​Nymphs - Part Two

(I know the spacing gets a little awkward in here but the computer was being mean so I gave up haha.)

"What happened?" Isaac rose from the chair where he'd been slouching as Avery entered, water dripping from her armor and bits of algae clumped in her short black hair.

She hesitated, unsure what to say. He'd never believe I was attacked by nymphs. "I just fell in the water."

Isaac let out a laugh and ignored the glare Avery shot at him. "You've never been clumsy before," he said with an amused smile. "What really happened?"

Avery stood for a moment rubbing her knuckles against her temple before deciding to go on with her story. "I...thought I saw something in the water and when I leaned forward to look I lost my balance." Avery could feel her face grow warm. She hated telling a lie that made her look like a fool.

Isaac shook his head, his green eyes laughing. "Fine then, but you had better get out of that armor before you catch cold." He remained where he sat, looking up at her expectantly.

Avery scowled at him. "Then get out," she said, "and keep guard for me."

He gave a small thumbs-up as he left the room they shared. Avery let out a small chuckle after the door closed. Isaac was one of the few she could trust with her secret, but he could be annoying about it at times. Slowly, she began to undress. She had not realized how stiff her muscles had become after the fright of fighting for air in the grasp of two nymphs. Once all of her armor laid in a heap on the floor she changed into a dry shirt and trousers, taking the time to adjust the cloth wrapped tightly over her chest. Beneath the loose shirt, she had little fear that her figure would show.

As she was pulling on a new pair of leather boots she heard muffled voices from the hall followed by a small kick at the door, Isaac's warning to Avery that she had better be dressed. She quickly went to the door and let it swing open. Isaac leaned against the wall and Gabriel stood across from him, his golden hair framing his tanned face.

"There you are, Ryan," he said to Avery, calling her by her false name with a voice as golden as his hair. "I was just telling Isaac, since we've finished our training, why don't we head to a tavern to celebrate?"

Avery shrugged. "I suppose so."

"Than let's waste no time," Isaac said.

The tavern was filled with the sound of lively music and booming laughter. Avery, Isaac, and Gabriel had to fight to find an empty table toward the back and the had to wait several minutes before a short bald man brought them their drinks. Gabriel took his mug straight from the bartender's hands and nearly downed it in own gulp.

"In a hurry to a drunken oaf, eh?" Isaac joked, taking a modest drink from his mug.

"We're celebrating aren't we?" he laughed. "Right Ryan?"

Avery gave a small start. She had been gazing into her cup with unfocused eyes. "Of course," she answered and took a gulp of her mead to satisfy Gabriel. An hour passed, and she drank little more from her mug while Gabriel and Isaac cheerful downed bottle after bottle, caught up in their celebration. As much as Avery wanted to join them, she couldn't pry her thoughts away from the nymphs. Do they really expect me to return?

Suddenly Gabriel lifted his mug with a shout, "to us!" Isaac joined in enthusiastically, then turned to Avery with a lopsided grin.

"Cheers to Ryan! Who would have thought a woman could make it as a knight?"

The blood drained from Avery's face, but she gave a forced laugh. Surely Gabriel is too drunk to remember this in the morning. He would think it was a joke at Avery. But her heart sank even lower when she shifted her eyes to his searching gaze. He was not laughing.

"It's getting late," she said, laying a few coins on the stained table. She pulled Isaac up by the arm who spilled his mead on himself as he rose with her. "We'll see you around, Gabe." She was glad to see he still had that honeyed look of a drunkard, however thoughtful it may have seemed." Good God please don't read into what Isaac said!

Once back at the barracks, Avery had to restrain herself from punching Isaac. "You idiot," she mumbled angrily as she shut the door. 

"What's your problem?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"You've pretty much just told Gabriel I was a woman!"

He cursed and shook his head. "If I'm drunk enough to let that slip than Gabriel's too drunk to remember it."

"He had better be." Avery said with a sigh. She leaned on the stone windowsill and pushed open the shutters. It was nearly midnight, but the moon cast a dim light over the landscape. Her eyes drifted across the land for a moment, before locking onto the lake that lay about a mile away.

"Listen, Avery, I'm really sorry," Isaac said. When he was met by no response he walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What are you looking at?"
She took a sharp breath, startled by Isaac's touch. "Nothing," she said as she turned away from the window. She realized she had been holding her breath and her heartbeat pounded a little quicker. "Nothing," she repeated.