Damia fell down, and cried out from the pain. Her hair had bramble all in it, and her clothes were tattered. Her face had several bruises on it, and her body faired no better. She'd been lost and wandering in the wilderness for what felt like forever, though it was only about three months. She could hardly remember what a cooked meal tasted like, having nothing but fruit and raw meat since she left. Once again, her thoughts turned to her own foolishness. What was she thinking? A girl with no survival skills couldn't survive in the wilderness, she was just insane! Why did I do this to myself? She asked, not for the first time.
Picking the wild berry plant in front of her, she sighed, and grabbed a speck of her tattered shirt. In another few weeks, probably, all of her clothes would be falling off, leaving her embarrassed and naked. She hoped she found some sort of civilization before that. But she feared that would not happen, as every sign of it so far had only been remnants of people, the village or town abandoned.
The weather was also changing. Even though it was mid-summer, she was slowly getting colder and colder. She couldn't understand it; nothing like it had occurred in her life. Perhaps she was going crazy. She did not know.
Damia took three more berries and popped them into her mouth, and then took a few steps, resting softly against a fir tree. Looking around once more, she let herself drift off to sleep, and once more, she had the same dream as the last two weeks – one of two people, man and woman, coming to save her just as she almost died. It was a futile and sad dream, always waking her up just before she threw her arms into the woman's arms, crying and calling out. It always felt so real to her...she never was sure it wasn't real until the moment she was jarred away by the ache.
The man wore nothing but blood-red armour, but he had a kindly face, one that spoke the opposite of the savagery his armour sang. The woman wore all dark armour, a dark and dangerous look on her face, and a small bundle cradled in her arms. She had always placed it down softly when looking at Damia, and spoken, "Well, I'll be...a little girl. Are you all right, little girl?" She would always ask, and the man would also say the same thing as well. "Rosey, my dear, I do believe she needs assistance!" And then Damia would stand up, tears ringing her eyes, and say to the lady, "ma'am...I'm lost and have no place to go. Where is somewhere I can survive?"
And every time, the woman would put her bundle down, and offer her arms out to Damia. "Come child, we are close to a small village." And Damia would throw herself into the ladies arms, and just before contact, she would wake up.
The dream came, and she sobbed once realizing the dream was happening again.
Zeig stepped over a bush, and cursed softly, as it dug into his leg; a thorny nettle one. Of course it was...his luck dictated he'd try to step over nothing else. "Rosey, would you stop dawdling?" He said to Rose, and leaped over the rest of the bush, not wanting to further cut himself.
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Michael is very fidgety." She walked clear around the bush without a second's glance, and looked at Zeig quizzically as he rubbed his thigh. "You walked through it again, didn't you? I swear, men! You never do things the easy way."
Zeig nodded and grinned wolfishly. "You wouldn't want me any other way." And he reached up and gently pushed aside hair that had fallen into Rose's face.
She frowned to hide a smile that came unbidden to her face, and pressed on, putting distance between her and Zeig. Stopping, she looked at a little girl, curled up against a tree, breathing softly and looking at her feet. "Well, I'll be...a little girl. Are you all right, little girl?" She asked, as the little girl jumped, and then her face went sour.
"Rosey, my dear, I do believe she needs assistance!" Zeig came up behind Rose, and looked at the little girl s well.
The little girl sat up, and sobbed, as if something was evident to her. Sighing dejectedly, she said, "ma'am...I'm lost and have no place to go. Where is somewhere I can survive?"
Obviously the child had been wandering through the forest for months on end, judging by her clothes and thin bones. Putting down Michael, Rose smiled warmly, put her arms out, and said, "Come child, we are close to a small village."
The little girl stood up, and gingerly walked towards Rose for a few steps. Throwing herself into Rose's arms, and gasping as she made contact. Wrapping her arms around the little girl's shoulders, she said, "Everything is going to be all right, I promise. We aren't far from the base of operations."
"That isn't why I gasped." The little girl said, crying and laughing at the same time now. "I can't believe you're real!" She looked up at Rose admiringly, and hugged her again. "I've dreamt of you two for a month, and every time, I woke up with nothing, and now I wake up and find the dream as finally come true!" Her happy sobs racked her body, but she didn't seem to care at all.
"You...dreamed of us?" Zeig asked, peering over Rose's shoulder, and looking at the little girl.
"Yes, I did...so many times. I can't believe it actually happened..." She responded. Letting go of Rose, she stepped back, and bowed deeply. "I am Damia, and I thank you both with a life-debt for saving me."
Zeig chuckled, and held out his hand. "No need for a life-debt, child. My name is Zeig, and this fine lady here is Rose." Rose offered her hand as well, and Damia shook both with much glee.
"Oh, but I insist! I cannot do anything for myself, so I hope you two can do something with my life!" She seemed too eager to be doing as such.
A life-debt is giving yourself into the service of those who rescued you, or saved you, or some other manner. One does not leave the one(s) who they give a life-debt to until either is dead. "I don't want you to rush into something that hasty, Damia." Rose said, and picked up Michael, who had wandered a few feet from her.
"It's not hasty, Miss Rose. I've thought about it ever since the first time I dreamt of you two. Please, let me do it!" A look of sudden sadness overcame her face, and she visibly drooped.
"Okay...Damia. If you truly wish it..." Zeig said, and pulled out a dagger from his belt, and handed it to her.
Taking the dagger, Damia made a tiny cut on her palm, and clenched it, handing the knife back. Zeig did the same, and shook hands with Damia, mixing their blood together and making it legally binding between the two.
"Now, let's get you into a village with some food, you look half-starved!" Rose said, and the three of them set off to the village less than three miles away.