Young Writers Society

Exiled. He felt like the answer was a mask for another answer. What he was suspecting may or may not have been the truth, but he had a feeling that maybe, she was a mage. Except, he didn't know how intense anti-mage efforts were that far north. He knew Letterans were more... religious about it, but normally, even in Lettera, using magic resulted in death, not exile. Exiled could've been another word for "escaped," in this circumstance.

But Eve was difficult to read and difficult to believe. It wasn't that her story was entirely unbelievable, but without many details, it was difficult to piece things together. Now he knew the why - or at least, what she said was the why - but he still didn't know the how.

And if she wasn't lying, then what was she exiled for? Was she a wanted criminal like he was?

"How long ago was this?"

She was hoping he wouldn't, but of course Yoen would press for more details.

"I can't say, exactly. And I mean that as in, I don't know." She lifted an arm to rub her temple with her forefinger, acting like she was trying to fish out information, but really she wanted to calm her stress headache.

He said the trip was months on foot. Okay, Evaline can use that.

"My memories are fragmented. It should feel longer, but it feels like it was just yesterday. I was put to sleep, and next thing I knew, I was here." She looked back up at Yoen. "And that was yesterday."

This was more of a truth than a lie anyways, but she had a feeling that if she lied and said some reasonable method of transportation, he would ask too many questions about this world that she just couldn't answer.

Okay, so she had memory loss, and likely a very bad concussion that caused it. At least that, he could understand. Could a concussion completely erase your memory of horses? He didn't know. He wasn't a doctor.

He found himself looking at her temples, where she was rubbing like she had a headache.

"Why were you were exiled?"

Evaline peered her eyes over to Yoen. "You're awfully nosy," she said. "Why are you here?"

James should've seen that one coming, but still, she was avoiding the question, which only made her look more suspicious. He knew what deflecting looked like. He did it all the time.

"I'm a forager," he said. "I go where most people don't and find ingredients that grow in the wild that people will pay good money for."

It wasn't a terrible lie, and it was something he realistically had the basic skills to corroborate, but it was far from the truth.

"And I think I have the right to be a little nosy. You're the one who tumbled into the ditch and attacked me first. I don't need to know your whole life story, I'm just trying to get an idea of who you are."

Evaline narrowed her eyes at him some more. Yoen seemed to be hiding something. It would have been believable if Yoen had said he was a hunter, but a forager? He seemed to have some some injuries in recovery, so what would have attacked him? He didn't seem like the clumsy type. Maybe he was foraging some ingredient that was guarded by aggressive animals? That seemed too bizarre.

She didn't have an answer to his concerns, but that was okay. She'd rather press on.

"Look, I'm sorry I attacked you last night. It was dark, and I didn't know that this was your foraging hideout," she said, emphasizing foraging just enough to express her doubt. "But if you don't attack me, I won't attack you either. Is that what you wanted to know?"

She was skeptical. Fine. He was skeptical too. They didn't have to trust each other that much, but just enough to know she wasn't going to stab him in the back was good enough.

"Yes. Actually," he said.

Asking her more questions about herself at this point seemed like a useless endeavor. He sighed.

"So. You were exiled. I can't imagine they'd take you back if you showed up at their door, then. Do you have an idea of where you need to go?"

The question felt hollow, and he had a feeling he already knew her answer.

People cast out of their homes and societies were rarely prepared for such a thing to happen so suddenly. No one ever plans for that. Not unless they see it coming.

Evaline passed the map back to Yoen and took a step back, shifting her weight on one foot while digging her fingers on to her other hand. She looked away, trying to appear detached, but also feeling detached herself.

If she were exiled from her home—her real home, not the random northern island she pointed to on the map—where would she go? In a way, she had exiled herself. Her parents and friends told her not to leave, but she didn't listen. And she wasn't welcomed back.

"No," she admitted dryly. "You asked me where I'm from, and I told you, but... now I have no idea where to go."

She shifted her gaze back at him. She knew she needed a guide, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him; she already felt vulnerable enough admitting her complacency with him.

James had felt it in his gut before she'd even said anything. She couldn't go back home, and she couldn't stay here, lost and alone. And if he just left her, she wouldn't make it. If she was right, and she only woke up here yesterday, and she already looked like this after a day, she needed help.

He just wished it hadn't been him she'd run into.

Butch was still on his trail, and inviting Eve to travel with him would be putting her in danger without her knowing - but he couldn't just tell her he was wanted. That would welcome questions, and that would bring a different kind of attention to his wounds, which he knew she had noticed by now, even though she hadn't said anything.

He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, through his nose.
James folded up the map.

"Alright. Well. You can come with me," he said, glancing at her feet. Her clothes were a little strange, but her boots looked sturdy. Good for walking.

He packed the map away and reached into his pack again. He had been eating light, to make his rations last longer, but now with another mouth to feed... he'd probably have to stop by a town sooner than he wanted to.

He handed her an apple.

"We'll walk, for now," he said, leaving out the obvious fact that she had no riding experience. Elliot was a good horse, but he didn't want to put Elliot through the discomfort of having an inexperienced rider at the moment. Elliot had been taken care of while James had been held captive, but he was still... recovering. Long days and lots of walking and running wore anyone down, including a horse.

"Come along, then."

He grabbed Elliot's reins and started leading the way through the forest.

Yes! Finally, something is going right. She took a deep breath, letting her anxiety fade away from having to answer Yoen's interrogation questions. It seemed that he was still wary of her, but that was okay; she didn't completely trust him either. But they didn't need to, for now.

Evaline bit into the apple and followed him, letting the silence settle between them while they walked.


Some time passed, and although she couldn't pinpoint exactly how much time it had been, she knew it was still morning.

They hadn't said a single word to each other. It was perfect. More time to think about her plan going forward... and to observe.

Evaline was following and walking behind him and Elliot, which gave her plenty of time to observe Yoen. She kept teetering on if she would win in a fight against him, but since her tactic was to attack just enough that she could flee, that would be counter-intuitive right now. Still, it was good to know his areas of weakness if she should do so.

It was his legs. She figured he had a past leg injury from the way he hobbled, but the longer she observed his walking pattern to detect where his leg may be injured, the more she realized... this wasn't just one spot. He walked very inconsistently, like he was shifting pain between legs, or perhaps somewhere else. It was hard to tell, but it made her suspicious. How could a forager get this many injuries? He was definitely hiding something.

She paused these thoughts when Yoen decided to stop by a slow stream of water for Elliot. Evaline was thirsty, but when she walked up to the stream and saw it was a little murky, she decided against cupping her hands in and drinking it.

Instead, she kneeled down and stared at her reflection. She was still her, nothing was different, except maybe for the fact that she was filthy. Grimacing, she submerged her soiled hands in the water, scrubbing under her fingernails from the time she had dug into the dirt to throw at Yoen. After that, she leaned in and splashed some water on her face.

It was freezing cold and it briefly gave her the chills, but it oddly felt nice, like it was a wake-me-up she needed from this bizarre situation. Her face felt a little grimy from the murky water, but it was still an improvement.

Instinctively she reached back to tie her hair up, but then realized she didn't have her ribbon on her. Instead she brushed through it with her fingers, getting rid of the random burrs and leaves that had been residing in her hairs.

She stood up and looked at Yoen. "Will we be passing by cleaner water?" she asked.

James looked over at her and nodded. "The water flows faster upstream. If we follow it, we'll get there shortly, and we can fill up on water."

He watched as she started to clean herself up a little. Feeling grimy all day was not a nice feeling, but it was one he was, unfortunately, familiar with.

"If you... need a change of clothes..." he started, eyes drifting to the dangling parts of her shirt hanging at her sides that looked like they'd snagged on a million things already. "I have a shirt you can borrow. It may be more practical than that."

Evaline looked down at her outfit, feeling offended that he called it impractical. It would have been a perfectly normal outfit to wear for someone in her world if it wasn't so ragged right now. Although, based on his own simple peasant-looking clothes, maybe this was not a normal style. Best to fit in and not stand out.

She bit her tongue to not say anything snippy and nodded at his offer of clothes. "Thanks," she said, but it came out sounding insincere. "But let's go upstream first."

Evaline glanced at his legs. She wanted to wash up first, but more importantly, would he? She knew he was hiding something, and although she had plenty of things to hide herself, his secrets seemed... well, lethal.

James nodded, and waited a moment for Elliot to stop lapping up the water, and then started off, following the stream.

Evaline followed Yoen downstream, but she didn't need his word to know they were heading in the right direction. The further they walked, the clearer and faster the water. White noise was hinted in the distance, becoming louder and louder the closer they approached. Eventually, they found themselves at the heart of the basin.

She found herself gaping, taking in the scenery. The water rushed in like it was in a hurry, turbulently dodging some mossy stone that cut through the stream. Some of the trapped edges were more calm and they led into the main stream with a small waterfall cascading through rocks.

She wondered if this was a common scene to see. It felt so... natural and savage, untouched by human hands, excerpt perhaps for the log bridging the two ends of the stream. A rare sight in her world.

Evaline leaned down by the edge, letting the water flow through her hands. Cold, very cold, but clean. She took a quick glance at Yoen and saw that he was filling up his canteen, confirming that it was clean and okay to drink. She cupped her hands in and took healthy gulps, feeling invigorated as the cold liquid traveled down her throat.

It seemed to jolt her to reality—this reality. Suddenly she felt inspired; inspired to continue her past work in her world, and inspired to refuse defeat that she will get stuck here. She thought back to the note: first you must open your heart ... find your way back now on your own .... or part ways and stay lost, alone.

She still didn't know what it meant or if this was a real clue or not. She needed a clearer head.

Evaline stood up and let out a motivated sigh. Maybe if she submerged, the coldness will jolt her with an answer.

She took a step back and started to undress.

James twisted the cap shut when his canteen was full, and he strapped it back to the saddle. He decided they would stop here for a little while - not long, but enough to rest. He patted Elliot's side before leading him to a tree by the water and tying him there.

That was when he caught a glimpse of Evaline in the corner of his eyes and quickly averted them.

He dug into his saddlebag, pulling out a clean shirt - it was a faded red collared shirt, and a little worn, but it was fine.

He turned back around and kept his eyes on the ground, set the shirt down on a dry rock a small distance from her, and turned back around.

"If you're going to bathe, I'll be a little further downstream to give you privacy." He pointed a little past Elliot for reference. "You can come and find me when you're done."