Evenfall
Chapter 5 - The Stranger

“I’m Isa,” she replied, holding out her hand. He shook it with his left hand, as his right was being bandaged. “Nice to meet you too.”

They shared an awkward smile for a moment, before Isa shook her head and went back to bandaging. She pulled the last strip of material off her shoulder and tightened it around Nikolas’s arm. He grunted in pain.

“Sorry!” She said, eyes wide as she froze. He gave her a strained chuckle and a tight smile.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s not that bad.”

Isa narrowed her eyes but didn’t comment. He made to stand, and so she stepped back.

“You need to come back with me to get that properly cleaned,” said Isa, his arm still clutched between her hands.

“No, I think this’ll be just fine,” he said, gently pulling his arm from her grasp with a small smile. “But thank you for your help.”

“Well, you don’t exactly have a choice.” Isa said sternly. Her tone left no room for argument. “Unless you want to lose that arm, you are going to come back with me - and I’m not letting you lose your arm.”

She could see the hesitation in his eyes, but she didn’t let up. She had learned that when you wanted to intimidate someone you maintained eye contact; and so that was what she did. Eventually he gave up with a sigh.

“Alright,” he said. “But I have to leave before morning - I was supposed to be in the next town over by then.”

Isa nodded and motioned for him to follow her as she walked away. “No problem,” she smiled. “My mother’s caravan isn’t too far from here.”

Nikolas nodded and stepped into stride with her, his healthy arm still clutching the coat around his waist. They walked in silence for a while, before Isa finally burst.

“I’m sorry but I really have to ask,” she chuckled awkwardly. Nikolas raised an eyebrow. “What in Archen’s name happened to your clothes?”

She was relieved when Nikolas began to laugh. She let out a few more awkward chortles, still watching him expectantly. His blue-grey eyes met hers, full of light and mirth. He was genuinely amused at her persistence for an answer.

“I really would rather not say,” he said, shifting his grip on the coat and glancing away uncomfortably.

Isa slapped his shoulder playfully. “Please!” She cried. “You could even make something up if you wanted to. I feel the eerie serenity of insanity creeping up on me. I have to know.”

Nikolas laughed and then sighed. “Alright.” Isa watched him expectantly. “As you know, I was travelling through the woods to get to the next town over.” Isa nodded along as he spoke, but she couldn’t help but notice the tone of untruth that rang through his words. He was hiding something.

“Well, being stabbed by a crazy man wasn’t the only strange thing to happen to me tonight...” He continued, trailing off.

“And?” Isa prodded. He smirked at her.

“No, I don’t think I will tell you.” He said smugly.

“No!” Isa cried, clutching his good arm in an imploring fashion. Nikolas glanced down to survey her grip on his arm. After a moment they simultaneously remembered that he was naked, and realized the inappropriateness of the situation. Isa immediately dropped her hold on his arm and shuffled on awkwardly. Neither of them said anything. Eventually he sighed, and gave an awkward snort.

“Fine,” he said. She watched him expectantly. “I ran into a group of bandits not too far from here. They took my clothes, and everything else I had with me. To be honest, I think that man stabbed me because I was naked.” He laughed nervously.

Isa frowned, gently placing her hand on his arm again. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Maybe we have a coat or something we can donate for you to wear until you get new clothes.”

Nikolas gave her a tight smile, but didn’t comment further. They fell into a comfortable silence, but Isa couldn’t help the kernel of distrust growing within her mind.

There hadn’t been bandits in the forests for over ten years; not since Rhazien came into power.

Eventually they spied a small fire through the trees, and an elderly woman crouched over it.

“Madre!” Isa called the woman’s attention to them. Maria stood immediately and strode over to where they were entering the clearing.

“Archen, Isa!” Maria said, checking her over. She hadn’t seen Nikolas yet. “Where have you been? I told you to be back hours ago!”

“Sorry, Madre,” Isa said sheepishly. Her mother seemed to decide that she was healthy and unharmed, standing back to glare at her. “I wanted to watch the sunset in the square.”

Maria huffed and shook her head, a small smile gracing her features. “I should have known,” she said. “You and your incessant wonder with everything.”

Finally, she noticed Nikolas, standing awkwardly behind Isa, arm still clutching the coat around his waist. Isa turned to him and waved him over to stand beside her.

“Madre, this is, um..” She said, blushing as she realized what her mother may be thinking behind the unimpressed expression she wore.

“Nikolas,” he said, taking the initiative and offering his bandaged arm to Maria. She glanced disdainfully from his arm, to the coat, and then finally up to his face. Isa could have sworn she saw a flash of recognition and.. was that.. fear? flash through her mother’s eyes, but she covered it again quickly and stiffly took Nikolas’s hand.

“Isa,” she said, glancing at her daughter. “What’s this?”

“Um,” Isa cleared her throat. “Well, he was wounded and.. um, I - I helped him.”

“Why is he bare as the day he was born?” Maria prodded. Isa recognised the quiet anger seeping into her tone.

“I lost my clothes, Mei’an.” Nikolas intervened.

“Lost?” Maria sneered.

“Bandits, Mei’an.”

“I see.” She turned to Isa and raised her eyebrow. “Why is he here?”

“The knife wound on his arm must be cleaned,” Isa said quietly; submissive. “I fear an infection.”

“Hm.” Maria said. She glanced at him once more before turning and walking back to the fire, waving them towards the caravan. Nikolas gave her the smallest frown, but Isa just smiled tightly and began walking to the caravan.

Nikolas followed quietly, muttering a small thank you to Maria as he walked past, but she ignored him. Isa emerged from the caravan with a bowl of what looked to be crushed herbs. She waved him over to sit on the steps of the caravan. He readjusted his hold on the coat and gave her his arm again. She silently began to unbandage the wound, pausing every so often when he flinched. Throughout the whole process, neither of them said a word.

“Isa,” Nikolas said quietly. She gave him a small glance, before turning back to her work. When the wound was fully exposed, she reached for a rag on her shoulder that he hadn’t noticed. It left a wet spot on her shoulder. He hissed as she touched the cold cloth to his wound, wiping away at the blood.

“Isa,” he tried again, firmer this time. She moved away to clean the rag, but he stopped her, grabbing her arm. He ignored the flaring pain that flew from his wound. She whipped her head to him, frowning.

“Are you alright?” He said quietly. She gave him a tight smile and nodded, beginning to turn away again. He tightened his grip and she glared at him. “Say it,” he said. “Say it out loud and I’ll believe you.”

“I’m fine,” she hissed, pulling her arm from his grip and walking around the side of the caravan. When she returned, she had washed the cloth. She continued dabbing his wound.

“Is she always like that?” He said softly. Isa shook her head, not meeting his gaze. “Isa?” He prodded.

“No,” she relented, sighing. “Not normally.” She finished with his arm, and nudged him gently aside to enter the caravan. He watched her inside as she fumbled about, looking for something. A feint glow coming from the roof caught his eye. He glanced up and saw a white rose, standing upright in a class dome on the top shelf. He gazed, fascinated, as it emitted an ethereal glow that seemed to pulse every so often. Isa blocked his view as she re-emerged with bandages – real ones – and pulled the door closed.

She stood in front of him again, holding one strip of bandage in her hand. He watched as she smeared the paste from the bowl over its surface. She then glanced to him, the bandage in one hand, his arm in the other.

“This might hurt a little,” she said, staring at him earnestly. He nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.

“No, I mean really hurt.” She said.

“I said I’m -” He hissed as she pushed the bandage to his arm without warning. “fine.” He bit out. She giggled a little as he glared at her, using the other bandages to hold the small one in place.

“Sneaky.” He smirked. She returned it, shrugging. She finished bandaging his arm. The paste she had used stung a small bit, but he could feel the sting fading.

“There, all done.” She said, crossing her arms. She shivered as a breeze blew by. She could feel winter approaching. Nikolas frowned, standing.

“You’re cold,” he said, watching her worriedly.

“Oh, no,” she said, laughing stiffly. “I’m fine, really.”

He was about to say something else when Maria strode between the two of them and into the caravan. It was almost as if she wanted to increase the distance between them. A second later she emerged with a big brown coat clutched in her hand. She held it out to him.

“Here,” she said. He slowly took it from her hand, but she didn’t retract it. Carefully, he removed Isa’s coat from around his waist and replaced it with the new one, handing Isa’s back to Maria.

“Thank you,” he said. She grunted and turned back into the caravan. Isa and Nikolas shared a small look.

“Well,” Nikolas said eventually. “I suppose I should be going.”

Isa chuckled awkwardly, glancing to her feet. “Yea, I suppose so.”

She cleared her throat and started walking towards the edge of the clearing, Nikolas in tow. She paused at the edge, turning to face him. He gave her a small smile.

“Thank you,” he said. “For everything you’ve done. I’m sorry I was a burden.”

“Oh, no, it’s perfectly alright!” Isa said, a little too enthusiastically. She bit her lip, glancing back towards the caravan. Nikolas followed her gaze to replace Maria standing in the doorway of the wagon, arms crossed and watching them. Isa sighed. “I wish she’d stop treating me like a child.” She shook her head and smiled at him. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay the night? What with the bandits around and all.”

“I’m sure.” He smiled back. “Thank you, again.” He said, turning to the forest.

“My pleasure,” Isa said, rubbing her palms down her dress. “Take care.”

He smiled and nodded. “You, too.”

She watched until he was out of sight before walking back to the caravan.

Nikolas listened intently until he was sure she wasn’t watching him anymore, and then ducked behind a dense cluster of rocks. He draped the coat over one of them and crouched down, reaching blindly into an alcove between two of the rocks. When his hand re-emerged from the rocks, he had a pair of trousers and a tunic in his grasp. He pulled on the pants, leaving the tunic on the rock with the coat.

He sighed and glanced down at the bandage embracing his forearm. He sighed and worked his hand under the knot, loosening it. When he had loosened it enough, he began to pull it off the wound. As he got down to the paste-covered bandage, he gritted his teeth and ripped it off. He placed it on the rock with the others.

Silently, he shoved the rest of the clothes and the bandages back into the alcove, before moving off into the direction of a pond. Once there he carefully washed the rest of the paste off the wound. He sighed and slumped back against a tree after finishing, glancing up towards the three full moons shining down on him.

Soon, he drifted off to sleep.