-The next day
Morning had come and I was given breakfast before leaving with Lyrea to Valnair Mountain, where the rare ingredients of Krantz grew. Upon leaving, Sariah bid Lyrea farewell outside the entrance to the village.
"Lyrea, please take care when you go. You'll be entering Krantz territory so, don't let your guard down," Sariah started to point her finger at me. "And you. You better stay true to your words and if you come across any trouble you had better protect her with your life."
Before I could respond, Lyrea seemed to be a bit embarrassed and spoke to Sariah.
"It's fine, Sariah. I can take care of myself."
There was look of doubt on Sariah's face but, she didn't say anything more. Sariah embraced Lyrea as if this would be the last time she would see her. After that, we got on our horses and made our way.
"Sorry if Sariah was rude to you." she apologized.
"I don't mind, besides, I would be doubting myself if I were in her position."
"Why? Do you not have faith in your abilities to protect me?"
"That's part of it but, If I were to be in her position, I would be suspicious of the fact that I am a total stranger who had appeared out of nowhere asking you to go with me to a place you have never been to."
"So if I were to doubt you too, would you be okay with that?"
"Yeah, it would be natural to do so. In fact, I find it quite odd that you accepted my barter proposition so quickly. If I may ask, why did you trust me so easily?"
"I trust you to some degree but, not fully. You offered me a deal that I might not get for some time and I too, require some ingredients that are not native to Aerindal."
"What if I lied and led you to a dangerous place."
"You wouldn't be so bold as to do that."
"Well, what makes you say that?"
"You didn't admit you were trying to protect me when you followed me to Taewe. Even if you were trying to deceive me, you wouldn't start mentioning how I seem to have trusted you quickly or warn me that you are a dangerous person."
I sighed with relief.
"To be honest, I was a bit worried that you trust people too easily but, it seems that even now, you still pay good attention to what I say and do."
"Of course. I'd rather not get tricked and end up dying. I still have things to do."
"I too, share that same thought."
As we traveled we shared some of our knowledge on herbs and other things related to medicine. We made it to Krantz territory and we were half a day from reaching Valnair Mountain. We set up camp and we waited for the night to end.
"I'll keep watch for the night if you don't mind."
"We can do rotations if you want. I'll just wake you up when I see trouble."
"I'm used to staying awake through the night, and if bandits come, I can take care of them. Besides, It's my job to protect you."
"Th-Thanks. Don't die trying to protect me." her tone had a sense of gratitude but, carried sorrow with it.
"I'll try not to."
She went to sleep in her tent and I was left alone with only the sound of the campfire crackling. The night went on and I sat down, eyes closed, with my hand on my hilt. Sensing someone's presence was an ability passed down through the Royal Krantz Family. If I sense a presence, It would be the sort of feeling you get when someone stares at you but, it has its limitations. I can only sense the presence of someone who bears ill intent towards my direction. The range that I can detect a presence is also limited by my mental and physical state. The calmer and steadier I am, the farther the detection range. So I sat, breathing steadily, and the night continued like this until the ray of dawn hit my eyelids. I woke up Lyrea and we got ready to travel again. The mountains weren't too far from Rivengrand and we made it to the forest that surrounded the mountain. As we crossed through the forest we came upon a pack of wolves. They started to surround us and were intent on not letting us pass. In order to scare them away, I was about to draw my sword when Lyrea suddenly told me stop.
"There's no need to hurt them." she said as she dismounted.
"Careful. They might attack you."
"If they were going to attack anyone, it would be you."
She slowly approached one of the wolves. The wolf growled louder in response but as she got closer it never attacked. She finally got close enough to the wolf and put her hand on its head and started petting it. The wolf stopped growling and the pack soon left.
"See. There's no need to harm them."
"I was just going to scare them off, not hurt them."
"Really?" she said with a bit of sarcasm.
"Yeah. Coming across wolves are a common occurrence in these woods and, engaging in needless combat is just pointless violence."
"Well drawing your sword isn't the best way to deal with this problem. Scare them off once, they'll just bear insecurity towards you and will persist to in the future. Gain their trust once, you won't have to deal with this problem any longer."
"Well it isn't everyday that a wolf lets me approach it. How did you accomplish that?"
"I didn't scare the wolf." she said as if stating the obvious.
"Okay, I get it. I won't draw my sword next time."
After a while, we made it to the bottom of the mountain.
"We'll need to leave our horses here. The path up the mountain is too narrow for us to bring horses."
"Ok. Will they be alright here?"
"There's a stable near here if you want to put them there."
"What's a stable doing in the middle of a forest?"
"Me and my friend built it. When it rained we didn't want our horses to get soaked."
"How thoughtful of you. Where will you leave your horse?"
"I'll just leave him here instead of the stables. The sky looks clear so, I don't think rain will become a problem."
"Ok, I'll do the same as well."
After leaving our horses we went and on the rough and rocky path up the mountain. It had been a while since I've been here and as we walked up the rough path, I felt a bit of nostalgia which made me reminisce about the times me and Sven had here.
"A few years more and I'll be able to become a fine physician. And when I do, I may even become the royal physician by the time you become king." Sven said with pride.
"Don't get ahead of yourself yet. I'm not sure when I replace my father as king and I might die before then."
"Why do you have to be so pessimistic? It won't hurt to think about the future." he said as he kicked a rock on the path.
"It's just that, this war has continued for so long, I can't think of anything that could await me in the future."
"That's simple. Just hope you become a beacon for the people of Krantz."
"Easy for you to say, I hold too many responsibilities to the kingdom. Your only worry is your relationship with the blacksmith's daughter." I said teasingly.
Sven's face flushed with a bit of red.
"Hey, that's not the only thing I worry about."
"Sure, sure, whatever you say, my good friend."
"That aside, don't you think we should build a better path up this mountain?"
"Why? To prevent you from tripping from rocks?"
"I'm serious, it could be a great addition to this place."
"I guess but, only until after the war."
"Why do you say that?"
"Prioritizing my dear subjects during times of war is my duty." I mocked my father.
"I know you dislike your father but, maybe give him a chance."
"I did give him many chances. If he had just admitted his mistake you wouldn't have gotten that scar on your arm."
Sven rolled up his sleeve to reveal a scar from a burn he received when someone used fire magic.
"If you still feel guilty about my scar, I told you already, it's fine. I chose to protect you from that blast, it wasn't your father's fault."
"You're right, this war was."
"I know I try to see the good in people so, you shou-"
Instead of hearing his voice, another voice had overshadowed his. It sounded a bit worried and I was confused for a moment, stuck in the reminiscent past before someone pulled me back to the present.
"Reginald!"
Opening my eyes, I saw Lyrea on the edge of the path, holding my hand. It took a while for me to gain awareness of the situation and after a while of looking around me, I found out I was off the path, dangling on the edge with only Lyrea keeping me from joining the distant forest floor. Quickly putting my other hand on the edge of the path, I climbed up. Laying down on the ground, I was catching my breath. Lyrea was beside me also catching her breath.
"Maybe building a better path was a good idea." I thought to myself
After we caught our breaths, I knew I would be getting some words from Lyrea.
"I told you we should have done rotations! You were walking to your death and if it wasn't for me, you'd be one with nature." She said, quite angry with me.
"Sorry. I truly am. Thank you for saving me. It was entirely my fault."
"How can you protect me if you die!"
"I don't know what else to say but, I am sorry. Sorry I worried you."
I stayed on the floor for a bit until I finally got up.
"We should get going before it gets dark."
"Not going to ask for forgiveness?"
"Nope. I'll let you decide when to forgive me," extending my hand towards her "Let's get going."
She took my hand and helped herself up and after walking on the path we made it to the first flat area on the mountain. The mountain had three layers of flat land and in those layers were where the plants that me and Sven grew were.
"This place looks beautiful." Lyrea said in awe.
In front of us was the largest layer and had a variety of plants. Each different type of plant was separated and in the center of the layer was a lake which had plants teeming underwater. Mist flew in the air from the water that fell from the higher layers into the lake.
"Did you organize this place all by yourself?"
"No, together with my friend, we made this place."
Lyrea wandered around, looking at all the plants that grew and admiring the place. I stood and watched as she searched for plants wanted and gently plucked them from the ground. When she was finished, she had a handful of plants in her hands. The plants she held were different from each other and it would seem that she got one of each kind that she wanted.
"Would you be okay if I took these plants?"
"I did say you could take as many as you wanted. You don't have to ask me, it's up to you to decide."
"I'm satisfied with these plants. I also wouldn't want to ruin the work you and your friend did by taking too many."
"How considerate of you."
"I noticed that we aren't near the peak yet. Are there other plants besides these?"
"There are but, the plants at the higher layers take longer to bloom and haven't bloomed yet."
"Would you mind if you took me here again when they bloom?"
"I would be fine with that. I mean, how could I refuse? Your face is filled with joy."
The person who stood in front of me had a smile. It wasn't any ordinary smile. No, it was a smile that radiated joy and relief. A smile that signaled everything would be ok.
Upon my words, she quickly looked away, with a bit of a blush on her face.
"I shall be taking these for the barter."
"I have no problems with that. Shall we go now?"
"Yes."
We made our way down the mountain and to our horses. We then left for Taewe.
"I noticed that most of the plants you took were mostly used for medicinal purposes. Is there a reason why?" I asked, as we treaded the road to Taewe.
"I have been needing these plants for some time now. Most of the plants native to Aerindal don't have many medicinal properties as opposed to the plants in Krantz."
"Is there someone you are tending to that needs these plants?"
"It's not someone, it's more than that. There are many injured people in Taewe who are in need of help, and these plants will help me, help them."
"Is the reason there are many injured, because of the war?"
"Yes. Many of the injured were people from Taewe who volunteered to fight."
"I see."
"Why the gloomy face? It's not like it was your fault. If anyone should be blamed for the war, it should be the Royal Family of Krantz. They started the meaningless war."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. So, there's no need to feel guilty. It's not like it was your fault."
I nodded.
The travel back to Taewe was uneventful and we made it back safely. I received the laizaire potions I asked for.
"Will you return to Krantz now?" Lyrea asked.
"Actually, do you think I would be able to stay here for a while?"
"Sariah might not like it but, why?"
"I have some knowledge in medicine and if possible, I could help you treat the injured before I return."
The offer surprised Lyrea and she didn't know how to respond.
"I-I mean I would definitely appreciate the help. If it's because you feel guilt, I told you not to worry."
"No, It's not because I feel guilt. Consider this as thanks for saving my life."
This, however, was partly a lie.
"If you say so."
I went back to the inn and, sure enough, Sariah was quite displeased with me staying for a little longer. I watched Sariah's displease behind the counter. She was rapidly tapping her fingers on the counter as she considered the thought. But although displeased, Lyrea was able to persuade her to let me stay. It would then be another night that I would stay in this inn. I went back to bed and awaited the next day.