The journey from that forest to nearby village which was called the nightmare forest is long and arduous. Nightmare forest was the name I have added to my knowledge from that man I've saved. Additionally, that forest was apparently known to be poisonous.
So as soon as, the man I met woke up without fainting again, he clamored to get out of that forest, through a mountain. Yes, a hike to the mountains without equipment as beggars couldn't be choosers.
Which was apparently the only way out and it made sense because I took a month roaming the place.
But, I couldn't find a way out. There was too much fog to see a meter off that place.
" certainly something called common sense, can take a week to get you out off."
After giving it a try for another week or blindly roaming around, I took another month to just stay there. In simpler words, I gave up.
"Bad idea, now the poison sunk to your blood". The man deadpanned beside me.
Right now, we are sitting on a nearby log meters away from the fringes of the nightmare forest. A few meters from the mystical poison fog that always surrounds the territory of the Nightmare forest at specific times.
No creature dared to go near it, except for us at the periphery. Thankfully, the man gave up the idea of hiking the mountain and went around it instead or else, I wouldn't know whose stomach we went to.
The path around wasn't an easy feat either, more than once we were poisoned enough to die. Then, It dawned on me that we were really lucky enough to escape the most dangerous parts of that forest.
After a week, We finally got out off that forest, violet and blue. Thankfully, the woman was really generous with the things she put in that storage ring. So, I didn't die. I also shared some with the man but this time I went smart with it. I couldn't give him the medicine wide awake. He will definitely question the origin of the medicine but I couldn't leave him to die either. It was a dilemma.
Until, I saw a dead pile of bones nearby, I took the flask attached to her hip.(she was wearing women clothes) Simply prayed for her soul and washed it nimbly before putting the medicine in. Finally, we weren't some aliens that wandered on ear--no, wait. We'll, whatever this place is.
Liz sighed and a whimsical thought visited her. A noble princess learned how to start a fire, make a shelter and cook good in the forest.
Survived through the adversities of the forest. If my nanny knew this, she'd faint.
Liz turned her to face up, focusing more at the matter at hand. Infront of her, the man walked tirelessly navigating paths after path. They were walking around like a pair of headlesss chickens, trying to find the way out when Liz strangely recalled the first time she met this guy.
She found him inside a sack drowning in the river of the forest, and with her small stature dragged his sorry-state to her make-shift shelter. Though, calling it a shelter was merciful, it was a cave deep in the forest.
There was medicine in the ring, too. So, Liz used that. She took him in, nursed him to health. It waas definitely not because he was handsome. He was weak , he needed help.
Liz reasoned with herself.
He woke up in 2 weeks and took her out of that forest with him. Something that she was a bit skeptical of but grateful for.
But.
" Here, it's done. What are you staring at my face for?", he asked in a frown, looking up to meet a small pair of eyes looking at him intently. Lizs'eyes had unknowingly drifted at the man who busied himself in treating the girls body. Liz was taken aback by his call and blushed in shame.
" Oh, that's right you like my face, don't you?" He added with a smirk. His eyes flashing with interest when he bobbed his head and gestured at Liz. With a pair of eyes crinkled mischievously, he gave Liz a look saying here you can look more since you saved my life, I'll be generous. A haughty smile plastered on his face.
Liz bet all she's money that it's this attitude that got him sent like that to that forest in the first place.
His name is Doctor Sue.
My mind went blank when I heard his name, trying to process it. Liz almost snorted a chuckle but her basic etiquette stopped her.
I shouldn't laugh, Liz repeated the name in her head over and over again. My face turned red, it was a good thing that we were under the sun.
They exchanged a brief introduction and from his manners, Liz noticed his temperament is impeccable. It was perfect like what she was used to. Liz suspected he was from a prominent family and his next course of action proved her point.
At that point , she had half a mind to just leave him. To save herself trouble but she recalled that she's also in a rare predicament. She was still fretting over that fact when he asked if she would like to accompany him. This was dangerous, Liz thought but compared to the forest and the fact everything was still unknown to her.
Liz nodded and agreed to the offer. After, the long walk around the mountain and out of that forest, we were tired and simply camped nearby.
The fire crackled softly, but its warmth was small comfort in the cold mountain air. Liz hugged her knees to her chest, listening to the distant howls that rolled down the mountain behind them. Every now and then, the wind would carry a new echo of it—low, haunting, somehow so close it sent a chill down her spine. She glanced at Doctor Sue, expecting to see some sign of worry, maybe even a flinch. But there he sat, looking every bit the haughty noble, chin high and eyes fixed on the fire like he was above such petty things as wolves and wilderness.
I stifled a smirk, poking at the flames. He had insisted we push through to the nearest village or human settlement, but when I'd pointed out his not-so-secret limp and suggested we stop for the night, he'd grudgingly agreed. Now, sitting here, with his coat wrapped tight around himself and that furrow in his brow—he didn't look quite so dignified.
Another howl echoed, this one closer, and I caught him stealing a glance over his shoulder. My smirk widened. "Still think camping was a terrible idea?"
He didn't bother turning toward me, his gaze fixed on the fire. "Your idea of 'resting' and mine are clearly quite different, Lizette. I prefer something with proper lodging and fewer... howling creatures."
"You just don't want to admit I was right," I said, nudging a stray twig into the flames. "Would you rather have hobbled through the night on that ankle?"
"My ankle is perfectly fine," he sniffed, brushing his coat with exaggerated dignity. "I am merely… pacing myself. It's called strategy."
"Oh, sure," I said with a grin, adjusting myself on the log. "Pacing. I'll remember that next time I hear you trip over a rock."
He cast me a sidelong glare but didn't rise to the bait. This was actually sort of amusing if you think abou it. A faint smile flickered over Liz, we were both stripped of all our carefully polished airs. We both looked ridiculous, especially him with his dried mud-dragged coat all bundled around him, trying to sit like a young master in the middle of the forest. Not that I minded; it was almost… comforting, having him around. Almost.
Another howl, louder this time, made my stomach clench. I darted a glance at the shadows creeping around us, and my fingers tightened on the edge of my cloak. "Do you think they're close?"
He let out an exaggerated sigh, as if to say I was wasting his time with trivial questions. "Wolves don't usually bother people," he replied, his voice calm. "They're creatures of habit. They hunt and move in packs, yes, but they avoid humans when they can."
"Right. And if they don't avoid us?" I asked, only half-joking. "You think they'll take one look at your impeccable coat and decide we're not worth it?"
"Oh, please," he said, but there was the faintest quiver in his voice, a tiny crack in his composure. "They wouldn't dare."
The fire flickered low, casting strange shadows around us. I could feel the cold settling in, a damp chill that even the fire couldn't shake off. "You know," I said, trying to keep the edge out of my voice, "if they do come, I'm pretty sure they'll go for you first."
Doctor Sue arched an eyebrow, feigning disinterest. "Why, because I look more appetizing?"
"No," I said with a mischievous grin, leaning in a bit. "Because you're slower."
He scoffed, but I saw a reluctant smile tugging at his lips. He shook his head, muttering something under his breath, then with a dramatic sigh, unbuttoned his coat and draped it around my shoulders. "If you're going to insist on being ridiculous," he said, "at least try to look a little less like a lost lamb."
I blinked, surprised by the unexpected warmth of his coat. For all his fussing, he actually seemed… almost nice in that moment. But he quickly resumed his usual pose—sitting up straighter, his eyes focused on the flames, trying to pretend like he didn't mind the dire situation, we were in. Something he had under control. I held back a laugh, tucking his coat closer.
"Thanks," I muttered, though I made sure not to sound too grateful. He'd probably take it to mean he'd just saved me from that poisonedforest, after all.
"Just remember," he replied, his voice full of exaggerated seriousness, "if the wolves do come, make sure to carry this." He refused to look me in the eye as he showed a stone(???) When he chuckled deeply as if thinking about something. "I couldn't bear the thought of it being left to those beasts."
I snorted. "Please. I'd throw it right here as bait and run."
For a moment, I thought he might get offended, but instead, he actually laughed—a short, soft laugh, the side I didn't see from him since meeting him. It almost made me forget the chill around us, the dark forest, the howls echoing off the mountainside. It was nice, really, to feel like maybe we weren't completely alone out here. But, of course, he just had to open his mouth.
"I'm curious, how'd you survive without food in that forest?"
He asked seriously,as he turned to look at me,and I? I refuse to look him in the eye, I've been avoiding him mentioning it. Which is exactly why even though my stomachs rumbling, I didn't ask for food.
I didn't want to talk about the space ring at all. So, I had to make up a lie, I answered him perfunctorly before he finally let the matter go.
I was simply so tired of him that I immediately hugged myself to sleep to avoid him. Lest he ask another question. It was cold that night when I felt a soft cloth cover me. That night we slept under the stars.