“What?” That was the last thing Edward expected from this story.

“It’s like you heard…”

“But how is that possible? Why did you become part of the House of Alexander if you’re not one of his descendants?”

Layla sighed. “What can I say… Like every good story it all started because two people fell in love…”

“Oh, so it’s one of those?” The corner of Edward’s mouth rose slightly.

“It is… My mother was a powerful Marked from the House of Lu Bu. She probably had a good shot at becoming a Legend if not for what happened.”

She once again paused for a moment.

“She was a fierce warrior, decimating Alexander’s forces in every battle. But there was this one soldier… with something in his eyes, as she liked to put it. For some reason her blade stopped right before his neck. She saved his life under the guise of making him a prisoner of war. Then one thing led to another, and here I am, in all my glory.” Layla smiled, but sadness lingered in her eyes. “One day, the current incarnation of Lu Bu got wind of the affair. My mother was branded a traitor, and gave her life trying to get me and my father to safety. In the end, only I reached New Rome. Alexander agreed to take me in, and soon after my talent with the blade became apparent. I was six years old at that time.”

“Wow… that’s a lot…” Edward took a deep breath.

“Is it? I only told the full story to Marcus so far… But I hate Lu Bu and his entire clan. I will become a Legend one day and destroy their House. I can promise you that.” Flames ignited in her irises, and Ed had an impression that it was more than just a reflection of the nearby campfire…

“So you only told this story to Marcus… Is that right? Seems like you’re pretty close then…”

“Shut up.”

“Oh I think I might be onto something…” Edward sent her a cheeky smile.

“You’re not the first man I slept next to on the ground in a dark forest. That’s all I’m going to say about that. Goodnight. Keep the fire going for a bit…” And with that, she closed her eyes, refusing to entertain the young man any longer.

“Pff… whatever.” Ed added a couple large sticks into the fire. He leaned back, resting his arms on the back of his head. “Goodnight to you too.”

His thoughts still lingered for a moment. It felt much better, having someone familiar right next to him. It eased the pressure a bit from this whole scenario. Now there was somebody to discuss ideas with, somebody who can watch his back, and somebody who’d simply keep him company in this empty lonely forest…

***

“Rise and shine! I’ve brought breakfast.” Edward threw a skinned rabbit next to the fire.

“Ugh…” Layla slowly opened her eyelids, squinting under the rays of light piercing through the trees.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“Come on, let me offer you today’s menu. I specially prepared another fucking rabbit and a fistful of snow, it’s your favorite!”

“Somebody’s in a good mood today… and it’s definitely not me…” She sat up, rubbing her face.

“Well I can finally stop eating it raw so that’s one cause for celebration.”

“I guess that’s right.” She smiled.

A couple minutes later Edward was separating the poor rabbit into several parts. He really wanted to hang it up on a branch, and try to cut it up with his new aura technique, but for some reason Layla didn’t like the idea…

When he finished the job and went over to wash his hands in the snow, Layla was already roasting the meat over the fire. She handed one of the sticks, staked through some pieces of the rabbit, to Edward, and continued to handle her own.

They enjoyed the meal in silence. Well… ‘enjoyed’ is a bit much. It was still rather tasteless, but compared to the uncooked version it was rather heavenly.

“Are we starting to travel west today?” said Edward, wiping his mouth.

“Definitely. I’d say we’re out of danger for now so it’s time to head towards Tiberius. Maybe we’ll meet Marcus on the way too…”

“Yeah, I’m sure we will…” He stood up shaking off the dirt from his clothes.

“And let’s keep a look out for a river or something… you smell.”

“You’re not any better yourself lady…”

“Won’t argue with that.”

The duo laughed together, kicked some snow to put out the fire, and set off on the journey.

More than once they had to adjust their direction, mostly relying on the position of the sun. Turns out, it’s very easy to go off course in the forest. You think you know where you’re going, but then a tree might change your angle a couple degrees and then another, and before you know it, you went completely off track.

It was a good thing there were two of them now. Whenever one of them strayed too far and didn’t notice, the other served as a navigator, correcting the route.

***

It took three days, before they finally stumbled onto a small river. First, they heard a low rushing sound somewhere in the distance. The two warriors were so entranced by the monotonous journey, that for a couple of seconds they didn’t register the information.

Suddenly the duo looked at each other simultaneously. They immediately dashed towards the noise. Both of them nearly fell a couple of times, running carelessly on the snow covered ground. They reached the edge of the treeline. Edward stopped in his tracks, putting his hand to the side, barely stopping Layla from slipping and falling head first into the water.

“Thanks. Now let’s go in. Leave your clothes here, or they’ll freeze over.” She started pulling off her shirt, dropping more and more parts of her clothing on the ground, before running butt ass naked into the river below.

“Oh fuck! It’s cold!” The woman, submerged in water, only now turned around, noticing Edward’s frozen figure. “Hmm? Are you going in? Don’t tell me you’re too shy…”

“No… not at all. You just surprised me a bit.” Edward cleared his throat.

“You are!” She chuckled. “Come on, that’s how they did it in ancient times. As a warrior your mind should be steeled towards such things. The body is only a tool we use for battle or whatever.”

“Ahh… fuck it!” said Edward, following his friend’s lead in taking off his wardrobe and jumping in, causing a large splash. “Shit! It really is cold!”

“Told you. Wanna hug to make it warmer?” Layla treaded the water with her hands, keeping herself afloat.

Edward looked over to her completely serious face. “I…”

“Kidding. Don’t answer.” She turned around, rubbing her body to wash away the traces of dirt, sticking to her since almost a week.

‘I was going to refuse, but now I feel kind of disappointed for some reason… Sometimes I just can’t with this woman…’