loss; there was no way she could carry him to camp, assuming the guards would even let her approach the gates with him, and she couldn't see any other way she could help. When he opened his eye and focused them on her she let out a relieved sigh. If he weren't looking as a dead man, her gaze would have lingered to admire his cool blue eyes.
He almost scoffed, but the air caught in his lungs. He fixed his eyes on her, taking in her appearance. Concern was written all over her features and he wished he had the strength to punch it off her pretty face. He did not need her pity, nor her help. What could she possible do anyway? She was just a little girl that had the misfortune to fall from her home in the sky.
Roan closed his eyes again, concentrating on his breaths. In and out, steadily. Pain was creeping in his body, the feeling like muscles being ripped right off his bones. But it was all in his head, he was aware. The knowledge did little to stop the pain. He felt the girl's hands poking and prodding at him, first unsure, slightly trembling, then with more conviction. It was annoying; made him thing of scavenging animals feasting on his body after he died.
"Stop it!" His hand found a surge of power and gripped her wrist away from his neck. He gave her a little credit for actually discovering the cause of his current state. She didn't pull away, only hardened her gaze.
"Oh, so you do talk. Why won't you tell me how I can help?"
"Why would you help me, girl?" She was taken aback by his harsh tone, looking almost hurt by the words.
"You saved me, it's only natural I'd help." What was natural about that? He had a particular strange day, a weak moment, when he strayed from his path to prevent her death. It had been a lapse of judgment, nothing more. He had thought about separating her head from her body that day, he had pictured her dark hair wet with blood. If she knew, she wouldn't be so eager to help, wouldn't kneel so close to him, so vulnerable. He could still end her insignificant life if he put his mind to it, but was she really worth the trouble? She pulled her hand free from his and rubbed the wrist, making him push the thought away. "Look, I can't do much, I know that. But if there's anything you can think about that might help you, tell me!" She paused and punched his chest lightly. It was more of a pat, really. "It beats dying in the middle of nowhere, doesn't it?"
She had a point. He still had things to do. He had to go back to his people, had to get the banishment lifted. His fight was far from over. But could she get what he needed? What did he need? His mind was foggy from the poison; it drained him of his strength, of his will to resist it. Slender fingers brushed his damp hair from his face making him focus again. The girl was waiting for guidance. Roan vaguely remembered of the cure for this peculiar poison, but his thoughts kept swirling in his head.
First things first, he needed a place to hide from the fog, if he had the misfortune of it coming. He got up with great strain, despite the eager hands that pulled on his arm to help him. The girl barely had any strength. He marveled again at how she was still alive. One foot in front of the other, one had draped over the girl's shoulders, he led them to the ruins of some forgotten structure - a roof barely hanging on 3 and quarter walls. If he kicked them, the whole thing would probably fall on top of them. But, whatever his outcome was going to be, he was not going to stay there long. He laid down on the cool ground, desperately trying to remember where to send the girl. He could envision a red plant, no, roots. But where? She brushed her fingers over the small puncture wound on his neck and he remembered her walking right past the place she needed to find.
"There's a ditch to the south, you passed by it on your way here." He looked at her and she nodded in confirmation, though her expression was a bit off. He didn't waste time to figure it out. "Along it, there should be holes in the ground. Some have these brown-red roots. Bring me a handful." She was on her feet when he finished speaking, already gone by the time he got the feeling there was more he was supposed to tell her.
Vivian ran as fast as her legs allowed her. She was only hopping it was the right direction. She would have thought the man was mocking her when he told her to go south; how was she supposed to know where south was? Would have, if his condition didn't seem to worsen with every breath he took, the veins around his neck wound becoming prominent. He was putting a tough front, but pain was obviously eating at him. So she went in the general direction she thought her camp was. She remembered walking past a ditch and she thought there were indeed holes in it. She set a few landmarks so she could find her way back to the grounder: a fallen tree, a strange looking boulder, something that looked like rusting metal sticking from the ground. She almost fell head first when the ground disappeared from beneath her feet. Vivian stopped abruptly and stumbled down the ditch instead.
"Great…" She grumbled as she picked herself up. At least it wasn't too deep, barely her height. She didn't take time to inspect the small craters, just plunging her hand into one and feeling around for roots. Nothing. She moved to the closest and repeated the action. Squealing in delight when her fingers reached something, she pulled with all her strength and a root came out. It was an odd color, like dried out blood.
Now, how much was a handful? Her hands were significantly smaller than his, so maybe gather two handfuls? Was if wise to waste time on this? Should she just take the first batch to him and come back for more? She moved to another hole and found two more in it. Jackpot! It was not going to take long. When she stuck her arm in the next one and pulled on the root, something grabbed her. No, something plucked her skin and pulled on it. The shriek that came out of her mouth scared whatever creature had clawed at her arm. Vivian bit back the tears as she turned her arm over to see the damage. Blood was dripping from three long slashes that extended from elbow to wrist, but they were skin deep. It didn't hurt so horribly bad, but her heart still threatened to fail her. She remembered reading about underground animals like moles, but it never said they were dangerous. At least she had the root, her fingers instinctively tightening around it when she pulled her arm out.
Cursing the grounder for not warning her that the stupid holes were inhabited, she quickly made her way back. She hoped she was not too late and that she had the right roots. As she ran, a few tears spilled down her cheeks. It was occurring to her she had no idea what she was doing. Alone in a freaky forest, aiding a man who, from all she knew, was plotting to eat her for supper. Well, the possibility of that was low, but it was, nevertheless, a possibility.
Roan heard the scream even in his dazzled state. He thought he was a goner, the girl bringing him the roots, dead. How the mighty had fallen! There he was, once heir to a nation, dying, alone, his life in the hands of a foolish girl that didn't know danger if it hit her in the face. The rustling outside made him turn his head towards the collapsed wall. When the sky girl came running through the gap, he sighed in relief, the corners of his mouth turning upwards just slightly. She pushed several roots in his hand and he eyed them strangely. Hadn't he told her to fetch him one? He picked the biggest and started chewing on it, despite the pull of sleep. He had only that task to complete, then he could rest. He looked her over and noticed the blood on her arm and the tears in her eyes, but didn't have the strength to question her. He swallowed the last bite and let himself drift. At some point he thought he heard the girl fussing over his body, but it did little to disturb his sleep.
When he woke up, his head was placed on something soft and a blanket covered his body. He shook his head, cursing the sky girl and her useless gesture. He noted a bag besides him and found a water-skin and a chunk of roasted meat. He cursed the girl for leaving food near his unconscious body. Wild animals could have traced the smell and attacked him in his sleep. He ate it nevertheless, finishing the water with one long gulp.
So, I pictured the first chapters with him saving her, but I thought I should make her help him once - give him a real reason... not to hate on her?
I don't know, this chapter came to be on the spur of the moment. Let me know how if you liked it. *hugs*