As she regained consciousness, Maven found herself lying below a shady tree. The dazzling, sunny daylight stung her eyes, pushing her to face the other way.

The next thing she saw was a wooden carriage. The side flanks on all sides were retractable into a mobile store. A brown horse with white stripes was grazing not far from it.

Then came Reyl into her sight, approaching Maven with a smile. “Thank goodness, you’re finally awake,” He told her.

Maven immediately attempted to rise up but then she immediately groaned. Reyl quickly caught her shoulders and slowly lied her down. “You should keep lying down for now…”

Maven felt understandably uncomfortable, knowing that a man he just met was treating her in her vulnerable state. Fortunately nothing had befallen her so far.

Maven knew that she must go away as soon as possible. She must not inconvenient a stranger, let alone involve him in her problems. Should anyone found out her true identity as a thief and a fugitive, she would be in a big trouble.

She knew that she won’t be able to go back to Redne for a while. But she had to eventually.

She must. Whatever fate shall await her in the end.

For now, still being very weak and wounded, Maven could only accept her current predicament. She hoped that the man before him would respect the proper conduct between opposite sexes instead of taking advantage of her current vulnerability. Moreover, he was a merchant, someone you would expect to coldly prioritize profit.

Reyl’s tender voice dispersed her thoughts. “Are your wounds still hurt?”

Maven nodded, but then added, “But it’s better now.”

“Thank goodness, then you’ll recover soon.” He smiled. “But it doesn’t seem you only got those wounds from the wolves back then.”

Maven couldn’t respond and remained silent.

“Ah, the soup is already done.” Reyl stood up and walked towards the campfire.

Maven then tried to make up a story. “Uuh… actually… when I departed from Redne last night I was also ambushed by a group of bandits. They took all my belongings. But I managed to escape while they were trying to… abuse me…”

“Oh, no,” Reyl lamented. He sat again beside Maven. “An elf girl like you shouldn’t travel alone. It’s no wonder those bad people attacking you. Where do you intend to go?”

Maven shook her head. “I have neither any particular destination, nor a place to return to.”

“Even to Redne?”

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“Especially Redne.”

Reyl went silent. His forehead wrinkled, struggling to process the dilemma in front of him in his thoughts.

“To be honest,” Reyl finally spoke. “I'm not comfortable bringing along someone I only just met. Let alone a woman. But if you don’t mind, why don’t you come with me for now?”

“Huh? Well….” Maven stuttered. His offer came too soon for her.

Reyl knew that she would doubt him, so he stood up and said, “I swear upon my honor, so you don’t need to worry. Please think about it while you have some rest, until you’re recovered enough to travel again. I’ll get you some soup.”

The young man then walked towards the campfire, leaving Maven, still staring on the man’s back.

I think he’s being to quick to trust me, the girl thought. Can I do the same for him, though? Let alone telling him my true identity? He is too suspicious.

When the light of day had receded, only the campfire was left to illuminate her vision.

Maven walked towards the fire, looking at the carriage parked not too far from it. She looked briefly to the pot, already emptied of its soup. She reached for it to wash it elsewhere.

When she went to look for water, she ran into Reyl’s brown horse that was anchored to the tree. The horse whined as Maven was approaching it. Maven made an eye contact with the horse, and then it stopped its whining.

Maven reached for the horse’s neck and rubbed it gently. The beast shook its head a bit and then neighed softly, as if telling her it enjoyed her patting.

“I think Whisperwind has taken a liking for you,” Reyl suddenly interrupted, surprising Maven. “He is my beloved steed since I was younger. He might be old now, but he still hears very well.”

“Indeed he still looks elegant and strong. You must have cared for him well, Reyl,” Maven praised him before turning back to search for water.

Reyl interrupted her again, “Please, don’t trouble yourself. Let me wash the pot later. Instead, would you like to see inside my cart?”

Maven nodded. She just realized that it’s important to find out what kind of merchant Reyl was, before even deciding whether it would be wise to befriend him, or not.

Reyl opened the door and let Maven enter the carriage. Maven climbed up the small stairs was surprised with what she found. A lot of weapons filled the cart. Many of them were hanged on the wall. Others were filling the drums and crates that were crowding the cart. There were swords, tridents, axes, crossbows, clubs, hammers, and many more.

“So you are an arms dealer?”

“Yeah, and I don’t just sell any weapon.” Reyl puffed his chest. “All this armoury are of finest quality and were crafted by the most skilled blacksmiths from around the continent.”

“Damn, all of these must be pricey!”

“Eh, not really. They are made of finest materials and metals, sure, but not necessarily rare. The only rare weapon here is my own sword, the heirloom from my father,” Reyl said as he patted the handle of his sword that was always sheathed by his hip.

He also added, “Had I sold this only rare stuff, I would be a rich man by now and won’t be travelling around like this, no? And the rest of my life would be real boring.”

Maven nodded in agreement.

“Now, I’ll be continuing my journey to the city of Handelburg in Borgia tomorrow. From there, I shall depart for Parthenia before going all the way home in Halethia. So I need a firm answer from you.” He explained to Maven seriously. “Will you come with me and become my partner in business?”

Maven looked straight to Reyl, then began to speak with a trembled voice, “If I may, would you let me stay for the night here for now? I shall tell you my answer tomorrow morning."

Reyl only stared back at her and then shrugged.

That night, in her dream Maven found herself returned to the carriage that carried her away from Saint Ambrosius Monastery towards her ‘new home’. Again, she heard the commotion that enticed her to look outside the carriage. The moment when she met briefly with a boy with a black hair.

Maven was truly amazed. The boy’s face, even if certainly younger, strongly reminded her of… Reyl.