Chapter 15 - Girl

The ride had been quiet, for quite some time.

A blessing, as far as Argo was concerned since he was allowed to have some sleep, though, not long into waking up, the mountains had grown close.

The girl had also somehow gotten close enough to sleep snuggled next to him, without him noticing.

Night had fallen, but the shadows cast by the mountain were still prevalent against the moon's backdrop.

The carriage had come to a stop, as well, at the summit.

He carefully got up, to avoid waking up the girl, and left his coat on top of her, to avoid the wind giving her a cold, the draft falling from the mountains was frigid, after all.

Constance was practicing her swordsmanship, in the campsite, he got off the carriage, and walked over to the woods, which she quickly noticed, "Where're you going?" 

"Would you like to watch?" Argo raised a brow, and she got a little red, and turned around, continuing her sword practice.

He shook his head, and went deeper into the woods, until he was far enough away, that he couldn't hear the sword swings, and the light of the fire had dimmed.

Once he confirmed, he was alone, he cracked a waystone, and left it there, with a note underneath it.

He stood up, and bowed to the woods once, "The parchment, serves as evidence, should you ever need anything, follow the Waystone, and use the parchment." 

He didn't know if it could hear him.

If the ancient fairy tales, were true.

Or if they were embellished.

He didn't know if the dream he'd had, was real or not, if he was being called, or not. 

But he was beyond questioning now.

It was a gamble, to leave something as important as a parchment, with his blood on it, and a waystone back to Loch, in this place, for whatever it was to use.

However, he didn't like taking half-measures.

He owed his life, to this creature's mercy.

And he would not be ungrateful.

He bowed again.

"Thank you." 

He walked back, without ever looking back.

He didn't want to know. He didn't want to see, if it was there, lurking. And he didn't want to be more involved than he had to be. The journey was long from over.

The giant mountains were still ahead, and the valley after to Creedon.

Constance gave him a look, when he came back out from the bushes, he had been gone for quite some time, she quietly spoke, "...I told you not to eat the food from those monks." 

She looked behind him, at the strange darkness in the woods, but chose not to ask.

He touched his saber, and looked at her, "You've learned the Church's swordsmanship, have you?" 

Her brow flinched.

Was he challenging her? 

He had Aura, that much is true, but, his actual physical abilities were only above other peoples, she could see based off his battle with Rodrick, and the way he defeated his opponents, that there was no finesse.

No air of an expert, nor the unstoppable feeling that came from being seamlessly cornered.

He had aura, but no proper training, a wild beast of a swordsman.

"If your asking for a spar, I'll oblige any day." She would not accept this, even if he had aura and she did not, she would not back off.

She had trained for years, in the silence of the churchs isolation chambers.

And she did not take having her training looked down upon, lightly.

Her mind had broken under the training, and been reformed countless times, over the near decade long dedication, to her studies, to be a hero.

Had she been too lenient, with this prince? 

She held her sword carelessly, in her hand, though it was anything but.

Argo felt the saber's weight, and drew it, "Please." 

Any semblance of an expression dissolved from her face.

Even when she killed people, that didn't happen.

Only now, when her qualifications, were being questioned, when her ego was being poked, did she react in this way, as if she was before a council of peers.

A hero has to be perfect.

He knew what he had said, he could get away with pretending to be benign later, but, he had realized more and more, as he was being dragged into more things, that only knowing Aura wouldn't cut it.

He'd wanted to learn, proper swordsmanship, but, there was no way to do so without arousing suspicion as to why his body was changing, and he was no longer out drinking all the time, or flirting.

People would notice even a small change, in someone as one-sidedly horrible, as the character he had built for himself.

It both caged and freed him.

He leveled his saber, at her. 

Now, when no one was to see, was the perfect time to pick up some new tricks.

It was not often he got to come face to face with a hero's blade.

A girl watched from the carriage.

She had woken up, some time ago.

In truth, she had woken up the moment he stood up, but she hadn't revealed it, and instead remained still, until now.

Argo feinted a strike to Constance's shoulder, and instead flicked his wrist to catch her waist, but she easily knocked it away, shifting her posture to catch the strike with her sheath, her sword flying forward to impale his stomach.

He wouldn't die, but it would hurt.

He deftly dodged, with his enhanced physical abilities.

The girl watched on, with her big hazel eyes, lifeless as they were, they seemed to hide something far away.

Bits and pieces of a human being, that were peeking through the cracks, a scared animal, opening it's eyes.

The wind was cold, she held the coat, that was far too big for her, closer. 

Argo took Constance's sideways cut, knowing he had the upper hand in strength, and pushed into her space, but in a few simple steps, she had somehow slithered her way out.

She was impossible to catch, but he could at least block.

She wasn't using magic, aura, or blessings, either.

He was being cornered and outclassed.

The girl looked out to the woods.

Something stood there, watching the exchange.

It smiled at her, and a strange hand waved.

She lowered her head a little, and then raised it, like a nod, and then looked back over at the fighting pair.

There were sparks, but she wasn't worried.

They were good people, she thought.

And then, she shook her head, sending the thoughts away entirely.

She didn't want to think about them.

She didn't want to like them.

This would only last until they could find a place to leave her somewhere else.

She was certain, and so, the little animal peeking through those cracked hazel eyes retreated away.

And It hid, very, very, far away.

But, the girl watched still.

Constance parried a strike, and closed the gap, her sword cutting his wrist, and then in the same breath of movement, cutting down in a curve, and catching his shin.

Argo's body gave way, and he kneeled, his saber stuck into the ground.

Constance's face gradually lessened in severity, and she shook her head, letting him relish the pain, so he could engrave this spar as a lesson.

Argo looked at the ground.

He knew if he had used Aura, that this battle would be in the air, but in a match of pure skill, he had lost.

Every move, was circulating in his head.

He didn't care to lose, but he did care to never lose the same way twice.

As he was about to speak, he felt a presence next to him.

The girl was stood there, observing him.

He observed her in return, as he thought of the spar.

Constance looked at the duo, which seemed exactly like a father and child, and slowly let out a sigh, causing both of them to turn their eyes on her, which caught her off guard, she shook her head, and raised her hand, a light glow falling off of it like snow.

"You are the strangest person I have ever seen." She peeked at the girl.

She was not impressed by the magical healing, her eyes didn't even flicker at all, as if she had just seen a breeze, or something mundane.

Her heart broke a small bit, as the thought of the toll that this girl must have gone through, swirled in her head, she tried to pet her head, but the girl took a step back.

Her hand stopped, and she retracted it awkwardly. 

A rogue hand however, found its way onto her head, and Constance instantly felt betrayed, since she didn't step back or try to escape at all, Argo leveled a teaching gaze on her, "Pity is frustrating for the prideful. But, you are pitiful right now, and for the weak, kindness is in short supply. Don't scorn it." 

He stood up, and picked her into his arms, after putting his saber away.

He'd wanted to continue and spar again, but, he suddenly lost the motivation to do so, seeing the small girl wrapped in his coat, stood out in the cold winds.

He wrapped her a bit more snuggly in the coat, and headed back to the carriage.

He had a lot to review tonight, and a girl so small and frail, would need plenty of rest, and shouldn't be staying up.

Constance quietly soaked up the entire interaction, and logged it in the back of her head, as something new she had learned, about people.

Pity is frustrating.

She had experienced it before, and it was exactly so.

And she had given that to that girl, in this exact time, carelessly categorizing another as weaker, and lesser, so quickly, and thoughtlessly.

She once again was reminded, of her own inadequacies.

Argo stepped onto the carriage, and laid back against one of its short walls, with the girl snuggly wrapped up against his chest.

She reached up, and his coat sleeve fell back, revealing her small hand.

She grabbed at his hair.

It was the cleanest she had ever seen, smooth like silk, and clearly beloved and taken care of.

He watched as she seemed to forget his existence, and touched his hair to her delight, a bit curious, he watched silently.

She had not spoken a word, since they got her, and he had a hunch she had not spoken at all, in a very, very long time.

He raised his hand, and touched her hair in return, she looked at him, and though her eyes were lifeless, he could feel the perplexity in them.

"You'll need a thorough bath, if you want hair like mine," Argo felt the roughness, split ends, and overall just disgustingly stiff texture of her hair, she would have to get most of it cut, to allow healthy hair to grow back, "It'll be somewhat testing, but, you'll make it, I suppose." 

He didn't feel like pitying her.

She had a terrible situation, that he might never know more of, but, she needed not to look back, at that which was worth pitying, but instead, urged forward, to the future, like, having healthy hair, for a start. 

He blew air into her face, and she blinked a few times, her nose scrunching up.

He slightly smiled.

"When you wake up, I'll still be here." 

She stared at him, eyes as wide as ever.

Like a deer in headlights.

He poked her head, with the faintest aura on his finger.

She blinked a few times, and then, her eyelids got too heavy, to stay awake, allowing her to sleep peacefully.

Constance had gotten on the carriage by now, and was preparing the horses to move.

She looked over, wanting him to get up and help, but he put a finger to his lips, and in not wanting to disturb the sleeping girl, she kept her mouth shut, as irritating as it was seeing him do nothing to help.

The Boundary Mountains loomed overhead.

She double-checked everything, and then checked once more, for even better measure.

It would take three days, to cross the mountain's entirety, and enter the summit on the other side, where Creedon lay.

The horses were raring to go.

She cast her blessings on them, and off they went.

Constance glanced back.

Argo had laid the girl down gently, on some supplies that would soften the ride significantly, and was now standing, with his hands on his saber.

She looked around the eerie dark, but nothing was there.

She hazarded a small question.

"What are you doing?" 

Argo raised his saber excruciatingly slowly.

"Training." 

Constance had a question mark on her face.

This was no type of training she had ever seen or experienced.

Standing on a carriage, and basically not moving at all, with a saber in hand.

If he wanted to do muscle training, there were other ways.

But, she ultimately didn't question it, since he tended to be strange enough as it is, and instead, chose to focus on the journey ahead.