The company continued traveling through sections of plains with intermittent sections of thick trees.
As they moved through the land they came upon a valley that took Caeli's breathe away. She had never seen anything so beautiful.
As they crested the hill they were surprised to see that it was a gradual but long decline down to a valley with a large pond in the center that branches off of the O'Nay river. At one end of the pond there was a small cottage. Caeli noted that there was no smoke coming from its chimney, likely abandoned, she thought to herself.
Although the land near the pond was fairly flat and the trees were not thick, only a few hundred yards away the space was mostly encircled by trees.
In the distance you could see the mountains of Ausia, renowned to be the home of the continents Folk King. The Dragon.
The same dragon that destroyed her village.
She hadn't realized how far north they had traveled until this moment. The mountains were so far from where she had been raised and yet they were almost half way there already.
She hadn't intended to travel to the mountains but as it is the place with a large concentration of magic, due to its dweller and its subjects, perhaps there would be something there to help her. Answers to questions, clues to her past, present and future.
Especially now that she possessed magic, and a Seeing Stone for that matter.
The three headed down the side of the valley and eventually reached the cottage. Caeli knocked and waited. There was no answer at the door.
"Is anyone here?" Caeli called as she slowly opened the door. When she received no answer she swung the door open entirely to take a look around. The cottage was mostly just the one room, it was dimly lit from the sun outside but she could see a large fire place at waist level for cooking and heat, a wash sink, a few cabinets, a bed, a couple of chairs, and a dinner table. A few smaller spaces jutted off of the main area, a mud room, a pantry, what looked like a nursery or a child's room. The place was covered in cobwebs and dust but otherwise fully functional at a glance .
"How do you guys feel about staying here for awhile?", Caeli said turning in a circle in the center to face her friends standing just outside the door.
Aurum and Brego looked at each other and both nodded.
"You must know though that we were being followed. Is it a good idea to stay stationary in that case?" Brego asked looking behind him.
"Followed? No I didn't realize..." Caeli said softly, surprised and a little frightened. She'd lived her whole life being avoided. This was certainly the first time anyone had done the opposite.
"Yes since we left Flumen. I've felt a dark presence keeping a distance but following us. Some days it would be faint and some days it would disappear but I've noticed it quite consistently."
"Hmm, when have you last noticed it?", she asked.
"A couple of days ago. This is the longest I haven't felt it."
"Well let's stay for a couple of days, replenish our supplies as much as we can, and we'll continue moving. How does that sound?"
Her companions nodded again.
____________________________________________
Quickly flying through the woods, weaving between trees and bushes, they could sense the magical presence that overwhelmed the area.
Pinpointing the girl hadn't been hard. One moment nothing, and the next, so much magical power it drenched everywhere she went.
Keeping some distance between themselves and the small party had been difficult, the magic was enticing, inviting even. They likely got close enough to be detected once or twice.
But they wanted the element of surprise when the time came.
But then they saw her, and everything changed.
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Caeli took to cleaning the cottage almost immediately, as she cleaned, Aurum scouted the surrounding area for resources that Caeli could collect after she finished with the cottage. As he moved through he collected sticks and kindling so she could start a fire when he got back.
Brego stood outside of the cottage grazing but also on watch for the dark entity he had sensed since they left Flumen.
After Caeli finished cleaning the house, she had covered her new clothes, and herself, in dust. She walked out into the sunshine and looked at the pond. Quickly she looked around, no one was there so she felt it would be fine to take a quick bath and wash her clothes.
Filled with excitement at the idea of being able to freely use such a large space with privacy, she undressed at the waters edge and carried her clothes with her. She loosened her hair from its braid and dunked herself in the beautiful water.
Brego heard a splash and looked to the pond to see that Caeli had started bathing. The horse rolled his eyes and snorted. Darned fool. What if someone was nearby?
With this thought, the gelding felt an overwhelming darkness suddenly appear.
Eyes wide with fear he looked around. As quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared.
The gelding saw nothing. He thought to himself that perhaps he had just been caught off guard by the girl bathing and was spooking himself thinking of someone lurking in the shadows.
Caeli finished bathing and washing her clothes and walked to the house naked to hang her clothes on a nearby tree to dry in the suns heat and the breeze that came rolling through valley gently.
Sitting under the tree she spotted Aurum returning with sticks in his tails grasp.
Upon seeing him she waved her hand in the air, smiling. She hadn't felt freedom and joy like this in her whole life.
As Aurum approached he realized the woman was completely nude. Skin glowing, hair drenched in water giving the impression of rich chestnut wood, the small white streak of hair barely visible. Shouting in surprise and covering his eyes with the end of his tail he turned away from her, the thrown kindling forgotten. His face warm, at least in reptile standards.
"Miss Caeli, I apologize, I-I didn't re-realize...", he trailed off, lost for words for the first time since his ability to speak was granted to him by the woman who was now lounging naked under a tree. She looked like a creature from the forest itself. She could have been mistaken for being of the Folk.
"Aurum don't be silly. You are a snake, I am a human, there's hardly an inappropriateness to the situation.", she said chuckling.
Aurum felt a small pang in his reptilian chest. Of course. They were of entirely different species. What would she care if he saw her naked? The snake slouched slightly. *Is this disappointment?*, the snake thought to himself.
"I'm sure you're correct but if you could humor me, I'd feel much more comfortable with you clothed.", the snake said quietly.
Caeli noted the change in his mood in the back of her mind and stood to put her clothes back on. They were mostly dry, they would be fine to finish drying on her body.
After Aurum had returned and she had cleaned her clothes and herself, she started a fire and left with him to collect food and refresh their water containers. Deer and birds scattered, not used to others in this area. Caeli thought to herself that it must have been sometime since anyone had lived here.
Once they returned, Caeli worked on making dinner, laying out a collection of fruit, berries and nuts. She had also caught a rabbit for Aurum (even though she made him kill it as she didn't have the stomach for it) and was roasting it in their stove.
Aurum and Caeli sat at the table eating while Brego was able to fit his head through the window and join.
After cleaning up their meal, everyone settled in for the night. Caeli took one of the old blankets out to Brego and covered him where he stood just outside of the cottage door. The horse snorted.
"You will need this more than I, you silly girl.", he said haughtily.
"It's alright, I have enough fire for the night and a couple more blankets inside. Goodnight.", Caeli said, half-smiling at the grumpy gelding. She wondered if all geldings were so grumpy or if it was just Brego.
Brego turned his head away and then turned back just in time for the door to close. It was no wonder she didn't fit in at her village. This girl was kind and she cared for the Folk, including animals. He recalled this same girl, frantically freeing animals from pastures and barns as she herself was trying to evacuate the town. He remembered the fear that rippled through the humans and animals as the dragon lay siege to their home.
Brego's experience with humans had always been brutal and unkind until he himself was freed from his pasture by this woman. The endless work days, the way they subdued the animal species to do their bidding. He had never liked humans, but he couldn't recall having ever known one like her before.