The door was now closed, hiding the hut's interior from its deadly, blinding sun rays. Scattered books now once again made their way back on the desk, though this time their pages were showing from between their hard covers.
Wiping away his tears again with a cloth, he looked up at the person in front of him who sat on his chair backwards, her forearms resting on its top.
"Ya done now?" She raised her head from her forearms, looking at him with those same careless blue eyes.
The moment he nodded, she stood up from the chair with a soft smile that didn't fit her.
Everything didn't fit her anyway; she didn't look like a woman at all.
Her grey hair was braided, falling down her back so low that it could touch the heel of her foot. Its heavy and rugged nature was like that of a warrior, almost counting as a weapon thanks to how hard it actually was.
Eyes like that of the sky itself, made it look like a pair of little blueberries, they weren't cold like the mountain's ice, nor as watery as a sea, they were calming, bringing a sense of comfort to anyone who faced them, even with a long, deep scar that went through one of them.
Covering her jacked body, leather armor rested on her shoulders while a piece of thin steel covered her chest. Hems of her clothes peeked from beneath it, long white sleeves that only reached down to her elbows, long dark trousers that would have shown her legs if not for her tall leather boots that covered them halfway to her knees.
"Hello... Master."
Finally gathering himself, Zephyr muttered it with all the respect he could muster up.
Amused by his reactions, she hooked her hand around his neck, ruffling his hair with the other.
"Who are yer talking to? I don't see any knights here."
"Sorry! SORRY!!!"
He screamed as she messed with his silky white hair; his head could barely peep out through her muscular arm that was on the edge of strangling him. A smile bloomed on his face, which made her pull back.
As Zephyr was gathering his breath, she sat down on the bed beside him; its frame shook violently, barely stopping itself from collapsing down.
"So." She turned to him, her hands gripping the bed's wooden edge.
"How is everything?"
He turned back to her, his eyes were still red from crying, while handing her the cloth back, he asked back with another tear rising at the corner of his eye.
"Where were You? I... I didn't know what to do after you left, so I stayed here, in the village. Everything is so horribly wrong-"
- Pfft!
She held her mouth with her hands, trying to hold back a laugh. But that didn't help at all as a frown formed on his face, his voice a little angered.
"What's so funny?"
Her chest shook for a few seconds before she exhaled in a long, steady breath. Turning to Zephyr, the corners of her lips still trembling.
She placed her hand on his ruffled hair that looked like a sea urchin.
"You never change, always clinging to me like you can't live without me."
Rising from the bed, she walked over to the door, which stopped midway from opening. Gazing at Zephyr's body, with a cheerful grin that he didn't expect, she reached out her hand to him.
"Dress yourself up and let's go, others are waiting."
The door closed right behind her, not giving Zephyr any time to ask again.
What others?
...
Standing outside his hut, it felt quiet. But it wasn't silent at all, like before.
It was weird to stand on the very rocky road he walked over thousands of times before, but he did, like a stranger; he stood in the middle of the village, which was enveloped in a fresh scent of grass.
Every ruined building was now standing repaired, signs of being broken still shown through the newly hammered planks of pine trees. Smoke flew from their chimneys in a big, faint circle above the fountain. People walked around the village as if nothing had happened, talking to themself about what they would do tomorrow, how the prices changed in the other continents, and when the next hunt would be held.
"There he is!" Someone shouted from his left, and a few pairs of footsteps started to approach Zephyr.
He turned his head, and there they were, right next to his master, who was a head taller than everyone; three kids stood around her, their age similar to his.
The one who shouted to him was the oldest, his eyes sharp just like his hair, which looked like it was blown back by the wind.
"Did you oversleep again?"
Another boy spoke, peeking from behind the oldest one's back. He looked frail, his eyes always seemingly closed, while his limbs were close to becoming as thick as sticks.
"He definitely did! Just look at his face!"
On the other side was a chubby boy, who always giggled to himself when Zephyr overslept, which of course happened again. He leaned to the side, whispering into the timid one's ear.
"Did he do it?"
"he did..."
"He did!"
He repeated it like a chant, looking at Zephyr with his chubby cheeks forming into a weird smile that showed his missing tooth.
Guys...
"Alright, alright. Let's stop talking and get back to running. Your big day is coming, so you'd better be in your top condition!"
"Yes, ma'am!" All three of them shouted in unison, starting to run laps around the fountain side by side with each other.
Master looked back at Zephyr, who stood still, watching the others run around the fountain in an almost perfect synergy. It was weird to see them so motivated, especially the chubby kid who tried to come up with excuses as having heart problems or being injured.
"Hey." Her voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to bang louder in his ears than a drum of a bard.
She crouched down next to Zephyr, her eyes seemed to soften with understanding.
"You acted... differently today. Do you want to go back and rest?"
It was weird again; she repeatedly spoke to him in a tone he didn't recognize, something he wanted to hear but something he couldn't force or ask for.
"I'm fine." He said, managing to look back at her tilted head.
"I don't feel tired at all." Reassuring her, he looked down at his body, which held no trace of any injury.
"I feel like I'm in heaven."
"Is that so?" She stood up, a long shadow falling from her tall frame.
Her hand pressed onto Zephyr's back before pushing him straight to the fountain.
"Then get to running!"
Being pushed, his legs almost tripped over themself, but he managed to keep himself from stumbling.
He started to run around the fountain, a long smile spreading across his face.
I'm back
The light of the sun was relieving, to the point that he had already forgotten about what had happened before he came here. He didn't need to know anymore, though; he had his master with him now.