Chapter Four

When breakfast was finished and the table cleared away, Brom asked Sareh if she would come with him, he had a surprise for her. Sareh agreed and the two walked out into meadows that surrounded Sareh's home. She tried to squeeze the surprise out of Brom, guessing and attempting to get him to slip what it was, but he was too good for that. She was still clueless when they reached their destination.

It was the lake Saphira had been staying near when she made her way to Brom's location. She was nowhere to be seen, Brom called out to her and heard her reply, a distant one at best.

"Just a moment, I'm hunting Manoush the rabbit." Brom once again rolled his eyes inwardly. Sometimes Saphira's humor was irksome.

Well, no time like the present. If Saphira was hunting, he had a few moments to teach Sareh an important skill. He faced Sareh who met his gaze.

"So what is this surprise you told me about?" she asked, she hadn't really expected anything since she and Brom hadn't known each other but a day and a half. Brom however gave her a grin and then gestured to the lake.

"Surprise." Sareh looked out across the lake. She didn't say anything for a moment and then spoke softly,

"Brom, that's the lake."

"Yes it is."

"The lake I've seen almost everyday of my life."

"Really. Now that's interesting." Sareh shot Brom a look.

"Is there a reason you're patronizing me master illusive?" Brom laughed and moved towards her, forcing her to step backwards or risk being trod on.

"Perhaps." A few steps more. Sareh shook her head.

"Well, I have to say, I don't think you've quite grasped the concept of a surprise." Brom moved closer, a few steps more.

"I haven't, well, please, enlighten me." Sareh put a finger to her lips, a look of silliness on her face.

"Well, I think your first mistake was using the lake as a surprise because unfortunately I've seen it. Nothing surprising about it." Brom raised an eyebrow.

"Really, well, would you be surprised in knowing you're standing in it?" Sareh looked down and saw that he was right. She was nearly knee deep in water and hadn't noticed the chill until he had said something. This sort of thing wouldn't have frightened most people.

Sareh was not most people.

"No!" she yelled and scrambled out of the lake and onto land, water dripping from her skirt and legs. Brom was taken aback by this reaction.

"You're afraid of the water?" Sareh wrapped her arms around her body lips pressed tightly together. She nodded and looked away from Brom. He came to her, she backed away unsure of what he was going to do next.

"I didn't mean to frighten you Sareh… I didn't know you were afraid. I just wanted to teach you to swim." Sareh looked at him, eyes wide.

"Well, then I'm afraid you're going to be short a student, because I am not going in there." Brom drew closer and put a hand on her shoulder only to find she was trembling.

"Sareh, what happened at this lake? What frightens you?" Sareh sat on the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees. Brom joined her, awaiting an answer. She looked at Brom,

"You swear you won't think me stupid." Brom knew that wasn't possible no matter what she said and agreed whole-heartedly.

"Someone's fear is not something to mock." Finally after a few eternities of silence Sareh looked at him and began her tale.

"When I was little, all I wanted to learn to do was swim." She stopped for a moment, at Brom's look to continue she began again.

"My father had promised to teach me, but he was busy with the fields. I was he and Mama's only child at the time. I tried to help but at that age—well, you've seen Amani, one has the attention span of a flea." Brom watched her intently; he could see this was painful for her.

"One day, I grew tired of waiting for my father to keep his promise and when he and Mama were busy in the fields, I took matters into my own hands." She breathed for a moment, tightening her grip on her legs.

"I came to the lake, by myself and began to swim, or at least I thought I was. I was doing fairly well until I realized how far out I had come, nearly the middle of the lake. I panicked, and I started to drown. If my father hadn't heard my screams from the fields. I would have died." She brushed a wisp of hair away from her face and met Brom's blue eyes with her hazel ones.

"I slipped under the water, before my father had reached me. And, while I was sinking I remember hearing someone, I don't know who or what, telling me to hold on, that someone was coming, but I was alone in that cold, silent water. By the time my father got me out everything was black." Brom saw her eyes were wet with tears she brushed at them angrily with her hand.

"After that I swore I would never try such a thing again. I would take the animals to water, I would get water for my family, I would even help my mother with the wash, but I would never again step foot into that lake. I intend to keep it that way." Brom was quiet for a moment and then stood.

"I'm truly sorry about what happened all those years ago… But, best not waste time." Brom removed his sword belt, leather coat, and rolled his shirtsleeves to his elbows. Sareh looked at him mystified by his actions.

"What are you doing?" Brom thought for a moment and suddenly remembered something.

"Oop, better take my boots off, leather is rather uncomfortable when wet." Now Sareh was on the same page.

"You're going for a swim then?" Brom shook his head in the negative

"No, we're going for a swim." At this Sareh jumped up, ready to burst.

" We're you not listening? I will not go in that lake again, I just won't." Brom walked to the edge of the lake and stuck a now bare toe into the water.

"Hullo, that's chilly." Sareh put her hands on her hips.

"Maybe it will wake your obviously deaf ears!" Brom looked back as he walked forward into the cool water.

"Humph, my ears work just fine. I understand what happened was frightening but it's in the past, you should move on and learn to swim." Sareh's brow furrowed and she shook her head.

"No." Brom stopped and gave her a look.

"Oh come now, what if you one day find yourself at a river that you must swim across but you don't know how? What will you do then?" Sareh rubbed her forehead.

"If ever a time I found myself in such a predicament I would find the nearest boatman and have him carry me across." Brom shook his head in return.

"And if the boat capsizes?"

"This is pointless." Sareh growled. Brom found himself far enough out to float on his back; he raised his head to look at her.

"I know what you'll do, you'll think, now why didn't I let that handsome Brom teach me to backstroke?" Sareh found herself laughing at his words despite herself. She wanted to stay mad at him but was finding it increasingly difficult as he did water acrobatics for her benefit.

"The water is calm Sareh, and I promise you, I won't let anything happen to you." Sareh looked at him from her safe distance. He had found solid sand to stand upon and now had his arms outstretched, ready for her. After a moment of internal struggle, Sareh took small steps into the water, at first afraid to leave the safety of the shore and then moving completely into the safe circle of Brom's arms. Slowly he helped her, instructing her on how to kick her legs and how to use her arms to keep her afloat. Before she knew it, she had become a natural.

"You see milady, all you needed was a little push." Sareh smiled as the two tread water, facing one another. She had shown great courage to overcome her fear of this lake in such a short time, and he had never found her more beautiful in the last two days than right now, wet hair fanning around her shoulders, lips slightly tinged blue from the cold. All of a sudden Sareh had thrown her arms around his neck and placed a kiss on his mouth. It was over before Brom had a chance to react.

"What was that for?" He asked, slightly breathless (yes, breathless) at her bold move. She shrugged, the ripples circling her.

"I wanted to." She turned to swim back to shore but was suddenly pulled back by Brom.

"Oh no you don't." He said just before pulling her mouth to his and sharing the most passionate kiss either had ever experienced. Brom at that moment wouldn't have minded kissing her all day, but a shadow came over the lake and the thud of four large, clawed feet hitting the ground broke them apart.

"I do hope I'm not interrupting anything." Saphira said to Brom as she folded her wings behind her. Brom had never felt Saphira's timing had been worse, than at that exact moment. A look from her told him that her timing had been intentional, whether because she was jealous or she was making sure Brom wasn't doing anything stupid he wasn't quite sure yet. He looked back to Sareh and noted that she had a strange look on her face.

"Sareh?" at his voice Sareh shook her head as if to clear it and the two swam back to shore, suddenly realizing that their wet clothes made leaving the somewhat frosty water an even chillier event. Brom took Sareh's hand and they walked closer.

"Sareh, I'd like you to meet—"

"Saphira."

Saphira looked at Brom with a dragon's version of confusion, Brom mirrored it and looked at Sareh, who had the same strange look on her face as before.

"Brom, how does she know my name, did you tell her about me?"

"No, I—" Brom stopped his thought short when he saw Sareh's face change from being perplexed, to outright frightened. Sareh backed away from them both, hands clutching at her wet skirt. Brom followed,

"Sareh, what is it? What's wrong?" Sareh looked at him in fear and confusion.

"Brom, that voice… That's the voice I heard when I was drowning."