Be warn, I am not a native speaker of this language and making grammatical mistakes is unavoidable. If you find the story interesting or if you have some criticism please review and let me know. Well that is all, so enjoy the chapter.
The winters that fallowed every Fall festival were always rough, nothing grew and the cold winds was an unwanted reminder of the fragility of man. Villagers still worked, who does not work does not eat, and a truer statement did not exist.
Nothing grew so work which the villagers could have done in the fairer days was gone; occasionally they would milk the cattle and do an overview of their remaining supplies. One thing of note was the village chief had celebrated his sixtieth birthday, many have come to give their fair wishes, and some had even given the old man some gifts.
Isabel found these days to be more lovely then the last winters she had experienced, Bell who had helped her greatly before the wither showed its true fangs was one of the many reasons for her good mood. He had supplied her with more wood then they needed this winter and what was left could last them the next winter, he had also voluntarily helped her clean her home a couple of times during his stay and he even began to talk to her energetic brother.
They have formed a kind of strange friendship; it all happened when the boy challenged him to a dual with wooden swords, he claimed that fighting a grown man will help him achieve his goal. What was his goal, well he wanted to win the spring competition which is held every year just before the spring celebration.
The competition was fairly simple, everybody can enter one of two of them, there was spring youth competition, where only children below the age of fifteen could enter, the main event could only enter fully grown man. The reward for the youth competition did not exist but there was one for the adult competition, the winner could with his family eat beside the village chief and they would be the first ones to taste the finest of cakes and food.
Her brother had fought Bell multiple times and each time her younger brother has lost, Bell moved at a rhythmical pace, avoiding attacks when he saw fit and countering when he saw opening but such things went over the head of the fair maiden that watched him from her bedroom window.
She had played the role of a knight before in her younger years but never had she fought a real opponent, nor did she know how to fight. She only knew that in most cases speed and strength were the key factors that determine a fight. She smiled at her brother who managed to land a hit on the white haired man, even if he had allowed him to, the silly grimace was enough for her to call out to them.
That evening they talked around the dining table like a family, her brother had been defrosted completely and his smile that he once wore before their father's death has now once again appeared. He claimed that he would win the competition; her skepticism vanished when she saw a gentle smile that creped on Bells face. After living with him for a few moths she had confirmed her earlier suspicions, Bell was a man of worth and she found comfort in the gentle curves around his lips and the gentle but soft eyes that always watched over her. She started to wonder if he was willing to stay with them from now on. The help he provided was of great help and was something they could use in the following years. Her brother while being a speed demon was far too young and inexperienced to actually help her in most cases, but Bell was mostly mature and he was always willing to help her.
As the days passed she spend more and more time watching a back she became too familiar with, she wondered what had happened to him, where he had lived and how did he spend his days before coming to the isolated village she called home. She wondered what it would fell like losing her memories, not knowing her own past, would she recognize the faces of the people that came her way, to greet her, while she looked at them confused and scared.
If he could not remember his past, maybe he could make a future here, where everybody knew everybody, where ones death would be mourned by all. The only thing on her mind was a selfish thought that even if he did remained in the village, would he be by her side as he was now.
The competition had already started, not the young competition that her brother had one but the adult competition that started mere moments ago. She felt tremendous joy when her brother had beaten his opponent and had won the youth competition with relative ease. And now she watched as Bell fought his way through the final. He had initially not intended to participate in it, but after her brothers several attempts of changing his mind, he concede and entered the competition.
He made quick work of almost all his enemies, he was fast and strong, his back unflinching in the presence of others. She felt her heartbeat intensify at the sight. He had reached the final and was currently facing Lugar a man who was given the nickname the bear by many villages.
He was a gentle soul, but his sheer size and slow talking pattern had made him into an ample sight to behold, not to mention all the hair that grew on his back and torso did not persuade the others to stop using that fated nickname.
They approached one another, Lugar standing a whole head taller than Bell, with his sword placed on his shoulder blade, his eyes never leaving his target. Bell was looking at Lugar with eyes that reminded Isabel of the eyes one would see in a hawk that was honing in on pray. They made two steps backward and the village chief in his sixtieth year had begun the fight.
Sword meet sword and surprisingly Bell had not faltered when so many others have under the crushing strength of the Bear Lugar. The next thing Isabel saw made her eyes widen, after taking a few steps backwards, Bell changed his stance, Lugar thinking he had Bell where he had wanted, Lugar attacked and Bell parried with so much elegancy that she wondered if he was simply dancing. Raising his wooden blade, he hit Lugar. Bell had one and she cheered with the rest of the village.
Lugar accepting his lost shook his hand and laughed.
Isabel often wondered what a knight looked like but she felt that Bell certainly one would have been one if he had the opportunity, who knows maybe he had been a knight.
The next week was filled with many sweet moments, they talked about subject that were intimate to both of them and she had even picked up a sword and fought Bell, even if it was a joke she found it quiet enjoyable. Then the spring festival began, they were seated by the village chief and he made once again a speech that was in her opinion better than the last one.
They had tasted a large amount of food that was both refined by the cooks and their respected recipe makers. Once again her younger brother acted like a hungry wolf eager to every dish.
She had also made some cakes for this particular festival, she fondly remembers how Bell offered to help her and how he almost ruined everything when he fell down. Thankfully her younger brother had managed to catch it in time.
She found that whole situation rather funny.
After they had eaten, the dance once again started, the same group of people have once again picked up their dancing partners and played the tunes they often did on every festival. Isabel and Bell once again found each other in one another's arms, swaying lightly, as the evening grew shorter and the dawn drew closer. They locked on each other gaze and Bell saw a picture he would never forget.
Painted before him stood a maiden so fragile and fair that if he looked away she would disappear
Her eyes were filled with joy and sadness, Bell could not read her mind and if he did he would have whispered to her, his voice would have been gentle
"I will not leave you."
But those words never came; they were left there, in the place between his throat and tongue, with so many words that were left unspoken. He gently tightens his grip around her waist, she smiled, it was a sad smile, a smile that did not know what the future held, a future which was uncertain, a future she may longed for or forever regret. As the festival came to an end, they left one another embrace, even if they wanted to remain there, they could have not. Night was always a natural enemy, and they were close to falling asleep, they left and returned to her home.
She only hoped, that one they she could call her home theirs, and that he would be by her side as he was now and had been before.
The next day he had worked himself as a dog, doing many jobs to distract himself from the impure thought that plagued him the last evening. She was so close to him, her warmth was such a gentle thing which he yearned for and the saddest moment these last few months was when she had left his embrace yesterday.
When he finally returned, he met a strange man, his eyes were dull, his arms replaced with silver ones, and his golden hair reminded him of something he could not have formed into words. He stared at the stranger for the longest of times until the stranger had approached him. A gentle smile tugged on his lips as he opened his mouth and said.
"Hello fellow traveler, might you hear me out for a bit, my name is Hermes"
The aura around the man was different then the aura of any villager or person he had met before, he stood there, the smile that tugged on his face was now gone and his eyes narrowed.
"I can." Said the white haired man
And at that time Bell; once a happy boy was sent down a path, no one should have treated alone. He would fallow that path until he had completed his objective, one which would have discouraged most men but an invisible force had forced this man into that path. That force was destiny and it would always follow him until its whimsicality had been sated.
That night had been one of the hardest, the once cheerful and energetic kid that challenged him was now nowhere to be seen, and Isabel who supported him so much had also gone quiet. She had been a pillar of support he did not know that he needed. He stood on the porch, looking at the full moon and its lovely dance partners, the stars, as they stood beside the lonely moon the ease its sorrow.
He watched the sky, the endless darkness that held and surrounded the lonely moon and its many dance partners, Bell wondered if such darkness would befall Isabel and the small village he had been a part of for these few short months.
The god Hermes had told him all about the great evil that lurked it the dungeon city. He had also told Bell about his own path and destiny, which Bell accepted. It is not commonplace that gods search for a man who they believe that is the key to their salvation.
As the moon began to fall gently, he heard footsteps behind him, they were gentle almost too gentle, he knew those footsteps, how many times had he heard them. He dimly remembers her pained expression when he told her he needed to leave. Her eyes were wide open, even if she had been moments ago when he woke her up. Her eyes well filled with sadness even now he sees in the small intervals when his eyelids close then open up again.
She opened the wooden door that separated them but he kept his gaze away from her, he had hurt her, caused her pain. She approached him, standing to his right her gaze fell on his shaking hand, she placed her gentle palm on it and gave it a gentle squeeze. His eyes moved towards her and for the first time he was there he finally saw her as she truly was, a young girl who sought comfort and found it within him.
She asked him if it truly was necessary for him to leave, did he truly have to leave and abandon them both. He had made a promise that evening that when his journey is over he shall head to her side and remain there for better and worse. Her eyes were filled with sorrow but in them he saw glimpses of happiness. He gently knelled in front of her as if she was royalty; he then gently lifted his gaze and met her gentle eyes. He may have forgotten some of his memories but he still knew the tightness that pressured his chess. He smiled and told her the words he should have said when they danced on the spring festival.
"I love you." His voice was even
She smiled and held his hand; he rose to his feet and gave her a gentle kiss. That evening two souls have merged into one and they forged a bond that would last way beyond their short lives.