THE path they followed was narrow, swallowed on both sides by trees. Birds flitted between branches, but their sounds were distant, as though muffled by the thickness of the woods.

  Mia sat tall on the horse, her white hair fluttering gently as she whistled a low, melodic tune. Her posture was relaxed and a small default smile was etched on her lips.

  Kyla clung behind her, arms wrapped loosely around the woman’s waist. Her gaze was distant, her thoughts clearly far from the road ahead. She had barely said a word since they left Erona.

  They were bound for a town called Alkhamas, or so the merchant had explained earlier. They should get there before nightfall, spend a day selling goods, return the rented carriage, then begin their real journey to the Capital.

  But even as the forest slipped past them, Kyla’s thoughts were stuck behind. The entire situation was feeling a little bit too real at the moment and it was weighing heavily on her mind. For the first time in a while, she couldn't determine if the choice she was making was right or wrong. In fact she felt like jumping off the horse and running back home.

  After a while though, Mia spoke. “Are you feeling alright?” she asked.

  Kyla didn’t answer at first. She heard the question, but her mind didn't quite register it as something meant for her. It took a few seconds before she realized she was being addressed. “Yes… yes, I’m fine,” she said, forcing a smile as she nodded.

  “Well. You don't seem fine,” she replied with an even tone.

  “I will be fine then, I guess,” the red haired girl replied. Although she wasn't exactly sad, her mind was clouded with uncertainty. She had no idea how the Capital would be or if she would be able to survive the treacherous nature of a bustling and densely populated city.

  The truth was that most of the things Kyla knew about the Capital was from books she’d read from their small town’s library and stories told to her by travellers. Apart from her adventures in the woods, Kyla had never truly left the town. So it was indeed natural that she felt a little trepidation.

  “What's on your mind currently?” Mia asked, although Kyla could only see her back, she knew she was smiling. The beautiful woman had a default smile that was always playing on her lips.

  “Nothing much, sincerely. I’m just thinking about everything,” she replied. “I feel…” Kyla trailed off, and the merchant gave her space to find the words. After a moment, she continued, “I feel confused. I don’t know if I’m making the right decision. I don’t know if mother will be okay… I don’t know if I’ll…” She fell silent again.

  Mia didn't reply, instead, she pulled the horse to a stop. “Hop down, I would like to show you something.”

  They were in a familiar territory to Kyla, she’d wandered in this direction so many times during her nightly adventures. She however wondered what the woman wanted to show her because at the moment, they veered off their original path into the forest.

  The forest was thick, menacing, and starved of light. Although the sun was still coming up, it would still remain gloomy even at the sky’s brightest.

  According to the maps Kyla had studied, it was part of the Great Wood that encompassed the inner ring of Egrimorth.

  The Great Wood was an almost endless forest that divided Egrimorth into two parts. The inner ring and the outer ring. It was a source of resources and mystical items but also a source of great danger. Due to its vastness, it exhibited different characteristics in different regions, so scholars decided to name each region for the purpose of identification.

  The part surrounding Erona was called the Silenced, named for its perpetual gloom and uncanny quiet. While most woods echoed with birdsong and the hum of insects, this one remained eerily still. Unlike some of the other named regions, however, this section was relatively safe.

  As they left the main road, Kyla wondered if it was wise for Mia to leave her goods at the roadside unguarded, but her mood was too foul to even raise an alarm.

  The white haired lady led the dark horse to a stream a few meters from the forest’s entrance, crouching beside the stream herself. “Pretty girl, come here,” she signaled to Kyla. She then dipped her hand into the stream and picked a pebble from beneath it then showed it to the red haired.

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  The latter just gave a half smile. “It's pretty, I guess.”

  The beautiful woman chuckled, clearing white strands from her face. “Try to pick a pebble,” she instructed, a beautiful smile still spread across her porcelain face.

  Kyla shrugged, a little apprehensive about getting her hand wet, but she obeyed anyway. She dipped her hand in the water and tried to pick a pebble, her hand felt something hard and she picked it up. Instead of a pebble however, she picked up a shell instead. She wanted to throw the shell back into the water, but Mia stopped her.

  “Can you tell me why you picked a shell instead of a pebble?” she asked.

  Kyla smiled, turning the shell in her hands. “There are lots of things under the stream, shells, rocks, pebbles, crabs, sticks,” she chuckled. “I could have picked anything sincerely, I wasn't really searching for a pebble,” she said.

  The merchant threw the pebble up and caught it. “It's the same with your situation. You are worried about a lot of things, what will happen, when it will happen, are you wrong or right? All these things, they don't necessarily matter. It's what you do now that matters,” she paused, her lips still curled into a smile. “A wise man once told me that tomorrow cannot exist, yesterday can only have existed. We only live in the now. So stop worrying about what you will pick beneath the stream, dip your hand in it and pick.”

  Kyla stared at her reflection in the water and nodded. “Thank you,” she smiled. This time, her smile was a little more genuine. Although what Mia said didn't necessarily solve her problems, it gave her a little ease.

  “Great, now that I have given you wisdom from the elders, we need to start going or we won't reach Alkhamas by nightfall,” she announced. “Ash, come on. Let's go!”

  The black stallion jumped playfully, before striding forward. When they got back to the road, her carriage was still there undisturbed and she attached it back like it was absolutely normal. Kyla shrugged and decided not to ask.

  It was around nightfall when they arrived at Alkhamas. They hadn't said much to each other throughout the entire journey but the journey was still rather interesting for Kyla. She managed to stop worrying about her future or her mother and engrossed herself in sightseeing. They also reached two small towns before actually arriving at the gates of Alkhamas.

  Several people stood in line at the gate, waiting patiently for inspection so they could receive a stamped pass to enter and move through the commercial city. Instead of staying on the long queue however, Mia dragged her and the horse all the way towards the military outpost where the passes are being processed.

  One of the soldiers spotted them and raised an alarm immediately. “Hey, you there. What do you think you are doing, get back in line!”

  The fair lady who had been smiling all day, glanced at the soldier with an indifferent gaze; her brows were lightly squeezed and her mouth pouted a bit. “Don't worry about me,” she replied, however the soldier wasn't having it.

  The man walked up to them, as everyone else on the queue began to notice the commotion, Kyla decided to be invisible, so she hid behind Ash who seemed to snort at the idea. “What do you think you are doing young lady?” He demanded.

  The man was easily six feet in height, his shoulders were broad and he had a rather rough face but somehow it made him appealing. He was wearing the standard outpost guard uniform of Egrimorth, a red padded jacket with the insignia of a flying dragon and a pair of leather shorts, with a chainmail worn over his torso.

  “Going for my inspection, is that not obvious enough?” the beautiful woman answered without a hint of fear in her melodious voice. Kyla’s heart was already slamming against her chest and she couldn't even think clearly.

  “Then go wait in line like everyone else. Or do you think you’re special?” the soldier snapped. Murmurs rippled through the queue as disgruntled voices began to rise.

  “I am special, actually. You must be new,” Mia said, casting a glance at the other soldiers in the outpost; then, in a curious tone, she added, “Did Finn start drafting fresh guards?”

  The soldier scoffed. “Oh, so because you know the name of the commander, you think you can throw it around and get a free pass?” he laughed. “That won't work, get back in line, I don't care if you are one of the commander's whore, rules are rules.”

  Kyla froze; not because of what the man had said, but because another figure was now standing behind him. She couldn’t see the figure clearly at first, he was slightly shorter than the soldier speaking to Mia and far less muscular. But the moment he appeared, she knew he was important. Maybe it was the casual, almost careless way he walked… or the way the guards stiffened, and the crowd fell silent around him.

  “You might want to turn around,” Mia said with a tired disposition.

  The soldier scoffed. “Turn…” he was about to say something, but when he turned and saw the new man, he choked on the words, coughing while straightening himself. “Sir!” He yelled, shifting away immediately allowing Kyla to see the man clearly.

  The man had brown hair, fair skin and a rather scrawny body. He wasn't even wearing a uniform, just a white tunic and leather pants, but he held a large coat that was hanging loosely behind his shoulder.

  “My whore…?” The new man said with a chuckle. “Is this how you address women?” He demanded.

  “I…” the soldier paused, his already rough face squeezing further in discomfort. “I am sorry, sir!” He yelled.

  “But you didn't call me a whore,” the brown haired man replied with a rather soft tone.

  “I am sorry ma’am.” The soldier bowed immediately.

  “Get back to your post,” the man commanded after Mia nodded at the soldier and he scurried off in fear.

  The man then turned to Mia with a warm smile. “So you were trying to avoid inspection, are you perhaps carrying something I should be wary of?” He demanded.

  “Finn. I am going to punch you in the guts, I am in a rush,” Mia answered with a rather angry expression but Kyla could detect a hint of silliness in her voice.

  “Punching the commanding officer of the western outpost in the guts, that's a violation of so many sections and codes I cannot even begin to quantify it…” just as he was speaking, he noticed Kyla and then stopped. “Now, who is this pretty lady,” he said.

  Mia glanced at her and then spoke with enthusiasm. “Isn't she pretty?” she smiled. “Her name is Kyla and she is my ward as of this moment.”

  Kyla bowed to the man gently “Good evening sir!” her voice was slow and shaky.

  Finn glanced at her with a smile. “Oh, we don't do that here. Politeness is a very bad habit. I am Finn. Commander of this Western outpost of Alkhamas and I am hopelessly in love with this beautiful woman,” he chuckled, pointing at Mia.

  “I am going to cut that finger off,” the white haired woman frowned her face and began to lead her horse forward. Although she acted very indifferent, Kyla could see her cheeks turn rather red.

  “Mia is a very haughty person though,” Finn shook his head. “Come on Kyla, let's go.”

  The sky was already getting so dark, they could barely see each other anymore. She followed quietly behind both of them. Finn went into the shelter and got two documents that cleared their stay in the city. Both were stamped and signed by him.

  After that, they pushed open the gates into the city of Alkhamas.