Out in the Open

A cool wind blew through the forest as Nero and I walked. With every step that took me farther from that nightmare, the tension slowly ebbed from my body. I could almost forget about it with Nero. All of it.

"So who, er, what are you Sage?" Nero asked quietly, as if he were embarassed to ask.

"I don't know what I am. As for who, well that's a bit of a story in itself...Can I trust you Nero? Can I trust your men?" I paused my walking to look into his eyes, the only gateway to his inner thoughts that I knew of. This was always the hardest part, getting close to people again. Trusting them with everything, getting my hopes up...

"You can trust me with everything. I'll not put you in harms way. I believe the men will support you as well, but you don't have to tell them anything. They understand the need for secrets Sage." His gray eyes met mine with empathy. It made me wonder what kind of secrets they had. Could one of them be similar to me?

I inhale deeply, the scents of the forest calming me enough to focus. There was no doubt, I trusted Nero with my life. It was his men that worried me.

"I'm not sure I can trust them yet. I know I'm asking alot of you recently, but do you mind just keeping what I tell you to yourself till I'm decided?" I started walking again, wringing my hands to distract myself from the anxiety building up at what I was about to tell him.

"Of course" His usually gruff voice was soft. I glance over to see his calm features smooth and controlled as ever, patiently waiting for me to get on with it. With a steadying breath I began.

"Alright, Well really, I'm just a woman. A woman, that as a girl, was singled out because of a superstition. Because I was slightly different from the rest. The only family I had betrayed me so that they might escape the ridicule that came with being my relative. I was only twelve years into my life, death before me, with nowhere to hide." Nero's deep inhale distracted me then. Looking over I checked to see if I should continue with my explanation. Nero met my questioning gaze with a nod to continue.

"Well, luckily there was a singular man who frowned upon the murder of children. He allowed me to escape the village the night before I was to be burned. Made me promise to never return to the village under any circumstances. I didn't want to spend another second in that dreary village, so I left and never looked back. Over time I made myself a home within mother nature. Until I met you and your men." There I had said it. Speaking it allowed brought a permanence to it that I hadn't expected. Of course I had lived it, but I could no longer just put it behind me, Nero now saw me as the girl who had been wronged. The moment was bittersweet, and I didn't care for it. In a desperate attempt to move on, I turned the tables on him.

"What about you? Who are you Nero?"

I suppose the question caught him off with the way he looked over at me, features full of emotion. It was only for a second before he looked away and composed himself. When he spoke he was quiet.

"I was a soldier in king Heralds army. My brother and I were the generals of the first regiment. I was honorably discharged after my brother died in battle." His right hand touched his chest right over his heart in a tribute to his fallen relative, his eyes closed briefly and his features hardened.

"I'm so sorry, I've brought up bad memories." I reached over and lightly brushed my fingers across his arm to let him know he wasn't alone. The brief touch made my stomach flutter with excitement. He looked up at me then, his face back to normal except for a small rye smile.

"It's fine. Remembering Orion is never bad. I was twenty and one year of age when I found the twins begging for food in a small village. They joined me and soon after we ran into Ryan on the road. We've traveled together for five years now. Mostly just stopping in villages for some coin and ale when it suits us."

Just as Nero finished, quiet footsteps could be heard along with a snap of a twig. I looked over at Nero for conformation, his stiff shoulders and searching eyes were all I needed. He heard the noises as well, someone was coming.

"What should I do?" I whispered as loudly as I dare, not taking my eyes from the trail ahead. An answer never came, forcing me to look back at Nero. Frustration filled me as his shoulders slowly relaxed. Snapping my gaze back to the path rounding the bushes was Ryan and the twins, all three loaded down with camp supplies.

I remained still as I watched Nero become reacquainted with them. I slowly released the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Time seemed to slow in this moment as they all smiled and embraced, sharing stories of their journeys. Something warm and hard nudged my hand and I glanced down to see Nyx's clawed foot poking out of the satchel and a little red glowing eye watching me thoughtfully.

"Im okay Nyx, just a little shaken up." I whisper as I reach up and nudge the clawed foot back out of sight.

I decide to try out Nero's technique of hiding his emotions and make my way over to the group of men in front of me.

"So..where to now?" I ask nonchalantly, waiting for an answer.

"She's with us now?" James asked Nero excitedly. A silent nod was the only answer he needed. Darren seemed to share a fraction of excitement as well. Ryan on the other hand was more suspicious of the reasoning and stared at Nero and I pointedly. I suppose he would need an explanation at some point.

Nero grabbed a pack from Ryan and set off walking back towards the river again. It seemed we were headed south. For what reason, I had no clue, but I suppose it didn't really matter. Nyx and I were both safe and fed. Right now those were the only two things I had the capacity to care for. With a sigh, I set off behind the group at a steady pace.