As it got late in the afternoon, the heat became unbearable for her and her muscles felt sore by the time she finally arrived at an area filled with tall grass and a couple of large trees. She dismounted from the horse she managed to tame earlier, allowing the animal to graze around as she searched for a place suitable to make camp. Eventually, she found a nice clearing near the edge of the forest and decided to make a fire.
While she waited for the fire to start, she sat down cross-legged with her hands resting together before her, eyes closed in concentration until her stomach grumbled in protest. Taking a deep breath, the woman opened her eyes, feeling hungry for the first time in days. Deciding to make food quickly, she took a few vegetables, meats, and a couple of cooked apples from her pack. She started cutting and seasoning it before placing it on a wooden slab above the fire. Then she remembered how easy it was to cook simple food back in her world with modern technologies to aid in cooking food. She chuckled lightly before grabbing a piece of apple and taking a bite as she watched her meal being cooked.
"Oh wow, you must be starving." A feminine voice suddenly broke her train of thought.
Astonished at first, Alaenor looked around before her gaze fell onto the woman wearing a simple black tunic and pants. A pair of brown leather boots covered her feet, making her appear quite taller and thinner. Her long dark hair, tied up into a bun, seemed to cover part of her face and only her left eyebrow had been visible since she was standing behind a tree. She blinked twice at the stranger before asking with raised eyebrows, "How did you manage to sneak up on me so quietly without making a single noise? That was quite impressive."
"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you," the redhead apologized with a smile.
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Alaenor shook her head with a warm smile, "It doesn't matter, I was just not expecting a guest."
After a moment of silence, the woman stepped further away from the trunk of the tree, moving closer to her new companion.
"Would you care for something to eat? I believe I should warn you that I am very poor at cooking and I probably won't be the best at offering you food," Alaenor said.
"Don't worry about that, I'll take whatever you make."
"Are you certain?"
"I assure you, it will be perfectly fine and besides, I think it may be interesting to try what you're currently doing."
"Alright then, I guess it's settled then." The brunette replied with a small chuckle before turning her attention back to her dinner. Once the ingredients were cooked, she cut off half of the meat and passed it over to the stranger along with some slices of cooked apples and vegetables.
With a satisfied hum, she sat back down cross-legged and proceeded to eat her dinner quietly. There was a pleasant silence between them while they ate their respective food, leaving the comfortable atmosphere in the air for a couple of minutes. They finished eating and cleaned up the mess that they'd made, when the stranger decided to speak up, "Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier after sneaking up on you, the name's Cordelia." She extended her hand toward the brunette and offered a sweet smile.
"My name's Alaenor," the young lady replied politely as she accepted Cordelia's offered hand, shaking it lightly.
"So, what are you doing here? Are you visiting someone?" Cordelia asked curiously.
"No no, I'm here to see a sorcerer in the Southern region. Someone told me that he could help me with my magic problem."
Cordelia nodded slowly, "Well, I don't know if he can help you with your magic problem but I can tell you that he is a sorcerer and he is very knowledgeable about magic. He is also a very powerful sorcerer as far as I know, for he is half fae."
"Half fae?" Alaenor repeated, intrigued.
"Yes, I am not surprised either. He has magical powers and a lot of energy for being a half-fae."
"What about his name?" the young woman wondered.
"His name is Zevran. His full name is Zevran Dirthamen, son of the great sorcerer Lord Vahlric Dirthamen."