Swords of Isadren (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Nine: Water

With the sun still low in the sky, and Asman's belly full of stew and water, the Guard set out for the fifth day of Asman being with them.

Dahlia had made sure to give Asman a water canteen so that he was hydrated throughout the day, and even though he would likely be fine just drinking at noon, he still was grateful that she thought of him.

She sometimes reminded Asman of the second girl he had once bedded. Though, he could without pause say that he had no sort of sexual feelings for Dahlia.

Her hair was dark and almost always pulled back in a braided bun. She was tan and had deep brown eyes that reminded Asman of the soil right after a rain. Asman especially liked how Dahlia smelled like the forest and the ground that matched her eyes.

When he had met Cheden, the man that had wrestled Pilla that morning, Asman was almost sure the two had to be related somehow.

Chedens own hair was braided, though he kept it down and let the small and intricate braids sit handsomely against the deep brown locks.

Though, when Asman asked, Dahlia only laughed and said that they were not related and only from the same area.

The Silvania Desert was almost as far south as you could go within the continent of Calia. Asman had heard of it, but had never exactly wished to go as he did not prefer to melt out of his skin.

There were a good amount of Guards from there, including the man that had thrown Asman over his shoulder while they were in Stelai. His name was Stulvon and although he came from the same place as Dhalia and Cheden, his skin was much darker than theirs.

Along with Stulvon, there was a woman called Malkin that came from Silvania. Both her and Stulvon had dark skin and hair that was strung together in thick ropes; there were small rings throughout that glistened in the sun.

Not only were there Guards from Silvania, there were also Guards from Sedrey, Isadrens southern and Felias' northern neighbor. The kingdom had always been neutral during the war, but there were rumors that some had joined the Isadrenian army in secret. Asman had never believed it before.

Those from Sedrey were Pilla, a man named Malon, a man named Hutch, and Jacksill, who Asman knew from when Niallen had called for him to pay the stable master in Stelai.

There were also those from the Galdrin Islands, just off the coast of Silvania. The Islands were known for being beautiful and exotic, though it was still as hot as Silvania, only with less sand and more moist forests.

Asman had not met any of the Galdrins that were in the Guard, but Dahlia had still told him their names while they walked.

Finnet and Vanora were sister and brother, and Rhinn was the other Galdrin. There were not many as Guards, but they still were close with everyone else despite not being with their people.

The other Guard members were all Isadrenians, including; Niallen, Teran, Hilcren, Strena, Elsten, Larrel, Nyana, Danyel, Aelina, Seraphina, Brandla, Hamen, and Marrion.

Asman felt overwhelmed by the influx of information that Dahlia had told him, but as she pointed them all out, it was easier to remember who was who.

He was sure that he would still forget everyone's names at times, but it still felt nice to know he was at all trusted with that knowledge.

Dahlia spoke to him for most of the day, and even Teran and Pilla joined in as the day passed by. The conversation was a pleasant distraction from all the walking that Asman was participating in.

The sun was almost perfectly overhead when they finally stopped for a moment; mostly only because of the horses need for water, but Asman was sure that the Guards needed a bit of time to stretch. For him though, it was a time to sit and take a breath.