My search for the pair has led me to Zannidue, confirming it was them via description was easy enough. Not many people travel this far north, and being as young as they are makes them stand out even more than the strangest of hunters. They will soon cross Herbenry’s desert strip.

Could they be looking for someone in Cobbstone, or further? There is a great lack of cultivation north of here.

Why would the Dark angel and protector travel to such a secluded part of the world? - Sophie, July 12th, 2764

Andrew

He had woken up late once again...

Moving toward the gloomy cave’s exit, Andrew readjusted his ragged cloak around his neck to shield himself from the cool, steady breeze. He had been slightly groggy from the previous night’s travel and wished for nothing more than another hour of rest. Yet, rest came at a heavy cost. As he strapped his long black sword to his back, he made his way outside to witness the view he had been denied the night before.

Piercing winds whistled over the rocky mountains and hilltops. The vast expanse of green slopes blended into patches of trees that gave way to a thin lake flowing between shaded hills that scattered into the overcast distance. The sky accompanied the vista with small patches of clouds gliding like sailing ships on an easterly breeze, with castings of inky islands of shade patched over the land. Andrew had to confess that the sight was indeed a breathtaking one to behold. However, amid the breezy melody and captivating panorama, Natalie sat atop a large, black boulder.

“Did I keep you waiting?” he inquired, his tone laced with apology. Her eyes opened stoically in response to his question. The steady breeze flapped violently at the back of her long, ragged cloak and straight, black hair. Andrew noticed her pupils turning from purple to black soon after. She gazed at the moving heavens and grass-covered earth. The strong, unwavering wind did not seem to bother her as it pushed against her back. Yet, even though they gazed upon the same vista, Andrew knew that her eyes did not see what he saw.

Instead, they were lost somewhere far away, transfixed to a place beyond the sights and sounds that enveloped them.

And why would she see what I see? Ever since her return, she had never been the same.

“I’m well-rested now and ready to continue,” he offered, trying to dismiss the intrusive thoughts and questions that assailed him. Seated atop a rock with her legs drawn to her chest, Natalie exhibited no outward signs that she had heard him. The surrounding atmosphere grew colder. Seeing nothing else to allude to this downer vibe, he strops his head in silent defeat.

Still moody from yesterday, he thought to himself.

He should be accustomed to seeing her like this. But his features weighed into general concern as he thought up another reason for her mood.

“So... did you get any sleep thi-“

“Let’s keep moving,” Natalie cut in. She got off the rock to march onwards.

Watching her walk into the bright open space, Andrews’ eyes darken. Time was running against them. But even so...

If we are not careful, this could come back to bite the both of us.

His calf muscles were still sore from the previous day's running, making him wince to himself. It will get better as he warmed up, but even so...

“Understood,” He mumbled to himself before following suit.

~#~

He set off along with Natalie further northwards to reach a nearby village. Running nonstop till sunset, they moved swiftly through the rocks, trees, and any other endeavour’s almost as if in a state of take-off. Where Natalie had a fluid, almost urban grace traversing over the rocky platforms of riverbeds and broken paths of uneven slopes, Andrew was lacking in finesse, leaving him lagging behind.

His legs felt like led with each passing hour of running. Natalie would pause on occasion to keep him from losing sight of her, but besides that, she never stopped. Her sharp and precise form seems to match her longing for her destination beyond the horizon. He was getting more drained by the hour, but in his stubborn effort to meet her determination, he said nothing. Gritting his teeth and cursing his burning lungs and body, he put all his frustrations into one step after another. He battled with fatigue until the battle itself became a whitening haze. He knew that he was still running, but his steps felt like those within a dream state.

Just when the surreal sense of his drained body separated itself from his autopilot mind, he found himself losing balance, thus crashing into the dirt. His arms came out just in time to absorb most of the impact, but just barely. His front was covered in dirt and fallen leaves. The sky was dark as the last slivers of sunlight retreated behind the forest trees surrounding him.

Trees? When did we enter a forest?

Looking back to the path behind him with bewildered eyes, he slowly feels his mind resonating back to the senses of his body. All the aching and burning he detached himself from came back to bite him in the process. With his chest gasping for air, he barely made out the distant sound of a running stream behind him. Given how far he could see in the dark, it was apparent that they have been running into the woods for quite some time. This meant that he must have been running unconsciously for a fair bit longer than he predicted.

But this was potentially was a good sign. According to the map, their destination of Lucas village was located near the long-running river of Corrence. A patch of forest was along the path they would have to take to reach it. And this was indeed a forest with a nearby lake. If that was the case, then at the pace they were going, they only had maybe a few more hours left to travel due west. A few more hours... could he manage it? Even if he could, would he still have enough in him to do what is required right after? The reality of the matter started to catch up with him.

As his mind drifted to future events, however, he came to realise something in the present. That Natalie was nowhere in sight. Eyes darting to and fro he tried to squint through the darkness to pick up any movement by the trees, any sound beyond his peripheral, and yet nothing... cursing under his breath he was about to take a step onward throat about to burst out the name of his longtime friend until something came crashing down right in front of him.

Barely having time to catch anything but dark wings and a petal of black feathers dancing with the sudden updraft of autumn leaves, he leaped back and gripped onto his sword on his back, a misty layer of dark energy that still somehow glowed.

As the feathers and leaves settled, he soon identified the intruder with the dark wings to be none other than Natalie. Her purple eyes that cut through the darkness along with her eighteen feet long wingspan as deep and dark as a raven were a distinct giveaway. With his adrenaline simmering back down, this already fatigued body was now more drained than ever from trying to defend himself with his inner energy. Letting go of his blade, the layer of dark energy faded as he fell to one knee. With his body denying him to take another step without rest, he remains there, panting heavily.

“For a sec there, I thought you were a-“ he trailed off before he could finish the sentence.

As he looked up to her piercing purple eyes, a part of him knew that as nonchalant as his comment would have been. As honest as he was being in the given circumstance, he just knew. Even though she would understand what he meant, it would still hurt her deep down to hear it. To mistake her for a demon when she had been turned into something besides human just felt a little cruel, and so instead he said nothing and sighed lightly to himself to continue his painting.

“Just... give me a moment, ok? I think I can go a little more,” he rasped between ragged breaths.

He looked up at his companion, still showing no real signs of fatigue as she unsummoned her wings, a hardened resolve only softened by his wheezing.

Looking him up and down, she seemed unconvinced. Having looked at his cloak likely because of the fresh smears it had from falling into the dirt, a glimmer of what he could only read as sympathy softens her features.

Taking in her surroundings, the river, the sheet of brown dead autumn leaves making up the ground they stood on. The trees and their spacing made their cover under the forest relatively safe with trees still far enough to make it hard for any creature or demon alive to get a jump on them she sighed ever so lightly to herself before walking past him and back down the way they came.

“Set up camp,” she said.

He leaned up to turn back to her, his eyes narrowed by her order.

“Not necessary!” He insisted. “I can keep moving. Just give me five minutes.”

“Then get fish. I’ll gather the firewood.” Her reply echoed through the trees around them as she walks further into the darkness.

He was left there in a moment of daze. As much as he wanted to deny it, he could not fool his body. Watching the back of Natalie, he could sense her growing urge to reach their destination, and how his inability to keep up has shackled this relentless drive. With the sinking feeling of inadequacy creeping over him, he in a flash of frustration kicked his leg through the autumn carpet, letting leaves fly every witch way.

Besides venting a little frustration and working up his tired legs even more, there was one plus that came from his outburst.

At least I’ve marked a spot to build the campfire.

~#~

She came back some time later as he was sitting by the lake fishing, with a makeshift rod made of a stick he picked up and along with the string from his tattered cloak, a rusted old metal hook that he kept tethered to his cloak and a mealworm bait that was in abundance at this time of year. He sat there with it in hand over the riverbed, waiting for the prod of a catch.

Having made a second one, he left it out next to the river, a silent hint for Natalie to come and join him. Having seen her take note of the bait however, she chooses to ignore it, to instead turn around, drop the firewood she collected by the patch of earth now cleared from leaves and light before using her powers to zap it with a bolt of electricity.

With his eyes meeting hers for the moment and still gaining no response to his small gesture, a cold wash of resentment began to grow in his core. He felt to knock the extra makeshift stick into the river and let it be washed away like the bad idea it was, but... well-kicking things was not really doing much besides reminding him how sore he was, so he remained idle fishing alone.

As night came into full swing, his catch was killed and grilled by the campfire, sat opposite him in silence as Natalie looked off into the blanket of darkness surrounding them. As the fire’s glow danced, the young man prodded it with a stick so as to keep its embers equally fuelled, as well as to break the cold silence with something, anything. As he watched Natalie’s eyes veer off into the blackness, he thought to stir up conversation.

“Fish will be ready soon...” he said.

She did not respond to his comment. This made him drop his head back down to the fire as he went back to poking the burning sticks. His mind tried to start this from another angle.

“Not too far now... right?” he said, tossing his prodding stick into the flames and looking back up at her. “To the village of Lucas, I mean. If what Zac said holds any weight, then the demon invasion must have happened around what? Three or so days ago? And if that rumour we heard going around thereafter is also true, then that means we, in the worst case, would arrive there the day those people swoop in and started cherry-picking survivors.”

Natalie looked at the flames beside her in a daze. Her pained face spoke of unreadable horrors running through her irises before she blinked and the connection died. With a controlled sigh, she tucked her legs closer to her chest for comfort before looking over the flame from the brim of her knees.

“His spew about -Trap-Door Spiders- was likely just a bunch of phony he made up,” she mumbled to herself in a dry frustration, her knees made the mumbling harder to comprehend than needed.

Andrew narrowed his eyes, uncertain what Natalie said until he recollects the account she was referring to with Zac.

“You’re talking about Zac, right?”

“Don’t you recall his cryptic speech?” she asked.

With his face suddenly feeling heated, he glanced away whilst scratching the back of his dreadlocked hair.

“Was that what set you off? Ohhh... well... I was... a tad distracted,” he said slowly.

Recalling the lacklustre dress sense of the locals when they were discussing with Zac, he knew now that his gig was up. He was listening, but the women were captivating.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Guess it’s true what they say about the women of Coubbleston. He knew better than to say that one out loud, not in her current mood at least.

Natalie, catching drift of this, widened her eyes in slight discomfort before dismissing it with a shake of her head.

“They summon low-level demons to invade and scatter the people. To make it look like coincidences, they then wait for two to three days before kidnapping any child that is left from the village.” Her eyes narrow deeper into the dark void around them. “Any child left behind after that time would either have lost their parents to the demon invasion or are just far removed from their loved ones. From there they swoop in and take them, like picking up lost lambs.”He nods stiffly. To tell the truth, it was not a subject matter he felt too happy to talk about, but.

Knowing how things turn out whenever he tried to make small talk, he had to make do.

“But how are you so sure that the demons and the kidnappers are connected?”

“I know because that’s how they got me...” she said, her purple eyes staring into his brown ones.

His chest froze mid-breath as he read the pain on her features. Eyes dulled and sullied by the events that took place seven years ago. He knew this because he was there too, a village under siege by creatures with flesh like steel and eyes like red stars. Rifts tearing the sky, raining down upon them shapes of death. How Natalie was never heard from for over a year since then, the girl he knew assumed dead.

And even though she somehow made it back a year later, that cheerful girl he once knew was gone. Was it possible? That these caused misfortunes were a more sinister plan than a product of a thousand mishaps? He picks up his fish on a stick and scoffs it down in a rage-induced gusto. Natalie picked up hers, twisting the stick slowly between her fingers.

“It would make sense, even if a little insane,” he unwillingly said, as he quelled his chewing. “But how can you be so sure you're right? Demons tend to show up randomly around the world as is. To summon a demon is a myth unless you’re a host, but even then, it’s hardly proven.

To somehow summon -sleepers- or -exhausts- is one thing, but -actives- of that level, and then be able to huddle them all into one place? Are you saying that they have found a way to summon them at will?”

Natalie looks away from her food to stare into the flames.

“It’s them, I just know it...”

The campfire falls silent. Soon after feeling the tension drain out of his shoulders, he clicked his neck before he proceeded to sigh heavily and scratch his nape.

“Yeah, I know. It’s a silly question. Forget I said anything.” he proceeded to lay on his side, his cloak wrapped around him as a makeshift cover. Closing his eyes, he was ready to welcome sleep. The crackling of fire snapped through the silent night.

“Do you think that I’m wrong about this one as well?” Natalie mumbled almost to herself.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. What was he supposed to say? If he expresses his doubt, then it would be like calling her a paranoid liar at best. And if he does agree with her, it will be like saying that the pain and suffering she went through was more than just the doing of vile people.

“Must you ask me the tricky questions when I’m half asleep?” he rolled away from Natalie, turning his back to the fire in the process.

“It’s been three years. And besides tracking down and stopping a few small operations, I’m not sure we have really done anything.”

“We have got better at spotting key places they would likely skulk around and the old roads they would take. I think that counts for something. It’s been working fairly, well… all things considered.” he gave a loud yawn soon after. “We are throwing salt on these slimeballs operations, right? It’s sneaky, but it works. We’ve done a damn lot more good than those so-called hunters, which... well, is honestly is not really saying much.”

“But is this really enough?” she trailed off.

“We are only two people, hardly need to count us off. Can’t be everywhere at once,” he shrugged, back still facing Natalie.

“But maybe we are playing it too safe,”

Andrew opened his eyes before wiggling himself around to face her and the flickering flames, her brown eyes were glued to the fire as if hypnotised by its glow. Her irises catching from the flames, a plot not even the devils would dare dally with.

She wants to go to where the kids are nest, save them and snuff the bastard kidnappers out. Andrew swallowed dryly at the thought.

“You think there could be something more to this trapdoor spider stuff Zac spoke of? That is what you are thinking, right?” he asked carefully.

“I thought you were too distracted to listen back then,” she stabbed, glaring at him as if trying to prove a point.

“I was, but I’m listening to you now.”

The campfire fell silent. And soon Natalie retracted her gaze, conceding her argument. But even in consent, that daring plot still burned behind her iris all the same.

Having nothing to add to the matter, Andrew wriggled onto his back to look up at the star-filled sky. It was mostly obstructed by the surrounding branches, but even so, the heaven’s vast constellations shone upon them a canopy of soothing light.

Admittedly, he knew little else about these kidnappers except that they somehow have got their hands on gas-powered vehicles, a rarity to be sure, especially in the northern hemisphere of the world. Or, to be more precise, past the desert strip and beyond the passionate village of Coubbleston.

Sure, the advent of the car was old tech; revived tech from a time before the second winds. But further north was home to a different kind of old, a new kind of old in comparison. Ancient? Sacred?

He was not entirely sure which one phrase it better, all the same. It was a land almost untouched by the drastic changes that took place down south for the past couple of hundred years. Old strange lands home to a people long forgotten by the rest of the world. At least that’s what he thought he overheard in one of Natalie’s mother’s old history lessons about the North.

Andrew knew that Natalie would likely know, but taking the current climate into account, he thought it best to not bring up her mother.

“Either way, this path leads us to Lucas. We lose nothing by travelling all this way, regardless.” She picked up, more than likely convincing herself than him. To be fair, it did not matter to him too much whether there was some worthwhile discovery to be made there or not. Most places they have been over the years had been duds. All that mattered to him was keeping his old friend alive whilst she goes on her wild escapades.

Still though... as he laid there upon his back looking up at the stars, perhaps it was the creeping tiredness or his body recovering strength after a hearty meal, his mind concocted a chilling thought.

“So are we picking up the pace to go to Lucas because of what that Zac guy said, or was it the ramblings of those travellers who we crossed that’s made you jumpy?” He picked up as he closed his eyes.

Just then, however, Natalie stands up and begins walking towards him. Peeking one eye open in slight confusion, he looked up to see her coming closer. Her brown eyes now changed purple as she stared on beyond the confound of the firelight. This all forced him to sit up and look up at her expectantly.

“What is it?” he whispered.

“Demons,” she whispered back.

Shooting up out of his resting place, he latched onto his sword right next to him he gets into a fighting stance. However, right after doping this, Natalie simply put her hand out to stop him.

“There’s only three of them. Must all be exhausted. They can hardly stand.”

“, huh?“

“My eyes are better suited to seeing in the dark ... Get some rest,” she said, her eyes glowing purple, reminding him of the changes made to her since that day.

Hearing this, he let go of his sword, allowing her to walk on past him. Armed with nothing but a grilled fish in a twig, she wanders off into the darkness. As she passed him, he saw a face looking for a distraction, something to vent her pent-up frustration on.

A touch of guilt washed past him as he felt this vibe. A flash of lightning lights up the area for a fraction, just enough to see a piercing bolt shine right through the demon as looming shadows of the trees show themselves from the light display. They were roughly a seven-foot-tall horned nose, known for its three-foot-long razor-sharp scythe-like nose. Their scream’s like that of a crow and elephant shearing one body, marked their quick demise at the hands of Natalie.

She comes back out of the shadows soon after; her demeanour was a little more intense.

“Get some rest...” she said, sitting back down by the fire. He gingerly nods in response. His eyes locked onto her, hardly touched food in concern. He feels a conflicting swell in his gut.

She hardly eats much. Sleep comes her way even less so.

Natalie, what did they do to you? A question he constantly found himself asking.

Eyes narrowed, he slowly turns to one his side before closing his eyes. To be frank, he was rather wiped out. If he was going to make good on keeping up tomorrow, he will need to shut down as soon as which he did not think would be too hard. It had been nearly two days since they got the news about the attack on the village and it’s been exactly that long since they have started their none stop travel to their to Lucas at an almost gruelling pace.

Two days... it was kinda scary how fast the news travelled to their ears. This would not been looked up as odd any in other place where the tech that was readily available in any other hemisphere but given that this was the north, the one place that upheld the none taking of anything even as simple as a radio it kind of put into question how did the traveller reach back from Lucas with such news so fast?

Could they have heard it from Zac? Zac was an information broker and for what it was worth, he clearly had the resources and connections to receive such information constantly even when he too was on the more untamed side of the world.

But wouldn’t they have to have reached Coubbleston to get it? They were on the way to Coubbleston, a twelve-hour journey there from where they met and talked since they themselves left those very gates to continue their travel northwards, taking them here. So unless they passed one of Zac’s men and got wind from him, then it was not possible that a simple trade cart could have told news of a village’s apparent demise in such a short amount of time.

It was plausible, but if that was the case, then they never gave a hint of the news being second hand. The talk of no tech further north could also be not as ironclad. After all, it was the locals that held onto this belief, something about their presence tuning out the will of the planets Natalie once said. Sure, they were against it, but they never necessarily stopped outsiders from bringing their own. In fact, according to other travellers, they are very welcoming to strangers.

He knew that said travellers were not native to Lucas simply by how they described the incident. As if moved but not personally affected by it. Just another tragedy to gossip about. Having long-distance tech to catch wind of such news so fast, but again, it was never hinted to that being the case.

Using his cloak, the clutches of sleep found him rather quickly. Still... be it the aimless rambles of his mind or the good amount of food his gut was breaking down to build his stamina, he could not shake the feeling that something about all this smelt fishy.

Natalie

She sat there looking out into the dark forest, her purple eyes able to cut through the sheet of blackness. Able to shift through the trees themselves and see the light, or what she’s come to call the life energy of all living things. Bugs and mice, the odd owl and bat that swoop on by.

It’s true what they say. Even in the night, the north seemed to have more natural life in abundance than most other places around the world. More per square acre at least once beyond the desert strip.

As fascinating that was to her, however, her mind could not allow her to really marvel at such a personal confirmation. For she had something else to confirm, something more sinister.

And as much as she would like to not be running towards dud info she could not help but wonder how she would feel if she were to find out that they are not only there but that they are vile ways are tainting what she’s come to understand to be known holey lands? And what happens if their presences not only taints the lands but also distorted the many myths that surround the north also?

Finding no urge to sleep, her thoughts took her away, back to before she became... this. Before she lost her smile and warmth. Back to a time before she was kidnapped.

~#~

She remembered a peerless blue sky stretched forth brightened by a great yellow orb in its centre, running through a small patch of forest with a younger Andrew who looked much the same as he does today except rounder on the cheeks and with less fluff on his chin. Running playfully through a thin patch of trees, they reach an open field of grass atop a light slope. Upon it lay a large rock and beyond their horizon, a humble village covered by a three-story wall.

“C‘mon Andrew, keep up!” She said with a playful chuckle.

“Just keep going!” he snapped back.

Reaching the top of the hill, they stop by the large rock and look onwards to their home village of Null. An out-of-the-way place in the eastern hemisphere where traders and hunters would make use of as one of the many veins that connect it to the larger towns and cities.

“Made it...” She sighed with a satisfied smile.

“Not yet. We still got a bit further to go,” Andrew said.

Natalie turned around to glare at Andrew as if saying don’t-be-a-killjoy. Andrew rolled his eyes when he picked up on that whilst Natalie giggled some.

“Yeah, I know...” she said whilst she took a seat on the grass. “But let’s stop here for a while.”

“We are pushing our luck as it is being out here! What if one of ‘them’ shows up!?”

“Hardly happens. And even when they do, they are always exhausts or sleepers too tired from realm hopping and so they just laze around.” She said, laying back-first onto the grass. “If demons like them come up, we can outrun them.”

Andrew’s eyes darted around his surroundings whilst shaking his head at her remark.

“Nope, too dangerous... I’m going home.” He said.

“Chicken,” she spat with her eyes closed.

“I’m not scared!” Andrew shot back. “Why do you want to lie around out here so badly, anyway?!”

“The open view is nice, right? With no walls boxing us in.”

“Huh?” Andrew looks around, trying to see what she was talking about. It’s not that she was wrong, it’s just a view they have seen a number of times.

“We are hardly ever allowed out of the village because of the demons, but if you think about it, walls or not, it doesn’t really matter where you are. Given that they can travel through realms, no place is safe from them.”

Andrew looks around again with her words in mind and slowly sees what she means. “And when we are allowed to play out, we do so, so fast that we don’t really get a chance to take it all in.”

Andrew nodded to himself. For the little time she knew him back then, Andrew had not truly felt safe when stepping outside the wall of Null. Though she knew the reason, it also struck her as odd given how he travelled here with his father, who was a pro hunter.

Not many parents allowed their children to even set foot out of their village but given his first-hand experience and teaching under his father, he was (by the rules of her village) allowed to travel out of the village walls alone and could take on hunting missions along with a more experienced hunter like an apprentice. In other words, he was already a man.

So she always found it odd that despite this, he was so unwilling to set foot outside, let alone take-up missions. And yet she, without both experience or the blessing of the village rules, could not wait to get out there. She’d practically dragged him outside just so she could take advantage of his pentagon knight privileges.

It did strike her as odd, but beyond that, she did not care much for his reasons, so she never asked.

“Mum told me stories of long ago before demons appeared.” She picked up. “She said people back then could relax on the grass and admire the view without a worry. And that most places were at least as green as here. But most took it for granted, and that’s why the winds stopped blowing. We are lucky to have a spot like this so close to us. I’ve always wanted to try relaxing here so you can go home if you want. But I’ll be back later.”

She lies down on the grass and looks up at the sky. Andrew about took a few steps towards the village, the sound of his feet sounding more distant with each moment until they suddenly stopped and Instead, came back around, coming closer and closer before sitting down so close behind her that his back cast a shade over his eyes. As she looked up with a smile, Natalie chimed a ‘hmmm’ in wonder.

“Not scared anymore?” she said.

“No... It’s just that, I don’t want to leave you here by yourself,”

“That’s nice of you,” she chuckles. “So you going to relax with me?”

“No!” he snaps as he turns around to her. Calming down, he takes a breath and continues. “I’m standing guard.”

“With that sword of yours?” She said, looking at his small sheathed blade on his back. “You’ve seen my skills with a weapon, right? If you want to go back so bad, then why don’t you leave your sword here with me so that way I can be safe and you can go home.”

“I-I don’t want anything happening to you,” he mumbled.

“Huh?”

A little surprised, she leans up to look back at Andrew.

“So, you really want to protect me?”

Andrew turned away to cover his face. If he was not dark-skinned, he would have been bright be red by now.

“Sort of,” he replied whilst scratching his head. Natalie seeing the back of Andrew, Natalie could not help but smile at his reaction. A little part of her felt happy that someone like him could even entertain the thought.

Soon her surprised face slowly turned into a smug, playful smirk.

“Even on your -lingering will-?” she said with a narrow-eyed smile.

“Not on your life!” Andrew scoffed while turning away half offended.

She rolled around in the grass with hysterical laughter, her gut in stitches at his stern reaction, which earned her a glance back from the corner of his eye.

“The lingering will is nothing to joke about! It can happen to any knight; it can define who they were as a person before they died as it lived on fulfilling that will, even after death. It can be a knight’s final crowning achievement to this world... it’s not a thing to laugh at!”

“Your so serious,” she said between laughs. “You’d know that I was in your dad’s lesson for that one if you didn’t have such a stiff expression when sitting at the front. Luna said that you look like a statue, you hardly turn around to notice anyone!”

“You don’t live with my dad,” Andrew mumbled.

“No, but my parents are teachers as well.”

“Just because you can be yourself with them.”

“I’m sure he’s not that bad as company,” she said with a bright smile.

The enthusiasm was not shared, however, as Andrew just glared at her before cutting his eyes to look away. As he grumbled on at her attempt at a sweet smile, he shook his head to himself slowly.

“Well, if it is of any help, I like having you around,” she said. “And having you here as a bodyguard makes me feel safe.”

She lies back down to watch the view. She could not confirm it, but by the look on his back, she could tell that he was content by her words also as he looked onward for danger.

“I like having you around too...” he said.

Her smile only widened before closing her as a silent thanks.

They would remain there until the sun began setting. Natalie gazing onwards whilst Andrew watched her back. Unknown to them, the titles they will later be given, and the dangerous path they will one day tread.

~#~

She came to just as the smoking embers of the campfire smothered and died. The sun had just crept through the horizon, illuminating the trees golden in its glow.

Sitting in much the same spot, she came to realise that she must have drifted off through the last hours of the morning. Given the amount of light there was now in comparison to then, she would wager about two hours. Hearing Andrew slowly rise up from his rest made her blink a few times.

Although he was deep in sleep, she could not help but notice his constant tossing and turning through the night. She was willing to wager it had something to do with what she said earlier. It must have been those unsettled thoughts uneaved her as well.

Seeing him slowly stand up and get his bearing, her eyes softened. She had been hard on him these past few days in hindsight. Hell, even before this on regular days. It’s a wonder why he puts up with her at all.

All I’m doing is making him worry.

Clenching the fabric of her cloke a little, she sighs out weakly, telling herself that she will try to make him worry no more.

“You’re up,” she said as she looked up at him.

Catching him glancing back at her from looking back at the remains of the campfire, he, in a groggy and distracted, blinked and took a moment to process what she just said. His eyes rounded the moment he did before he gave a long and epic stretch and yawn.

“You should have woken me up to keep watch while you sleep,” He said just at the peak of his yawn before relaxing once again to rub an eye. “Guess I’m so used to knowing you hardly sleep. I did not do so myself.”

“I got some rest, so try not to worry,” she said, her hand slightly twitch as in the process.

Knowing that she threw most of her grilled fish into the flame, she hoped that he would not move on to ask if she ate well. After all, she did not want him to worry.

“I see, that’s good to hear,” He said with a warm sigh. “Shall we get going?”

With that, Natalie and Andrew set off once again. Leaving behind her the ashes of firewood containing her guilty little secret long out of sight.