They were both sitting on the ground around the fire. She still feels cold. She came out of the river a few minutes ago. Her wet clothes clung tightly to her body, outlining every contour and curve. Her face became red, and she just kept looking at the dirt and drawing with a stick. Her savior did not look at her, even once his entire focus was on the soup in the pot.
Her stomach growled with hunger, and she looked at the pot with anticipation and longing. She did not wait long before her savior placed the warm bowl in her hands. She sipped quickly, as if she were afraid he would take the bowl back; this was the first thing to put in her mouth in days. She spat it out at the same speed because it burned her tongue.
"It's ok, there is no need to rush; wait for it to become warm at least, and if you finish it, there is still more," he smiled, showing his white teeth. She doesn't know what is under his helmet, but someone with such a pure smile could not possibly be a bad person. She shook her head and began to drink the soup slowly and deliberately. The warm liquid passing through her throat made her feel refreshed, and every sip made the chills go away.
It wasn't just the warmth; this soup was actually delicious. Perhaps it was because she had not eaten anything for days, but she knew the taste of this soup would remain in her memory forever. She quickly finished her bowl and placed it in front of him. Without a word, he poured her more soup, and she finished it quickly too. After the third one, she just lay on the ground, and without realizing it, she surrendered to sleep.
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She woke up after having the most peaceful sleep she hadn't had in a while. On the same spot from yesterday, her savior sat with his arm crossed, still wearing his helmet, which, although worn by rust, had a slight shine. She couldn't tell if he was awake or not, so she quietly got up and headed to the river, taking quiet steps just in case.
She washed her face with the cold water from the river; it brought her chills and refreshment at the same time. Although the water was cold, it was close to noon. She had never woken up this late before; she was used to milking cows at this time on the farm of the person who later became her fiancé, Mr. Basson.
Just remembering him made her put her head in the cold water. She breathed heavily after she took her head out, then she heard a sound of movement. She looked behind her to see her savior standing up and heading between the bushes without saying a word. 'He went to relive himself, of course,' she told herself before returning and sitting in the remains of yesterday's camp.
"bssshshshsh"
She took a small stick and started drawing on the ground to pass the time. When she heard the bushes moving behind her, her savior didn't go from that way, so she was sure it wasn't him unless, for some reason, he wanted to play some pranks to scare her. Even though she had known him for less than a day, she didn't think he was the type to play pranks.
Her thoughts were correct. The person who appeared from behind the bushes was not her savior, but a large, hairy man who was not wearing a shirt and wearing a rag around his waist to cover his private parts. She could not smell his scent given the distance between them, but she was almost certain that it would not be much better than her rotting smell yesterday. Of course, she stood up and moved away from that hairy man, who, as soon as he laid eyes on her, started laughing hysterically before starting to mumble or do something that sounded like singing.
"Finally, this is my happy day with this girl. I, the proud one, Raqut, will be able to stand on my feet after leaving that damned camp, hahaha..."
The man called Raqut continued to laugh as he approached her, and every step he took made her feel like the ground around her was shaking. She wanted to run; she wanted to escape with her life, but her legs did not move an inch. The smell of his foul breath reached her before him. She wanted to vomit; she wanted to cry; she wanted to scream and call out. Her savior, but for some reason she felt paralyzed; she just stood in her place, helpless, before the sun disappeared behind the shadow of the giant who looked at her with a smile. She closed her eyes and hoped that it would be a quick death without any pain or suffering. She could feel the hand coming toward her face.
"Don't you dare touch her, Raqut; that woman belongs to me." She heard a familiar voice, and the pressure she felt disappeared, as if it were nothing. She could move her body with ease. Her savior returned and sat in his place. He gestured for her to join him by patting the space beside him. He did not glance at the hairy man at all. She could feel that his eyes, hidden behind the helmet, were looking at her. She did not know how she gathered her courage, but she passed by the hairy man to the remains of yesterday's camp and sat down, directing her gaze towards Raqut.
The big man moved towards them with sparks flying from his eyes. Her savior did not appear to care at all. He just sat in his place. She moved and took cover behind his back, which made him laugh.
"When did you find her, and where?" Raqut said that before sitting near them.
" Yesterday, when I passed an aluki nest, I saw a small room in which they put their food. I was lucky; I saved her before one of them ate her. I was on the verge of losing the prize.
Her savior spoke to Raqut as if they were acquaintances, and the topic of conversation seemed to be her and some prize, which made her ask curiously, "Excuse me, are you talking about me?"
" Huh?! You didn't tell her anything?"
" We didn't have any time for that. After I took her out of Aluki's mouth, I took her to this spot where she washed herself and drink the soup before she fell asleep. In fact, I don't think we had any conversation at all."
Neither of them answered her question directly, but they both definitely knew her. "Excuse me, do you know my name?" ، Her savior responded by jumping from his place, his smile turning into a worried face.
"You don't know who you are? Did you lose your memory for some reason? .....Raqut, does the Aluki have an ability like this?"
"No, no, I'm just asking if you know who I am. Of course I know my name, but you seemed to know who I am. Sorry for the misunderstanding." She quickly corrected her question. There was definitely nothing wrong with her memory; at least that's what she thought.
"Oh, well, sorry for my reaction. To answer your question, yes, we know who you are. Your name is Aalo, Basson's fiancée, right?"
Hearing a familiar name, even if it is the name of the person she hates most, means that she will return to her old life، "Yes, Basson, he is... my fiancé.".
"Great, we will move after you eat breakfast. Also, Raqut, get out of here. This is my reward."
" Damn you, mud hair, I'm going back to the camp." Without further ado, Raqut stood up and began to walk away while cursing. She does not know why, but she did not feel safe after his departure. She felt that the real danger was the person she called her savior, whose heroic action in saving her seemed to be in order to reward what her fiancé had provided.
"Excuse me, sir, are you a mercenary?" This was the only remaining explanation. It was impossible for her savior to be a knight.
"No, I'm something close to that. Have you ever heard of Mertez warriors?" He gave her a smile while saying that, but this time she saw that smile as something malicious.