The smile on his lips briefly fell but returned like a boomerang " I don't think it's stupid. Maybe it's just you!" he casually replied and picked his book from the ground.
Haren growled and took a step closer to Bastos, but he stood his ground with the same smile. His expression remained calm and seemingly unbothered by Haren's muscular build.
" Anyway, pleased to meet you, lump and lovely Edýia." he politely bowed and began to walk.
Edýia whined from under her hand " Wait!" her voice was unclear as she spoke with the hand covering her mouth and nose to stop the bleeding.
The man called Bastos halted his steps and turned around, holding the book, and pinched the cloak with his hand to the front. It was clear to her that he wore nothing under his cloak and was barefoot.
" Where are you going ?" Edya asked, wiping the blood off her face with the sleeve of her dress, wincing and grimacing in pain.
Bastos pointed at the tower peeking over the tree line " Home!" he replied, his voice sounding distant, looking at the castle.
" That's where you live?" Haren rasped, a little taken aback as he followed Bastos's line of sight.
Bastos hummed " Aha. So you have more than just one face!" he excitedly exclaimed, looking at Haren.
"You must have a few bolt's missing. What are you talking about?" Haren's voice went up a little, and he scowled.
" Ahhh, let it be! No matter. So, I'm guessing that you lot are going that way too. What business do you have there? You don't look like southerners. What do they feed you where you come from? You look like a mountain. Let it be! No matter. " he rambled on, looking at them.
Edýia and the lump gaped at him, and he was sure they thought he was crazy.
" You're not the talking kind, are you?! You'll get used to it. I haven't spoken to someone in a while and missed it, so now I'm making up for the lost time." he rambled some more.
" We should get going. We are wasting light, and I have important things to discuss with the Queen. He rambled some more and turned on his heels, and began walking.
" Are you two coming, or do you need a special invite? Bastos asked over his shoulder.
Haren pushed her up the hill with slow steps and followed Bastos through the scrub as he slowly walked up the hill.
" You haven't told me what brings in these woods?" he began speaking again " Not many people dare to walk in these woods. Dangerous, you see. They think it's cursed, you see. But it's not, you see. It's just enchanted."
" Not many know this, but long ago, these woods we full of life, but then a greedy man came along a changed all that. Now it just wood, and a beast here and there but much dare to enter the forest beast or man." he rambled some more...
Haren cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak " You thirsty? You look like you could use a drink and some rest. You two don't look very well. Have you had anything to eat? I haven't eaten....can't remember since when it doesn't matter. I miss the taste of food."
Haren took a deep breath and his face flushed in several hues of red " We can walk in silence. No need to talk!" he said the moment the man stopped talking.
" I can't do that, you see. I'll be gone soon, you see. I don't want to regret that I haven't lived to my heart's desire, you see. Would you refuse a dying man's wish? No, no one would. Why would they? That would be cruel. You don't look cruel to me. Are you cruel? " Bastos raggled. With every breath he took, a word came out of his mouth.
" Do you want to hear my story?" he asked
" No! Haren said in a crisp tone.
" I'll tell it to you anyway. You need to know. What if I die before we reach the castle? You need to tell the story to the Queen. She needs to know. She must know. I don't have much time left, you see. " he finally stopped speaking and turned to show them his hand that looked like a raisin, shrivelled and black.
Edýia frowned " Are you plagued?" she worriedly asked as she studied his hand.
" No, more like a curse but all the same. I'll die soon, and I want to make sure that someone hears the story before I move on from this life. I wasn't even supposed to be here, it was an accident, and then, with the help of a spell, I bound myself to a woman, but I ensured that the spell wouldn't last that long. She looked like a decent woman, and she didn't deserve to die, you see. But I was desperately trying to buy time, and she just happened to be there. Luck or misfortune decide yourself."
Edýia's eyebrows raised, and she frowned subsequently " She will survive, right?" she hastily asked before Bastos would begin to speak again.
" Yes, no! She will be fine. Don't worry. I'm practical. All deaths must serve a purpose. No one should take life on a whim. Anyway, as I said, don't worry. Oh, look at that. Time flies when you're having a good time." he exclaimed, looking at the sky. The moon was almost high up in the sky.
" We should reach the castle by morning. You haven't told me if you have had any food or if you need to drink—water mostly, no mead or alu in the forest. I'm afraid. Maybe in the castle, but I am highly doubtful."
" You haven't stopped speaking long enough so we can answer your questions. Water would be good, but I haven't seen any springs. There was a river that we passed. We left the horse there ." Haren replied, annoyed with Bastos, that wouldn't stop speaking.
Bastos laughed " I do that. I used to be a teacher and a scholar in my time. I loved teaching younglings about life and other things, but things turned bad, and everyone died. True story. There is a small river up ahead, I can hear the water murmuring, and I remember it since I roamed the forest as a wolf. I couldn't talk then. I mostly growled and bared my teeth. Ahh, there it is, finally.!" he said as he pointed to a stream in front of him that trickled between some mossy rocks, shining in the moonlight