We had stopped because it was dark. Cailin seemed to emotionless the rest of the day, despite me pulling stuff out of my magical bag or playing music.
We were set up in a hidden meadow conceal by trees. On one side, there was the path we were taking.
On the other side was a cliff over looking a lower piece of land.
Honestly, it was very beautiful. I found after helping Cailin set up camp. By then the sun was touching the horizon that the cliff faced, and I ran over to it excitedly as soon as I finished making the fire.
It was a red sun, making the entire sky shades of orange red and pink.
Red sky at night, sailors delight.
I don't know how long I was staring at it, nor did I know if Cailin saw her chance and left me.
All that mattered was here and now.
"Why are you staring at it? If you stay there long enough, a troll will come and push you down." Cailin growled.
"I don't care. If I were to die, I'd pick here to die." I said, whispering loud enough for her to hear. I heard a deep sigh and a thud, indications she dropped whatever she had picked up. I didn't look back to look. I just kept staring.
Cailin walked up beside me, and sat down with her legs hanging off the edge of the cliff, where as I was laid down on my belly, holding my body up with my fore arms.
Down below was a sea of trees, dancing to the symphony of the wind. The swaying back and forth made some kind of peace in the soul.
Fog waved between trees, some rising in some places, and in other places hanging low.
A long river was running through the land, jutting through only to make the landscape more beautiful.
Nobody spoke for a while. Not until the sun was below the horizon.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Huh?"
"Do you have a goal, or do you just go wherever you want whenever you want?"
"...I want to free these people... I want them to be able to roam the gem lands freely. I want the Darians to see we aren't bad people. But no." She sighed.
"That was our land. Hence our gems. Like yours on your forehead." She said, pointing. I self consciously touched it.
"Mine is on my wrist. It's purple."
"Oh...I had no idea..." I faded off.
"Everyone knows that story! That's Gempton history. Where have you been for the past thousand years?"
"..." She could tell I did t really have an answer to give.
"...so where are you from?" She asked.
"I'm...uh...from this place called...uh... Bowling Green...."
"Never heard of it."
"It's a less than magical place...people of kind and mean nature live there. Men, women, children..." I sighed. "Home..."
"Who needs home when you could adventure? Home is just a place of grief."
"Yes, but it's also a place you can rely on..."
There was a long pause. Stars were making themselves visible in the pink and indigo sky.
I had an idea.
I got up towards the camp.
"W-where are you going?"
"Stay there, I'll be right back."
I ran into my tent and snatched my guitar and ran back to the cliff. Cailin was still there staring at the stars. I sat down on the cliff like her.
"Which one is your favorite star?" I asked, playing a relaxing tune."
"That one. The brightest." She pointed at one close to the horizon. It was indeed very bright.
"Mine is that one." I said, pointing to a blank part of the sky, with only one dull star.
"Why that one? It's too dull to even see it!"
"Because, I know that when you get close to it, it the most brightest and beautiful of all."
I started playing a familiar tune that my dad used to play when I was little. We had made up a song about stars, and I absolutely adored it.
"Little teeny tiny star way up in the sky," I started to sing, and Cailin looked over at me. I kept my eyes on the stars, getting ready to drop the unexpected lyrics. "It looks so teeny tiny cause' it is so very high."
Cailin's mouth curved into a relaxing smile.
"But if you get to close to it, it'll burn you to the bones~" I said, nailing the high note, and Cailin's head swirled to face me in utter shock and confusion. I giggled.
"So we must peer from way down here and leave that star alone." I finished and strummed the last note, then continued to play the melody without the lyrics.
"Wow..." Cailin said.
"Hello travelers!" I heard a familiar voice. "You wouldn't know where I could set up camp do you?"
She had cuts all over her, and a few bruises.
"I really don't want to fight any more trolls..." She whined.
"Shorty?!"
