A Friend?

Nadiya woke up in the morning to see Hakos sleeping in a chair next to her and Thelos now sitting upright in the bed while clutching his side. Thelos saw that Nadiya had awoken and beckoned her over.

"I apologise about all this, my lady. It is lucky we happened across such a skilled person all the way out here."

"Yes. While he might be a little crude, he has shown his sincerity through his actions. Though I do wonder what such a young child is doing out here all by themselves, I suppose we should just be grateful he didn't turn us away."

"Indeed, his temperament is favourable even if he doesn't levy the proper level of respect towards you." Nadiya scoffed slightly.

"He's not an elf, thus the level of respect I'm owed is low but considering we invaded his home, I think he has given us enough face." Thelos gave a short laugh.

"True enough my lady. It is thanks to him that I am around to even discuss this with you. He woke early and tended to my wound before cooking me an easy meal so that I could eat. I believe he cooked something else as well for both of you, it should be on the stove."

Nadiya looked over to the kitchen and saw a pan full of cooked breakfast ingredients and smiled warmly. It was true, Kye wasn't exactly mannerly around her but it was apparent that he was caring towards his new guests. Nadiya served her own plate and sat down at the small table to eat. She was hungry so she ate ravenously and after finishing, washed her plate off in the sink.

"Do you have any idea where our gracious host is Thelos?"

"Outside I believe. He said something about training before taking that spear of his and leaving."

"I will go find him."

Nadiya exited the cabin and looked around. She saw a small path leading to a clearing where she heard the sounds of someone exerting themselves heavily. She followed the path and saw Kye practising with his spear. She was taken aback by the rigorous training such a young child was putting himself through. The explosive movements and measured strikes of the technique he was practising made her think of her father's martial art that he was supposedly taught by a friend. Nadiya sat down under the shade of a tree and waited for Kye to end his training. After two hours, Kye was drenched in sweat and stopped his training. His gaze fell on Nadiya who had a small bird on her finger. Kye had to admit that she was very pretty, even though she was still young, Kye was sure that as time went on she would become more striking. Nadiya noticed his gaze and stood up, brushing some dirt off her skirt.

"Sorry, I didn't want to disturb you when you were training."

"I appreciate it. Did you find the food satisfactory?"

"Yes, thank you very much for cooking for us. I will repay you once I reach my clan and can adequately compensate you."

"Not necessary, do you have any idea how quickly a search party could find you here?"

Nadiya fell into deep thought before shaking her head.

"There is no real way to say but it shouldn't be any longer than a month. If we're being too much of a drain we can move on once Thelos heals fully."

"It shouldn't be a problem. My father will be coming here in two weeks with a magic carriage so he can take you to Runia for help."

"Oh, your father owns a magic carriage? How odd."

"Well, he is the Archduke of the Runewalker territory. We have a fair amount of wealth."

Nadiya was in shock. Kye had completely neglected to mention his family name before so the information that he was, in fact, the heir to an archduekdom turned Nadiya's world upside down.

"Wait! So you mean to tell me you're from one of the noblest families in the Alioth Kingdom?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't think this info would have been more pertinent to bring up earlier!?"

"No, not really. There was your knight who was bleeding out as well as your fatigue. Anything more complex than simple information and reassurance that your friend was okay would have complicated things more than necessary. As you can see, I was hardly hiding the fact given I just disclosed it to you, just that you're in a better mindset now."

Nadiya listened to Kye's words and accepted his line of reasoning.

"I suppose you are correct. Though I am still confused, I will for now accept you as one of noble birth and afford you greater manners."

"Not necessary, I hate the stiffness and formality of noble life. Just speak comfortably around me, I find it much nicer."

"I simply cannot do that. My upbringing says that I should only act informally to my friends and family."

"Then how about being my friend?"

The comment made Nadiya do a double-take.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said, how about being my friend? Unless you find the idea totally objectionable, the Urwani elves and the Runewalker family have always had good connections. How about being my friend?"

"Well... sure, why not? You seem like a decent person."

Kye gave a small smirk and stuck his hand out for a handshake.

"Fair warning, I'm not very used to being around girls so take it easy on me, please? If I do anything objectionable let me know."

"I should say the same, I've never really interacted with boys growing up so this is a new experience for me as well."

Nadiya grasped Kye's hand and daintily shook it. Kye gave a soft smile. Good relations with an elven tribe would benefit Kye greatly in the future so he was happy to be friends with Nadiya. Besides, name a boy who wouldn't want to be close with such a pretty girl? Kye was fairly certain that you wouldn't find one.