chapter 29

The journey was not easy, and they had to overcome many obstacles along the way, but when it came to food, everything was fine. Thanks to the help of Robert and Jeanne's uncle, they managed to meet their needs in that regard. Seated on their horses, Rémy and Jeanne talked about the journey ahead. "It will take us a few days to get there," said Rémy, trying to reassure Jeanne. She was worried about the presence of soldiers along the way, but he comforted her: "Don't worry, as long as we keep our own pace, everything will be fine."

They rode carefully all morning and afternoon to avoid attracting unwanted attention. In the late afternoon, they stopped to rest and lit a hidden fire. "Hey, I took a look, and there's a lake nearby," said Rémy, going to explore the area. Jeanne sat near her mare, admiring the beauty of the sunset. Shortly after, Rémy returned with the news, and Jeanne agreed that they could take the horses to drink water.

But Rémy had a different idea. "Wait, what if we take a bath there before we take the horses? Carefully not to be seen," he suggested with a hopeful smile. Jeanne widened her eyes, surprised by the proposal. "Rémy!" she exclaimed, concerned about attracting soldiers' attention. But he looked at her with tenderness and insisted, "I just want to be alone with you."

Jeanne smiled, delighted with the idea. She also wanted to be with Rémy, feel the cool water on her body, forget for a moment the problems that surrounded them. But what if someone saw them? They needed to be cautious. After a few seconds of hesitation, she agreed. They moved away from the fire, hid among the trees, and reached the lake's shore. The water was cool and crystal clear, reflecting the last lights of the day. Jeanne felt her heart beating faster as Rémy took off his shirt and jumped into the water. She undressed timidly, feeling vulnerable but also free.

"So, are you not coming in? The water's not that cold," invited Rémy, diving into the water with a smile. He wasn't lying; the water was delicious and inviting. Jeanne, however, was a little hesitant. She looked around, embarrassed by the idea of being seen, before responding:

"Okay, wait, I have to see if no one's around." She quickly glanced around before diving into the water.

As Rémy swam, some fish swam near him. He watched in fascination before releasing some air bubbles, causing the fish to rush towards Jeanne. Suddenly, more than one fish shot out of the water at high speed, hitting her body. She screamed, surprised, as Rémy emerged from the water, smiling. He held Jeanne, who was trembling with the shock of the cold water, and pulled her into the water.

"Rémy, you're terrible!" she complained playfully, feeling the cold water on her body. He replied, with half his face submerged in the water:

"I think it's better if you don't scream. Who knows who else might be nearby?"

Jeanne sighed, laughing. She watched the moon rise in the sky and smiled. "It's all your fault!" she joked, swimming towards Rémy. He dove at the last minute, avoiding her hands.

"Oh, you want to play?" he teased, emerging from underwater behind her. Jeanne laughed before diving back into the water, trying to catch Rémy, who had sunk. She swam up and down, searching for him, but couldn't find him.

"I'm here, didn't you see me pass by?" Rémy teased, smiling, a little far away from Jeanne.

"We'll see," Jeanne said before diving back into the water. Rémy watched where she had gone and swam gently, trying to keep his movements light so as not to draw attention. Even though it wasn't necessary, it was always good to avoid sudden movements in the water so as not to attract her attention in case she could find him. The night was calm and silent, only the gentle sound of the water and the breathing of the two of them who were having fun in the water.

Jeanne got out of the water, looked around, and realized that Rémy was far away from her again. "I think it's difficult for you to catch me," Rémy said confidently that she couldn't. "Don't get too cocky, I'll catch you," Jeanne replied, not discouraged. "We'll see," Rémy repeated the same phrase she had said before and sank into the water. Jeanne also did, and they spent hours like that, not worrying about anything, until the water started to get colder. "We should get out, the guys must be looking for us," said Jeanne, showing her beautiful body as she got out of the water. "Okay," Rémy replied, putting on his armor without worrying whether it was getting wet or not. Jeanne started braiding her blond hair. "I think you shouldn't do that," Rémy said, observing what she was doing. "Why not?" asked Jeanne, not understanding. "Your hair is wet, it's better to dry it first," Rémy explained, approaching her, undoing the braids she had started to make. "It will take a while to dry," Jeanne commented. "Yes, but it's better than smelling bad, isn't it?" Rémy asked, carefully fixing her hair. "I don't think I want to," Jeanne replied. "Don't worry, you still look beautiful even if you smell bad. That's why I decided to call you stinky girl. I like that nickname, and you?" Rémy asked, with a broad smile on his face. "How could I like it! Would you like me to call you stinky boy?" Jeanne asked, indignant, asking if he would like to be called that. But the answer she received was not pleasing.

"I'd love it! I really liked that nickname, you can call me that from now on, stinky girl. We'll be a couple of stinkers!" Rémy struck an exaggerated pose, demonstrating with enthusiasm that he really liked the nickname. Jeanne, however, didn't seem very convinced. "I don't want to be known like that. Just thinking that they'll call me by the nickname you just mentioned, they'll start calling me the Maiden of Stench! I don't want that." Jeanne's expression was clear: she was not happy with the idea.

Worried, Jeanne squatted in front of Rémy and held her head with both hands, trying to make her understand how she felt. Just the thought of being known by the nickname that had just been mentioned made all the hair on her body stand on end. "It's not that bad, it will be cool. Have you ever imagined being known for your whole life with that nickname? I would love it." Rémy tried to convince her, but Jeanne remained resistant.

"Do you like smelly things, huh?" Jeanne looked into Remy's eyes, trying to understand what was going through his head. Remy was a bit embarrassed, but he eventually admitted, "Of course not! I prefer my lovely and sweet-smelling Jeanne."

Upon hearing this, Jeanne became more relaxed and smiled. Remy, thinking she would be embarrassed or return the compliment, put his hand on her head. But to his surprise, Jeanne bit his hand. Remy jumped in fright, trying to distance himself from her. Jeanne's expression was a mixture of amusement and revenge.

"Are you a dog now!? That bite hit my hand hard," exclaimed Remy, shaking the hand that had just been bitten by Jeanne. The bite had been so strong that he felt a sharp, deep pain that still throbbed in his fingers. "That's what you get for messing with me," said Jeanne, trying to disguise the remorse she felt for acting so impulsively. Despite feeling bad, she got up and tried to maintain a strong facade, so as not to show Remy that she regretted it. Inside, however, she knew she had gone too far in her revenge.

"You like to bite, I'm going to bite too," taunted Remy, looking at Jeanne with a mischievous smile on his lips. Jeanne returned the look, realizing he was serious. She didn't react, after all, she knew she deserved revenge for biting Remy before. "Go ahead," she replied, closing her eyes and preparing to feel Remy's bite. To her surprise, however, he didn't bite her, but kissed her. Jeanne was momentarily stunned, but soon returned the kiss, feeling her heart beating fast in her chest.

Remy, on the other hand, was satisfied with the outcome of his revenge, and gave a satisfied smile between the kiss. He took the opportunity to bite the lower part of Jeanne's lips with his teeth, causing her a mild and pleasurable pain at the same time. When he separated from the kiss, he said, "I got my revenge," and walked towards the camp. Jeanne followed him, and together they reached the camp, where all the soldiers seemed to be sleeping. They entered their tent, and Jeanne lay down with her armor and all on the cloth that was on the ground. "Aren't you going to lie down?" she asked Remy, who stood in front of the tent.

"Someone has to stay watch, you can sleep," replied Remy, without taking his eyes off the tents and the surroundings. Jeanne realized he was concerned about the security of the camp and the soldiers, and felt a mix of admiration and tenderness for him. She covered herself with the cloth on the ground and snuggled against Remy's shoulder, placing his head on her shoulder. "You know I don't need this, right?" he said, still maintaining his posture of vigilance. "I don't know, but I want to stay here. Unless you find it a problem," she replied, with her long blond hair spread all over Remy's body.

"How would I find that a problem? You can stay up all night if you want. But I think you should go to sleep properly, otherwise you'll be sore somewhere," said Rémy, worried about her. "It's already sore," said Jeanne with a mysterious smile on her blood-stained lower lip. "Where?" asked Rémy, keeping an eye on their surroundings. "Right here," replied Jeanne, putting her hand on her lips. Rémy looked at her and saw what she had done. "Did you see that?" asked Jeanne, even though she knew he was already seeing it. "I told you to stop biting things," Rémy scolded, teasingly. "Go to sleep. Tomorrow and the following days, we need to have enough energy to reach our destination," he added.

Jeanne listened to what he said, snuggled up to his shoulder, and soon fell asleep. "Silly girl, I told you to lie properly, or you'll be sore," Rémy commented, smiling as he felt Jeanne lying on his shoulder. He tried to move her, but felt a tight grip in his stomach. She was holding onto him tightly, even though she was asleep. It seemed like she didn't want to be away from him. Hours passed, and Rémy kept watch over the tents and surroundings, even though Jeanne was leaning against his back with her head on his shoulder. Soon, the sun began to rise, but since they were in a place surrounded by trees, they couldn't see very well. However, the sunlight began to illuminate the tents, announcing the beginning of the morning. "Wake up, Jeanne. We have a long way to go," said Rémy, gently stroking her face to wake her up carefully without hurting her.

"I'm already waking up." Jeanne began to slowly open her eyes, while a smile of happiness appeared on her face. She got off Rémy's shoulder and stretched, feeling renewed and ready to face another day of battle. Rémy, who was watching her affectionately, got up from where he had been sitting all night and approached her. "Are you sore?" he asked with concern, gently touching Jeanne's arm. She smiled, feeling grateful to have someone like Rémy. "No, and you? Since you stayed up all night holding me on your back. I'm sorry for that," Jeanne apologized, feeling a little embarrassed for being a burden to him. Rémy held her hands and looked into her eyes. "Don't worry, I don't mind. It's no big deal. If you want to sleep again, you can sleep, since I felt you enjoyed it," he joked, making Jeanne laugh. She felt so grateful to have someone like him in her life. Together, they left the tent, ready to face the day ahead.

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