35 The Home (1/2)

A large stone house.

Leo woke inside a warm bed. The day still kept light in the world, and he tried his best to orient himself.

He winced once he moved his toes. Leo didn't know how to respond to the new surroundings.

”Definitely not the merchants,” he said aloud.

He heard someone knock the door and decided to scan his surroundings for clues about his current location. He knew not how long he had been asleep, but he needed a quick look at the room he was in; it brought him comfort.

He saw a painting with children dancing on the plains inside the tall grass. He saw a bedside table to his right and a chair in the corner. His attention, though, was drawn to the painting.

A young woman entered.

She had curly hair and a average sized head that curved at the chin. Her nose was thin, but not long, and her ears were quite large. She wore her hair in a bun, and she looked curiously at Leo while he was laying down in the bed.

She wore a simple pale red dress with floral patterns. The dress was handmade, and it was a bit faded. She had a towel in her right hand and a bucket in the other.

As Leo stared with his head titled toward the door, she said, ”Oh, where are my manners. My name is Rachel.”

Leo stopped staring and glanced at the painting.

She said, ”And your name?”

Leo said, ”Eli... No, it's Leo. Leo Lionsmane.”

”Is Eli your middle name?”

”Something like that.”

The two stood waited in silence, when Leo brought his attention to Rachel. He took a closer look at her face and thought to himself, 'She would be a beauty in the Seven Mountains... if it weren't for her ears.”

”How old are you?” She said.

”Twenty.”

”I'm nineteen! I guess we're not that far apart after all.”

”I guess we are.”