Chapter 2
The sun was beginning to rise and the sunlight hit Serena's face as she slept in the makeshift bed in the attic. A little black cat jumped onto her bed to wake her up. Serena opened her eyes when she heard the sound of the cat mewing gently by her ear. She smiled and pet the cat causing it to purr. "Thanks for waking me up, Luna," she said. Serena found the stray cat while doing some chores outside one day and kept her as a pet ever since. She got up, stretched, and then made her bed according to the same routine she was used to. She then got ready to take a quick bath before beginning her day.
Serena sang to herself as she lathered and rinsed her body of whatever traces of dirt that was left on her body. She continued humming to herself as she dried off and got dressed before sitting before a small mirror to brush her long hair. She barely got through a few strokes before the tower clock struck loudly. Serena gasped quietly because it startled her and then sighed. "I guess it's time to get started," she said to Luna. Luna meowed in approval as Serena quickly finished brushing her hair and tied it back with an old ribbon and bandana. She hurried down the stairs and Luna ran to keep up.
She entered the barn where she grabbed the bucket of corn so she could feed all of the animals on their little farm. "Breakfast is ready," Serena said as she poured the feed on the ground. Chickens came from around the corner and joined Luna eating eagerly. Serena smiled and made her way to the stable. The white horse saw her coming and neighed happily. "Good morning, Artemis," she said rubbing his mane gently. He rubbed his nose into her hands and Serena continued massaging his soft face. "Are you ready to eat?" He neighed again and Serena filled his box with the rest of the corn and some oats. "Enjoy," she said petting him one more time.
Serena put the bucket away and started walking to the water trough. She sighed when she realized it was empty and prepared herself to pick it up. She picked it up slowly and made her way to a well that wasn't too far away. She was struggling to hold onto the trough, but smiled when she glanced to see the well in sight until she slipped on a small rock. She mentally cursed her clumsiness and closed her eyes as she prepared for the fall to the ground. Serena heard the trough hit the ground and was ready to do the same, but it never happened. Instead she felt someone's strong arm wrap around her waist preventing her from pain. Serena opened her eyes and saw that she was a few feet away from the ground.
"Are you all right?" a deep voice said behind her. Serena froze in place as the arm around her pulled her to her feet. She turned around and dusted herself off before looking up at the stranger in front of her. The first thing Serena noticed was his intense blue eyes that were looking on her with concern. He also had black hair under a hat that fell messily into his face that she was tempted to fix. In short, he was a handsome man. "Are you all right?" he asked again.
Serena looked down towards the ground in embarrassment when she realized she was staring. "Y-yes," she said shyly playing with her fingers.
The man smiled at her, but Serena didn't see him. "You don't have to be afraid of me, you know," he said. Serena finally looked up at him again. "I was just passing through to get a drink of water and I happened to see you carrying that heavy trough."
Serena smiled gratefully. "Well thank you."
"Do you mind if I help you with this?" Before she had a chance to answer, he had already picked up the trough and lifted it onto his shoulder. She nodded and walked with him to the well. She noticed that he was dressed plainly and he had spots of dirt covering his face. He walked in a way that made it seem as though he were more than a simple peasant. "Why were you carrying this thing all by yourself?" He asked as he set it down beside the well.
"I always do," Serena said pulling the handle to raise the water bucket. "I don't want to have to waste time and drag buckets of water back and forth to the trough."
The stranger reached and pulled her hand away from the handle while she was talking. He held it a little longer than necessary feeling something special. "Allow me," he said gently after bringing himself back to reality. Serena blushed as he finally let go of her hand and turned the handle to let the bucket fill with water in the well. He turned the handle again and brought the bucket back up balancing it on the edge of the well. He reached inside and cupped his hands to take a drink. He raised his hands to his lips and took a long drink contently. "Would you like a drink?" he asked as he offered the bucket of water to her.
Serena was about to answer, but the faint sound of bells reached her ears. "No thank you," she said getting up to leave. "I have to go now." She ran off.
"Wait," the man said. He looked after her sadly. "I don't even know your name."