My breath didn't cease and my heart didn't stop. I felt as alive as ever. For better or worse, God refused my death and ordered me to keep going. I opened my eyes to the same mountains, snow, and the trees. Except, something felt different.

A beautiful lady next to me has been observing my crushed hand. Her face reminded me of the old paintings of the angels. Only an auburn hair followed by emerald eyes could represent the beauty of an angel. A long light blue dress covered her pale body. She took her brown coat off and put it on my back. If she had a pair of wings, I’d assume I was in heaven. She rolled her gaze from my arm to my eyes, and her distraught face immediately went away.

“You’re alive? Praise the Gods, it’s a miracle that you’re still here.”

I tried to laugh, but instead I had intense coughs. I managed to sit up, and to my amusement, I didn’t see the destroyed bus behind me. Instead, all I saw was endless snow and dried up trees. This both cheered me up and cast a worry upon me. What happened to me, and where I was? I knew I wasn't in heaven, but I wasn't in hell either.

Confused, I tried to stand up, but my injured leg made me regret my first attempt. I shrieked in pain and fell on my back. This ensured the fact that I was anywhere but heaven. If the lady didn’t help me, my pain would be too much to handle.

“Here, let me carry you. We can’t stay here forever.”

A mare appeared from the trees ahead of us the moment she whistled. Just then, I noticed the blood marks on her dress and realized the dire situation we'd been in. She didn't seem to mind it as she gently lifted me and put me on top of the horse. I put my arms around her to not fall off of the horse, but my arms sizzled in protest. My will to live prevailed, and I tightened my grip around her.

“Hey, it hurts!”

I knew what would happen if I let it go.

“I’m not in the mood to die in this cold, so please bear with it.”

She giggled.

“You’re quite lively for someone who almost died.”

My breath formed a cloud over my head.

“How did you find me here in this God’s forsaken place?”

The horse slowed down.

"I woke up next to you, and I remember nothing before this moment."

I was baffled; how could someone forget everything they knew? It must've been by an accident, or she had a temporary amnesia. I didn't see any wound marks on her body, so it could be the latter.

“I remember someone attacking us, but I was the only survivor.”

The horse stopped, and she turned back. Her face turned to a tomato from the bone-chilling cold.

“We’ll have all the time to chat once we find somewhere to warm up. Let’s go!”

Before I could prepare, the horse bolted like an arrow. I held her for who knew how long. At that moment, only she and I existed in that barren world. The horse stopped after a long voyage, and she pointed at a wooden house close to us. The chimney gave us a warm welcome with its smoke. She got off of the horse and peeked inside from the window. The owner must've been gone somewhere else. We couldn't wait any longer in the cold, and I got dizzy from the continuous blood loss. She carried me inside.

It had two rooms with a big mirror and various accessories in the main hall. Two swords sat on the table with a wooden mug next to it. A gas lamb sat on top of the bed, she helped to lay on the bed. The light shone on her sweaty forehead. She looked for plants and equipment to tend my wounds. It dawned on me that I never asked for her name.

“You’re bothering yourself this much for a man that didn’t even ask for your name.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m Alba, what’s yours?”

“John. Nice to meet you.”

She came back with a bubbling potion.

“This will hurt John, but I have to do it.”

The purple potion she poured over my injuries gave me immense pain. I had no idea what it did, but it certainly hurt. She didn't seem to be fazed by my face contorting to all shapes and pulled another bottle to pour over my legs. As she finished the bottle, the door creaked and a dark figure revealed itself.

“Hah, I caught you red-handed, thief!"

The voice revealed herself to be a woman completely covered in animal fur. The lady had three rabbits on her poach and clearly didn't expect visitors. She raised her bow at Alba but hesitated as I stood up from the bed. She came closer and saw my horrendous state.

“We got lost in the storm and found your house. Wolves attacked us and wounded him.”

“Poor thing, I hope he’ll survive the night.”

She put the bow on the table and sat down. I couldn't make her face out since the sun disappeared long ago.

“Still, don’t barge into people’s homes, you know. I can tell you’re a noble, so I’ll let it pass.”

Alba sighed a moment of relief. I felt the need to add myself to the conversation.

“Would you mind if we stayed here for a couple of days? I promise we’ll pay for your kindness in one way or another.”

She came to inspect my wounds. I could see her bewilderment as her fingers caressed over my left arm. She turned back, mixed a couple of herbs, and smeared them over my arm.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Your bones are all over the place, you need to stay in bed for a while. The wolves here are ferocious beasts. How did you manage to run away?"

Alba shrugged. “The horse saved us.”

“I bet it did. Well, while he’s resting, you can clean these rabbits and I’ll clean the room a bit. You guys will be here for a while.”

The lady didn’t trust us yet, and I didn’t blame her. It would take some time to garner her respect, and I had to heal first. By helping her, we’d grow closer by time.

"By the way, what's your name, and where are you guys coming from?"

“I’m John, she’s Alba and…”

“And?”

I coughed to avoid the question, but I couldn’t run away from her glare. I had to make something up on the spot.

“We’re coming from the north, our village got raided by bandits and they ravaged the village. We had to leave.”

She turned her gaze to Alba, I prayed that we wouldn’t die tonight in our sleep.

"Yeah, we fled our village. We had known each other since childhood, so we fled together to find a new place. Could you tell us where we are?"

Her demeanor softened after the question. We convinced her and I couldn’t be happier.

“I’m Nahia. We’re close to Pamplona where the Navarran court resides. I assume the English united with the local nobles and attacked your village.”

From my tiny knowledge of the Kingdom of Navarre, I assumed us to be somewhere at the end of the late medieval era. Even then, I had no idea how I came here, or for what reason. I didn’t have an answer to this question, so I stopped tormenting my mind with it. In the meantime, Alba cleaned two of the rabbits, and the girl joined to clean the last of them. They prepared the cauldron on top of the fire, and again, a wave of shame engulfed me for lying in the bed like a child.

During the war, I had a purpose, I helped my friends and they helped me back. Here, I sat down like a chicken watching other people do the things for me. Yet, I knew I had to relax, especially with my wounded arms and legs. More problems would arise if I didn’t rest, so I watched both of them preparing the dinner. Alba chopped vegetables while Nahia fed the fire.

We had a hearty rabbit stew; Nahia cleaned the cauldron while Alba fed me like a child. I haven't had a meal this good for a long time. We blushed like children but I could tell that she enjoyed it. I couldn't wait to recover and be useful to the people around me. Nahia noticed my uneasiness as well.

“Is there something bothering you?”

“Well, I did nothing but cause trouble to both of you.”

She giggled while she put oil to the fading gas lamb.

“Your enthusiasm to work in this state is admirable. Don’t worry, you’ll cut lots of trees for me later.”

I nodded and prepared to sleep early tonight. Just as I closed my eyes, Alba laid next to me. Before I could ask anything, she put her finger on my mouth.

“No complaining. I have to be with you in case something happens.”

Tears came to my eyes, but I managed to hold them back for this once. I snuck next to her and we warmed each other up for a good sleep. After a moment of hesitation, my fingers caressed through her silky hair. I haven't felt this happy since my wife’s death, so I savored every moment of it. Just this morning, I got on a bus thinking about my unpredictable future. Now, I was somewhere in medieval Iberia, heavily injured and unable to move. Yet, the contentment in my heart prevailed over my head throbbing pain. This too will pass, I told myself and fell into a deep sleep.

I stood in front of a casket with many faces surrounding me. A pastor read prayers, and the crowd said “Amen,” at the end. A familiar face stood on the casket’s portrait. I looked away to escape her fiery gaze but others didn’t help me either. The whispers grew louder and the air got heavier, I couldn’t stand up anymore so I got on my knees. My body trembled, I couldn’t look at it.

The crowd fell silent as they witnessed the unfathomable in front of them. I finally got the courage to look at it and saw a blinding light emanating from it. A rainbow made of butterflies enveloped my wife’s casket to the point I couldn’t see it anymore. Just as I dashed to save it, I woke up to something delightful.

I saw a glimpse of butterflies on my body, but they turned to a green glow and disappeared on the ceiling. The moon watched the earth’s denizens and Alba slept like a princess. I tried to collect myself to process what I saw, just to find Nahia feeding the fire in the living room. She advised me to lay down as I tried to stand up. I pointed at the water on the desk, she took a sip from it and gave it to me. The tense aura between us made me uncomfortable.

“I can tell you both hide something from me, but I’m unsure of what it is.”

“We all hide something from each other, don’t we?”

She took the cup from my hand and remained silent. I could see the fire reflecting in her eyes as she took a bow and a pair of arrows from the ground. She inspected every detail of it in front of the vivid fire.

“I’ve never seen these kinds of bows before. The arrows are exquisite as well. Where did you get these, John?”

I assumed I brought them with me on the way here. I doubt Alba could use a bow, so maybe it truly belonged to me. My father loved archery and he spent his life mastering it. I learned a thing or two from him. Perhaps fate brought me here and ordered me to take the mantle from my ancestors.

“My father used to be an archer. He taught me a lot, yet I have much to learn.”

She put the bow and the arrows on the side and crouched next to me.

“If that’s the case, I’ll ask you for help when the time comes,” she whispered.

Realizing I was getting myself into something serious, I hesitated for a moment. However, she's the one who saved our lives, and we've been indebted to her. Only a coward, no, a traitor would deny the request of a woman who saved his life.

“I promise you; I will help you in whatever you need.”

She sighed and sat down on a broken chair next to me.

“A monster lurking in the mountains wiped out the village I used to live in. It didn’t spare anyone, so we’ll make sure it won’t live another day. I’ve been here, observing its movements every day to kill it.”

She forced a smile as I held her hand and assured her of our victory. She bid me a good night and sat in front of the fire. She turned her back to me, but I knew that she didn’t have a good sleep. The fire comforted me as I fell asleep once again.

I woke up to a cloudy day, the storm faded away and left a white blanket in its place. I didn't want to disturb Alba by moving my body, so I inspected the room for a better look. The big mirror next to the ashes surprised me. I must've missed it last night. An archaic rifle hung behind me, I knew rifles existed in late medieval Europe, so this helped me to narrow the date accurately. Learning more info about this world would increase the chances of our survival.

I pulled my arms out of the blanket to see how the girls tended my wounds, but to my surprise, I didn't even have a single scar on my arms. They both were pristine with no signs of any injuries. I threw the blanket over my legs to check them, and indeed, they looked as good as ever. I walked to the mirror and met with someone else. I went back to my early twenties where I had the best time of my life. I had a muscular body and a likable personality. I became my old self, born to this world anew.

Nahia found me adoring myself in front of the mirror and dropped the herbs from her hands.

“Wait, how? This is impossible!”

She darted to me and checked my body once again. But there was no mistake. I somehow recovered from my appalling injuries in a single night.

“Thanks to you, here I am.”

“I can’t think of an explanation for this. The Tetrarchs must’ve favored you.”

I snuck into the bed to give the good news to Alba, and she smiled like a ray of sunshine as she saw me. Her bewilderment mixed with joy exalted her beauty. We gave each other a big hug. The delicate lavender fragrance of hers made me feel at home. I gazed at her eyes and brought her closer to me. A question lingered in my head, and I wanted to figure it out.

“Thanks to your butterflies, I’m still here.”

She didn’t expect me to say this to her, so she turned red and looked to the side.

“I’m glad you saw them too. Our souls must be connected, I’m sure of it.”

“I think so too, however, there must be another reason for you liking me this much.”

She averted her eyes for a second, but my gentle smile gave her the courage to answer.

“My heart longs for adventure, what about yours?”

“And mine yearns for revenge,” Nahia said from the side. She tossed me my bow and put the arrows on the table.

“We have a job to do, remember?”

We both stared at her as she left the house. Alba seemed to be heartbroken by her behavior. I knew what loneliness did to people, so I didn’t judge her. Living alone in a house surrounded by snow and mountains would change anyone for the worse. After all, I still had to fulfill our part of the bargain and bring that monster down.