River and Wood, A Minecraft Tale

Chapter Six, There are Monsters Nearby

It was another day. River grew fonder and fonder of her new name, and even took another journey to Cadia Village because she wanted to share it with her neighbors. They were all eager to see her again, except for Harvey who as always, was in a grumpy mood. She traded lots of her extra crops, along with some animals she had hunted on the way. In return, her satchel was filled with emeralds by dawn. Even though she came for the sake of trading, it felt like there was another reason. She wanted to see Wood again, as much as they wouldn't approve of their town hero meeting with their sworn enemy. River tried to distract herself as much as possible by helping out the farmers or the blacksmith with their work, but he wasn't an easy person to forget. "You seem distracted." Ted stated as they stacked another bale of hay on top of his wagon. She wiped the sweat off of her brow and sighed, "I suppose I am." Her fingers tightly secured the wagon's cargo with a leather rope. "Don't leave me hanging! What's on your mind?" Ted asked, adjusting the straw hat on his head whilst his gold badge clinked against his iron tools that hung from his belt. "If I told you, you'd think I was crazy. Besides, it might scare you a little bit too." She chuckled lightly. "Scare me?" Ted repeated. "Nothing scares me other than Harvey when he's missed lunchtime! Go on! I want to hear all about what's got your heart in a twist." He crossed his arms with a smile. Her eyes widened, "H-How did you know it was my heart?" She asked. "C'mon, Hero. The entire village can see it. You've been humming to yourself more often than usual, you haven't been eating as much, and when you practice your combat skills at the edge of town your face always goes a certain shade of pink. There are several other signs." Ted explained.

"My name is River." She corrected him, hoping to change the subject. "Did you get that name from the man you're admiring?" Ted asked with an even slier grin. "Ugh! Fine! I'm in love! Are you happy?" River admitted, managing to smile as well now that she said it out loud. "Yes, yes I am." He replied as they both hopped on the front of the wagon which was pulled by a donkey. It would take them about ten minutes to get back into town. "Louis and I were talking the other night at the tavern. We both have our guess on who it is, but before I tell you, I want to know." Ted stated, looking over at her. She sighed, thinking to herself that she might as well tell him the truth. After all, he was good at keeping secrets, and nobody would hear them for another mile. "Well... I... I met him at the river. That's where he gave me my name." She began. Ted listened as he drove the wagon. She went on and on, from saving Attalla to meeting Wood and seeing him again five days later. Since she was no stranger to telling stories, every word was precisely how it happened. When she finished, Ted was speechless. "You mean to tell me, a pillager spared your life?" He breathed. She nodded, leaning back against the hay bales. "I swear on Notch's golden apple. Just, promise me you won't tell anyone." Her words caused Ted to stop the wagon. "Your secret is safe with me. I just can't believe it! A pillager! A pillager of all people! Me and Louis were way off on our guess!" He began to laugh as he started up the wagon again.

"Wait, what? Who did you think it was?" She asked. "We assumed it was your damsel in distress, Attalla. Since you saved his wandering hide and his son and all." Ted continued to laugh. River eventually laughed too, "No thank you! I would not fall in love with someone I'd have to save all the time. If anything I love Wood because his bravery is almost as crazy as mine." She chuckled. "We didn't speak of when we'd see each other again, but I was planning on visiting the river again in the morning to see if he'd show up." The sun began to set in the west as they approached town. "Why wait?" Ted asked. "Don't let the night stop you, go see him! I've seen the way you fight! Go on! Go!" He ushered her. She thought for a moment, but realized he was right. What if he was there? What if he was waiting for her right this second? She leapt off of the wagon, "THANKS TED!" Her voice echoed as she began to run in the direction of the familiar oak forest. As soon as her boots hit the ground she was off. She'd come back for her horse in the morning. It wouldn't be the first time she'd camp out in the wild. There was still a good thirty minutes of daylight left, meaning she'd have a while to get there before night fully fell. Just in case, she kept her iron sword firmly in her hand. The tall grass brushed against her legs as the breeze of the night air flew through her hair. Part of her was saying that what she was doing was pointless and that Wood wasn't going to ever meet her again unless in battle. If he wasn't there, she planned to find a cave or a tree to camp out in until dawn. She would've never done this in her early days of roaming the land, but monsters didn't scare her as much as they used to. Her gloved hands pushed branches out of her way as she carefully and swiftly managed to make her way through the dense woods. She was out of breath, but continued onwards.