Chasing Dreams (Peregrine x Viverescribere)






Zemira


Distracted briefly by him taking one of the bags from her, she had reached out to try and pull it back to her own shoulder. The gold that painted his skin unnerved her, but not for the same reasons why it unnerved those within the carriage. It forced her to relive the memories of when she first found him... when she saved him. She was not naïve, she knew he must have bled during his training sessions with the other guards, but those incidents she did not see.

They will leave. Once they are done.

His words caused her mind to shudder to a stop, the images of a young Eitan curled up in a ball blowing away as if on a breeze. The words remained though, since they were so fresh off the tongues of the villagers within the carriage. So it left Zemi confused, the princess struggling to understand both what had been said, and how she felt once it began to dawn on her.

Her eyes travelled up to land on his face, her hand and arm stilling in her attempts to get the bag back so he didn't worsen his injury. He could never hide things from her, as hard as he tried. Something always gave him away, his expression, his words, his tone. As hard as he tried to keep her from learning the truth about something, he always found it difficult to lie.

Clearly a deal had been struck, just how Zemira had yet to find out and understand, undoubtedly she would question him about it later. But it seemed that deal was only good for their lives. The temptation to turn and look back at the carriage was great, but she kept herself from doing so, not wanting to face those who so cruelly heckled them moments ago. Even if they hadn't said anything, they still didn't stop others from doing so, and in Zemi's eyes... they could be considered just as bad.

Zemira was stuck, torn between her duty to the common folk and the anger and hurt she felt at how poorly the people responded upon stumbling across the truth. They had smiled to Eitan when they thought he was human, welcomed him onto the carriage, offered conversation and a friendliness that would not have been present if they knew the truth that pumped through his veins. He had, in their knowledge, risked his life to protect them. Yet even that wasn't good enough.

Perhaps it was a good thing he hadn't risked his life for those people. They certainly wouldn't have stuck their neck out for him.

Yet... if they allowed these people to die, knowing that they were walking away and leaving these people to their fate... did that not make them just as evil and beastly as the monsters that would ultimately kill them? Surely they had to be better, and rise above all the abuse and discrimination, and therefore prove that Eitan was no monster and actually more human than any of them.

But... did she really want to watch her friend fight to the death over people that would spit after his feet once it was all done? Who would look to kill him despite him having just saved their lives? How could she allow such risks to be taken, when those people didn't even appreciate it. They did not care for him, nor recognise what he had just seemingly done for them. If his blood had been red, he would have been a hero. But because it was gold... he was a threat, a monster, a fiend. He was nothing. And Zemira could allow him to fight for people who thought him as nothing.

To her, he was everything.

"...W-we... we'd better go then. I'm sure... I'm sure they will be able to find their own ways back." Zemi whispered, gaze dropping to their feet as her mouth seemed to move of its own accord. She did not believe a word she spoke, but perhaps it was better to feign obliviousness, rather than acknowledge the truth of what would come. "We... we really ought to get moving. The sooner we can get your injury tended to the better-- I do wish you'd let me carry that bag. You need to recover."

She kept talking. Talking nonsense. Talking about him. Talking about his injury. Focusing on them. She didn't want to face what she was so selfishly about to do.
 
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Watching the emotions war their way across Zemi’s face, Eitan felt his heart drop further, coldness spreading through his chest. The meaning behind his words was so obvious, how could she not have figured it out.

Zemi was beautiful and kind. She longed for the best for everyone. Would she hate him for the agreement he’d made with the monster? Would she think he was less human, now that he had given humans to the monsters, left them to their death? Would she curse him the way they had?

That possibility hadn’t even occurred to him up until that point. He’d only thought about keeping her alive and safe, and not about the way his actions might cause her to see him now. He didn’t know if he could endure it if she wouldn’t be able to forgive him.

She was safe. He’d seen to that. But he’d rather go back and fight the monster again than see her look at him like he’d turned into some dirty pile on the side of the road that she didn’t want to step in. He didn’t know if he could win, or what state he’d be in when he finished even if he could, but that would be better than her hating him.

Steeling his heart, Eitan spoke carefully. “Zemi, I can…”

But whatever thoughts had been going through her head, they seemed to have finished. Words, awkward and hurried, poured out of her mouth. It took a couple of moments for Eitan to fully understand what they meant.

They’d better go.

Zemi had… Zemi had reached the same conclusion he had.

“Then… we’ll go.” He walked next to her, trying to keep his long legs from outpacing her even as a part of him longed to run away from the ruined carriage as fast as he could go. But he didn’t run. He didn’t look back. The circle of monsters parted way before them, and Eitan unconsciously looked at the mongrel pack leader one last time.

Be well, duel winner, it whined.

He hoped he’d be able to.

“Don’t… don’t worry about the bag. We don’t have a carriage anymore. You’re gonna have to walk, Zemi, and the bag will slow you down a lot more than it will me. It’s okay. It’s just a scratch. It’ll be fine tomorrow, I’m sure. I’ve gotten worse sparring with the knights.”

Technically true, although it had only happened a couple times when one of the knights lost control of their strength for a while. But Eitan had always healed fast, just like he’d always been stronger than his size would indicate, and his senses had always been sharp. Zemi didn’t have to worry about him.

He’d protected her well.
 





Zemira


As she had always done, she moved to walk close besides Eitan as they turned their backs on the carriage and the final spiteful comments that were being spat in their direction. It unnerved her that the more she heard what those people had to say, the less she began to contemplate and linger on the guilt that had first struck her at Eitan's words.

She hated anyone who treated Eitan differently because of his blood, especially when he had done nothing to hurt them in the first place. She despised the discrimination and prejudice that was always held against him because of who he was, despite all the hard work he had put in to his training and how he had obeyed every command needed without complaint. He had been slow to learn, that was obvious, however once he did learn, he respected the rules and followed them were necessary. He had done nothing but show he wanted the best for Zemi, offering her protection and in turn... a friend she didn't realise she needed until she grew old enough to truly realise the impact his presence had.

So it had always been difficult to bite her tongue when maids chased him harshly from the room or the guards snapped sharply at him. Even more so when her father was involved, and Zemi knew that - in acts of selfish self-preservation - she kept her mouth shut when really she could have said something to stand up to her family, when Eitan was present and when he was not.

But these people... for all these people knew, Eitan had just battled the pack leader of these monsters to save their lives and yet they still treated him like the scum under their shoe. The longer Zemi lingered on the situation, the more she began to question if they even deserved such saving, when they weren't at all grateful to the person who could have done so.

However, with such dark thoughts threatening to drag her down deep within herself and make her question who she truly was, Zemi slipped closer to her friend to take his hand, being careful not to jerk his arm too much due to the injury he had sustained. She didn't want to make things worse.

The worried furrow of her brow remained and she had started to nibble on her lower lip as they walked with hastened pace towards the edge of the forest, wincing once as the sounds of growling behind them began to pick up.



Zemira wasn't certain how long they had been walking, but her feet were beginning to ache and her shoulders were sore from shifting the pack from one to the other. Her tongue was rather dry in her mouth and in equal fashion, her stomach had gurgled and whined in complaint of her stupidly not bringing any food from the inn.

"We ought to stop, if only for a short while. You... we need to patch up your arm and then find food." She murmured finally, gently squeezing his hand to capture his attention, unsure as to if he would be on the look out for potential danger and even really listening to her.

She had, at least, thought to bring a roll of bandages with her in case of any issues. But that being the only item of first aid she sought to find. She had no idea how to use anything else anyway, and naively thought that simply wrapping something up would be a good job until better help could be found. Looking back on her failures so far, Zemi was beginning to doubt herself and her plan, wondering if she had been right to leave in the first place, let alone drag Eitan into the mess she had created.

Exhaling softly, she pulled the bag from her shoulder and allowed it to fall unceremoniously to the ground, to which she knelt beside it and began to rummage. "We need to clean and cover your wound, Eitan. Infection could set in a-and we don't want that. If something... if something were to happen to you because of you having to protect me because I made some stupid decisions--" Zemira cut herself off, hands throwing themselves up into the air before crashing down hard on the clothes and soft fabric of the pack in her emotion. Irritated as she was unable to find the bandages, upset with herself for putting Eitan in this position, furious that he had gotten hurt because of her, terrified knowing she had just willingly left a group of people to their deaths, all while being tired and hungry.

She took a moment, staring down at the pack with her hands grasping onto the edges of the pack with such a tightness she could feel her nails biting into her palms even through the canvas, a muscle in her jaw jumping as she clenched her teeth and her breath heavy and even shuddering from time to time.

"I--I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She swallowed thickly, shaking her head as she forced herself to continue her search for the bandages, "I... I didn't mean to... to get emotional."
 
It was hard, walking away, letting the trunks of the forest swallow up the carriage behind them. Eitan kept waiting for something to go wrong. For the monster to show back up and attack him, laughing at his foolishness. For Zemi to turn around, demand they save those people. Those people he had abandoned.

Eitan would never trade anyone else’s safety for Zemi’s. But his safety? He was a knight. Wasn’t it supposed to be his job to trade his safety for those of other people?

But, no. He wasn’t just a knight. He was Zemi’s knight. He had to keep her safe. And that meant keeping himself safe.

He didn’t regret. He didn’t regret.

He just wanted to get them as far away from the smell of blood as possible.

That’s right.

And so they walked. Walked, as Eitan pointedly ignored the stinging of his arm, the way the pain raced up towards his shoulder like the bite of little needles. He could still feel some blood running down the length of his arm, occasionally dripping off the tips of his fingers. Even more dried blood tugged at his skin every time Eitan moved his arm, sticking to the sleeve of his shirt.

They could fix it later. For now, they had to keep walking.

It wasn’t until he felt something tugging at his hand that Eitan was finally able to clear the haze from his mind and focus on their surroundings. He glanced back, startled, only to see Zemi’s face. Sweat had beaded her forehead, causing strands of hair to cling to her cheeks and neck. Eitan instantly felt his heart twinge. He should have been paying attention.

He nodded unconsciously in response to Zemi’s words, before shaking his head. “It’s okay,” Eitan reassured blankly. “I heal really fast. It’s not… that bad?” Okay, it was pretty bad. Eitan didn’t know exactly how deep the mongrel’s claws had gotten, but it was certainly more than a surface wound. Otherwise it would have stopped bleeding by now.

But he didn’t want Zemi to worry. He didn’t know exactly where they were, but they would never be able to move as fast as a carriage on a managed road. But Zemi didn’t seem to be listening to him. Her head was bowed, the pack in her hands distorting slightly under the strength of her grip.

There was no way this wouldn’t be hard for her. Eitan knew he’d asked her to make a choice too, even if he hadn’t meant to, when he’d said it was time to walk away. He could only bow his head in turn, ashamed of himself. “No. I’m sorry, Zemi. I’m sorry I couldn’t… do better.”
 





Zemira


His apologies only served to stop her from searching for the bandages, the former princess blinking up at him, confused and bewildered. She couldn't understand why, for the life of her, why he was the one apologising. He had just risked his life to save hers, and gotten hurt because of it. She should be the one on her knees, grovelling, begging for forgiveness.

She could hazard a guess that he was perhaps apologising for not protecting the other people in the carriage. However, Zemira didn't dare linger too long on their fates, a knot forming tight in her chest each time she did. They didn't hear any of the screams, but she wasn't certain her mind would allow her to rest peacefully that night. She also was fearful at the indifference that was part of her reaction to the knowledge that her friend hadn't made the deal to save the other passengers. She hated how easily she believed that they deserved their fates because of their reaction to Eitan, even after what he had done - they didn't know he hadn't just fought to save their lives. All they saw was him fighting a monster.

Now she realised all they saw were two monsters fighting each other.

Drawing herself from her thoughts, she released the pack and reached her hands up to cup his cheeks. She then gently moved his head so he was made to look at her, brows knitting together out of concern for his behaviour.

"You did everything. You understand? Don't you dare beat yourself up, Eitan, you hear me? I won't stand for it."
Zemira told him, her voice wavering but thick as she disliked seeing her friend berate himself so. As his heart squeezed earlier, hers did in that moment. "You couldn't have done any better: you saved us."

Uncaring to the blood that may stain her clothes in turn, Zemi embraced him, just taking the moment to reassure them both that things would be okay.

"Don't scare me like that again though, okay? I-- I don't know what I'd do if..." Her arms tightened around him at the mere thought of things going wrong, her hands pressing firmly into his back.

Reluctantly, she pulled back, her hands slipping around from his back to rest at his waist and she looked up at him, "N-now let me... let me find these bandages. Did they teach you anything about first aid in your training? Because...because we need to get your wound seen to. It must be deeper than we think, if it's still bleeding."
 
He did everything. He couldn’t have done any better.

Eitan had always believed everything Zemi said. She was so much smarter than him, knew so much more. To him, her confident words had always been enough evidence. But how could she know for sure that he couldn’t have done any better? She didn’t know how quickly and easily Eitan had given up on the fight the moment the mongrel had proposed its compromise. The truth was simply that he didn’t want to fight it for those other people. As long as Zemi was safe, there was no reason for him to keep fighting.

He had saved just them.

Was that truly enough? Eitan’s knight’s training screamed at him in the hoarse, tinny voice of the Royal Captain, that he was a fool, that he was a waste. That his actions just now proved that he was a monster. Because only a monster would leave a monster to eat people.

But what would Zemi do if he was hurt, disabled. What would she do if he died?

Eitan wouldn’t leave her out here alone, whatever that cost.

Only then could he lift his lowered eyes and meet her gaze, nodding slightly against her palm.

Eitan glanced down at the cut on his arm again when she stepped back. At the very least, it was a clean cut. The mongrel’s claws had been incredibly sharp, and the one that managed to scratch the edge of his bicep had left a long, straight cut. He looked at it closer, but didn’t see any particular dirt inside. Of course, there was always the possibility there were little bits he couldn’t see in there as well.

But, even if there was, he didn’t know how much fresh water Zemi had brought. They would need it for drinking, not for pouring on his arm to try and clean it. If Eitan was lucky, the blood would have washed out anything bad in the cut.

“We just… need to wrap it for now.” There wasn’t much else they could do. “Tight enough to hold it closed, but not too tight.”
 





Zemira


That was at least one good thing that Zemira had thought to bring - a container of water. There wasn't much in there, considering their journey yesterday, but at least they had slept for the majority of the journey that morning before the monster attack. Yet still Zemira was hesitant to use the remaining lot on the wound her friend had earned himself during the battle for their lives.

However, she was also aware of how selfish that was, and resigned herself to the decision that she would simply have to drink less than him. He would need the water more than her after the fight, and thus she would willingly sacrifice the few sips she would have if it meant he got better sooner.

Finally locating the bandages, the young woman held them firmly in hand as she then sought out the water, pulling it out with a sigh of relief, having worried that it had been left behind either at the carriage or the tavern. The pack was then pulled shut with the ties and thrown back over her shoulder, her free hand reaching out to take hold of his and lead him a few steps more until a small stump was sighted.

"Sit. It won't take a moment but it will still be best if you sit." She told him, dumping the pack back onto the ground before going about her business tearing a small part of the bandage from the main roll. To conserve as much of the water as possible, Zemira placed the small, ragged and folded-up piece of bandage against the open top of the water container and tipped it slightly so the material was wetted. Once done, the former princess screwed the cap back on tightly and placed it carefully on the floor.

Carefully, she took Eitan's injured arm and tenderly stretched it out towards her, watching him for any expressions of pain, "We ought to find a village quickly so we can find an apothecary and get what will really help you." She murmured, finally turning her attention to the wound. Zemira gently began to dab at it, wiping away the gold blood with great care, "If something were to happen... because of this..." She trailed off, shaking her head with a deep breath.

Zemira knew she wouldn't ever forgive herself if Eitan's wound became infected. Without their usual resources and because of the prejudice he would face due to the colour of his blood, infection could potentially mean death. And if he died... Zemira wasn't sure what she would do with herself.

The guilt and grief would undoubtedly be too much.

Sniffing quietly, she paused in her cleaning and leaned to her side, picking up the water skin to rest it in his lap, "Take a few sips... you'll need it, and don't dare pretend you don't."
 
Eitan followed obediently after Zemi as she led him to a fallen stump. He could feel his wound stinging, but didn't look at it. They would wrap it up, be on their way, and it wouldn't do for him to worry too much about it right now. They had a long ways to go. Eitan didn't know where exactly in the forest they were, or where they were trying to go, and that would only make it harder to find a village.

However, they were still in the middle of Tarnung. It was a place with a lot of people, and they wouldn't be alone out here forever. If the two of them walked in a random direction for a few days, they'd surely find a place where people lived. So, even if Eitan’s wound was worse than he thought it was, it would be fine until they found someone else to look at it.

Of course, those several days wouldn't be easy without any supplies. He needed to make sure Zemi stayed warm and dry at night, which meant they'd need to make some sort of shelter every evening. He also didn't know how much food or water they had, which meant he’d have to find both as they went.

If they were going to walk a long distance every day they’d need to keep their strength up, and while Eitan could dig for clean, pure water in dried water beds, it wouldn’t be possible to catch anything good to eat without setting traps and waiting for days. His thoughts immediately began to turn towards the edible plants he’d learned about in training, but the thought of possibly misidentifying a plant and feeding Zemi something poisonous caused his stomach to suddenly turn over.

Wrapped up in his thoughts, Eitan didn’t notice what Zemi was doing until the moment he felt something cold and damp touch his arm. He unconsciously sucked in a gasp of air, flinching slightly, before finally realizing that she was cleaning his arm instead of wrapping it. Eitan felt a moment’s regret, thinking they could have saved the water, at least until they found somewhere to refill the bottle, but Zemi’s words kept him quiet. It was impossible for him to say anything bad when she looked so sad and worried. She was just doing her best to take care of him.

Eitan’s head drooped slightly. “We’ll be fine. Both of us. I promise. We’ll find a village and then we’ll keep going…” he paused for a moment, trying to remember the name of the place where the carriage had been taking them. However, he couldn’t recall it at all. “Wherever we were going,” Eitan finally concluded, somewhat awkwardly.

In that regard, Zemi offering the water skin was a welcome distraction, although Eitan still hesitated for a moment before picking it up. As he licked his dry lips, he felt the faint chapping, the hint of tightness at the back of his throat that reminded him he’d just been fighting, and sleeping before that. He was thirsty.

After a moment’s hesitation, Eitan took a few carefully measured mouthfuls. Better to drink now and refill it soon. As soon as he finished, he offered it to Zemi. “You have some, too. Then… we can start walking.”
 





Zemira


Taking the water skin back, the young woman hesitated as she looked down at it. Her tongue suddenly felt thick and heavy in her mouth, but she knew she could last longer. She didn't need the few mouthfuls as much as he did in that moment. He had just saved their lives and she would happily sacrifice her sips for him to have later down the line. So, silently, Zemi closed the water skin back up and placed it back into their sack of belongings.

"I can wait." She murmured, using another small cutting of bandage to dry off his wound where she had cleaned it. From there, she used a longer length to carefully wrap around the deep gash in his arm, hoping she was doing it correctly. "You tell me if I'm not doing this right-- do they... did they ever teach you how to do basic stuff like this when you were training?" She questioned, trying to get the balance right of making sure it was tight but not too tight.

When she was eventually finished, Zemi exhaled, tucking the loose finishing of the bandage into the one end of the covering, "That should do for now. But we really ought to find an apothecary when we reach a village." She told him, gently holding his arm up to study her work.

"We... we ought to keep going. We've come deep into the woods but... but maybe we should head back slightly so we can see the road and make sure we're going the right way." Zemi suggested next, putting the leftover bandage roll into her sack. Her eyes then flickered back up to Eitan, watching him for a moment, "Then we can... we can maybe go in a little deeper again when time comes to stop and... and set up some sort of camp. We'll need to find fresh water... some food... shelter of some kind."

She took a moment to think about it all, realising that when said out loud, it was all such a daunting prospect. So many little things to have to worry about that really were all so important.

Shaking her head, Zemira place the strap of her pack over her shoulder and motioned forward with her head, "Come on, let's set off then. Better to keep moving now while there's still daylight." She reached for one of his hands, taking a firm hold of it before moving forward like she suggested.

 
Eitan frowned slightly at the sight of Zemi putting away the water skin without taking a drink, a strange mixture of bitterness and sweetness flooding through his chest. He’d always known Zemi cared about him. Sometimes, it felt like she was the only person in the whole, wide world who cared about him. It was the reason he would do anything she asked of him, without hesitation.

Yet, before this moment, Zemi and he had always lived in the palace. The people there might not have been nice to him, but Zemi was a princess. There had never, ever been a question of them not having enough water to drink. Yet that was the case now, and here she was, prioritizing him.

But Eitan needed her to take care of herself. He wished she would take care of herself first. Only then could he worry about her a little less.

“It’s... bad,” Eitan began, words somewhat halting and awkward. It had taken him a few moments to sort through the rush of emotions in his chest and, Zemi had already started drying off his arm, cleaning up the last of the brownish-yellow dried blood that still sat on his skin. “Bad to not drink, Zemi.”

He’d never scolded her before, or anything even remotely like it. Normally he just went along with whatever she decided, and it was fine. But this wasn’t that kind of situation anymore. He didn’t know how to explain about the importance of her taking care of herself.

“There’s lots of trees here. And trees need lots of water. So, we’ll find more water soon. I promise. So.. you need to drink. Even if you’re only a little bit thirsty.”

He glanced downward a moment later, somewhat awkward, staring at her fingers as she wrapped the bandage around his arm. The tips of her fingers has been stained faintly golden with the blood that was already beginning to lightly seep into the fabric. Eitan’s fingers twitched slightly, wanting to wipe her fingers off, but not wanting to get in her way. He didn’t push the matter any further, and only nodded obediently.

“The knights would get cut occasionally. During practice. They didn’t want me to bandage their wounds, but I saw it a lot. You start above the cut, and then wrap it downwards, pulling it tight as you go, and then go back up the other way. That way it holds the wound closed. Pull it a bit tighter. The fabric shouldn’t be able to stretch away from my arm.”

As long as the blood was still able to reach the tips of his fingers, it was fine, and Eitan honestly didn’t think Zemi could pull it that tight with just her bare hands. They could fix it later if his fingers started getting tingly.

Eitan flexed his hand a couple of times after Zemi finished, nodding slightly to show that it was good. It might not be ideal, but it would definitely work for now. However, his head snapped up at her suggestion, and he forcibly came to a halt. “No. We shouldn’t go back to the road. Not… not here, anyways.”

The mongrels were fast and efficient hunters, but it didn’t mean they would have been clean or precise. Eitan didn’t want Zemi getting anywhere near where they’d left the carriage, and if they went back the way they’d come, who know what they’d see.

“The… the… the road was going that way,” Eitan stuttered slightly, the fingers of his free hand pointing off to their side, waving somewhat distractedly. “So we should go that way.” His finger moved only slightly inwards, in such a way that they would only reach the road after walking for a ways. “I’m sure we’ll find it again before too long. ...Besides, there might be-- no water close to the road? We can look for a creek bed as we walk.”
 





Zemira


Her body halted at his abrupt stop and sharp disagreement, causing her to partially turn to look at him. Her gaze flickered over him, expression remaining neutral as she attempted to figure out just why he was so desperate to keep her from getting close to the road. And then she realised.

The carriage.

It may have felt like they had walked a distance, but in reality they probably hadn't. The carriage could still be somewhere in the distance, and the result of the monsters' presence would be undeniable.

Her hand holding his moved so her fingers entwined with his, eyes remaining on him as he continued to explain where they truly ought to go. She didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable, knowing that he was only trying to protect her from the truth that laid behind them. But she also knew she would have to explain to him that he couldn't protect her from everything, and somethings she was just going to have to bare witness to.

For now, she allowed him to have his way, quietly nodding to his suggestions and smiling faintly, "Alright, we'll do that then." She assured him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

Zemi changed her direction, keeping hold of his good hand and slightly altering her direction so she walked further into the forest than out of it. It went against her instincts, that went without saying, the Princess wanting nothing more than to escape the forest as soon as possible. There was no knowing what else could be lingering within it's depths, and now with Eitan sporting a deep injury, who knew what would happen if they were to come across any sort of beast. She was not trained to protect and defend, and she wasn't about to let Eitan risk his life any further for either of them.

"You tell me when you need a rest though, Eitan. You understand? When you want more water or if you just want to sit down for a moment, you tell me. Don't go trying to walk through any sort of ill-feeling. You need to rest and recover, so you'll rest and recover whenever you feel like you need to. Okay?"
She told him sternly as they walked, peering up at him sternly.
 
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Eitan couldn’t help the way his heart practically leaped in satisfaction when Zemi agreed to his request for them to modify their path somewhat. It left a distracting, fuzzy, warm feeling rushing through him, enough that he temporarily forgot about why he’d even wanted to alter the path.

Zemi trusted him.

In a strange, scary, unfamiliar situation, she trusted him enough to follow his advice without question. Even though the logic he gave for it was questionable at best. And, if he realized that it was questionable, there was no way Zemi wouldn’t know that, too.

His fingers closed tighter around hers, squeezing gently for a moment, and he instinctively nodded in agreement to her demands. At that moment, he felt like he would have given her anything she wanted, no matter what it cost him.

---

Eitan had always possessed a good sense of direction. He’d seen a compass once, and watched the way the needle always swung about to point in one direction, regardless of how the little cylinder was rotated. He supposed it was something like that for him as well. He was bad at keeping track of twists and turns, and had proven more than once that he couldn’t follow his own path backwards even if he was trying to pay strict attention to where he went, but he always knew which general direction to go to find his way back to familiar territory.

Of course, the carriage road wasn’t exactly familiar territory, but Eitan remembered that it hadn’t really turned that often. He walked faithfully in the right direction, nearly paralleling the road’s previous line with a slight inwards tilt as they wound their way around dense clumps of trees and thick bushes. He didn’t know exactly how long it would take them to return to the road at that rate, but they would intersect it again.

What was more, Eitan’s makeshift excuse for why they shouldn’t immediately return to the road unexpectedly paid off. The forest wasn’t exactly lush, but it wasn’t dry either. As the two of them came around a bunch of bushes, they found themselves standing at the edge of a rocky little gully, mostly shaded by trees. Eitan turned to Zemi and smiled with a mix of surprise and sheepish satisfaction.

The little gully looked dry, but Eitan didn’t hesitate to quickly scramble his way down the slope, before beginning to paw at the stones, revealing bare earth immediately under them.

“We should be able to dig for a bit of water here,” he said happily. “The soil will make sure it’s clean. ...Is there a second skin? Or just that one?”
 




Zemira


Her feet were already hurting. Being a princess, one wasn't exactly used to trawling through unstable, wild and sometimes rocky terrain. She had grown accustomed to the carriages and horse riding and the short walks that one went on through palace gardens or when attending openings of any kind in the towns, cities and villages.

But Zemira didn't say anything about the ache in her feet. Or the heaviness she was already beginning to feel in her limbs. Although whether that was due to the walk, the worn-off adrenaline or the guilt of knowing she had left people to die... that was all another matter.

As Eitan scrambled off, to do what she wasn't sure, the young princess had to fight the urge to lower herself onto the forest floor to sit. One, because she knew it would concern Eitan and two, because she was certain it would be difficult to find the willpower to get back up again.

The run in with the monsters had both shocked and frightened her. She had never experienced a monster attack before, she hadn't even seen a real monster. She did not consider Eitan to be one, despite others labelling him as such. Even with his half-breed heritage... she could never see him as anything other than a friend. A true, loyal, caring, warm friend.

Reluctantly, she followed him down the slope after some time considering if she ought to. She took her time, not wanting to slip and fall or twist her ankle on some hidden root or stone. His arm was already hurt, she couldn't risk also getting an injury, especially one that would slow them up even further.

"I... I only brought the one." Zemi answered quietly, once again realising her downfall in planning.

Oh how she should have told Eitan sooner. There was the risk that he would give her away, yes, to protect her and keep her safe. But he could have also have done what she had wanted with no questions asked. As he had done time and again since he had found her in the little tavern the day before. He could have provided so much insight and advice on what to bring. She was a fool. A damned fool who should have known better than to think she could survive by herself.

Now Zemi allowed herself to slowly collapse onto the floor, sitting there with her legs outstretched and her pack falling beside her. She made no move to fetch the skin for him, simply staring at the patch of bare earth he had cleared of forest debris.

"I'm such an idiot," she whispered next, voice becoming thick with the threat of tears, "I should never have done this. Not even two days in and look what's happened... no food, a monster attack, you're injured, I've not brought enough of anything that we need, we're running low on money..." She brought her legs in to herself, crossing them as she bowed her head, shaking it as she did so, "I-- I should have just stayed in the castle. I should have just stayed and none of this would have happened."
 
  • Sympathy & Compassion
Reactions: Peregrine
Busy scraping away the soil, carefully rubbing the dirt between his fingers to make sure there was a trace of moisture, Eitan didn't notice anything was wrong with Zemi's emotions until he suddenly heard her trembling voice. His head immediately shot up, eyes widening with shock.

"Ah..."

Zemi's sorrow seemed to freeze Eitan's mind, locking it up with a thunk that seemed to shake his entire body. Zemi was sad. Zemi was sad. Zemi was usually cheerful, so strong, so confident, but now she was so, so sad. He had to do something! But... But what?

"Ah.. Ah... Uhhh..." His hands fluttered wildly through the air for a moment, unable to take any confident action, but also unwilling to hold still and do nothing. He didn't know how to comfort her, how to make it all right, but that didn't mean he could do nothing.

In the end, absolute desperation spat out something resembling a result.

"O-oh don't worry," Eitan began, his voice awkwardly lilting, even rougher than the "music" he'd heard sung around the barracks. "For deep in my heart I do~o believe."

His feet stamped roughly on the soil as he turned on the spot a couple times. "We shall be in peace, we'll walk hand in hand, someda~ay. Yeaaaa~."

As he finished his turn, his hands stuck out from his side, shaking back and forth in a cheerful wave. Trying to suppress his awkwardness, Eitan did his best to smile in Zemi's direction.