A Hero With/Out Time

Chapter 10: My Nightmare (Part 5)

I slept inside the carriage for once. With Ronalt and Ardent gone there was two free beds I could use. Earnest sat on one beside me while I prepared my own. The room was small and barely fit the three beds as it was. If Ronalt were here, even if Ardent wasn't I'd choose to sleep outside. I couldn't see the large man fitting to such a small mattress.

I unconsciously felt Earnest's eyes on me while I got changed, "Umm why are you staring at me?" I was quite sure he didn't swing that way but on further thought I had never seen him take an interest in women outside of swordsmanship.

He didn't move, "I am curious about you Rain."

I finished changing out of my suit and into more comfortable sleep wear, "I could say the same to you." Seriously he was a mystery, aside from the debt he had racked up gambling when he was drunk there shouldn't be any other reason he was with us. Then again he probably enjoyed the journey for the challenge.

"Then shall we play a game? I'll ask you one question and then you. We keep going till one of us cannot answer."

I slid under the blankets of the bed and faced him, "Sure but I'm going first."

"Go ahead," he smirked.

"Okay then, first, what's with your sword? You hardly put it down and heck I've seen you sleeping with it."

He held up the sheathed blade and looked at it fondly, "It's a memento of my family back home also I doubt you'd find a finer blade." True when I had gone against it seriously it had shattered my sword without so much as a scratch. But more importantly,

"Family? So you're not a complete lone wonderer?"

"My turn first Rain," he leaned back on the wall and eyed me. "You're skills with the bow, where did you learn them?"

"My foster father Morgan. He's a hunter in Axel. We've gone hunting together several times." I turned back to him, "So this family of yours, where exactly are you from?"

"I come from Qing. Though where it is from here, I couldn't tell you other than it is across the seas."

"So you're lost?"

Earnest paused, "I'm on a journey. There is no such thing as being lost, but simply wondering in a different way."

"Yeah that sounds like you're lost to me...."

He changed the subject, "I'd like to know how someone like you is skilled in so many different fields. Even in swordsmanship you have shown enormous talent."

I laughed, "Well my parents say I learn quickly but I still put in a lot of effort you know. The reason I know so many different fields though," I smiled thinking about it. "When I was found I was the town's only child. Everyone wanted to raise me so instead every week I'd spend time with a different parent. Being a small town it really didn't make much difference but it ended up being kind of a competition to see just who's path I would follow. So over the years I learnt them all equally."

"That sounds... exhausting," Earnest looked at me sympathetically.

"I loved it. Anyway where did you learn how to use the sword?"

"My uncle taught me."

"That's it?"

"That's it," he nodded in reply.