"Move." Corwal's voice was a little muffled, but it came from somewhere nearby.
Arawn tried doing as he was told, but water was not the ground; he couldn't just put his feet down and walk. "I don't know how…" he admitted.
"Just follow, ah hell, the blindfold."
He murmured something more that Arawn couldn't hear, and a current swept them away. It was so strong that there was no fighting it. Like a mythical dragon, it swallowed them and brought where it wanted.
Moments later, they were spat out on solid ground. Arawn landed on his back and a jolt of pain went through it, but it wasn't too bad. He quickly got to his feet and looked around. His vision was still a world of black, but he could hear noise that hadn't entered his ears for years.
Was that the wind in the treetops? A bird's call? Or was that a land animal? He hadn't once come in contact with any creatures that the nobles reared, just often got threatened with them once upon a time.
"What was that, that current?" he asked when his exploration posed more questions than answers.
"All my magic," Corwal muttered. "I wanted to save it in case we got chased on land, but you're pretty useless, aren't you?"
That was the truth, so Arawn just nodded and looked around again, listening. "Is there any food here?" He'd been starving before, and the running around had made him feel it even more acutely.
Corwal grumbled under his breath and stood up. "Let me— No, come with me. I don't dare to leave you alone."
They walked away from the water, and soon Arawn noticed a different texture under his feet. It was softer and slightly damp. His foot would sink into the ground with every step.
It was such an unfamiliar sensation that Arawn crouched down and examined the land. When he put down his palm, it also made an imprint in the ground. But how was that possible? He'd never even heard of such things.
"What's wrong?" Corwal asked, turning around.
"Why is the stone so weak here? My foot can enter it!" To prove it, he put some weight on his leg, and it went in almost up to the ankle.
There was a moment of silence, then Corwal turned around and began walking again. Puzzled by such a reaction, Arawn jogged to catch up to him. "Does that mean you don't know why it's so either?"
"It's dirt, Arawn. All dirt gives way under your feet after rain."
"But…"
He stopped himself from saying something even more stupid. It seemed like it was common knowledge for people outside, but he'd never even heard of it, let alone stepping on something like that. All prisons he'd been in were built of solid stone.
Deciding not to bother Colwar anymore, he explored their surroundings by himself. It was a bit tough with a blindfold, but that didn't stop him. He ran around testing the ground, then examined the grass by touch. Something smelled really sweet nearby, and he crouched down to check it out, but Corwal rushed over to pull him away.
"Could you please focus? There was a wasp on that flower. What if you got stung?"
"Wasp?" Arawn asked with a blank mind. "What is a 'wasp'?"
"An insect with a nasty sting. If you're unlucky, your whole face could get so swollen you'd die from a single attack," Corwal explained patiently.
After a moment's hesitation, Arawn still decided to ask his question. "What's an insect? And why would it sting me?"
He could feel Corwal's hand tense over his shoulder, then relax. It was followed by a heavy sigh. "Come, you five-year-old. Stay by me and I'll describe all that's around us so you can recognize it once you take off the blindfold."
Happy to receive answers, Arawn rose to his feet and followed Corwal obediently. He really wanted to see all the vibrant life around him, but like a curse, his old life chased after him. The moment of searing light in his eyes was one he wouldn't forget easily.
They walked and walked, and Arawn's limbs grew heavy. He tried to keep up with Corwal, but the other man's strides were long and self-assured, unlike his own hesitating tip toes. Every time he raised his foot, he worried that there wouldn't be anywhere to put it, or that it would sink into the ground like water.
His hands were always extended to the sides in fear of that happening.
"There's still half an hour's walk. Can you make it?" Corwal ask, glancing back. He was neither out of breath nor sounded like he'd have trouble walking the same distance back again.
Arawn opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again. He'd asked a thousand questions during their walk, and Corwal had answered all of them. If he had any way for it at least. But after the twentieth one, his voice had gained an undercurrent of exasperation which grew with each extra question.
When Corwal didn't receive his answer, he turned around with half his body to get a good look at Arawn. "If you can't walk, just tell me. I'll get to the village myself and then come pick you up later."
"I—" Arawn scratched his head, pulling slightly at the blindfold. "I don't know how long is half an h-h-ur…" He couldn't even remember the word Corwal had used.
"Right… Let's simplify it then, can you still walk?"
Arawn nodded. He was more exhausted than he could ever recall himself being, but it wasn't to the point that he'd drop to the ground, unable to move a muscle.
Corwal gave him a look, then turned away and continued walking. His strides slowed, but only by a little.
As they advanced, sweat poured down Arawn in currents. His long hair glued to his forehead and cheeks, tickling his nose. He tried to push them away, but it was an exercise in futility. The wind that he'd found so amazing earlier kept sending them into his face, where they got stuck to the sweat.
"I'll get you a bath once we return to the city," Corwal promised upon noticing his struggle.
Another nod was his answer. Arawn had decided not to annoy him with any more questions.
In a long while, when Arawn's breath came in short gasps and his limbs were like lead, Corwal told him to sit down and wait. There was a stream nearby, and the man jumped into it. He shivered from the cold and muttered profanities, but spent a moment to wash most of the grime off himself.
Dripping water, he soon came out and shook his head like a dog. Droplets flew at Arawn, and he jumped to his feet to get away. The water was freezing.
"Be happy I'm so nice and am not gonna force you through that," Corwal told him through the chattering of his teeth.
He then went to a nearby tree and moved something. Arawn could hear bark breaking, and soon Corwal stepped away. He put something on the ground, then swiftly dressed.
Arawn wondered what the tree abuse had been about when he heard a low thump. It took him a moment to place it. Wasn't it the sound of a sheathed sword against the hip? But where Corwal could have gotten a sword?
"Okay, ready. You wait here now. I'll go to the village and commandeer a horse."
Before Arawn could say anything, Corwal was already jogging away. His footsteps were light, and he soon disappeared from Arawn's hearing range.
'Did he just abandon me?'
It was an unnerving thought, but it didn't surprise Arawn. He was somewhat surprised Corwal had tolerated him for that long already.
But there was a more pressing issue at hand—he was still inexorably hungry. His stomach had already given up on growling, realizing it wasn't going to help, but that wasn't a good sign.
Arawn rushed to his feet and walked to the stream. He went on his knees and cupped some water. His skin crawled from the cold, and his throat burned, but he ignored it. Water was better than nothing.
He sat by the stream then, knees drawn to his chest and head resting on them. He really wished to see the world around himself, to admire its beauty before he had to return to the dark cell, but the outside was too bright. For a creature of darkness like him, there was no paradise.
Out of habit, he checked the power within himself, and a shudder racked his body. A world of white was around him. It was so thick someone could poke his eye and he wouldn't be able to see them.
If he just extended a hand and let it enter him, he would be like a god. With so much power, he could shape the whole world to his liking. Just one moment of lost focus, and he'd become a devil that would remain forever in history books.
It was tempting though. The white mist seemed innocent enough, good even. It was white after all! And he didn't have to try hard to recall the exhilaration that coursed through him after allowing it inside him.
His limbs filled with so much energy he'd felt like he'd burst. He could run a thousand miles, jump so high that he'd be flying, or cross an ocean by himself. The white mist was a talented seducer. Instead of promising something specific, it gave the power to achieve all one could ever think of in their lifetime.
But as all such things, it was deceitful. Once it entered his body, there was no going back; he had to release it or burst apart.
At the thought of that, he raised his head, listening to the wind dancing in the grass and tree leaves. Somewhere nearby some bug was holding a concert. It was soon answered by another one, and they held a duet.
If he lost control of the power right then, wouldn't it be fine? There was no one around him. He would die, but that would be counted as something good in the eyes of the gods, wouldn't it? He was an abomination after all, a monster to be killed.
"What are you doing by the stream? Want to take a bath too?" Corwal asked from behind him, his voice light. There was even some joy in it.
Without noticing Arawn's mood, he approached at a quick step. "Here you go. Try this fruit. I didn't have much left after getting us a horse, but I have more savings in the city. Come, eat while we start walking."
While speaking, he thrust a bag into Arawn's hands and pulled him up. "By the way, do you know how to ride? No, I guess not. Well, that's fine too; the city is not too far, so it's fine if we walk. I just needed the horse for us to be let through the gates. What noble would come on foot?"
His chatter was unusual, but Arawn basked in his voice, an unknown emotion filling him. He knew well that joy wasn't meant for creatures like him, but for just a moment, could he enjoy it as well?
Deciding that yes, since he was out anyway, he pulled out a fruit from the bag and crunched on it. The skin was mellow, and juice ran down his cheeks, surprising him. Corwal laughed and explained to him that nobody ate pears like they were tearing a piece of raw flesh.
Arawn listened with interest and filed the new information in the back of his head. There was just so much to learn and experience. Maybe the gods wouldn't be too angry if he waited a few moments before letting go of his life?