***
The sun was rising over the eastern foothills, but the small group of travelers were already nearly a league from the farm of Mosan and Zinora. The chosen one of Ya did not feel very special this morning however. It was difficult to leave a place that was full of so much love and acceptance. It did not take very long at all for Rose to enjoy being taken care of, and her thoughts continually drifted to the lovely face of Zinora. Her bright eyes and pretty smile were something that Rose would keep with her as a sustaining influence for many days to come. As if sensing her displeasure, Logan slowed down his pace till he was walking beside her.
“Are you feeling any pain? I want to know if you get a headache.”
“No headache yet,” Rose answered. “From what your dad said, I will get most of these attacks at night time, right after I first fall asleep.”
“Just make sure you tell me when it happens, I do not want you to suffer alone.”
Rose furrowed her eyebrows slightly before answering the big man. “I understand a little better why your father didn’t tell you about his headaches Logan.”
Logan shot her a questioning look and Rose could tell from the way he pursed his lips that those words had upset him. She reached over with both hands to clasp one of his before answering back. “It warms my heart to know that you care for me Logan, and I am sure that your father feels the same. One thing you may not understand however is these attacks are made worse by sound and light. That is why your Dad would go into the darkest part of the barn.”
Those words did not seem to make Logan feel any better, but rather the mighty warrior now had tears forming in his big blue eyes. With a slight crack in his voice he responded, “I feel responsible Rose.”
They both stopped walking now and Rose quickly and fiercely embraced her knight protector around his mail-clad waist. She spoke to him now in a tone that was firm, yet tender at the same time, “Logan, I am going to be fine. I am sure that Ya would not have allowed this to happen if it would become a hindrance to our mission.”
Logan shook his head and answered back, “I am not worried about our mission sister…” his voice cracked he had to stop talking for a moment to gather his composure before continuing on. “I am worried about you Rose, just you. I don’t want you to be in any pain because…”
Rose released herself from his torso so she could look in his eyes. All the others in the group had stopped walking now too and were looking with concern on Logan.
The big man, having all eyes on him now quickly tensed up and responded matter-of-factly, “I just don’t want you to be in pain is all. It’s not fair.”
“Is everything ok you guys?” Jirah asked them, not really sure of what was going on.
“Everything is fine sister,” Rose answered quickly.
Jirah, Gaost and even Jer could tell that there was a lot more going on here between the knight and the priestess, but they also all had the good sense to leave it alone.
Jirah gave Rose a quick little look that meant ‘talk to me later sister’, and then spoke up. ”Let’s keep moving people. We will never get to the coast at this rate.”
The small band of travelers that was really now more of a family, continued down the dirt road.
“Thank you for caring so much Logan. I appreciate it.”
He whispered back a simple “thank you” and flashed a smile.
Rose knew that Logan must have had many more words to say, but he obviously did not want to tell them in front of the whole group. She was sure however that something else was weighing heavy on his mind. With a final pat on his arm, Rose gave Logan a big, bright smile to re-assure him of her support and picked up her pace to walk alongside of Jirah who was leading the group.
The rest of the day was very ordinary to say the least. There was very little to see and do on the way to the coastal city of Goram and while it was trying for someone like Rose, it was driving Jer nuts. The little thief was beginning to break the silence quite often with his nervous banter.
“This road goes on forever…” and “I never could have imagined that there could be so many trees in this world…”
Jirah was the one who finally figured out that the boy just needed something to do, so she called him up beside her. “Jer,” she shouted. “Get your skinny little hide up here for a second.”
The young man was pacing back and forth beside her in seconds, just like an eager puppy. “What’s up J?” he asked.
We are going to need a good place to camp for the night. I want you to scout on ahead and find a good place for us to stay. Look for nice flat ground with a water source somewhere close to the road.” Before she could finish that last sentence, he was off and running, answering back as he ran, “I won’t let you down J! I will find the best camp yet.”
Rose and Jirah were both laughing to see the little guy run off with such eagerness.
“I do not doubt for a minute that he will find the very best camp site available between here and Goram.”
Rose nodded and responded with a grin, “He is an eager beaver. That much is for sure.”
Then out of the blue, Jirah made a bold statement to Rose. “Logan loves you Rose.” She looked behind her quickly to make double sure that Logan was still a good number of paces behind them.
They both waited in silence for a moment before Rose nodded in response. “I know Jirah. He was trying to tell me but I think you guys scared him off.”
Jirah smiled and laughed in response, “So we have finally found something that scares our mighty knight and all it took was a pretty red-head.”
“You’re terrible,” Rose said, laughing in spite of the nervous tension that she still felt in her soul. “I care so deeply for the big lump, but he the complete opposite of any man that has showed me affection. He lacks any confidence at all when it comes to sharing feelings.”
“That’s the way you want them my dear,” Jirah mocked. “That way you can train them properly.”
Again the two ladies laughed out loud and it made them both feel much better. In her heart, Rose knew that there would come a time when Logan would be able to freely express the love he felt for her, but now may not be the best time to do it. So much had to happen in the days to come and these distractions may act as a hindrance. As the conversation died off between the ladies, Rose found herself lost in thoughts of what would happen once they got to their destination. As the worry built up in her soul, she found herself praying quietly in her heart to her new Father. Ya was more than able to carry all of her concerns and she was content to leave them in his hands.
***