A strange yet familiar voice called out her name, "Titan?"
She instinctively turned to get a clear view of who had called her but when she looked back, the face she saw wasn't a familiar one. 'Who is this and how did she know my name?'Titan wondered. Because she still had her male outfit on, her attitude naturally blended with it. She placed her hands behind her back, raised her chin and shoulders then raised her brow.
The lady who had appeared in front of her had very dark skin as dark as ebony. Her dreadlocked hair was sliding side by side on her waist as her dark, long, slender legs walked towards Titan. That was when Titan got a clear view of her bright emerald eyes. She tied a piece of clothing around her waist which enhanced her curves.
Titan blinked twice. If she wasn't young and a girl herself, she would think this woman was trying to seduce her. Although the Lynx clan welcomed all races to their clan, she had never seen anyone as dark as the woman in front of her and if not for the help of the light at the fireplace, she was sure that she wouldn't have gotten a clear picture of this woman because she looked darker than the darkest hole.
There was something that caught Titan's attention and that was her emerald eyes. That unique pair of eyes were similar to her and if she wasn't mistaken, asides from herself and this strange woman, no one else had those charming eyes. Or at least, no one she had seen.
"Princess Titan?" The ebony-skinned lady looked up at her as if trying to bring her back to the present.
Titan's frown deepened as she heard her words 'how did this mysterious woman know that she was a girl? Besides the ministers in the Lynx clan, no one else knew, not even the villagers of the clan and I can still recall father vehemently telling the ministers that this was an internal discussion only. So how did this woman who is not even part of the Lynx clan get to know this important information.'
She took another look at her male outfit and nodded in satisfaction seeing that she wasn't blind when she thought she was wearing male clothing. But was that supposed to make her feel better or worse?
The strange lady smiled, even her eyes revealed her delight. This act of her caused Titan's lips to twitch. For all she knew, this lady might be an enemy who just wanted to coax her with her warm gestures. The lady walked past her and sat on a wooden chair. She then gestured for Titan to seat on the chair adjacent to hers.
Titan hesitated but eventually sat. She stared at the woman in askance 'what exactly did she know about my identity and how did she find out?'
As if reading her thoughts, the strange lady started. "I found out from the man who brought you here that you're the princess of the Lynx clan. He mentioned something about someone getting killed while protecting the princess of the Lynx clan. So you don't have to worry I'm not harmful."
Titan stared deeply at her as if searching through her soul and kept staring for a long time. Obviously not buying that explanation, she stood up and started walking towards the door. It is better to die in the open than die within closed doors.
The strange lady tilted her head backward and closed her eyes and in a chilly tone, she spoke. "Trust me, Titan, you wouldn't want to make that mistake."
Titan paused for a few heartbeats then finally turned to look at the woman. She then scoffed. Her expression fully stating that 'staying here would be a bigger mistake.' She took out her dagger from her side bag and placed it in her boots and adjusted he waist sword then turned to head out. The strange lady sat on her chair and placed her hands on the armrest.
As Titan opened the door, a strong wind came from outside and her eyes met with the sudden snow that filled the ground. She widened her eyes in astonishment. 'How's this possible? Wasn't it spring a few minutes ago?' Then a relaxed voice came from inside the cottage.
"The weather here fluctuates."
Titan looked into the cottage 'tsk... Even this can never stop me.' She thought to herself and began to walk through the lonely streets. She walked for hours but still landed at the small cottage. She then took a different route and began to walk again but still landed at the small cottage. But why? She took a different route so how's this possible? Was she walking in circles?
She took another direction and walked for hours. Just when she thought she had it all figured out, the small cottage came to her sight again. 'Oh! What a great misfortune.' She thought. Nighttime was slowly creeping in and she wasn't familiar with this clan so how on earth was she going to survive all alone? She recalled the strange lady's word of how she would be making a big mistake by going out. Well, honestly she could say she was regretting her actions rights now. Her clothes were disheveled and her condition was not too good.
She lethargically walked to the small cottage and pushed the door open. Apparently, the lady was still seated on the chair where she had left her. Her arms were still on the armrest and her head tilted backward with her eyes closed.
'Was she sleeping? She didn't even move a limb since I left her at noon. Is she a ghost?' The strange Lady finally spoke still with her eyes closed. "Welcome back, Sit."
This time Titan sat rather hurriedly. Her body was shivering and her disheveled clothes were not making the matter better. The place where she sat was close to the fireplace which helped her body regain some warmth.
"If you remain in those clothes, you have a fever. It is best if you change into something more comfortable." the lady said all those words still with her eyes closed. She then stretched out her hands towards Titan and handed her some warm clothes. She then pointed towards a small door
"You can change there. Once you're done, sleep. Tomorrow is another day."