A thankfully uneventful descent through the trees, back toward Raven's Pass, found the pair of elves once again under the cover of the woods just outside of Caervo's log cabin. It was only late afternoon, but a darkness had accompanied them on their trek. The sky was overcast from the lingering storm, bringing with it a damp chill. It seemed to cling to Iorveth's clothes, bite at his exposed fingers as he sat silently on a low branch, bow in hand. The tree he chose was a young pine, a convenient break in its boughs offered a hidden vantage point of the porch and side window the two had escaped from the day before. Siore was in the process of entering the cabin. They had stayed among the trees for a while after they arrived, scouting the home and getting an idea of where its owner may be. It turned out Caervo was in the cabin at the time, and they stayed until after he had left.
Iorveth kept watch as Siore disappeared behind the cabin, after unsuccessfully attempting the window. After a moment of stillness, his hand brushed the feathers of the arrow he held ready to be notched as movement flashed beyond the window. It was opened, and Sio appeared there, signaling that it was clear before disappearing again. She must have found an entry point in the back of the cabin somewhere, he thought.
Growing more impatient the longer she remained inside, Iorveth waited. Finally, a bag was hauled out the window, then a bow, before Siore hopped down from the sill. She was clothed in her usual gear, causing Iorveth to shake his head at the fact that she took the time to change in there. He watched as she gathered the bow and bag, stringing both on her back as she made a bee-line to the woods. Returning the arrow to his quiver, Iorveth did the same with his bow before dropping from the pine bough to meet her halfway.
His impatience at the situation fizzled at the sight of her with all of her familiar things, eyes as bright as her mischievous smile. She was leaning against a thick oak as he approached her, arms crossed at her chest, and feet crossed at her ankles. He stopped right in front of her, crossing his own arms and tilting his head back.
"See? Off without a hitch."
"Shame. I expected to make pincushions of these dh'oine." Her forehead crinkled as she gave him a sour look, brows drawn.
"A shame, indeed," she muttered, pushing herself from the tree to brush past him and continue through the forest. He watched her hop over a felled tree ahead of him. a smile on his lips. He shook his head once more, then headed off after her.
They made good time through the woods, eventually finding a path that took them back up over the mountain, heading north. Siore told him the creek that ran through Raven's Pass were offshoots from a larger river, that would lead them to another pass, this one marking the way deeper into the mountain range. They had to stop for fairly frequent breaks, so Sio could rest. Her body wasn't quite recovered fully. Surprisingly good time was made, still, and the fiasco at Raven's Pass was left far behind them by the time night fell on that first day.
The creek they were following grew larger already, and they camped along its banks every night when their legs called for rest, and weariness had them yearning for sleep. Wolves and the occasional endrega bothered them only a bit on their journey, thankfully. A week into following the creek found them at a fork in the stream, finally having arrived where it split from the larger river. Their journey continued along it.
They shared meals, and even a sleeping place, when the security of their camp allowed both of them to sleep, sharing heat and gentle caresses. Nothing much changed between them, though, Iorveth feeling almost numb where he knew he should be feeling strong emotion, and Sio becoming very quiet when aware of his emotional distance. It frustrated him, and he knew it saddened her.
During the second week, they found a beautiful spot to camp; the river made a wide bend, cutting around a mountain, and was home to a willow grove. The water on the wide part of the bend, opposite banks to the mountain, flowed slow and lazy. Sio was delighted at the beauty of the spot, calling for an earlier stop for the day and a few days of much-needed rest.
Iorveth stopped to watch her move to the riverbank, a huge smile on her face as she turned to face him.
"Are you alright with staying here a while? Maybe a few days?" she asked, pulling her bag from her shoulder and dropping it to to the ground. Iorveth moved his gaze about the riverside glade, a sweet smell coming from the beds of wildflowers dotting the base of the willows.
"Yes. We're in no hurry, any longer." She beamed again at his reply, before stretching enormously, the cracks and pops from her back audible.
"True," she grunted, working at cracking her neck, "Plus there should be a good fish dinner awaiting us in this river bend. And maybe a bath." She grabbed a strap of her bag and drug it to the base of a willow close to the water and on a grassy rise, Iorveth in her wake. "You get as ripe as a sun-baked carcass after the second week. Which is fast approaching, since you last bathed..."
Iorveth cocked a brow, smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he crossed his arms and watched her sink down into the grass between two willow roots.
"You're no meadow daisy," he smirked. She cackled, throwing her arms behind her head, propped on a root and pillowed by a cloak. Iorveth remained standing beside her, arms still over his chest. He looked out across the water, pleased with their grassy, sunny vantage point. It was afternoon, and the warm sunlight glittered atop the smooth surface of the water. Deep inhales of the mountain breezes carried grassy and floral scents, and filled him with relaxation. He closed his eyes and felt the sun bathe his features in warmth. Sio's blissful sigh floated up from at his feet, and he peeked down to find her already snoozing.
A hazy drowsiness ebbed at his own mind as he sat back against the willow, eyelids growing heavier the longer the sun's light soaked into his tired limbs. He gave into the stillness, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the bark. Sightlessly he let his other senses take over, drinking in the smells and sounds of their surroundings while his mind set off to wander.
Listless thoughts soon turned to brew about what they'd left behind, as they often started to ever since he'd left Raven's Pass. An uneasy ache settled itself in his gut, and an anxious flutter followed. Rage at the start of Nilfgaard's war, and his determination to find Sio had spurred him onto this path. Now that those fires had settled, he felt odd. Sometimes he felt free. Sometimes even guilt. Long had he fought wars for his people, against oppression and blind fear, but never had he been free to feel. His fight was always clear, his choices spurred by fire and necessity. He wasn't used to drifting. He hoped he'd grow used to it.
Shaking away his anxious thoughts, Iorveth opened his eye to focus on something else, and glanced down at Sio. The blissful atmosphere seemed to be affecting her positively, he thought, as he watched her limbs twitch occasionally in REM sleep. He snorted softly at her, amused and jealous at the same time. His gaze softened the longer he took in her slumbering features, warmth and a peaceful stillness once again filling his heart to replace the restless emotions. He liked that she had that affect on him, and realized that he would be alright.
A thought struck him, one that he realized he never addressed the whole journey from Raven's Pass. It wasn't entirely important, but the longer he mulled over it while Sio slumbered, the more he wanted to ask her.
"Hey," he voiced, breaking the long silence and extending a boot to nudge at Sio's leg with his foot. She jolted, bleary eyes wide.
"What? What's going on?" She looked around the bank before settling her eyes on Iorveth, propped up on her elbows.
"Nothing, I just wanted to ask you something." Her body language relaxed, and she pulled herself up to sit against the tree beside him while rubbing at her eyes. "What was it that you had to go back to Caervo's to retrieve? You never mentioned it." She stilled, staring down at the grass in front of them as he rested his hand on her knee. A tiny smile rose on her face as she looked away, her hand moving to her chest hesitantly. Her fingers pulled at a thin chain, producing a pendant necklace from inside her shirt. It looked to be some sort of crystal, or gem, though nothing he could identify. It caught the sun's light as she presented it, a blush coloring her cheeks as she looked at him and answered.
"Your dream."
