'You're a kind man, Jass, but a kind man is not what we need right now,' a woman said with a cold stare.
'I refuse to compromise on this!' said another man, bringing his fist down on a mock table in front of him.
Anya watched with interest from her spot.
'Well, if that's the way you're going to be, then count me out!' the woman said. 'For if...' She hesitated, then said, 'Hey, Birn, can I look at the script again?'
The man behind the table took out a script from the box that made up his table and handed it to her. She sat down on the box and read through it, mouthing the words to herself as she tried to memorize them.
'New play?' Raewyn asked.
The man addressed as Birn nodded. 'Wrote it last week.'
'And put in far too many monologues, if you ask me,' the woman said, not looking up from the script, which she was now flipping through. ''Specially for me.'
Anya couldn't help but laugh softly. "I love watching plays. " She said quietly.
Raewyn smiled. 'You're with the write people. The Ridah are the best actors in the land.'
"I've heard many good things about the Ridah. Especially about their plays and acting. I'd love to see a play sometime." Anya said smiling.
'We could put on one for you some time,' Mynah said. 'What sort of play do you like?'
"Ah!" She blinked, and went quiet for a moment. "…I like comedies." Anya said shyly.
'We'll put one on for you,' she said, smiling.
"I would greatly appreciate it." She said, still being shy.
'If we put on 'The Gentleman Thieves', we can have Raewyn play the cripple,' Mynah said, nudging his good shoulder with a good-natured smile.
'Mum!' Raewyn said, though he grinned.
Anya couldn't help but giggle at her comment. She had a smile on her face as she glanced at Raewyn.
Raewyn didn't seem to notice; he was still looking at his parents, talking with them. When they were all together, something became clear: Raewyn looked nothing like either of his parents.
Anya noticed this, and looked down at the ground, silently contemplating this fact.
Eventually, the play the others were rehearsing resumed. This time, the woman got the entire monologue down, but with some difficulty.
Anya turned her attention back to watching the rehearsal.
As it turned out, the play was a drama.
Anya kept watching, interested by the play.
After a couple of hours, rehearsal finished, and everyone went for lunch.
Anya came to sit by Raewyn. "Hey..." She said softly.
He smiled at her. 'What did you think of the play?'
"I like it so far. I can't wait to see it after they have finished practicing it." She said with a smile.
'Me too,' Raewyn said. 'It looks like it'll be good.'
"It does." She agreed nodding.
They were handed plates piled high with steamed vegetables and stewed beef, and Raewyn began eating.
Anya began to eat as well.
Birn and the woman were discussing the play over their lunch, talking about what worked and what could be improved.
Anya ate quietly as she listened to the conversation around her.
'So, Anya, where are you going?' Mynah asked.
"I am heading for the Northern Kingdom." She answered, looking over at her.
'Oh yes? What are you planning on doing there?' she asked.
"I am supposed to be meeting someone..."
'An elf?' she said.
Anya shook her head. "I don't really know. A letter was sent requesting my presence at the Northern Kingdom."
'Oh, well, that sounds exciting,' she said with a smile. 'Just like a story.'
"Oh? I-It's nothing like that." She said, her face going pink. "At least. I hope it isn't."
Mynah laughed lightly. 'Well, let's hope it goes well for you.'
"I hope so too. " She agreed quietly, looking away slightly.
The discussion between Birn and the woman was getting louder. Others in the troupe glanced at them and smiled to each other.
Anya looked at them for a moment and then Raewyn. "How are you doing?" She asked softly.
'Feeling better,' he said. 'Whatever Frae gave me seems to be helping.'
"Well. That's good." She said with a small smile.
He smiled a little at her. 'Yeah.'
Anya looked away after that, her face still slightly pink as she thought about what this person may want her for in the Northern Kingdom.
Lunch soon broke up and the troupe went off to do various jobs.
Anya stayed with Raewyn, not sure what to do herself.
Raewyn's parents went to do different jobs, leaving them in privacy.
Anya looked at the ground in silence, she wasn't sure what to say.
'So, what do you think of it here?' he asked.
"I like it. It's nice and comfortable, yet they take everything seriously."
Raewyn smiled.
'Yes, they've always been like that,' he said softly. 'You wouldn't find anyone kinder to guests than the Ridah.
Anya smiled and nodded, agreeing with him.
'So, do you know what you're going to do while we're here?' Raewyn said.
"I'm not sure exactly. I don't know what I can do to help out." Anya admitted, drooping her shoulders slightly.
'Well, Frae usually needs help making her medicines, and I think some of the caravans are being repainted,' he said.
Anya thought for a moment, trying to recall which one had been introduced as Frae. "She is the one who had put medicine on you, correct?"
Raewyn nodded. 'She was always getting us to help her when I was a kid.'
"I can go see if she needs help. Where is she?"
'Should be in her caravan,' he said, pointing to it.
Anya nodded and stood up. "Get better, alright?" She said before turning and heading towards the caravan Raewyn had pointed to.
The old woman was indeed in there, bent over a table where she was slicing herbs.
"Uh... H-Hello." Anya said softly.
Frae looked up. 'Oh, hello, girl. Anya, right?'
"Correct. Is there anything I can help you with?"
'You could help me slice these, if you like,' Frae said. 'I have a spare knife in that drawer.' She indicated one on a small chest of drawers behind her.
Anya nodded and went to the chest. Opening the correct drawer, she grabbed the knife and came back. "I figured I would like to help around. I didn't want to sit and do nothing."
'Good on you, taking initiative like that. Raewyn used to wait to be told what to do until catching on he was supposed to volunteer for things,' she said.
Anya smiled and giggled slightly. "I see. I prefer to try and help, I don't like sitting around when I could try to help." Her smile didn't fade.
'Very good. More young people should do that,' she said. She divided the herbs in half and put some down on one side of the table. 'You can handle those. Pull up a spare chair.
Anya did so and sat down.
'So how long had it been since Raewyn injured his shoulder?' Frae asked.
"A few weeks ago." She answered.
Frae tutted. 'That boy can be rather foolish at times, you know. Always been reluctant to deal with an injury properly.'
Anya gave a small smile. "It wasn't as bad as it is now at first. At first it was just a small bruise. But it expanded down his shoulder..." Her face and voice showed concern.
'And he still waited until he hurt his other arm to come get help. Sometimes it's like he's not much better about thinking about danger than he was when he was a kid,' Frae said, shaking her head.
"He hurt his other arm trying to protect me from bandits. We were on our way to a town to get his first injury checked out, because it was getting worse. " Her face fell even more.
'Well, that's better than nothing,' Frae said. 'He used to be worse about it.'
"Oh?" She asked.
'Oh yes. Took all day for him to tell us about a broken finger when he was fourteen. Must've been luck that stopped that boy killing himself as a kid,' she said.
"Oh my..." Anya said with a small laugh. "I wouldn't have thought him to be reckless like that."
'Oh yes. Knew he'd be trouble the moment he came to us. Luckily he mostly grew out of it, but let me tell you, it took several years...' She spent the next little while regaling Anya with stories about Raewyn's reckless youth.
Anya would laugh and smile as she listened to the stories, rather enjoying them.
The work passed quickly, and eventually all the herbs were chopped and put away.
Anya set the knife down and massaged her hands gently. "What did you mean about the moment he came to you?" She asked suddenly.
'Oh, when he was younger,' Frae began, but dinner was called. 'Let's go, now. I think Mynah made fish soup tonight.'
"Ah, alright." She said nodding and standing up.
Frae went down ahead of Anya and took a seat around the fire. Raewyn and his parents were already there at the other side.
Anya followed and went to sit down next to Raewyn.
'Hello. Have fun?' Raewyn asked her.
"It was interesting. I learned quite a lot about you." She said with a smile, gently poking his side.
'Uh oh,' he said, with a grin. 'What did she say?'
"She told me how reckless and silly you were as a child." Anya said with a small laugh.
'Oh yes, I remember those days well,' Mynah said, with a chuckle.
Anya turned and smiled at her. "Tell me, was he really as silly as Frae tells me?"
'Oh yes,' Travven said, with a soft smile. 'Sometimes sillier.'
Anya giggled. "Really?"
Travven nodded. 'Liked exploring and causing trouble. Got himself into all sorts of scrapes with the other children early on, too.'
'Dad,' Raewyn said. 'I wasn't that bad.'
'Yes you were,' Mynah said, with a good-natured smile.
Anya giggled again.
'So which stories did Frae tell you about him?' Mynah asked.
"She told me about he would go on without telling anyone about getting hurt, and his little adventures in the forest and whatnot." She said.
'I wasn't that bad!' Raewyn said.
'You went a whole day without telling us about your broken finger,' Travven pointed out.
'I did say something about,' he said.
'When Mynah noticed you couldn't move it,' Travven replied.
Anya listened to the exchange between them.
They went on in this vein for a long time, until people began to drift away. Travven got some brandy and poured it for himself and Mynah, and offered some to Raewyn and Anya. Raewyn declined; he was feeling rather tired, and went to bed early, bidding good night to his parents and Anya.
Anya shook her head, declining as well. But she stayed by the fire. "Before, Frae had told me that Raewyn came to you guys when he was little. I hadn't the time to ask an explanation... Did something happen to him as a child?" She asked them quietly.
'Yes,' Travven said softly, sipping at his brandy and gazing into the fire. 'We took him in when he was nine.'
"What... happened?" Anya asked with a slight frown.
'His village was wiped out by bandits,' he said. 'He had snuck out to see us and I saw it when I was taking him back. Good thing he came, too, or he would have been killed along with the rest.'
"O-Oh..." She said, her eyes widening. "I... I see." Anya added, looking down at her lap.
'The area was hit by hard times,' Mynah said. 'Bandits were all over the place. We got out of there that night.'
Anya nodded. "I see..."
'I suppose he hasn't told you anything about it, then?' Travven asked.
She shook her head. "No, but it doesn't surprise me. He is merely taking me to the Northern Kingdom..." As she said this, she looked down again, her face someone disappointed slightly at the fact.
Travven shook his head. 'Doesn't say much about it in general, so don't take it personally. Hasn't even told us his parents' names. He mentioned having sisters growing up, three older ones, but that was all.'
"I see..." She said once more.
'You can mention it to him, but mind you don't ask him personal questions about it,' Mynah said. 'He doesn't usually answer them.'
Anya nodded. "I don't know if I should, so I will probably leave it be as it is. I don't want to bring up anything painful. "
Mynah nodded. 'Let him talk about it at his own pace.'
Anya nodded again. "I'm sure it's hard to think about anyways."
Mynah nodded again, and silence descended.
Anya looked back down at her lap once more, seemingly lost in thought.
'Where were you planning on staying tonight?' Mynah asked, after a moment.
Anya bit her lip for a second. "I'm… not sure actually." She admitted.
'Might as well stay in our caravan, then. It'll be a bit cramped, but it'll do,' Mynah said.
"Al-Alright, if you don't mind..." She said softly.
'Oh, not at all,' Mynah said. 'I can get you settled in now, if you like.'
"Ah, please." Anya said with a small smile.
Mynah smiled and stood, and brought Anya over to her caravan. It was cluttered inside, and Raewyn was sleeping on a bench bed near the door; a slightly larger one farther up the caravan indicated where Mynah and Travven slept. 'I'm afraid there's no room to put you on the floor, so you'll have to go with Raewyn there,' Mynah said. 'You should be comfortable enough there.'
"A-Ah, alright." Anya said, her facing going a light pink. She turned to look at Raewyn, a small smile appearing on her face.
'Hey.' Mynah patted Raewyn's shoulder firmly and said something in the Ridah language. Raewyn moved over in his sleep, making room for Anya to join.
Anya went over and sat down next to Raewyn. She waited a moment before tying her hair into a ponytail before lying down.
Mynah left to finish her brandy.
Anya had turned over to her side, her back facing Raewyn as she took a few minutes before starting to doze off.
Raewyn slowly noticed someone lying next to him. He woke up slowly. 'Huh?'
By then, Anya was almost completely asleep, her back was still towards him, and her blonde ponytail pulled over shoulder to keep it out flinging out behind her.
'Anya?' Raewyn said.
She stirred slightly.
'Uh...' Raewyn glanced around the caravan, then back at her.
Slowly, she started to sit up. "Y-Yes, Raewyn?" She asked softly.
'Uh...I wasn't expecting you here,' he said, at a bit of a loss as to what to say.
"Your...mother said I could sleep here..." Anya said shyly.
'Oh...all right,' he said.
"Sorry, I can go somewhere else if you prefer." She said, looking away as she rubbed her eyes.
'No, no, it's fine. I just wasn't expecting it. Sorry,' he said.
"Sorry, I hadn't meant to wake you either." Anya said turning to him.
He gave her a small smile. 'That's all right.'
She smiled slightly in return. "Let's go to sleep then."
He lay back down and made himself comfortable, moving over again to give Anya a bit more room.
Anya lay back down, this time facing him.
He gave her another small smile, and then closed his eyes.
She smiled back and closed her eyes, falling asleep rather quickly.
He fell asleep quickly as well.
Soon, morning came once more
Raewyn drifted awake. He had moved closer to Anya in his sleep; they were now side by side.
Anya hadn't minded this; she snuggled closer slightly in her sleep for the warmth, comforted by his presence.
He didn't move yet, not wanting to wake her.
Anya continued to sleep, still content.
Raewyn closed his eyes and rested a bit longer.
Anya snuggled closer once more.
He moved his arm, trying to make his injured shoulder comfortable. As a result, his hand brushed hers.
Anya's hand twitched slightly, and she reached out, taking hold of his hand gently.
Raewyn had been nodding off slightly, but he woke up a bit at that. He flushed, but didn't move his hand away
Anya was still asleep, oblivious to this.
Slowly, Raewyn started drifting off again.
Anya stirred suddenly, slowly opening her eyes. She went to go rub her eyes, but blushed when she realized her hand was in Raewyn's. She rubbed her eyes with her other hand and then poked him.
Raewyn opened his eyes. 'Morning,' he said.
"Morning..." She said softly.
'Uh...how did you sleep?' he asked.
"Uh, g-good. And yourself?' She responded.
'Good,' Raewyn said.
Anya looked down, instantly noticing their hands. She blushed again.
Raewyn glanced at them, and blushed as well. He was wondering if it would be worse to keep his hand where it was or try to move it away.
Anya was debating the same thing. She didn't want to pull her hand back, but she wasn't sure if she should keep it where it was.
The call for breakfast came, and Raewyn pulled his hand away, trying not to look relieved at having the decision made for him.
Anya pulled her hand back, and turned to get up.
Raewyn stood after her, and gestured for her to go down first. 'Uh, after you.'
She nodded, and headed out. As she left, Anya pulled out her ponytail and let her hair fall naturally.
Raewyn followed her out, where the entire troupe was sitting and having breakfast. Mynah noticed them coming and served them some.
Anya thanked her with a smile as she sat down.
Mynah smiled back at her. 'So how was your night?'
"It was good." She said with a smile in return.
'Good,' Mynah said, with an odd smile on her face.
Anya didn't quite understand this, but she gave a small nod.
Raewyn noticed it, though, and suddenly focussed intently on his breakfast.
Anya ate in silence.
Breakfast went on, conversation flying around them.
Soon, Anya was finished with her breakfast.
So was Raewyn.
Anya leaned back, giving him the occasional side-glance.
Again, people went off to do various jobs.
Anya stayed there next to Raewyn.
A couple weeks passed. With Frae giving Raewyn regular doses of medicine, he soon got better until his shoulder was nearly normal, though still slightly weak.
By then, Anya had been helping around the caravan, and was overly enjoying herself here. She still worried about Raewyn, but as he got better, she didn't worry as much.
It was breakfast one morning, and they were sitting around eating.
Anya was sitting next to Raewyn, though she had already finished eating by now.
'I was thinking about heading out either today or tomorrow,' he said to her.
"Are you sure?" She asked. "Your shoulder still isn't completely healed yet."
'It's good enough,' he said, 'and we've lost a lot of time already.'
"True, but it is still too weak. You should rest more."
'I can hold a sword well enough, it'll be fine.'
"I don't think so. It's still really weak. " She disagreed with a slight frown.
He shook his head. 'It's good enough. It won't collapse on me if we get in a fight.'
Anya shook her head. "Well, we still shouldn't take chances!"
'We won't be taking any bad chances!' Raewyn said.
"I still think we need to stay a little longer." By then, Anya had turned to him, a deep frown on her face.
'We'll be fine, but we've lost a few weeks here. If this keeps up, we'll be travelling through winter,' Raewyn said.
"At least give your shoulder a few more days to heal." She said.
'It'll be fine if we don't,' he said, his voice rising slightly.
Anya glared at him. "I don't want you to take a chance of hurting yourself again!" Her voice was starting to rise as well.
'I've already said I'll be fine!' he said.
"We need to stay and let you heal a little longer!" Anya said back.
'My shoulder won't get any better here than it would on the road!' he retorted.
"And if we get attacked again while your shoulder is weak and if gets worse again?!" She shot back.
'We'll be able to handle it!' he said.
"We don't know that for sure!" She said.
'Look, we need to get back on the road!' he said.
"And I think we need to stay and let you heal a little more!"
'Look, if we don't want to be travelling through winter, the time to leave is now!' he said.
Anya frowned. "I don't want to takes chances of you getting hurt, whether we travel through winter or not!"
'Oh, will you two just kiss all ready?' the woman said, rolling her eyes.
Anya froze, blinking at the comment. "E-eh...?"
Raewyn froze as well. 'Uh...'
The troupe began laughing.
Anya went silent, her face turning red, as she looked away.
Raewyn looked at the fire.
Anya's gaze quickly went down to her lap.
'Regardless,' Travven said, leaning forward to look Raewyn in the eye, 'I want you to stay a bit longer, at least. Your shoulder's weaker than you'd like to admit right now, and there's worse things than travelling in winter.'
Anya remained quiet, though she silently agreed with Travven.
'...Fine,' Raewyn said, after a moment. Travven smiled softly.
Anya smiled slightly when she heard this.
Travven looked up at Anya for just a moment. It was hard to catch, but had he winked?
Anya blinked, not sure if she had seen it or not, but her face went pink once again. She continued to look away from Raewyn.
'If you're willing this afternoon, Anya, we could put on a performance for you,' Mynah said.
"Ah, that would be wonderful." She said with a small smile.
She smiled. 'Good. I think 'The Gentleman Thieves' would work nicely. It's been a while since we've done it.'
Anya smiled and nodded. "I look forward to it greatly."
'Good. Raewyn, you're taking part,' Mynah said.
'Yes, Mum,' Raewyn said.
Anya gave him a side-glance, still a little too shy to look him in the face after what had been said earlier.
Raewyn didn't seem to mind being spontaneously cast. He finished up his breakfast and discussed the costumes and sets with his parents.
Anya was quiet as she listened to them talk.
Today, some people worked on setting up what they would need for the play.
Anya helped out with whatever she could.
After everyone had lunch, they put on the performance. Those who weren't taking part in the pay sat in the audience.
Anya watched with a smile, enjoying it.
Raewyn played a cripple in this one. The bandages around his injured shoulder had been re-applied more extensively when he hadn't needed them in a week, and he kept the arm very close to him and didn't move it during his performance. He acted rather well.
Anya watched him, a small smile on her face. She enjoyed watching him perform.
Around the middle of the afternoon, the play ended.
Anya clapped softly when the play had ended. She had enjoyed it quite a bit.
The actors bowed.
Anya smiled as she continued to clap softly.
They came down to mingle with the crowd, still in costumes. Raewyn was in a faded rich coat studded with glass gems.
"You did really well." She said to him, a smile still on her face.
'Thanks,' he said, with a grin.
Anya looked away shyly once again. "I liked it, it was really interesting."
'Good to know,' Raewyn said. 'Be sure to mention that to Mum at some point.'
"I will, I will." She said nodding.
'Good,' Raewyn said.
Anya soon fell silent.
Mynah came over. 'So, what did you think?'
"I loved it." Anya told her with a smile.
Anya nodded once more.
She smiled. "Good. I'm glad."
'You should see more plays when you have the chance. Most theatres have them running regularly.' Mynah said.
"I'll try to then." She said.
Mynah smiled at her. 'Mind helping us pack it all away?'
"Sure, I'd be happy to help." Anya said smiling again.
They began packing away the props; they would get the costumes off later.
Anya helped pack, occasionally asking where a certain item went.
Eventually, everything was packed away, and te actors went to their caravans to change back into their regular clothes
Anya went to go check on Sebastian.
He was standing with the rest of the troupe's horses, eating grass under the shade of a tree.
"Hey boy." She said once she was close enough. "How are you?"
He nickered at her.
Anya smiled and patted his head gently.
He rubbed his nose against her.
Anya giggled softly. "Have you been enjoying yourself here with other horses?" She asked.
He snorted.
She smiled again. "I'll take that as a yes."
He bent his head to graze again.
Anya continued to pet him for a few minutes, before saying goodbye and heading back towards the caravan.
Raewyn came out of the caravan at that point, back in his normal clothes and with his shoulder unbandaged.
"Hey." She said to him as she walked up.
'Hey,' he said.
She gave him a small smile. "I went to go see Sebastian. He says hello."
Raewyn grinned. 'That's nice of him. Did you bring him anything?'
"I didn't think to. Sorry.." She said, shaking her head.
He shook his head in mock disappointment. 'He'll hold a grudge against you, now. That horse never forgets.'
"I'll give him something next time. " She said sheepishly.
He grinned at her. 'He'll thank you for that.'
Anya smiled back. "I hope so."
A few days later, after leaving the Ridah, Raewyn and Anya were making camp.
Anya went to go collect some firewood.
It had been a while before they'd found a good place to stop, and as a result it was rather dark.
Anya soon came back with firewood in her arms.
'Hey. No trees tried attacking you out there?' Raewyn joked.
"Not at all. But with it being so dark, I had to be careful to watch my step." She said with a small smile.
'Yeah, sorry 'bout that,' Raewyn said sheepishly.
"It's fine, no need to apologize." Anya said with anouther smile. She set the wood down and began to work on the fire.
Raewyn got food out for them.
Soon, she had the fire ready.
He brought over various leftover foods they had to finish up; his family had given them a fair bit of food to tide them over for a while once this was gone.
Anya poked the fire with a stick, making slight conversation every once in a while.
He talked with her as well
Soon, food was ready.
Raewyn gave her her share.
Anya took it, saying her thanks with a smile.
He smiled back and began eating his.
Soon, Anya had finished hers, and brought her knees up to her chest and watched the fire.
Raewyn took their plates to wash.
Anya stayed where she was.
It was quite dark when he came back. 'I see what you mean about earlier. I nearly tripped three times coming back.'
"I did say it was hard to see where to walk." She said laughing slightly.
He chuckled. 'Guess I should've listened.'
"Maybe." Anya agreed with a smile. "Do you want to take the time to set up the tent? Or just sleep under the stars?"
'Might as well sleep out here. I don't have the energy to set it up,' he said.
"Alright." She agreed. "It's really late already. "
He nodded, and got out their bedrolls.
Anya watched silently.
He handed her hers to set up where she liked, and put his on one side of the fire.
Anya took hers and went to the other side of the fire and set hers down
'Night,' Raewyn said.
"Good night." She said, lying down.
Soon, Raewyn was asleep.
Later on, around the middle of the night, there was some rustling in the trees around them. Anya stirred, turning over onto her other side, but remained asleep.
Raewyn awoke slightly, but not much.
Soon, more rustling could be heard. This time, Anya awoke, yawning and lightly looking around. She didn't sit up, but rather stayed in her comfortable position.
The rustling was definitely more than just the wind, and Raewyn woke up as well. Before he could do anything, someone rushed out of the bushes behind him and struck him hard on the head with a bat; he slumped back.
Anya sat up at the rustling of the bushes and looked around. "Raewyn?" she asked somewhat sleepily.
A similar bat descended on her head.
Anya slumped back down from the blow, now unconscious.
They lifted her up and made off with her.
Later on, Anya bit her lip slightly, almost groaning but not quite.
'Still don't know why we 'ave to bother with this,' someone, a man, muttered.
'Because those damn dryads din't do their fuckin' job, that's why. Dumb as stumps, dryads.'
Anya remained still, acting unconscious as she listened. Who were these guys? And where were they taking her?
'Anyway, we're nearly there,' the second man said.
'Still...bloody waste o' time.'
'Shut up, we're nearly there.'
Anya was still. They had also mentioned the dryads, were these men working with them?
They soon seemed to arrive at wherever they were going, because she was dropped roughly to the ground. 'Now we wait,' the second man said.
Anya bit her lip harshly to keep form grunting as she came into contact with the ground.
Raewyn, during his time, had come to. He was quite groggy and dizzy, but knew Anya had been taken and forced himself up. He packed up camp, took a log from the still-smouldering fire, nursed it back into a flame, took Sebastian's reins, and started out after her, crouching down constantly as he went.
From the sound of it, the two men guarding Anya were gambling on a card game as they waited.
Anya was quiet, and opened one eye slightly to take a quick look around. She didn't dare move.
It was a section of the forest that had grown over an old, stone building, now covered with moss and ferns.
Anya gulped quietly, and closed her eyes again, trying to focus her hearing.
From a short distance away, someone was walking towards them.
Anya froze, and waited in silence.
The men scrambled to their feet as whoever it was approached. 'Sir - we got 'er, sir.'
'I could tell. Go now.'
The two men left.
'You can open your eyes, Anya. I know you're awake.'
Anya did so, glaring up at whoever was in front of her.
It was a man, looking very similar to her, though slightly older. He had a cold look on his face. 'It's been a while, Anya.'
Her eyes widened in recognition. "Br-Brother?!"
'I'm almost surprised you even remember me,' he said. 'Has Father ever mentioned me?'
"He has." She said with a glare.
'Anything nice?' he said, leaning casually against a rock wall.
"Nothing is nice about you." Anya kept her glare at him.
'Well, what bad things did he say about me?' he said.
"That you are a terrible person, greedy and power-hungry." She said looking away.
'Well, that's hardly fair of him, is it? Father was the one who made me this way.'
"Father would never. You are just a bad person!"
'Of course you'd say that,' he said softly. 'He hasn't started on you yet.'
"And what are you talking about?" She asked.
'What I'm talking about is,' he said, his voice growing harder, 'that you haven't seen just what Father is willing to do.'
She glared at him again. "I'd like to know what you mean. Because it still sounds like you are just a bad person."
'You'll be old enough to get your inheritance this year,' he said. 'I never got mine, you know. Father never gave it to me. He was saving it all for you.'
"Is that what this is about?"
'No,' he said softly. 'There's more to it than that. But I'm not about to tell you that.'
"Oh really? " She asked, frowning at him.
'No,' he said, 'because there's not much point. There's too much to explain.'
Her frown deepened as she looked at him.
'I'm afraid Father never told you much of what happened between us,' he said, 'but I'm not surprised at that. Father was always very controlling.'
Anya refused to speak, and just stared at him.
'Well, enough of this,' he said, standing. He drew out a long, thin knife from a sheath on his thigh. 'Come here.'
She shook her head. "Never."
He shrugged. 'Your choice. But it's more painful this way.'
Anya kept her glare on him, not moving an inch.
He went forward. He drew back the knife.
Raewyn jumped, and landed on him, slamming them both into the wall. Raewyn pushed himself up slowly; Nikolai rolled gracefully and rushed at him again. Raewyn brought up his sword one-handed; with the other, he took out his dagger and tossed it in Anya's direction.
Anya caught the dagger and stood up. Biting her lip, she looked at Raewyn and Nikolai for a moment before rushing forward towards her brother.
With a quick, fluid movement, Nikolai swung out his leg, knocking Raewyn off his feet, and turned into he same movement to meet Anya.
Anya continued to rush at him.
He slashed at her with the knife.
Anya gasped and fell backwards, a hand on her chest. Blood seeped through as she looked down at her chest. There was a gash down her chest. And she cried out in pain.
Raewyn pushed himself up and stabbed Nikolai with his sword. It opened up a large, gaping wound in his side, causing him to cry out, and then snarl in anger as he turned to face Raewyn. He darted away quickly - but not before his two accomplices came over to see what it was, and attacked the two of them.
Raewyn got up and fought them.
Anya tried to get back up, but cried out in pain once again, her hands on her chest, trying to stop the bleeding.
Raewyn noticed, and dispatched the men as quickly as possible. He dropped his sword and went to her side.
Anya whimpered as she shuddered in pain.
He moved her shirt to either side slightly to look at the wound.
Anya couldn't do much to stop him. The gash went down her chest and over one of her breasts slightly.
Raewyn pulled his shirt over his head and stuck that over it.
Anya hissed in pain, but stayed still as best as she could.
He fetched the still-burning stick he had dropped, gathered some other things around it, and lit a fire so he could see what he was doing.
Anya had remained still, shuddering slightly from the pain. She held his shirt over the wound as best as she could.
'Uh...I might have to stitch that up,' he said.
"G-Go… Ahead..." She whimpered out.
He got out a needle and thread, then a water skin, and began cleaning the wound.
Anya cried out in pain once more. She tried hard to stay still, but still shied away from him slightly.
'Sorry. Sorry,' he muttered as he did it. 'Luckily it's shallow, so there aren't many stitches needed.'
"G-Good.." She said. After a moment, she whimpered out. "Raewyn.. can I... lay down..?"
'Oh! Yeah. Yeah, sorry,' he said.
Anya nodded slightly as she laid down.
He put in a few more stitches, then sat back. 'And we need to bandage it.'
Anya was silent. She had passed out while he was putting in the stitches.
He glanced at her, noticed that, and took a deep breath. He got his bandages out, then went to her, and paused. He steeled himself, then slowly removed her shirt, and, looking as little as possible, began bandaging her.
Anya remained unconscious throughout this.
He eventually got it done, then put her in her bedroll and put her blanket over her.
She remained unconscious throughout the rest of the night.
Raewyn stayed up to watch her, still dealing with the concussion he had.
Anya slept peacefully, moving ever so slightly. After a while, she groaned.
Raewyn perked up. 'Hm?'
"R…ewy...n...: She groaned out.
He went over to her. 'What is it?'
Anya was still asleep, but she had a frown on her face.
He watched her carefully.
Anya moved slightly, and then whimpered.
He shook her shoulder gently. 'Anya?'
Anya reached out towards him, and pulled him down into a hug.
'Ah!' Raewyn said. He awkwardly tried to get up again.
Anya kept her hold, not letting go of him.
'Uh...Anya,' Raewyn said.
Slowly, her eyes blinked open. "H-huh...?"
'Uh, hey,' he said.
Her eyes widened and she instantly went to let go. "Uh, hi." she said.
'Uh...' Raewyn glanced down from her face to her chest, which was now exposed. He looked back up at her face quickly. 'Uh, you sounded like you were having a nightmare or something.'
At this her face was tinted pink. "I, uh, well..." Anya said trying to recall what she had dreamt about.
'You, um, said my name,' he said.
Her blush darkened. "I.. did?"
'Yeah...' he said. 'Just once, though.'
Anya looked away as she noticed her arms still around him. She instantly let go after noticing.
Raewyn kept his gaze locked on her face. 'So...yeah.'
Anya pulled her arms away from him. "Y-You... can get up now..." She said shyly.
He stood up and took a couple steps back. 'I just wanted to know if you were, er, all right.'
"Y-Yeah... I'm fine.." She said softly.
'That's good,' he said. After a moment, he sat back on the other side of the fire.
Anya moved to sit up slowly.
'Do you, er, want something to wear?' he asked.
"Is my cloak dirty?" She said.
'No, it's fine,' he said. He handed it to her.
Anya wrapped it around herself gently.
Raewyn picked up his severely blood-stained shirt, looked at it, then set it beside him.
"You didn't have to use your shirt..."
'Sorry,' he said. 'It was the first thing I had on hand.'
"Don't apologize..." She said with a slight frown.
He couldn't help but give her a slight, teasing grin. 'Sorry.'
Anya sighed and shook her head, a small smile forming on her lips.
'So, what happened here?' Raewyn said.
At that, Anya went quiet. After a few moments, she decided to speak. "My... brother.."
Raewyn sat up, his gaze suddenly sharp. 'That was your /brother/ that did this to you?'
She nodded. "Yes. He's older than I. And was kicked out of my village..."
After a moment, after apparently wrestling with himself, he said, 'If you don't want to say anything, don't feel like you have to.'
"It's just been many years since I had seen him... Not since I was younger."
Raewyn nodded in understanding.
"He wouldn't tell me why he wanted me either.."
'What did he say?' he asked.
"Only about my inheritance that I am to receive from father this year..."
'What're you inheriting?' he asked.
"We aren't told until the year of our inheritance." She said softly.
Raewyn nodded. 'Well, then, we'll just keep an eye out for him from now on.
Anya gave a small nod.
He sighed a little. 'So...how up do you feel to travel?'
"I should be fine." She answered after a moment.
'Good,' he said, 'but just to be sure, we'll take it slow. And you're riding Sebastian the whole way.'
"Alright." She agreed.
'Good.' He was silent for a moment, then said, 'But first, we should repair your shirt.'
Anya nodded softly. "I can sew..."
He handed her the needle and thread, then poured water in a pot and began scrubbing his shirt.
Anya took the needle and thread, and slowly began to sew up her shirt. Her hands were shaking slightly, but she managed.
Raewyn eventually got his shirt clean, and hung it over the fire to dry.
By then, Anya had managed to finished sewing her shirt back up.
Raewyn turned around so she could get it on.
Anya slowly pulled it on after he did so.
He turned around again.
Anya was fixing her shirt.
'When do you want to leave?' he asked.
"Tomorrow morning if possible.." She answered quietly.
He nodded. 'All right.'
Anya nodded once again.
'Get some sleep,' he said.
She nodded again and laid back down slowly.
He stayed up, still keeping watch.
The night was quiet, and peaceful.
Morning soon came. Raewyn was tired, but put on his now-dry shirt and got ready to do.
Anya sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes.
Raewyn doused the fire. 'How're you feeling?'
"Better." She answered.
'Good. If you don't mind, we'll wait until we're a bit away from here to eat,' he said.
"That is fine." Anya said as she started to stand.
He held Sebastian for her.
Anya managed to get on Sebastian and looked down at him.
Raewyn lead Sebastian away.
Anya held on and remained quiet.
Raewyn got them far away from the ruins before finally stopping, and slumping.
"Maybe we should stop and rest." Anya said quietly.
He nodded. 'Uh...you don't mind if I sleep for a bit, do you?'
"Not at all. We should be fine.." She said.
'Thanks.' Raewyn helped her down, then lay under a tree, curled himself up in his cloak, and fell asleep.
Anya sat next to him quietly, looking around.
It was a calm part of the forest.
Anya leaned back against the tree, and sighed. Her chest was hurting slightly, but not as bad as the night before.
After a couple hours, Raewyn woke up, feeling more refreshed.
Anya was still next to him, leaning against the tree.
He stretched, then stood. 'So, ready for breakfast?'
"Yes. " She said with a smile.
Raewyn glanced at the sun. 'Well, lunch. What do you feel like?'
"Anything is fine." Anya answered.
Raewyn nodded, and began gathering wood for a fire.
Anya stood up and went over to Sebastian.
Sebastian was grazing beneath a tree.
Anya reached out and petted the horse gently. "Hey boy."
He snorted and nuzzled her.
"Can I get into my bag?" She asked, reaching for her bag.
He snorted and went back to cropping the grass.
Anya grabbed her bag and pulled it off of him. Reaching inside it, she rustled around.
Raewyn came over to get some food. 'Looking for something?'
"Not in particular. I'm seeing what I have left in my bag." She said.
He nodded and went to cook lunch.
Anya came back, her bag still on hand.
Raewyn glanced up from where he was making stew.
Anya sat down a few feet away from him and set the bag down.
He watched her as he waited for the stew to cook.
Anya looked at him before turned to go through her bag once more.
'What've you got in there?' he asked.
"An assortment of things." She said.
Raewyn nodded. He checked on the stew.
Anya gave up on going through her bag and set it back down next to her.
Raewyn gave her a large bowl of stew.
Anya took it, saying thanks as she did so.
Raewyn served himself and began eating.
She began to eat as well.
Her bag was slightly open, and Raewyn saw a small glint in her bag. He nodded at it. 'What's that?'
"Hmm?" Anya asked as she looked down. Pulling the bag open with one hand, she dug for a moment before pulling out a ring. "This? It was my mothers..."
'It's nice,' he said, looking at it. 'Why do you keep it in your bag?'
Anya's face fell. "My mother gave this to me when I was little. Not long after that... She had an accident.."
A look of sympathy flickered over Raewyn's face.
Anya shook her head, as if trying to get rid of the memories and quickly put the ring back into her back.
Raewyn finished his food and set it to one side.
Anya soon finished eating as well and set her bowl down.
Raewyn went to wash their things.
Anya curled up to watch the fire
Raewyn came back after a short while. 'Want to rest?'
"If you don't mind..." She said softly.
'No, you need it,' he said, taking a seat near her.
Anya nodded thanks, and continued to look at the fire.
'Want anything?' he asked.
She shook her head. "No thank you."
'All right,' he said.
Anya was silent after that
Raewyn watched her in silence.
After a while, Anya spoke. "Do you want to head out soon?"
'Whenever you're ready,' he said. 'Don't push yourself.'
"I'll be fine." She said. "We can go now."
'If you're sure,' he said, standing and putting away their things.
Anya nodded, slowly standing up because picking up her bag.
He put out the fire and got Sebastian.
Anya stood there, waiting and watching him.
He kept Sebastian still to let Anya to get on.
Anya got on and set her bag back where it had been earlier and nodded to Raewyn.
Raewyn set off.
Anya held onto the horse and kept quiet.
They stopped that night, and Raewyn set up the tent.
Anya watched quietly.
When that was done, Raewyn lit a fire and began working on diner.
Anya sat next to the fire, and asked if he needed any help.
'I'll be fine. You should rest,' he said.
"Are you sure?" She asked quietly.
'Yeah,' he said, grinning slightly.
Anya raised an eyebrow but said nothing as she turned to look at the fire.
He grilled some fish and cooked some rice for them.
Anya watched quietly with interest.
He handed her her plate when it was done.
Anya took it with a small smile and thanked him. Then she started to eat.