Second Arrival

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A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop. 

    

Entering the second complex, it was much like the one where Tarhuinn and she lived. The market place, however, was somewhat different. Instead of tents and blankets, there were stone stands built around the area. Pools of water rested behind each stand, and the typical stone path and water paths were present.


Her cloak's hood was up again, and Tarhuinn's left hand was intertwined with her right. Like before, he kept her close, and she was forced to keep her gaze downcast. After they were done with their journey, she would be thankful that she would no longer have to wear a hood over her head in public. Or at least, she assumed that would be the case.


Reaching one of the fish traders, Tarhuinn rested one of the fish on the stone counter. (F/n) caught a surprised look on the trader's face. He reached his hands out to the fish and picked it up to examine it. "You caught one of the escaped gnashers. We tried to get them all back, but some got out into the water system. You have my thanks. In repayment for this, I'll give you an extra one of whatever you want. Of course, you can hold onto your other two gnashers; you caught them after all."


"That's very kind of you. We actually wished to know why those were in the water. The tenlites had been pushed further away from here because of them, but we now know the reason. Regardless, some dried fish would be welcome," Tarhuinn responded, holding onto the other two.


After the trader gave Tarhuinn the wrapped up dried fish, he placed them in his pack and thanked the trader again before heading off with her. "We solved that mystery quite fast," she remarked quietly.


"Yes, I'm sure that you're just happy that we don't have to stop our journey."


She gave a small nod, and she was also glad that she wouldn't have to fight him off to continue. Even if she had somehow managed to get out of his grasp, she understood that he would come after her, and she probably wouldn't make it far. All the water that was around only gave him the upper hand. Luckily, she wouldn't have to worry about that now.


The two of them now went around and traded the other two gnashers for dried goods. They also bought a few fresh goods to eat that day. Sitting by the edge of the market, she draped her feet over the edge of a small cliff. Water flowed over the edge from the water path and into the large pool of water below. Thankfully, their path ahead didn't require them to cross the pool on a boat.


Nibbling on her piece of freshly baked sweet bread, she glanced over to the narrow stone and water path that went along the edge of the water. From her current view, it looked stable enough, but it sloped upwards. As for illumination, there were a few torches lighting the path, but she couldn't see beyond that. She hoped that more light would be provided along the way. Otherwise, she would be holding onto Tarhuinn for dear life.


"Is it about the same distance to the next compound?" she questioned after swallowing a bite.


"It's going to be a little longer to the next one. The distance is the same, but most of the walk there is uphill. The third complex is apparently at one of the highest points of these mountains. Right now, we're more towards the base. That's why there are so many torches down here. Kelremm don't want to put windows down this low because unwanted visitors may decide to come in."


"What about the openings back in that room where the tenlites were?"


"Those are fine since they're small enough and have rushing water flowing out of them. No human would be able to withstand the current at those points."


"I'm glad that we don't live in this complex, then. I like having the window in the farm room."


"So, I've noticed," he replied, bearing a gentle smile. "I'm just glad that you never decided to jump out of it. You had worried me a few times." His smile had fallen as he took a bite of his own bread.


"I would never jump out of the window. I promised you that I would give you a child, and, right now, I'm putting all my effort into finding a way to live longer. I'm not going to let my life fade so easily before me. I want to explore those forests below our home, not fall upon them."


Finishing his bread, he patted his hands against his pants and held out his left hand. "Are you ready to head off? We should try to make the next cave room before evening. I'm guessing that it's early afternoon right now."


Popping the last piece of her bread into her mouth, she took his hand and allowed him to lift her up. From there, the two of them made their way over to the path. Once they stood before it, she looked upwards and didn't like how steep it was. There were even small stone steps to help keep her on the path. She couldn't imagine walking up the water section of it, but at least the water path was next to the wall. For her, she would have to walk right on the edge of it. Not to mention that closer to the top, there was barely any lighting.


Tarhuinn let go of her hand and rested it on her shoulder. "While we travel up, you can hold onto me as much as you need. I'm not too pleased that you have to walk so close to the edge either, but I'll make sure that you don't fall. And if we take longer than expected to reach the next room, so be it. Your safety comes first."


"Thanks," she muttered as he walked to the other side of her. She reached her left hand and clutched at his upper right arm. Once she had a firm grip, she started to advance up the path while Tarhuinn carried along at her pace. Only when she got the hang of it, did she start to walk faster.


This didn't too last long, however, as her legs were starting to get tired. They were only about a fourth of the way up, but her calves were screaming at her to stop. She knew, though, that she might not be able to continue if she halted for long. (F/n) was tempted to ask him to carry her, but she didn't think that he would be able to support their combined weight on the water path. The water was running down the slope rather quickly, and, despite his stoic expression, she could tell that he was having a hard time ascending the path.


Telling herself that she could rest later, she forced her legs to carry on. Instead of focusing on how much of the road was left, she counted down her steps. She had started at the number of a thousand since she had no idea how many she would have to make. Hopefully, though, it wouldn't be that many.


Making it three-fourths of the way up, she was practically cheering in her head, but her slight moment of happiness dissipated. Her right foot slipped on one of the stones, and her balance lost itself. Immediately, she gripped Tarhuinn's right arm to hold herself up. The sudden pull, however, caused him to slip back some.


With her source of stability now gone, her balance disappeared again, and she toppled over the side. Tarhuinn came crashing down as well. His feet remained on the water path, but the rest of him was on the stone path and part of him was hanging off of the side. (F/n) was now dangling. Her fingers dug into his arm to keep her hold on him.


Due to the slope, Tarhuinn was starting to slide down some. Swiftly, he unsheathed one of his daggers and plunged it into the rock. This halted the sliding, but his feet were barely in the water now. His attention, though, was pinned on (f/n). He slowly pulled her up while maintaining his grip on the dagger handle. With one last tug, he brought her up and over onto his chest.


Breathing uneven, he moved his arm from her grip and wrapped it around her waist. His other hand remained around the dagger, but a relieved sigh escaped his lips. "Will you be able to get back on your feet?" he asked, after catching his breath.


"Yeah, I think so. What about you?"


"Yes, but I'll have to make it quick. Only one of my feet is in the water at the moment, and I can already feel the effects."


Hearing this, she immediately pushed her own tiredness away and signaled for him to let go of her. Steadily, he did so. She gripped his shirt as she put her feet back on the path. Once each foot was on one of the steps, she lifted herself up and stood. With her off, he rolled onto his stomach and placed both feet back in the water. A pleased sigh left his mouth before he got back onto his own feet. He pulled the dagger out of the ground and sheathed it. "Hold onto my hand this time. It won't surprise me as much if you happen to slip again."


Bringing no argument, she intertwined her fingers tightly with his. Her heart was still beating like a horse running at full speed. "The next part after the cave room won't be like this, will it?" she inquired as she kept her focus on the steps.


"No, we won't be able to fall, but it still won't be an easy trek."


An exasperated groan exited her mouth, but she reminded herself that there would be a resting area after that part as well. With rest, she could continue. Her mind needed to look past the arduous short term and to the comforts provided in the long term.

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