---Aaron---
My sword was out before the person finished his sentence, as were Katherine's. We stood in our battle stance, back to back, and faced the direction of the voice. It was a reflex now, and although the sudden motion tugged on my wounds, I was instantly in battle mode. The adrenaline began to rush through my veins.
A man of average height and had a slightly muscular physique emerged from the forest, with a large dead hare in one hand and a bow and quiver slung across his back. He had a smile on his weathered face, and appeared to be in his late sixties. Salt and pepper hair stood atop a square face, with brown eyes, bushy eyebrows, and a chiseled jaw.
Behind him was a woman of similar age and two small children, each carrying a basket brimming with berries. The children, a girl and a boy, held onto the woman's blue plaid dress and peered at us cautiously. The boy was no older than five, while the girl seemed to be around seven years old. Both had strawberry blonde hair, but the boy had blue eyes while the girl had brown eyes. The woman smiled down at the children, her lips moving as she said something inaudible. Her gray hair was tied into a neat bun, which gave her the appearance of a nice schoolteacher.
"Now, now, don't look so alarmed. I'm glad to see that you two have recovered enough to walk around by yourselves." The man continued to walk towards us, not showing even the slightest hint of fear or caution. "I guess those swords weren't just for decoration after all. You win the bet, Martha."
Katherine and my swords remained trained on him, following his every move. I could feel the tension in Katherine's muscles as we shifted our position and our shoulders touched.
"Who are you? Are you the ones who saved us?" Katherine spoke up.
"My name's Matthew Wymond. Behind me is my wife Martha, and our two grandchildren, Christina and Charles. Say hello, children." Matthew cheerfully introduced his family. Christina timidly waved hi, but Charles clutched his grandmother's dress anxiously, his large blue eyes staring widely at us. Beside me, Katherine's fierce expression relaxed a little; she always had a soft spot for children.
"Speaking of saving you, well—you gotta thank Christina. She's the one who spotted the two of you floating down the river." Matthew continued. "If it weren't for her—"
"Grandpa, I was there too. I made sure they didn't get carried away by the water," Charles piped up in his little kid voice. "Why don't I get thanked?"
"Charles, it's impolite to interrupt Grandpa," Martha shushed him.
Matthew looked back at his grandson and smiled at him. "Ah, sorry Charles, I forgot to include you." He turned back to Katherine and me. "My grandchildren found the two of you. You were both very badly wounded, but from the looks of you two I guess we did a good job of helping you recover."
Katherine and I exchanged a glance. She lowered her sword and smiled politely. "I see. Apologies for pulling our swords on you, Mr. and Mrs. Wymond. We didn't notice you coming out of the forest, and you startled us greatly. We thank you all greatly for saving us and taking care of us."
She looked at the children, and her expression softened further. "Christina, thank you for alerting your grandpa when you saw us, and Charles, thank you for making sure we didn't float away." The two children beamed at Katherine, already warming up to her.
"Now that we've established our friendships, let's head back inside," Martha said gently. "You two must be hungry; lunch will be ready in just a few minutes."
Returning our swords to the scabbards, Katherine and I followed the family back into the cottage. While Martha and Matthew headed towards the kitchen, the two kids settled down on the rug in the living room. Katherine and I hung out in the doorway awkwardly, unsure if we should go help with lunch preparations or interact with the children. I noticed Charles and Christina staring at us curiously; I hoped we hadn't scared them too much earlier.
"What's your name?" Charles asked Katherine shyly. Smiling, Katherine sat in front of him on the rug.
"My name is Katherine." Then she pointed at me. "His name is Aaron. But you can call me Kath if you'd like."
I settled on an arm chair and waved, trying to appear friendly.
"Are you feeling better? Grandpa said you two were really, really sick." Charles seemed to be genuinely concerned about our health. His head tilted to one side as he studied us. "We weren't allowed to go see you because Grandma said you were resting and to not bother you."
"Yes, we're both much better now," Katherine answered. "How long has it been since you rescued us?"
Charles looked at his sister. "Um, I think it's been about ten days." Christina said slowly. "You were hurt pretty badly. In the first couple of days, I overheard Grandma say to Grandpa that she didn't think you were going to make it."
Katherine and I shared a look. We were unconscious for almost two weeks? "Was it that bad?" I wondered out loud.
Christina nodded. "You were both really beat up. There was blood everywhere. It took me forever to get the stains out of your clothes."
"Aw, thank you so much Christina," Katherine said. "I'm sorry about all the blood; I know how hard it is to wash them off."
"I saw arrows on you, Aaron!" Charles spoke up again. "Don't they hurt? How did you get them?"
"Well, it's kind of a long story…" I wasn't sure how to tell the children that Katherine and I were about to get killed by an evil lord. Should I tell them?
"Lunch time!" Matthew's voice boomed from the kitchen, saving me from my dilemma. Charles jumped up excitedly and tugged on Katherine's hand to lead her to the kitchen. Christina and I followed behind. A simple lunch of sandwiches, salad, and berries was laid out on the wooden dining table.
"I know it doesn't look like much," Martha said as she laid out the cutlery, "but I assure you we will have better food for dinner."
"Oh it's good enough for us," Katherine replied. "We are very grateful for your hospitality."
We sat around the table and began eating. Much to my surprise, everything tasted better than what I was accustomed to. The berries were plump and juicy, and even the salad had a zingy taste to it. Maybe it was because all the ingredients were freshly picked from a hidden natural paradise. Or maybe, I was so hungry that everything tasted delicious.
Once lunch was over, Martha shooed the children outside so we could discuss the more serious matters at hand. The relaxed atmosphere suddenly turned solemn and grim.
"So, where do we begin?" Matthew mused, sitting across from Katherine and me. Martha returned and sat down beside her husband. "Let's start with introductions of who you two are."
"Well…" I tensed, sharing a look with Katherine. She nodded slightly. I took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm Aaron Kane, and she's Katherine Lewis. We're both students from the Rosewood Academy."
"Kane and Lewis. Noble heritages, I see. Students from the Rosewood Academy too. You two must be very accomplished swordsmasters." Matthew nodded to himself as he processed the information.
"Um, not exactly. Kath is much more advanced than I am," I said modestly.
"We're both still students," Katherine interjected. "We still have much to learn from Crystallea's famous swordsmen and women."
"Ah, you're both too modest. Regardless, there must be a reason why the two of you ended up here, so far from home and literally at the brink of death." Matthew leaned forward slightly. His bushy eyebrows pinched together as he pinned us with his gaze. "Does it have anything to do with Lord Victor's temporary stronghold at Devil's Peak?"