With the musty smell of dust and dried paper tickling her nose, Matti rolls up the parchment containing the map of Kankor and strides from the room. She enters the living space at the centre of the cottage they had found through the king's instructions and places the map atop one of the benches that she and Vlaken had been sleeping on.
Moving past the open cupboard that holds the larder of food, she makes her way to the other side of the cottage to where Vlaken had found a bedroom and various other supplies.
"Vlaken?" she says.
"Yes," he replies as she comes through the door.
She takes in the small room. It has a high window at its centre letting in light that brightens the whole space, a double bed sat in the middle of the back wall that has seen better days from the split wooden corners to the threadbare sheets. A plain, oval mirror sits upon a wooden desk painted a deep blue in a corner with a high-backed chair to accompany it. And alongside stands an overly ornate wardrobe with scrollwork marked doors that almost touch the ceiling. There are a few faded drawings hung on the walls and a chest at the foot of the bed.
This is where she finds Vlaken. His head inside, still rummaging through its contents with most of it already scattered around him.
"Have you found any packs or satchels that we can use?" Matti asks.
Popping up with a smile he nods. "I did. Look on the bed," he points. "I found them at the bottom of the trunk, this thing seems to keep going." Standing, Vlaken makes his way around the side of the bed and picks up one of the packs. "They seem sturdy enough, and they both have twin straps. It'll make it easier to carry them."
"Good, at least that is one thing that we don't have to worry about. Now," she begins with a frown. "You didn't happen to find any clothes? Ones that would fit me? I can't be traipsing around the forest and hills of Kankor in this dress, as lovely as it is."
"Hmm," he pauses, "I think there was... as, yes. Here we go." He snatches up a handful of clothes from a pile to his left and hands them to her. "These should fit you more or less." He smirks, "They may be a little big though."
"Why is..." she stops as they unroll from her hands. "Ah, these are... men's clothes."
"Yes, it was all that I could find. Sorry," he shrugs then moves back to the trunk.
"Great," she huffs. "Well, at least it isn't a dress, I suppose." She lays them all out on the bed and chooses a pair of baggy breeches, a dark green shirt and a tan coloured jerkin. "I'll try these. Are you changing out of those?"
"Mmm, I hadn't thought about it, but now that you mention it I kind of smell. Yes, new clothes would be nice."
"Good, I'll be through here."
Matti leaves him sorting through the clothes that he had found. She enters into the living space and throws the clothes down onto the bench and starts at the lace of her dress. She struggles for a moment then manages to undo it. Loosening it, she shimmies out and it drops to the floor leaving her in nothing but her shift. She wraps her arms around herself, suddenly feeling exposed to the world more than she has since being in the dungeons.
The memory lingers like a cobweb that she cannot be rid of. The cold seems to seep into her very bones, taking her back to a time she wants more than anything to forget, to completely wipe from her mind.
She shivers and moves closer to the fire that roars behind. She rubs her hands together trying to think of anything else but the cold, stone floor that was her bed comes back and the tiny bars that were her window.
"Please, please, please," she mutters. "Please, please."
"Matti?"
The mention of her name pulls her from her thoughts. They just drift away like little puffs of smoke as she comes back to herself. She stares forward at nothing then her eyes focus, taking in the form standing in front of her.
"Neymar, is that you?"
"Matti. No, it is me, Vlaken. Are you okay?" He holds his hands aloft. "You have been standing there for an age. I thought you were changing. Look, I have, and I've packed some of the clothes in case." He stops suddenly at the realisation of what she is wearing. He blushes, turning bright red in colour as he turns away. "Forgive me, I did not mean... to look... sorry."
She shakes herself and wraps her arms around herself as she stares at the back of his head. "There is nothing to forgive, Vlaken. But... could you leave me to dress?"
"Of course," he splutters as she paces away towards the bedroom.
Matti watches him go, her face blank as she snatches up the breeches and pulls them on. The shirt she pulls on next, tucks it in and buttons up the breeches. She stretches up to get comfortable then grabs for the jerkin and puts it on faster than she thought possible. "Better," she mumbles and takes a deep breath. "Memories."
"I am dressed," she calls out then busies herself loading the packs with food. She puts in jars of various sorts then thinks better of it, finding old dishcloths and wrapping them first. She replaces them on top of the clothes then adds in bread, cheese and some root vegetables too, filling the packs almost to the brim.
"Good job," says Vlaken as he comes in once again, his eyes averted from her in shame.
Matti studies him then, taking in the youths' appearance, studying him for the first time since before this ordeal started. "Tell me Vlaken—"
"I am sorry I walked in on you, Matti. I really am, I would never, never try and—"
"Calm yourself, Vlaken. Please, it is fine, I promise," she finishes with a smile.
"I... very well."
"How old are you?" she asks softly.
He pauses momentarily. "Seventeen."
"Hmm, I am only three years older," she muses. "Strange, I had thought you were younger. You seem younger sometimes but other times older than your years." She smiles at him now, her eyes alight in the soft glow from the candles. "But do not worry, okay?"
He nods his head slowly and grins. "Can I help?"
She nods, "Yes. Grab any blankets, it might get cold on the plains after we leave the grove."
"Will do." Vlaken inclines his head, sending her the message of what she will become if all is righted again. Then he is off into the bedroom again searching for the blankets.
Matti pushes the root veg down a touch as she contemplates how this will work going forward. She stands there waiting for Vlaken, her mind running through a plan of where to go from here. We will head west through the grove and hope we come to the edge. Then across the plains towards the rolling hills that surround Tula Lake. I just hope we have enough food. And what will we carry the water in? By the Gods! Where are we going to get water? "Water."
"Water," repeats Vlaken as he rushes back in, his arms full with blankets and various other bundles. "Did you say, water?"
"Yes. I have realised that we do not have any way of carrying water. Also, where will we get it on the way?"
"Oh," Vlaken sighs. "I hadn't thought of that. Maybe we are too unprepared for this journey, maybe we cannot make it that far, maybe we will die!"
"Enough of that. We are just as prepared as anyone. We will make it, we have to." She says it with conviction but then is instantly filled with doubts. Her heart is sure they can travel and survive but her head is telling her something else.
"No, we are going to die! We should stay here. We shouldn't leave this cottage. The Gods provided it to us and we should not leave. We will fail and di—"
"Vlaken!" she shouts. "Stop panicking. We haven't even left the cabin and you are panicking like a frightened child. We are grown, you and me. We could be the last humans alive from Norridan, I do not know," she sighs, taking in a breath. "We cannot stay here, we just can't. Those things, those daemons could find us at any time. We need to leave, and soon. We need to go today, as soon as we are packed."
Vlaken visibly sags, almost falling but catches himself on one of the benches. He blinks and shakes his head before he meets her eyes. "I am sorry," he whispers. "Sometimes I... sometimes I lose myself," he sighs. "I cannot help it. I have not been... I do not have the confidence as you do."
Matti moves closer and places her hands upon his shoulders. "You have it, Vlaken. I believe in you! You are not just forgotten kin of a king, you are your own man, you have to believe otherwise this journey will be long and hard and I do not know if I can handle that." She continues to hold him for several moments before letting go but she still holds his eyes. "What do you say?" she asks, her face set fiercely.
Vlaken stares at her now, his thoughts lost to him as he stares into those emerald orbs that brighten her face even on a day like today. He grimaces, "Yes. I can do it. I must do it for my family."
"And for yourself."
"And for myself. Yes, for myself." He brims with pride at his realisation, his mouth turning into a huge grin. He shakes himself then focuses on her again, his eyes turning to watery pools. He licks his lips and smiles with a whisper, "For myself."
"Good," Matti nods, still close. "Now, hand over the blankets and I think we are nearly done."
"Here," he says handing them over.
"Thank you." She takes the blankets from him and stuffs the first into her pack and the second into the other. She pushes them down, forcing them into place then pulls up the cover, strapping it down. She fastens the buckle, giving it a gentle tug to make sure it is secure, then finishes the second pack. Happy that nothing will fall from the two packs, she turns to Vlaken with a grin, "Did you find any arrows or other weapons?"
Replying with a grin of his own, Vlaken nods enthusiastically, "I found a whole bunch of them, two bundles worth, and this," he hands over another bundle.
Matti takes it and almost drops it. "That's heavy, what is it?" she asks, putting it on the bench beside her.
"Weapons," is the only word he says.
"Weapons? How many things to kill, can a man want?" she utters. "Well, let us have a look then. We may find some of it useful." She unwraps the package, laying it out across the bench.
"Wow!" whispers Vlaken.
Matti looks on at an array of weapons. A dagger with an intricate scabbard to match the one they found earlier, two plain short swords with wire-wrapped hilts, a leather quiver that has been dyed dark green. But lastly, lying next to it all and standing out is a long sword with a deep crimson scabbard, the entire length engraved with strange runes, the hilt is wrapped in black leather and the pommel is inlaid with an oval shaped ruby encased in silver. Matti runs a hand across them one at a time, her fingers feeling every bump and groove, from cold iron to the supple leather of the scabbards. "They are... beautiful."
"I thought you said they were things to kill?"
"I did," she replies. "But they are, don't you agree?" Her fingers run down the long sword's scabbard, the tips following the mix of curves and sharp angles of the runes as if reading them. "These are strange runes, they look like the scripture of the old language."
"They look... similar, I suppose. Maybe they are the same. Are these weapons the King's?"
"They must be. No one else knows about this place. Unless..." she pauses. "Unless they are from the reign of Neymar's father. They could have been his. The library, Neymar is not a big reader, or so he told me."
"No, he is not. I was surprised to have found him in the great library so much lately." He frowns in thought, his brows arching. "Actually, he has been spending more time there since just before you arrived. Maybe you were his reason?"
"I think his sudden hunger for books was for another reason, one that I will not get into. Anyway, maybe we should take at least a few of these." Her eyes wander over them admiringly, lingering as if she had an urge to marvel at their every detail.
Vlaken looks from the weapons to her, then to the packs. "We have no more room to carry them. We will have to—"
"We will carry them how they were meant to be worn." She looks up finally, her eyes gleaming in the morning light that filters through the cottage windows. "Go and fetch the other dagger. That one is yours, this one is mine," she says, picking up the dagger and marvelling at its design. "We will need leather for belts, was there any in the trunk?"
Vlaken nods, "I think so, yes." Then he is off again without another word. Matti watches him go, the youth is taller and strong for his age. He disappears through the doorway and is back within several heart beats, his long strides hurrying back to her. "Here," he says, handing her some leather strips. He makes a move to hand over the dagger but stops himself. "This is truly mine?"
"It is now." Matti lays out the leather, taking the best two. "These will have to do." She hands one to Vlaken. "Thread it through the dagger's loop. It should be at the back, it will take a bit of effort with what we have."
Vlaken nods as he turns the dagger around. "Can I not put it on my belt? It should fit."
"Maybe. You could try that. I'm making this up as I go along, so if you have any suggestions, I would appreciate the help."
"I will try my belt first, we can save the leather if we need it for something else."
"That's a good idea. Try and attach it then and I'll work on mine." Picking up the dagger's twin, Matti threads a strip of leather through the back loop. She pulls it tight then wraps it around her waist and knots it to one side. She pulls at it and, satisfied, she lets it drop. She moves around feeling the weight of the dagger sitting against her hip.
"How is this?" Vlaken asks as he shows off the dagger attached to his belt. "It feels good, a little heavy but good."
"I am glad, I hope we don't need them. But I have a feeling we will, sooner rather than later." She turns, running her hand over the remaining weapons. She picks up the long sword and hands it to Vlaken. This is yours too, it is too big for me. I will take this," she picks up the empty quiver. "The arrows and the bow. You can practice with it too. Do you know how to use it, the sword?"
"Yes," he nods. "I was taught the sword and the axe. But... I fear I will not be too adept though. I was taught by one of the king's generals and he was not kind. I haven't practised in a while."
"I'm sure it will come back to you. Let us hope we will not need it though."
He takes the sword, his eyes staring down the length taking in the runes. "Thank you."
"No need. We have to stick together and defend each other if needs be. You already saved me once, Vlaken and I thank you for that." Her tone becomes sombre as she stares at him now before glancing down. "We are... family," she finishes with a smile.
"We are, aren't we?" he suddenly beams.
Matti shakes herself from the mood. "Time to go. Grab one of the packs. You could strap the long sword to the side maybe? We need to get going while we still have the light."
"Can I have one of the leather strips? I'll use it to attach the sword."
"Here." She hands him a strip, closes up her pack then heaves it onto her shoulders. "By the Gods that is heavy. It's like a harvest day out in the fields all over again." Giggling around, she manages to find a comfortable spot for it to sit. She moves back and forth, twisting left and right for movement. "Wait, gat!"
"Woah, what is wrong?" Vlaken asks, his hand already on the hilt of his dagger.
"Water," she utters under her breath. "We need to carry water somehow. How could I have been so silly? Forgetting about—"
"There were canteens," Vlaken interrupts her. "They were in the wardrobe at the back."
"I could hug you right now," she beams. Her eyes brighten as she steps closer to him. "That is good. We can fill them from the well and be on our way before the suns reach their peak."
"I will fetch them."
"Thank you, Vlaken." She spins around staring at the cottage, at the cosy hearth and benches covered with soft cushions, and the larder still half full of food, to the library room and Vlaken rummaging through the bedroom.
Last time in some comfort, I suppose? It has been nice here. I don't think we'll be sleeping this well for a while at least.
"I have them," Vlaken blurts as he rushes back in. "Here, we have two each."
"Thank you. Now, shall we go?"
"If you think we are ready, then yes."
"Good, let us go and fill these then start this adventure." She grins widely, suddenly unable to contain her excitement any more. "Come on," she says as she heads for the door.
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