~The Hatching Journey~ [PR]

Rhaenys nodded.
“I agree, let’s live in the present” she said and smiled. She lied down on the ground and looked at the sky, which now was pink and orange because of the sun rising. Rhaenys felt how tired she was; but she had been awake for almost a whole day. She sat up again, and looked over at Thélowên.
“We might need at least a few minutes sleep” she said and put the bag with the egg in her lap. She couldn’t protect it while being tired. She ate the last piece of the dried fruit and swallowed.
“We shouldn’t cross the plains while being tired” she said and flexed her hands.

Of course. Rhaenys wouldn’t sleep alone anymore. Thélowên would always be awake when Rhaenys wasn’t. She would be there, witnessing Rhaenys unconscious body react to the terrors of her mind. Rhaenys didn’t have nightmares every night, but close to. She swallowed and nodded.
“Thank you, wake me up when you want to switch” she said and took of her gear. She lied down comfortably on the grass, using a cloak as a pillow. She closed her eyes and breathed calmly, as if that would prevent her dreams from turning dark. She lied there with her eyes closed as she felt how her mind drifted away, carrying her into a deep sleep.

The room was dark. The only source of light came from the crack between the door and the floor. Rhaenys, who was practically naked, was strapped to a wide wooden bench. She heard the sounds of her own breathing, and gasped when she heard the doorknob turn. The door opened, and the light from behind it shone her in the face. The figure in the doorway took a few steps inside the room, lightning the torches around the walls, making the shadows dance on them. The dark haired man smiled.
“We’re going to play a little game, you and I” he began, walking up to the bench. As he touched her foot, Rhaneys flinched.
“It’s a game I like to call the ways of the elements” he continued, holding up a cloth he held in his hand.
“Water, Air, Fire and Earth. I think we’ll begin with water” he said as he put the cold, damp cloth over Rhaenys face.

Rhaenys body flinched, and her eyes rolled back and forth under her closed eyelids. She made a whimpering sound, and her left hand grasped for something that wasn’t there. She turned, and her body twitched, as if in pain.

The water poured over her was cold. She could hear it splash on the stone floor, but she focused on trying to survive what felt like drowning. She tried to breathe, but it was impossible. Just as her mind started to get foggy and slow, the water stopped. She gasped for air and breathed in hard and fast. The dark haired man looked at her, stroking a wet strand of hair from her face. Rhaenys whimpered.
“Tell me where it is” he said, and Rhaenys mind slipped to the red, glowing egg that was waiting for her. She swallowed and was quiet. The man sighed and Rhaenys could hear the water before she felt it.

Rhaenys woke, gasping. Luckily, she had her back turned to Thélowên, and she stared in between the trees. She swallowed, and closed her eyes again. She tried to listen to the trees, the bird, the earth. She breathed slowly and controlled, tried to imitate sleeping as much as possible, to avoid raising suspicion from Thélowên. Finally, she fell into a nice, lighter sleep filled with better and more hopeful dreams.

The air was crisp and light in her lungs. The sun rose steadily up above the horizon and the light spread. As the wind made the golden grass bend and rise as waves the light danced across the strands backs. Shimmering and shining. Thélowên watched the magical play of nature evolve before her while Voron slept steadily next to her. Her hand placed in his thick, rough fur. Her mind was still yet working frantically to scan her environment. But that was second nature to her after many years of training. To the extent that she barely noticed she was doing it herself.
"So quiet..." she whispered to herself. The wind made her hair billow and twist, she leaned her face in to it and just felt its strokes. Caressing her cheeks.

Behind her laid Rhaenys. She had first been in an unsteady sleep but now seemed to have calmed down a bit. Thélowên wondered for a moment where Rhaenys dreams took her. Thélowên's dreams were many and came at different times but most of them were of good nature and gentle to her mind. Dreams of her home, her future and glorious battles with Voron on her side. Some of them were forgotten as soon as she woke up and some had stuck with her since childhood. A few of them had started to fade, was dreamt less frequently but still lingered in Thélowên's memories.

About three hours had passed since Rhaenys fell asleep and Thélowên had taken he first shift. It was time to switch. They would get little sleep this first night away from Harlond but they could plan it better the upcoming journey - hopefully. Thélowên got up and Voron stirred. His body reacted to the absence of hers. But she walked over to Rhaenys and placed a hand on her shoulder,
"Rhaenys, time to wake." she whispered softly with a humming voice, "it's time to shift." she continued. Rhaenys woke up easily and nodded towards Thélowên who smiled back at her friend and travel partner.
"Sorry, I know it's only been three hours but we need to be moving in about two hours so I just need a little bit of sleep before we head out." said Thélowên and stood up. She walked back over to Voron and got comfortable on the ground with her back against his side.
"I'll wake you in about two hours then," said Rhaenys and Thélowên nodded, "have a good rest." Thélowên smiled and closed her eyes. Almost instantly falling asleep to the soft caresses of the wind and the sunlight heating her legs.

Rhaenys was pretty satisfied when Thélowên woke her up for the switch. She didn’t want to risk her dreams to change again. Thélowên didn’t mention anything, so Rhaenys figured that she hadn’t moved as much during the night. Thélowén fell asleep pretty quickly, and Rhaenys leaned towards a tree. Her eyes fell on the now peaceful Thélowên. Rhaenys wished her sleeps could be like that. Her eyes wandered to the rising sun and the light it reflected on the nature. It was truly beautiful. She watched the world come to life; the birds started to sing, the trees bent with the wind and the dew slowly disappeared from the ground. The morning ritual of nature at this particulat place was a great performance, and Rhaenys was truly glad to witness it. Everything beautiful in life, Rhaenys stored in her mind to use whenever she needed it.

As the rays of the sun slowly found their way to Rhaenys face, she figured that it was soon time to wake Thélowên and therefore soon time to leave. She opened her bag and saw that the egg was excited over it, too. It pulsed and Rhaenys stroked the uneven surface. She closed the bag again. She looked back at Aimon, who stood up sleeping by a tree. Rhaenys stood up, and crouched next to Thélowên. She put her hand on the brown-haired elf’s shoulder and lightly shook it.
“Thélowên? It’s time to move” she said softly.

Rhaenys nodded.
“I know exactly what you mean” she said and stroked Aimons neck to wake him while she ate the bread Thélowên had given her. She came from Rivendell, which was the least city-like place you could find. She also came from a family who loved the nature and the way of it. Rhaenys was truly misplaced in a city, but Harlond had been exception. It had been her rescue, her lifeline. She put the bridle on Aimon, in case they were going to ride fast again, and smoothly got up on his back. She turned to Thélowên.
“Let’s cross the border, then” she said and looked over the plains. She was exited, but at the same time very nervous. She took a firmer grip around her bag. The adventure was about to begin for real.

Rhaenys gazed out on the field when Thélowên spoke. Of course she knew they had to have a plan before emerging on the big field in front of them.
“You take things too literal, my friend” she said with a smile. She then watched Thélowên finger as she pointed out the suggested. Rhaenys nodded and looked up in the sky.
“That seems like a good plan, we just need to be cautious about the spies in the sky” she said and looked over at her friend again. Not only were their enemies ground-based, they also had creatures lurking in the sky above them. She stroked Aimon’s neck and inhaled the crisp air. The sun warmed her face, and she prepared herself mentally for what was to come. She had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long until the peaceful aura would break, one way or the other.