To be honest, I don't know what happened to me. He was right, I used to love the world and everything in it, but now… I wasn't so sure.
As I walked through the woods in my bare feet, I began to ponder why I was even here. Why? Why anything? I shook my head, no this is a bad mentality.
I looked up at the slowly darkening sky. "It's going to get dark soon," I said out loud, "I should start to head back." I began retracing my steps back to where Bahar had been but as I walked I looked around at the forest around me and I had forgotten how beautiful the woods were at sunset. The sun's rays reflecting off the shining green leaves turning them to a beautiful golden color, and leaving an amazing pattern on the forest floor. The shrubs and ferns glowing in the golden light as well but just as breathtaking. The bugs floating around in the air, twinkling like the stars. I took a deep breath, trying to breathe in the majestic view that surrounded me.
I got back just as the stars started to peek out from behind the clouds, the moon illuminating my path. As I drew near, I heard Bahar humming an all too familiar tune. The same tune I had hummed when we first met, the same tune my father had sung to me before he left this earth. He finally came into view and I quickly noticed the small fire he had made to boil water earlier was now a huge campfire and the fish that was cooking above it that hadn't been there when I left. I watched him as he poked at the food with a stick, he seemed so at peace despite the violent path he has decided to take in his life. I thought for a second that maybe, just maybe, this was why I was here.
"I can't believe you remembered," I whispered softly but loud enough for him to hear over the crackling fire, as I stepped into his field of view.
He looked up and his eyes met mine. "Of course I did," He smiled. Maybe.
I walked over and sat on the other side of the fire from him, looking at him through the bright flames. Bahar once again poked at the fish. "Do you think it's almost done?" he asked, "Cooking isn't one of my strong suits."
"I think a few more minutes would be good, you want to wait till it's a little crispy on the edges."
He put the stick down and his whole body seemed to relax into the ground. His gaze met mine and I held it for a few seconds before quickly looking away, hoping the flicker of the flames hid the soft redness in my cheeks.
We sat in silence for a moment before he cleared his throat and said, "How bout now?"
"What?"
"The chubs."
"Oh," I inspected our meal that was a little darker than it should have been, "Yeah, it's good now."
I once again watched him as he worked. He used a stick to stab and hold the fish, it worked the first time but on the second try it fell to the ground. "چرندیات" He whispered.
I began laughing. "You really can't cook, can you," I managed between breaths.
He rolled his eyes but had a smile on his face. "Guess we'll be only having two then." My stomach grumbled in protest. He handed me one of the skewered fish and took the other for himself.
"So," Bahar said as he took a bite of his meal, "Where are you planning on going from here?"
"I don't know yet," I answered as I did the same, "I at least want to make sure Atemis got back to the orphanage safely."
"Artemis?"
"Yes, there was a younger girl with me when I was attacked, I fought so she could escape, I just pray that she made it back safely."
"You fought a battle you knew you could never win to save a girl?"
"She wasn't just some girl," I responded angrily, "she was my friend and the only one who could continue to provide food for all the orphans whose parents have been taken by this gods forsaken war."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so rude, I was just amazed that you would risk your life to save another."
I sighed. "Well she didn't deserve to die too."
"And you did?"
"I'm not dead yet so it no longer matters."
"But it does matter, if I hadn't found you when I did, they would have definitely killed you."
"Like I said, I'm not dead yet. Why did you kill those men anyway? They were Persains just as you are." I said as I finished up my small but hardy meal.
"They were deserters," Bahar explained as he took the last few bites of his, "My father has no use to those who leave his side during this war, so he sent me to dispose of them. How I hate running his errands, I'm his son, not his slave."
"You sound like you don't like your father very well. Why continue to fight for him if you dislike him?"
"Why do you stay at the orphanage? It's the only thing I've ever known."
"Fighting or obeying your father?" He glared at me and I knew I'd crossed a line. I decided to change the subject. "You asked me where I wanted to go after this, what about you?"
"I'm not sure either," he seemed to look around after he spoke as if he was waiting for something to come out of the woods, "I have a proposition." He looked me dead in the eyes, it seemed as if the whole world was holding its breath, or maybe it was just me. "Let me be your sword."
It took me a few moments to break free of my shock. "Huh?"
"Let me be your sword. I will protect you, I will always be by your side, I will leave my fathers aid and travel with you wherever you go, wherever you want to go, I will be with you." I thought he was joking at first but the sincerity in his eyes proved me wrong.
"I-I don't know-"
"Please Daphne, I don't want to leave your side, never again."
"But didnt you just say your father has no use for deserters, if you leave, your father will kill you, and it would be my fault."
"My father wouldn't kill his only son, and if he would, it's worth the risk."
My eyes went wide. I was worth the risk?
"Please," he whispered.
We sat there in awkward silence ever so often meeting eyes then looking away till I suddenly and softly decided to speak, "I used to imagine what it would be like to meet you again, this is not how I imagined it. The ladies at the orphanage would always mock me about it, saying you were never coming, that this isn't how the world works. But I don't think anyone knows how this world truly works. So was this fate that brought us back together or something else? Are we meant to be or only meant to cross paths and then head our separate ways?" I paused and took a deep long breath, "I thanked you for saving me but I think tomorrow we should go our separate paths."
He was silent for a while, his face never changed but his eyes shined with hurt
I fiddled with a stick and went to open my mouth again but didn't get a chance to answer. Bahar grabbed the knife we had used to prepare our meal and threw it, having it slice the air and knocking a dagger away that had been swirling straight towards my head. "لعنتی," he said, "They found us." He jumped up and grabbed three daggers out of his kamarband then whipped his head towards me, "Stay here, I don't want you to get involved in this." then just as quickly, ran off into the woods to pursue the one who had thrown the dagger. Before I was able to comprehend what was going on, three more men jumped out of the tree tops above. The dagger was a distraction. I didn't have any weapons so I needed to act quickly. I got up, grabbed a stick from beside me, lit it on fire using the flames of the campfire and held it in front of me. "Bahar!" I yelled but he must not have been able to hear me for no one came.
I backed up as the three of them advanced and soon realized I had miss counted for I had backed right up into another man's arms. He wrapped his left arm around my body and tightly held his other hand over my mouth. "No more screaming," the gruff man said. His grip tightened and it got harder to breath, I tried once more to scream but obviously it was no use. I had to think, think. Then I noticed that the man forgot to disarm me. I gripped the stick in my hand, even though it was just a stick, it was better than nothing. As hard and as fast as I could, I took the stick and plunged it in his right arm. His arm gave just a little tension but it was enough for me to grab his hand and pull it off my mouth. As loud as my lungs would let me, I screamed, "Bahar!"