- Hey, everyone. ^3^
First: Thank you for so many fews in so little time! :D
And also thanks to those who follow and have favored the story so far. :D
Lately, I received a message from another user, that the Chapter was broke. Thanks again for showing me. :)
I' ve looked it over again and fixed the problem, (At least, I hope so.) so you should be able to read the 2nd chapter now properly. If not, I'll have to upload the chapter again, which means, it could take a little more time...
Nevertheless, thanks for reading, again! And I hope, you'll enjoy the rest of the story, too.
Love, Eeva :)
CHAPTER 2: Not alone!
"I still can't believe, this really worked.", Varian said when we stepped outside into the light of the sinking sun. He blinked his eyes heavily due to the unfamiliar brightness, but I could feel that he also enjoyed the fresh air.
"Me neither." The voice was as strict and doubtful as always.
"Cassandra!?" I felt a heavy lump in my throat when I saw my friend standing right in front of me, watching the both of us with piercing eyes.
"But how... We left the dungeon extra through the secret entrance!" I had a hard time understanding how she had managed to find out where I went. I didn't tell anybody about my plan, but ,yet, Cassandra was here. - And Eugene, too!
I wished, I would have been able to disappear, right at that very moment when I saw the love of my life leaning on the wall next to Cassandra. Varian must have had similar thoughts, for he didn't't even manage look at the other both.
"What?", Cassandra asked, while she was eying us up really critical, "Do you really think, I'd let you do something that dangerous alone?!
"She's right, Blondie. You should've informed me before going on a journey all alone..."
"Us. She should've informed us."
Cassandra sighed loudly.
"As I just said: I won't let you do things like that alone..."
Silently, I looked at Eugene.
"Oh. He is just there. As always..."
Cassandra snorted disparaging when Eugene gave her a not so amused look from the side.
"Nevertheless, she told me, what you were about to do.", he said, "And I can't believe, you actually did that..."
His gaze shifted between Varian and me, because he really couldn't believe what was happening.
"How did you know, where I was going?", I asked, "I mean, I didn't even tell you that I was planning to go out..."
"I know everything."
Cassandra folded her arms after shoving Eugene aside, who had stepped a little bit in front of her. Then she fixed me with her gaze and asked: " And now? What was your plan after getting out of the dungeon? Going on a dangerous journey alone without any tools, clothes, or even food? Just wandering, getting sick and starve somewhere in the middle of Nowhere? You both are just pretty much the same..."
She furrowed her brow and sighed again. Then, she turned around to open the Panniers on the back of Fidella and started rummaging around for a few seconds.
" I'm pretty sure, you'll need those...", she said when she turned to us again and threw a smaller shoulderbag in Varian's direction, who barely managed to catch it with his hands still chained together.
The alchemist's eyes widened in surprise.
"These are..."
"Don't thank me. And don't ask, what I had to do to get them.", Cassandra harrumphed while closing the Panniers. I guess, she had stolen them, for these were Varian's personal belongings - and they had been locked away, too, after he got caught.
"Is everyone ready?", she asked then and backed her horse. Eugene took my hand and helped me to get on Maximus' back before setting himself behind me in the saddle.
"He's riding with me.", Cassandra claimed, when she saw me looking at Varian with questions in my eyes. Meanwhile, the alchemist already seemed to regret his decision to help us, for he didn't move at all and just looked irritated from one person to the next. Or maybe, he just wasn't sure, whether Cassandra would throw him off Fidella's back at full speed or not. Something, I understood very well, as he had nearly killed her just one month ago...
"Don't tell me, you've never been on a horse's back before..." She looked at Varian who still seemed doubtful whether he could approach her and Fidella safely.
"Oh, boy! Just shake a leg and get on that horse, kid!", Eugene wheezed when he all of a sudden lifted up the young alchemist and put him on Fidella's back.
Varian shrieked like a girl and twisted in Eugenes arms until he finally got him set in the saddle in front of Cassandra.
"I hadn't even realized my dear climbing down Max's back again, but ,well, there he was, helping Varian to speed up his decisions a little bit...
I couldn't hold back a chuckling noise, although I wasn't sure if it had been such a good idea to touch Varian just like that. The boy was trembling all over, clutching his hands into Fidella's forelock and biting his lip nervously.
"Calm down, Varian. Nobody's gonna hurt you...", Cassandra tried to reassure him while waiting for Eugene to get back on Max and tightening Fidella's strings a little.
"Everyone ready to rock and roll, now? Yes? Great."
With this, she flicked Fidella's strings and we started off with our journey to the north to try our best to find some answers.