The Road Ahead

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It was still early, but today would be a hot day, because the rays of sun that fell on Yaira’s face were already heating her cheeks. She tried walking with her face turned away from the sun, but its heat still managed to make her break a sweat.

If she hadn’t ran out of food and water, she surely would’ve paused, sat under a nice, big tree and enjoyed its shadow. But that wasn’t an option right now. She had to continue walking, she had to reach the city before another day would pass. Another day without food or water, she surely wouldn't survive.

She started walking up the hill in front of her and groaned softly as she gazed at the ground, and her eyes fell on the bottom of the dress she was wearing. It was dirty and ragged. She almost felt embarrassed to have to go into town looking like this, but she had no choice. Besides, perhaps she could purchase something new and pretty looking there anyway, with the little money she had left.

At the top of the hill, she decided to pause. She gazed over her shoulder for a moment, not sure what she wished to see there. Perhaps she was looking at the past. It was strange to travel by herself, she wasn’t very good at it either. Usually, her brother would take care of everything; food, water, shelter. Everything. And clearly, she wasn’t as good at it as he was. But she needed to prove she could be on her own, or she needed to learn.

She continued her way swiftly, because in the distance, she could spot something that looked close to houses. And where there were houses, there had to be some resources she could use as well. Her dry, chappy lips ached and cried for refreshment, her breathing became heavier, so did her steps and her stomach made noises she’d never heard before in her life. Although the urge to pause again was hard to repress, she couldn’t stop moving. “Just one step at the time,” she whispered to herself, while she shut her eyes for a moment.

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Leif had been journeying to Avaleur from Paineston for a while now, making some stops to help people if they needed it. He had recently seen a group of bandits around, but he'd deal with them later if the need arose. He kept walking, his backpack strapped securely to his back, and decided to pick up the pace. When he almost ran into the girl, however, he decided to slow it down a bit.

"Hey, you may want to watch where-" he started, then he noticed she didn't appear very healthy. Dry, parched lips and he heard her stomach from two feet away. "-nevermind." He said, stepping in front of her and smiling. "You okay? Want some water?" He asked, gesturing for a tree on the side of the road.

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Maybe her hunger had distracted her, but all of the sudden, there was a man standing in front of her. Yaira narrowed her eyes. He didn’t look very imposing, but looks could be deceiving. But when he smiled at her, she slightly eased and her facial muscles relaxed.

“You’re offering me water?” Her tone of voice was a mixture between surprised and suspicious, but his offer was very tempting. He could easily kill her, giving her poisonous water and taking advantage of her weakness; all thoughts crossed her mind, but she couldn’t think of a motive for why he’d do so. And that tree, providing a bunch of shadow, almost seemed to be calling out her name.

She gazed ahead again, first. The houses were still miles away and she wondered for a moment if she’d even make it there, if she wouldn’t accept his offer. With still a suspicious glint in her eyes, she looked at him again. Her voice cracked as she spoke. “Water.. would be nice.”

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"You seem unsure little lady." He said. Then, he took out his massive water skin from the side of his pack and took a drink, showing it was just fine, then handed it to her. After that, he went and sat under a tree on the ground and used his magic to take a sizable chunk of his metal out of it. With that, he molded it into a stool that wound its way around and into the tree, making it so that she was slightly elevated for more comfort. "You're welcome to sit." He offered, gesturing for the chair. After that, he took out a chunk of slightly stale bread and ripped off a chunk to eat. Then he handed the other quarter of a loaf to her.

"It ain't much, just normal wheat bread. But, it'll do the trick." He said. "I'm Leif, and who are you little lady?" He asked.

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She raised her eyebrow as she looked at the young man by her side. “Excuse me. ‘Little lady’? An estimated guess, but I think I’m older than you are.” She could’ve probably scolded at him some more, but the water skin in her hands won her over and she drank thirstily. It was likely that she could’ve emptied it entirely, but she stopped when it was half empty; it would’ve been awfully rude if she’d claimed it all.

Her eyes slightly widened when she saw the metal form a seat in front of her. She glanced shortly at the man by her side. “That’s quite impressive,” she said, with a sparkle in her eyes. He didn’t have to ask her twice; she took a seat in the chair and although she’d expected it to be hard and unpleasant, she was surprised to find it allowed her to sit comfortably. Quietly, she nibbled on the piece of bread he’d given her. She couldn’t imagine bread to ever taste this good.

“Leif. My name is Yaira.” And for the first time, her lips curled upwards a little and she showed him her charming smile. “Are you from the City?”

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Leif laughed as she did and said everything. "Well, regardless on if you're older or not you're still a little thing. And nah, I ain't from Avaleur. I'm from Paineston, tryin' to find somebody." He looked as she drained the water, and smiled. "You have a lovely smile Yaira, but go ahead and finish that. I got another one." He said, handing her another piece of bread. In truth, the other one was only a quarter of the way full but she needed all of this more than he did.

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Perhaps it was wrong of her to accept his offer, but she was glad she was allowed to drink some more. After a while, she sat back in the chair he’d made for her and glanced at the man by her side.

“You can’t blame me for being a little suspicious, can you?” She was still faintly smiling, though. Her biggest distrust in him was gone. “You offer me water and food, and a place to sit.” She ran a hand over the beautiful metal construction. “More courteous than any of the men I’ve met in the past year.”

She shuffled a little closer, the smile on her face now more a smirk. “May I ask you who you’re looking for?”

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"Yeah, everybody told me I was too nice to be the son of a blacksmith. I just don't see the point to not helping people in need. It goes against my nature to be completely honest, but I wouldn't say courteous. I'd offer you a bed but I'm not at home right now, as you can see." He said, taking a bite of bread and a sip of water. "I'm glad to see that you're enjoying it all though. And I'm looking for my master, he taught me how to do that." He said, indicating the chair with a nod. "I'm only strong enough to do one at a time for now, but I'm getting stronger every time I practice." He said. "And why're you all the way out here m'lady?" He asked, trying to be more fancy. Not really his bowl of soup, but he could try it.

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“Well, you were courteous enough to offer me a seat.”

Yaira chuckled softly. “You’re quite charming, aren’t you?” But the smile soon disappeared from her face, when she thought of the reason why she was here. “I.. uh..” She shrugged lightly and continued. “I’m travelling, on my own, because the person I usually travel with and I had a.. disagreement.” Or what she actually meant to say was: we’re both incredibly stubborn and bicker like a married couple.

“I’m trying to get to the city, as I figured that would be the safest place right now.” And there’d be food and water, and probably a bed for her to sleep in.

“So, you can bend.. metal?” She ran her hand over the chair. It was smooth and shimmered in the sunlight. “That’s amazing. I wish I could do something epic like that.”

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Leif laughed. "Nowhere is completely safe. To be real honest, I have a bad feeling about the city. Like something bad's gonna happen soon." He said, not wishing to delve more into why she was travelling alone.

"And not bending metal, I have control over magnetism so I can do whatever I want to metal unless it's really hot or really cold. I still have to learn that. But anyways, I can escort you to the city if you want, but I saw something earlier that I have to take care of." He said with a smile.

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“A bad feeling about the city, huh?” Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she gazed at the young man. “Are there perhaps other places I can go, of which you don’t have a bad feeling?” She felt foolish to ask, and far too dependent, but this guy most likely knew a lot more about the city then she did. “I will just need some resources. Then I think I’ll just continue to travel.” As she and her brother moved from place to place, she wasn’t used to staying in one spot for a long time.

“I knew it!” She started to smirk while she was speaking. “You’re meeting up with the love of your life, and you have to do it somewhere secret, because your families don’t approve of your relationship.” But the look on his face gave away she was quite far off. “Or maybe, I read too many stories.” Her smirk was replaced by an awkward smile.

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Leif started thinking about other places, but when she mentioned a lover he cracked up. "Nooooo... There is no love in my life save the forge. But anyways, I'm wrong on my gut feelings sometimes. I'm sure if you went to the city and just stayed at the inn you'd be okay." Leif said.

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Yaira shrugged slightly and sat back in her chair. “Alright, if you say so.” The city would at least be safer than the forest or the open fields.

“An escort would be nice,” she put forward and she used her charming smile again. “Should I wait here, until you business elsewhere is done?” After the food and water he’d given her, she’d probably manage staying put for a while.

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"I wouldn't recommend it. There are a lot of bandits roaming... I'll take you as far as the city gates, then I will attend to my business. Hold on to the chair." He said. He hadn't been doing anything but walking so he had a lot of time to practice his skills. Focusing, he realized that the girl didn't weigh much as he lifted the chair out of the tree and kept it hovering three feet above the ground. "Well... i can keep you like this for a half hour or so at a time..." He said, straining as he started to walk. He carried the girl on the chair behind him a few feet, and laughed. "Don't be scared... You can get off if you want to but I need the practice... Heh..." He said.

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Yaira gasped as the chair was suddenly lifted underneath her and she clenched tightly onto the metal. “Hey!” This would be a reason for her to scold at him, but to be fair, he did give her a warning. When she gazed at the ground, she noticed the entire chair, with her on it, was actually floating and again, he left her in awe.

“Wow,” she exclaimed. She felt a bit bothersome that he had to carry her, but if she could help him practice.. So slowly, her grip on the metal loosened and she relaxed. This gave her an opportunity to enjoy her surroundings, and actually give this Leif guy a good look. He wasn’t bad looking, she even considered him quite handsome; a thought that made her chuckle. “I understand you’re the type who wishes to help out the needy,” she started, “But I do ask you what you wish in return. You can’t carry a lady across the land and expect to simply get away with it,” she joked.

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Leif shrugged. "I help who needs it. I don't expect anything in return except maybe a thank you. I was raised better than to expect things. I was told that I have to work for everything, fight and scrape for every advantage I can and that if I was able to try and make it easier for others to accomplish what I already have."

He kept walking, finding that the longer he held her steady the easier it became. When there were dips and hills in the road is when it got a tad difficult, especially when there was a constant downwards slope. Other than that, it was fun. "And plus, I can't very well just leave a lady by the side of the road. That isn't right."

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Yaira smiled faintly. “You sound like my brother, only not as bitter.” For her to mention her brother, she must’ve really been missing him. Swiftly, she shook her head to get rid of that thought. No, she had to take care of herself. She was alone. But when she watched Leif, and his effort, she couldn’t help smiling a little again. Perhaps she wasn’t all alone.

Her gaze fell on the edge of the forest, nearby. It looked so dark and dense, even from her point of view. Then her eyes widened slightly. “Wait!” she yelled as she nearly jumped off the chair. “I saw something.”

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Her sudden exclamation startled Leif and the chair almost hit the ground. He stopped, however, then lowered her to the ground and tipped the chair so she would slide out onto her feet. Then he molded the chair into twenty needles that could kill a deer individually. "Well... What was it?" He asked a little hesitant.

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Yaira paused and only stared at the forest for a while, her face and eyes showing that she was puzzled. In the back of her mind, she heard Leif asked her a question, but she couldn’t quite answer it “I thought I..”

She saw something in the forest, a shape, a figure, but she was hesitant to share this with someone she barely knew. It wouldn’t be the first time that she saw things others discarded as not being there, or simply as her imagination.

“I thought I saw a girl,” she finally mumbled softly, while her eyes hadn’t left the edge of the forest for a moment.

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Leif sighed, then remolded the needles into the chair and picked her up again. "A ghost?" He asked, continuing down the road.