She had been riding Sunshine out to her private place, the one place she could truly calm her thoughts and subdue her rambunctious emotions.
She could see it now, the only trees within leagues of them, silhouetted against the periwinkle and white of the nearby Lamveildy Mountains. Nestled in the grove of willow and cedar was a small pond that was fed by a mountain brook. That was what she called her sanctuary.
She was nearly there when she saw him, a limp figure in the middle of the dirt road several lengths past her grove.
Intrigued, she urged Sunshine forward. As she drew near, her heart fluttered when she realized the thing in the road was alive- not to mention unmistakably male.
What appeared to be his shirt was tattered, hanging onto his tanned chest by a thread. Her eyes traveled past his shirt and down to stained trousers, which adorned long, lean legs. Her astonishment turned to disapproval when she examined his bare feet and found them to be scratched and bloodied, with too many calluses.
Unable to further turn away her curiosity, she finally glanced at his face. She gasped, not because of the blood that sat drying and peeling there- but with fascination.
His eyelids were rimmed with dark eyelashes, some of his hair falling gently across his forehead. Perfectly centered was his nose, round and rising slightly from his face. His lips were not too full or too thin, but long and perfect. And his hair- his hair was a subtle chestnut, the hue to some extent lighter than her own hair.
He was, all together, the most perfectly featured boy she had ever seen. He could have been her own brother, if one judged by his coloring.
Crouching down closer to him, she noticed his chest falling up and down irregularly. She frowned. What had happened to him? Suddenly, she knew what she needed to do. Determined, she beckoned Sunshine towards her. Wrapping her harms around him, and trying to ignore the warmth of his body, she heaved him up onto her mare’s back. He flopped there like a rag doll, his legs on one side, and his head and arms hanging over the other.
She surveyed his position, decided that he wouldn’t fall off, and slowly led Sunshine back to the stables. Carefully, she went around the back of the stables, to be sure no one might see the strange boy draped over the side of her horse.
That would be rather awkward, she thought, and stifled a laugh. They would gasp, and say, “What have you done to the poor boy? You even changed his skin color when you knocked him out! How would she respond if someone were to ask her that? Oh yes, I found him nearly dead a while back on the road, she thought sardonically. That would draw Guilders just a surely as moths to a fire.
Looking around to be sure none of her siblings were present, she slipped inside the stables with Sunshine and the boy. Once inside, she pulled him off of Sunshine’s creamy back and dragged him to the last stall. She winced as he bumped over stray pebbles on the floor. Guiltily, she hoped he would remain unconscious until she healed him.
She admired his high, yet young cheekbones as she swabbed the bloody scratch clean on his face. Dreamily, she wondered what color eyes he would have. She forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Making a sound of disgust, she gently tore the rags that were a poor excuse for a shirt away from his chest and made a resolve to burn them later on. Laying her ear against his well-muscled chest, she felt for his heartbeat. He was unbelievably hot, yet he shivered unceasingly. Perhaps he had a fever.
Patting fresh straw into a more comfortable bed for him, she thought, A bed…Won’t he be cold in the night?
She rushed into the house with that thought in mind, for a blanket to cover him with. Hastily, she chose the one from her own bed; otherwise someone might notice and wonder. She was always misplacing things; no one would be surprised to discover she had a stray blanket.
She covered him with the blanket once she was back in the stables, tucking the edges around his shivering form. Only then did she, who had longed for an adventure her whole life, had found the most amazing treasure- a boy- allow herself to wonder. She sat beside him, not wanting to wake him, lest he take a turn for the worst, but nevertheless impatient to finally meet his eyes, to see his face illuminated by life.
His head was pounding. Groaning, he placed his finger to his neck and felt the pulse. It was too fast. What had just happened to him? The last thing he recalled was collapsing on the road once the sun was up. His wings had retreated automatically in daylight, and he had been too weary to continue on foot. But that didn’t explain why the Guilders suddenly stopped pursuing him.
He sighed and opened his eyes. Startled, he shut them again quickly. There had been a girl, right beside his limp body. Cautiously, he opened them again.
She was peering at him anxiously, under large, doe-like eyes. Her full lips curved into a smile when she saw he was awake. From the looks of it, she was the same girl he had rescued from his master.
“Are you alright sitting?” She asked.
Perfect, just what he needed: some ditz of a girl mooning over him, helpless to defend himself against her concerned attacks.
“I’m fine. What happened? Where did the Guilders go?”
“You don’t look so fine.” She frowned. “I don’t know anything about any Guilders. All I know is that I found you on the road a while back. You should be grateful.”
He stared at her in confusion. Yes, it was the same girl! Was she feigning ignorance? “How do you not remember?”
“Remember what? What do you mean?” She said, insulted.
Should he tell her what happened? Or should he spare her the grotesque knowledge?
“I know you… you were with me yesterday, before I fled from the Guilders. I think they might have done something to your mind, for I remember everything clearly.” Even the parts I’d really rather not remember, he thought with distaste.
“But…” She faltered, unable to conjure a suitable argument for once in her life.
“I did not imagine it, I’m positive,” he reiterated.
“Could it have been a different girl?” she said, even though she was nearly convinced it had been her.
“No.” He laughed. “You are quite distinctive, I recognize you easily.” Her eyes were almost slanted, like the elves in his mother’s tales from so long ago. They shone like tarnished bronze in the sunlight, which filtered down through the old rafters. Her small frame was exquisite, petite. He could tell this even though she was sitting next to him. Her skin was what had captured his attention first- it wasn’t powdery white like that of the Air Element, nor was it dark like those of the Earth. Instead, it was golden, like the sand that lay around a pond. Lost in his thoughts, he was startled again when she spoke.
She raised her eyebrows. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
Trying to hide his embarrassment, he shrugged as best as he could while lying on his back. “You don’t look like any Element, that’s all.”
“Well then, I have many questions for you, too,” she said.
Feeling weary, he closed his eyes with a groan. “Please leave me be.”
“I’m not leaving until I get some answers. Besides, you are in my stables; if you want to be left alone you yourself could leave.”
Great Heavens, what had he gotten himself into? Through gritted teeth, he said, “What do you want from me?”
She paused, a flicker of amusement showing on her lovely face.
“First of all, why do you look so strange?”
“I could say the same thing of you,” He retorted.
“Well, I’m asking you now. You can either tell me, or have me prod at you endlessly with questions while you try to rest.”
“You’re very assertive,” he said, exasperated.
“Thank you for informing me, and yes, I am. But you are stalling.”
He fidgeted, knowing full well he had to give her an answer, or he would be left like carrion to picking crows, to the mercy of her endless curiosity.
“What about me is strange?” He asked.
“Your hair. Your skin, your eyes- a combination of tones I have never before seen. You don’t belong to any Element I’ve ever seen.”
“Perhaps I am not of any Element, just like you.”
He watched her eyes widen, and instantly regretted his words. He could not afford to be so honest with a stranger; granted, a very attractive stranger, but a stranger still.
“I knew it!”
He stared at her, registering her astounded expression with the undertone of recognition in her voice.
“Knew what?” He asked, fighting to keep his voice steady.
“Only that you weren’t from any one Element,” she said smugly.
“Alright, I give up. You’ve figured me out. Now will you please leave me alone?” He could tell she wanted to hear about him, but she held her tongue, much to his relief. Perhaps she had heard the note of desperation in his voice.
“I will go away soon- just tell me what happened to you and how I am involved,” she urged. “If you aren’t lying, then tell me! I need to know.”
Hesitating, he wondered if she would be revolted. If so, it is her choice to be, that annoying inward voice said. He sighed, and launched into how he had saved her from his master and how she had tried to distract the Guilders with talk.
“…and I don’t know why they gave up so easily,” he finished.
“Oh... That is… really strange. But I do believe you.” She wrinkled her nose. “Thank you for saving me from that man.”
“Well, you saved me in a way, from the Guilders,” he responded, lying back onto the straw.
“One last thing.”
“What now?” he said crossly.
“What is your name?” she asked.
“I don’t have one.” He said reluctantly. Much to his mortification, she snorted.
“Everyone has a name.”
“Well, I don’t.”
“Does that mean you’re a nobody?” She asked wryly.
“Congratulations, you’ve finally caught on.”
She responded with silence, finally, and he looked up to see her unreadable expression fall on him. He felt something lurch inside him at her next words.
“I don’t believe that.” Then she stood up and walked away, leaving him staring after her lithe figure. In just a few moments of speaking with her, she had managed to unveil his most deeply hidden secrets and feelings. What was with this girl?
He went back to sleep, troubled and touched by her concern.
