Lost Youth

As she was guided to do, she turned around and made her way out of the door. She was still in a bit of shock, was she really free of the brothers? Was she really free of them? The question was rattling through her brain. As Travis paused though to ask Marlic for the key, she paused as well and looked back towards the brothers.

Marlic arches a brow a little, then nods to Tarvin who gets up from the chair finally and looks for the key. It took the male several minutes to track down where the key. He lumbers over to the pair and hands the key over before stepping away and sitting down in the chair again. Not without smirking at the girl slightly before he did.

He nods a bit to Travis. "Have fun." Tarvin smirks, rolling his big shoulders a moment. Marlic shakes his head. "Get out of here before we change out minds."
 
Travis' lips twitched into an ironic smile, he nodded and stepped away from the door. He slipped the key back up his sleeve and began heading back to his camp.
After a moment, he looked down at the girl, then back at the house, making sure they were far enough away before he spoke.
"Are you alright?" He said quietly, "Even a bad home is hard to leave, if it's all you've ever known."
 
The brother stood in the door way for a moment, watching the pair go. Then he shut the door and the brothers could be heard arguing again and talking loudly.

She looks up at Travis as he asked her. "I don't....really know how to feel right now sir....I'm still surprised that they let you take me..." She looks at the ground, shivering again. Her clothes were still damp enough that as the cool breeze brushed by her, she felt a chill run through her body. "Their mom...she had been wonderful to me....had taught me many things but she knew what her sons were as she would say....." She shakes her head a little and was glad when they made it back to his camp.

It still seemed to be an illusion though in her eyes. She never trusted the brothers. There was no reason for her too. They had been cruel to her and done everything they could to hurt her for their own needs.
 
Travis smiled a little, "I'm surprised as well, and not going to be surprised if they're not completely honest."
He banked the fire once more, coaxing it from red embers back into life. He offered the key out to her, saying softly,
"I don't keep slaves, my dear, but I will care for you and look after you, if that is what you want." He smiled a little, "And you need a name, I can't keep calling you girl."
He hoped that she would stay with him, at least for a time, he strongly suspected that if she stayed in the area, she would wind back up in the clutches of the brothers.
 
She sat down by the fire once more, holding her hands out towards the fire. She accepted the key from him and nods a bit. "They are never honest....They are greedy and selfish." She mutters. Turning her eyes to the shackles and the key, she tried to figure out how to get them off. Never had they been off before and never had the brothers ever taken them off. It was strange for her and she wasn't sure how to do it exactly.

Looking to him a little at his words. "I've..never had a name...At least not one I can remember..." She says, "I ...would like to stay with you sir...." she adds, managing a smile. Then she looks back to her shackles again as she struggled to try and unlock them.
 
"Travis, or Trav, please," He said gently, squatting down on his haunches before her, taking the key back and holding her arm in his open palm. He found the lock and slid the key into it. As the cuff fell away, he ran his hand gently along the red and sore skin, sighing softly to himself, "We'll have to do something about this." He moved to the other arm, doing the same to it.
He smiled gently at her, hazel eyes lighting up in the firelight, "I'm glad you want to stay with me, but please, tell me if there's anything you want or need, and you are under no obligation to stay with me, at any point and time."
He looked straight at her, emotion heavy in his gaze, but finally, he pulled himself away.
"I better get you something to eat, you're half starved," He muttered, looking in the stashed saddlebags and bringing out the remains of a roasted deer he had hunted a day or so ago and some more fruit bread. He offered it to her, "Help yourself to anything in the bags. hopefully tomorrow we will have more time to make a proper meal."
 
As soon as the weight of the shackles were gone, she felt like crying. She was really free of those horrible brothers and the cruelty. There was no way to truly express how she felt in words. It was such a normal thing to her to have her arms in the state they were, she was not aware there was another way for them to look or that she had been very close to getting infections in both wrists. "I...wouldn't know what to do with them....My arms have always been like this for as long as I can remember." She says.

The scent of the food reached her. It smelled amazing and she gently took what he offered to her. The bread food she recognized from before and the deer she understood from watching the brothers eat. Gently she started to eat. Each bite was heaven to her and she savored each one. This time, she did cry. It was impossible for her to stop the tears now. They quietly fell from her eyes as she ate. He spoke of making a proper meal tomorrow, but to her, this was a proper meal, more so than any she had ever had before.
 
Travis growled, "I think you might have scars on your wrists from these damn things." He picked up the manacles and tossed them into the fire, they wouldn't burn, but it still made him feel better.
He was flabbergasted as she began to cry. What had he done wrong? Hell, how was he supposed to care for this girl. He didn't know the first thing about women, let alone ones that didn't even have a name. He didn't think she was crying from fear of him, but maybe because her life had changed? He sat beside her, sliding an arm around her shoulders, wanting to give her comfort.
To change the subject, he said softly, "Would you like to pick a name if I start rattling off names for you?"
 
Scars...she knew what that word meant but it made her wonder if having the scars would be so terribly bad. They would serve as dark reminders though and she knew that.

When she felt the arm around her, she tensed at first but part of her realized that he wasn't the brothers, he wasn't trying to hurt her. Some of the tension eased from her body but she was so stiff and sore it was almost impossible for her to relax completely.

She rested her head on his shoulder gently, glad for the comforting contact he was offering. As he spoke of names again, she nods a little to him. "Yes please....I've no idea where to begin for a name...." she said.
 
Travis wondered for a moment if he had made the wrong decision touching her, but when she rested her head against him, he felt reassured.
He rested his chin on her hair for a moment as he thought, "Well, we could just go through the alphabet. Tell me if you hear one you like, or let me keep going."
His booted feet stretched out towards the fire, the worn leather warming and softening with the delightful heat. Gently, he stroked her hair as he spoke.
"Let's see, A - Alice, Annabelle, Aria. B - Becca, that's all I can think of for B. C -" his voice droned on, a soft, gentle monotone, almost a lullaby, as his mind wondered, thinking of what else was left to do. He would not sleep tonight, someone needed to keep watch for the brothers, although the old horse would let him know if he sensed any creature approaching. He kept speaking gently as his eyes roved around the tree line, casting for a moment over the lake shore.
 
His voice was so soothing to her that as she listened to him give out the list of names, she closed her eyes. With no memory, she truly couldn't recall the last time she had felt so safe and warm.

As his voice continued on, she found herself starting to drift to sleep. Before she fell completely asleep, she murmurs. "Lena.....Lena sounds nice. "
 
Travis smiled a little.
"Lena it is then," He whispered gently, planting a gentle kiss on the top of her head as she fell asleep. He waited several moments, then carefully extracted himself from her. Quietly, he crossed to where his bedroll was, still rolled and bound. He lifted the light bundle and brought it over to her. Still staying silent, he rolled it out and gently lifted the girl, moving her to the more comfortable bed. Softly, he covered her with the blanket and sat himself at the end of the thin mattress, drawing his sword and quietly running a whet stone along its length.
He would sit there, unmoving until morning, until it was time to strike camp and keep moving.
 
When he moved her, she stirred a little in her sleep before falling deeper. Never had she slept so well or for so long before. Her breathing steady as her small frame curled up beneath the blanket he placed upon her.

Back at the brothers house, they had indeed not been completely honest. They knew who the man was and such a prize could be worth more to them. Already they had spoken with an old friend who just happened to be in town still. A hunter of sorts. They told the man what they knew. It would be up to the hunter to do the rest.

As dawn began to break, Lena began to stir. A nightmare having gripped her, she began to tremble and cry, moving in the blanket as if trying to fight someone off.

She woke suddenly , waking with a loud gasp. Her eyes wide and full of fear. Slowly though, she started to calm down and relax, clear signs she was used to waking in this manner.
 
Trav's single, solitary stare into the lightening darkness was interrupted as Lena began to thrash and fret. He shifted, wondering how he could quiet her, but then she awoke. He sighed softly, glad he hadn't messed up anything else with her.
"Good morning," He said, his voice rough and hoarse from not being used for so long. He rose and began packing the camp. The old horse stood stoically as he loaded the saddle and gear, checking straps and weights on the animal.
 
She blinks again as she heard his voice. Looking over to him, it took her a moment to recall the night before. She nods a bit and moves to stand up. "Morning si- Travis..." she would have to get used to the ideal of using his name as he asked her too.

Gently she helped with packing the camp up, getting the bed roll rolled back up properly and she walks over to him and the horse ,holding the bed roll out to him. Her eyes were on the horse though, full of curiosity.
 
"How did you sleep?" He asked gently as he took the bed roll from her and strapped it behind the saddle. He smiled and patted the old horse fondly, "You and the old fellow have much to talk about, I've never given him a name either, just called him Old Man, even when he was young."
He looked around, checking the hadn't forgotten anything. Then he took Lena's waist and lifted her into the saddle.
"We'll save your legs for awhile yet, " he said taking the reins and walking beside the animal again. Travis dug into a saddlebag as they walked and produced two apples, one he offered up to Lena.
 
Lena nods "I slept good." It may have seemed like she hadn't slept good but it had been the best sleep she had gotten in a long time. One thay lasted more than just a hour.

As he lifted her up into the saddle, she tensed a little and held onto the saddle once seated. She blinks a bit. "Old man?" She says curiously then adds. "I've never been on a horse before...." she says, carefully letting go of the saddle to pet the horse's neck.
 
Travis chuckled a little, patting the horse's neck fondly, "He's always acted old. He's a good and faithful companion this one."
He bit into his apple, offering half to the horse, who took it between his powerful teeth, chomping happily. Trav grinned up at Lena, "What do you think of your first experience?"
The trees closed in around them as they walked, bird song and the steps of man and horse filling the air.
 
Lena nods, smiling happily as she relaxed into the saddle. "It's amazing." She said and looks up at the fading sky for a moment before it was difficult to see. Then she turns and looks to Travis again. "Sir, where are we going?" She asks curiously.
 
Travis smiled, "Home, to my family. That's where I've been heading for the last three months." He paused for a second, then said, "We need to stop in a largish town and purchase you some decent clothing." He dug into his money pouch, "If we do get seperated, I want you to take this. It should be enough that you could buy transport to my family lands." He handed her up a small pouch, filled with coins, some gold but mostly silver.
 
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