Rescued

A young hunter was pushing his little cart, cheerfully humming a tune as he strolled down a country path. The dense forest on one side of the road was as familiar to him as home, having grown up in this area. And the game in the forest was like a mother, providing him with everything he needed to survive.

"Thanks, Lord. Thanks, forest," the hunter thought happily. He had sold the deer he caught today for 150 copper coins, bringing him one step closer to his dream.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of something on the distant beach and froze. It looked like people. Thinking it might be the lord's tax collectors, he was about to bolt with his cart. But after watching for a while and seeing no movement, his curiosity got the better of him, and he went to check it out.

A broken piece of wood had washed ashore, and on it lay a boy and a girl, both unconscious from dehydration. "They're still alive!" The hunter quickly gave them some water. Though they were out cold, they instinctively swallowed the liquid.

Noticing their fancy clothes, the hunter loaded them onto his cart and wheeled them toward his cabin in the woods.

Norn felt like he had been dreaming. In his dream, there was endless darkness, with just a single star twinkling in the distance. He was running towards it, but gravity seemed to have no meaning. He was tumbling and drifting through the void.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually, he slowly opened his eyes. He felt as weak as if he had been through a major illness.

"You're awake," a voice said.

Norn turned his head with all his strength and saw a young man dressed in animal skins cooking something over a fire. The delicious smell of food made Norn's mouth water, but he was so weak he could barely move a finger.

"Here, let me help you," the young man said, noticing Norn's struggle. He brought over a bowl of porridge and started feeding Norn.

"Her first!" Despite his growling stomach, Norn croaked out, insisting the young man feed Anna first.

"Don't worry," the young man smiled kindly. "She woke up before you and has already eaten. She's sleeping now."

Seeing Anna's steady breathing and peaceful expression, Norn finally relaxed. He couldn't hold back any longer and devoured the porridge. After two days adrift at sea, the warm food gave him a new lease on life. He quickly finished the bowl, but exhaustion washed over him again, and he fell back asleep.

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the door crack onto a rosy face, Norn's eyelids fluttered open. He was in a dark, windowless room, lit only by the faint light from the doorway and a central hearth. There was a straw bed where he and Anna had slept, but the room was otherwise empty and looked pretty bare.

On the wall hung a hunting bow and a quiver of arrows, and in the corner were piles of animal skins and clay pots. That was about it in terms of possessions.

Noticing Anna still sleeping soundly, Norn quietly got up. Though still weak, he was able to move around a bit. He pushed open the wooden door, and the unique scent of the forest rushed in. Outside, on a small clearing, a blond young man dressed in animal skins was chopping wood.

"Good morning! You're up," the young man greeted him with a bright smile, putting down his axe.

The young man had soft, short blond hair, gentle features, and bright red lips. His bright green eyes sparkled like stars. If it weren't for his flat chest, Norn would have thought he was a girl.

"Yeah. Thanks for saving us," Norn said, bowing his head in gratitude.

"My name's Jinn. I'm a hunter," the young man introduced himself, then asked curiously, "Were you guys shipwrecked?"

"Yeah," Norn nodded. But then he remembered that the Venetian warship hadn't been just some random raiders. They had deliberately sunk the merchant ship without even bothering to take the cargo. It was clear they had been after him.

"My name's Enno. I'm an apprentice merchant from Genoa. She's my sister, Naan," Norn quickly made up a story, not wanting to attract any more unwanted attention from the Venetians. "We were on a ship heading back to Genoa from the Levant when we hit a storm and ran aground. We ended up here."

"Do you think you could help us get back to Genoa? My family would be very grateful," Norn continued, hoping to get back to civilization. Once in Genoa, he could contact Otto and the others through the merchant guild or the Templars. He didn't want to be stranded like this any longer.

"Genoa? I've heard from the tavern keeper that it's a huge city!" Jinn was fascinated by the idea of a big city, but then he frowned. "It's just so far away."

Seeing Norn's puzzled look, Jinn explained, "We're near the town of Miramas, in the Principality of Provence. The only way to get to Genoa is to wait for the Marseille caravan. They only come to town once a week."

Norn was stunned. He hadn't realized he had drifted so far, all the way to Marseille.

"Hey!" Jinn's voice snapped Norn out of his daze.

"Can I go with you to Genoa?" His eyes were shining with excitement.

"Sure, I guess," Norn replied. After all, Jinn had saved his life. It wasn't too much to ask. "But why do you want to go to Genoa so badly?"

"Because that's where the opportunities are!" Jinn blurted out excitedly.

"Opportunities? To make money?" Norn asked, curious.

"No, not really. I just want to see the big city," Jinn said, suddenly clamping his mouth shut. His excited expression was replaced by an inexplicable sadness.

Norn was puzzled but decided to encourage the young man.

"Tell me more. My family has some connections in Genoa. Maybe we can help each other out."

The young man's face flickered with sadness, hesitation, and uncertainty, but then it transformed into hope for his dreams.

"I want to be a knight. A real knight," Jinn said slowly but firmly.

Norn looked at the determined young man and realized he was about to hear another interesting story.