To The Noorani City Part 1

Inside the Avlang Forest four wagons were being carried by donkeys , inside One of them Ethan was sleeping on a rug made out of sheep wool , next to him a teenage girl with a crude dagger in her hand looking at Ethan with conflicted expression beside her a was Young Man, he had a silly look on his face seemed to talk to someone or himself in a Low voice.

The girl didn't seem to mind him at all and just kept staring at Ethan with vigilance.

Soon Ethan expression changed suggesting that he was waking up as soon as he opened his eyes, he became started of a girl rushing to him and backs of to side of the wagon but it's too late and girl dagger is at his throat as she jumped on him.

obviously the girl couldn't hurt him with her dagger even so he had enough of pain this past couple of hours so he decided to not move as he figures out where the hell he is or who the hell these people are.

Besides it's not like he could live in that damn Forest so sticking with these people is his best way to reach a civilization.

The girl on top of him was beautiful enough, she had brown skin with black hair and big eyes that was staring at him with anger, if it wasn't for the terrible sheep smell he would be attracted to her but it wasn't the time for those thoughts. He needed to gain these people's trust so he could leave this place or at least figure out where they were going.

        The girl seemed to have lost her patience and she started to ask Ethan questions;

        "Who are you?"

        "My name is Ethan."

       "Why are your clothes covered in blood?" 

        "Because I was hunting"

        "You don't look like a hunter"

        "Because I'm not"

Ethan was trying to give smallest information until he could understand his situation better.

The girl looks at his clothes and stuff that out of his backpack on the wagon floor and asks with uncertainty;

        "Are you some nobility from Noorani City?"

        "Yes , I am"

        "Where are your guards?"

        "I don't know ,we were attacked"

        "By who?"

        "I don't know"

The girl seemed not convinced but she got off of him and sat on the other side of the wagon she says;

        "Rest, we will reach the noorani city by night and we take your sword as payment, do you agree?"

Ethan was confused at first but seeing the young man playing with his ice axe seemed out of it for some reason, he figured that she was talking about his ice axe , he didn't put much thought into it and I agreed immediately.

 The girl seemed pleased as she shouted "he agreed let's go".

  The wagon was stopped some time after he woke up because of shift in wagon and people surrounded the wagon soon after, seeing the relieved faces of people surrounding the wagon he couldn't Wonder that was all of it was a act to get his axe if so he couldn't understand why they didn't take it I leave him behind at first place.

He needed some background story so he let the girl assume who he was and went along with it.

        Soon they start to move again ..

Ethan's head was filled with questions that he couldn't answer like what language they spoke, he knew it wasn't English yet the words he intended to say came out in that language and he could understand it.

        He needed to know what kind of world he was and the only source of information was right in front of him, the teenage girl and the young man.

        He needed to strike up a conversation without giving his cover away , looking at young man behavior who seemed insane and lost his touch to the reality he asked The girl;

        "So what's your name if I may ask?"

The girl lingers at first but nevertheless she answers;

        "My name is Aatri"

        "So where are you from?"

        "We are from a small village in the peroviz kingdom"

        "What are you doing here then?"

 The girl seemed agitated by his questions and said;

        "You ask a lot of questions"

 Ethan figures that he's going too fast and he needs to throw some information about himself so he can keep this conversation going;

        "You know Aatri when I was lost in that forest I was alone and terrified so talking with someone is nice plus I like to know who I am traveling with."

        After pause he continued;

        "Did I asked an inappropriate question?

        If so I apologize"

        Ethan played a sympathy card with a sad smile, in his experience it worked wonders with people and he wasn't wrong as soon as he said those words the girl expression became soft and said with a laugh;

        "No you didn't but You know I was wondering how you survived in the forest alone, from the looks of your hand you seemed to haven't done any work in your entire life"

        "I don't know , I just did"

He said absent-mindedly as he looks at his hands and compared them to hers, she was right his hands are like a baby compared to hers obviously the lives of these people are rough.

        The girl seemed to misunderstand that she asked a stupid question by reminding him of his suffering and she didn't know what to say after.

        Ethan didn't notice that and even if he did he couldn't care less,he needed more information if he wants to survive this new world so he said to the girl with enthusiasm;

        " you didn't answer my question"

        "Oh yes, we are trying to outrun the war"

It's just what he needs, a war as if his situation wasn't bad enough there was a war going on somewhere, a war that from the looks the girl giving him, he should know what it is.

        Even so he didn't panic, he just gave a comment that he knew about all the wars;

        "It's terrible"

Thankfully the girl didn't bring that subject up again after some nodding , he truly didn't know what to say if that subject was brought up.

        As they sat in silence , Ethan's attention goes to the young man playing with his ice axe in child like Manor, he wanted to know What's wrong with him but he decided it wasn't his business, obviously the guy had some mental problem that acquiring about it might be inappropriate or offensive to these people something that he didn't want to do.

 The girl had noticed from his behavior what he wanted to ask, it wasn't surprising to her everywhere they go people tend to ask about her brother and became uncomfortable around him , she got used to it by now so she gave the young man who's lost in his own conversation with himself and trying to sleep a sad look and said;

        "Don't worry about him he's not dangerous, he's just got sick a few moons back and didn't heal probably"

        When Ethan saw the girl start the conversation herself he tried to acquire more;

        "What happened?"

        "We don't know, he was working in the library of peroviz* kingdom in the Palace after recommendation of someone powerful who owned my father a favor and heard that his son was beyond average in his studies.."

        The girl seemed to remember some hard stuff from the past that she couldn't finish her story and left the wagon with tears in her eyes.

        Ethan had forgotten that he was talking to a child, new he felt sad and guilty , he wanted to go and find her and apologize when a woman's voice stopped him.

        "Let her be, she will be coming back soon"

 Turning his head towards the voice , he sees a middle aged woman back as she is driving the wagon.

        Ethan didn't see her face because she didn't turn around but from her confidence he figured that she knew Aatri well enough, he had some ideas about who the woman could be even so he asked; 

        "You are?"

        "Their mother belut , it's nice to meet you"

  The woman said as she turned around giving him a tired smile .

        Belut started to continue where Aatri left off;

        "They brought him back a few moons ago sleeping saying he got some sickness and none of the healers could do anything to wake him up but he woke up days afterwards repeating the same thing over and over unfortunately none of us know what he was saying,he wasn't behaving like himself and it's getting worse day after day"

Belut explained as she kept driving the wagon.

        Ethan felt terrible that he used and lied to this

        Troubled family, but it's not like that he could

        tell the truth either, he didn't know what their reaction would be, so he did the next best thing;

        "I'm sorry"

        "Why? It's not your fault, besides we are going to noorani city I hear they have the best healers in the world so maybe some of them can help him"

        Hearing that Ethan's expression changed,

        He has no idea of what this city looks like much less how good these so-called healers are.

        Thankfully the conversation came to stop when the young guy screaming was heard, it looked like he had a nightmare.

        Belut stops the wagon as she goes to her son's side as she hugs him and starts kissing him on his head saying it's going to be alright repeatedly.

        Ethan seeing this scene reminded him of some intellectual disability in his previous world and thought this is one of them until he heard the young man singing;

            "" I had a nightmare,

        a devastated land elsewhere,

        in pain and agony,

        an illusion without accompany,

        I saw impossible things,

        uproar and contention that it brings,

        in the fox deceit

        a devil cheat,

        a dark day

        in the wasted night ..a betray,

        heads on a well

        the curse and sigh covered by a bell,

        I saw an uproar in the crowd

        then a crude imagination bowed,

        a spell of a bliss

        turning into an abyss practice,

        a weird folk

        in every direction mask's cloak

        strange situation something amiss..,

        blood and cross

        a country loss,

        to an anxious boss, a weeping ruby toss,

        lewd eyes cross....

        death of an eagle sky became accessible

        Innocence jail and prison became legal.""