SIGHISOARA, ROMANIA
YEAR 1239
As Dragavei and Alina left the small town of Sighisoara, she continued to rave about the inventions they had seen at the fair while Dragavei walked alongside her in silence, listening to her talk.
"I have just experienced the most wonderful day of my existence!" She enthused, gathering her skirts and giving a twirl. "Explaining to me how the water wheel works was truly ingenuous of you. Still, I find it hard to believe water was used to generate power"
Alina was overcome with happiness. "The compass too! Imagine having such a device! So small, yet so... so powerful!" She looked at him. "To think that a mere needle could point to the north or-or south! It's as though it carries the will of the heavens themselves."
Dragavei's response was a soft chuckle, spurring her to go on.
"I must say you possess a wide range of knowledge that baffles me... well, in a good way" Her voice was fuelled with excitement. "We have spent a short span together yet I have gained so much more than I would normally have in months!"
She looked up at him in respect and admiration "That is remarkable"
Dragavei smiled. He found the human's company scintillating.
Stopping and swerving to face her, he took off his hat, exposing his devastatingly handsome face, and spoke, "This is where we part ways, Alina. I believe you have earned the privilege of seeing my face"
Her mouth gaped open, a loud gasp escaping.
It was the first time she got to see the entirety of the traveler's face. Throughout the fair, she had had nothing but mere glimpses of his eyes. The rest of his details were hidden, shielded by the darkness of his large hat.
The sight of his striking features stole the breath from her very lungs, for he was absolutely stunning. His hair was dark as coal, his eyes equally dark. His nose was as well defined as his jaw, his lips full and perfectly curved. Cheekbones, sharp and impressive.
No doubt, the man could easily pass as a god and Alina wondered if he indeed was a god disguised in the form of a human.
"You may call me Gavy," he said, and she nodded.
Alina gathered her wits together and cleared her throat. Bringing her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun, she stared up at him.
He was nearly as tall as an oak tree.
"I'd like to accompany you on your quest. Let me be your protégé, dear stranger. We make quite a good pair, don't you think?"
Dragavei shook his head "As tempting as that sounds, I am going to have to decline. I travel alone and my journey has no end"
Her face fell "Do you not find my company befitting? Am I revolting? Perhaps I speak too much, I assure you I can limit my wording to soothe your ..."
"Alina..." He interrupted "No. You are... perfect"
Dragavei stopped to ponder for a brief moment. The lady was simple but complex.
Beautiful yet brilliant.
Witty. Garrulous.
"I am a very dangerous man" he stated matter-of-factly "You would not want to get involved in my affairs"
She laughed it off "I really do not mind. Truth be told, I have always wanted to live a life with a little danger"
He wasn't smiling and the laugh died on her lips "Oh... You do not jest"
"No, Alina, I do not"
Before she could respond, Dragavei continued "You are..." His eyes ran over the length and breadth of her "...weak"
"I beg your pardon?"
He grabbed her slim arm and raised it in the air. It felt like nothing but a thread underneath his.
"Delicate. Vulnerable... Soft"
Dragavei released his hold, letting go of her arm "The world, without question, will break you. The harsh reality of it."
"So you resort to being condescending now?" Her brows were furrowed in anger "I have been on this earth for twenty and five years, good sir, and I have not been broken. I know how to take care of myself"
"You would not understand. Your mind cannot possibly start to comprehend..."
"My mind cannot start to comprehend?" She cut in with a forced laugh "The same mind you called brilliant back at the fair? Mister, you are just unbelievable!"
"I do not demean you in any way, I speak nothing but the honest truth. You might find it unpleasant to hear but know that it is the truth"
"Damn you, Mister. You might be good looking but you have a rather grotesque way of thinking. I wager your world is not as dangerous as you speak, it is because I am a woman and you along with others have associated femininity with vulnerability and..." Her face took on a mischievous smile "You are just scared"
"Scared?" He scoffed "You know not what you speak. Perhaps your wits have taken leave of you"
"Yes, Mister, scared that eventually I will outwit you. Scared that eventually, I will turn out to be more versed than you in both the sciences and arts"
"I assure you, fear is nothing but a flimsy emotion, among many others that I do not experience"
"Deny it whatever and however way you can, but if I am right, which I know I am, it only means you are a coward. Big and tall and strong you appear to be, but weak in mind and spirit"
"Coward?" Dragavei was taken aback, his face mirroring his anger "Does this face that you gaze upon bear any semblance to that of a coward?"
She was daring. The ones who have dared him in the past or merely had the thought of it had lost their tongues.
Alina looked away, her arms crossed over her chest, chin tipped high in pride and stubbornness.
"How would I know? Cowardice is not written on faces"
Dragavei regarded her in silence before speaking "How far is your home from here?"
"Not up to a day's journey, why?" Her head turned to face him.
"Get your belongings and say your goodbyes to your family. Keep your packing light. Travelers do not carry much"
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Alina wondered if she had made the right call asking to be Dragavei's protégé and accompanying him on his travels. He was a stranger after all. A rather mysterious one at that, but her thirst for knowledge overshadowed her worries.
"So, is there a particular place you have in mind?" She asked curiously.
Dragavei gave a single nod "Yes. We'll be making a few more stops before heading to my home in Sinaia" he responded "Have you heard of the Arboretum monastery?"
She shook her head "No. Where is it?"
"Northeast of here"
"Northeast?!" She exclaimed hysterically.
"Yes. Bukovina region"
"The journey could take weeks even with the fastest horses!" she dangled the reigns of her horse, Meadow "These horses aren't fast, and I've heard the roads are unpassable and... "
"I know a way around it" he responded in a calm, unbothered manner.
Alina let out a breath "What's in the Monastery that could interest you so much?"
"You'll see for yourself" Dragavei looked at her "I warned you but you would not listen, so brace yourself. The journey we're about to embark on is arduous and you shall grow weary, but it is not too late to turn back"
She gave a gratuitous smile "I'm not going anywhere"
He smirked and guided his horse down a path. "Come on, Mayhem"
They were on horseback for hours. The evening had fallen and they searched for where to make camp when suddenly Dragavei pulled the reins of his horse to a stop and got down.
"Is anything the matter, why did you..."
He held a hand up in the air to silence her, his eyebrows knitted in seriousness.
"We are not alone," he said, boldly walking forward.
"Then why don't you get back on your horse and let's get out of here?" Her voice trembled.
Not only had she heard tales of what marauders did to helpless travelers, but she had witnessed firsthand the havoc they wreaked on villages, and if they didn't hurry up, she'd be yet another victim and the one telling a story to the next.
"Show yourselves" Dragavei commanded, his tone, brazen.
"Have you lost your senses?!" She asked in a harsh whisper "What are you doing? Let's get going!"
He ignored her and bent to pick up a log of wood "Show yourselves or the next time I speak, would be to your corpses"
Stealthily, a band of five rugged-looking men emerged from the bushes like shadows and Alina let out a terrified gasp.
Their faces were hard, reflecting their malicious intentions. In their hands were swords, axes, and other dangerous weapons.
"Hand over your possessions" One of the men spoke up, indicating the load mounted on Alina's horse. There was a long, jagged scar that ran across his left eye to his chin.
"No," Dragavei replied.
Their faces blanched in surprise, their heads swiveling to look at one another while the grips on their weapons tightened.