I smile at my grandmother, and the smile is returned. The wrinkled edges of her eyes become more prominent, and the blue between them glints.

“You’re a knight,” she says, lips not moving.

“Yeah,” I smile. I find it hard to stand in place as my feet shuffle against the kitchen floor. I can’t smell the bread, but I know it is baking. “Ser Willis gave it to me. He died.” He died? Yeah, he died. Wait, no, he didn’t.

I’m standing near my bedroom door. Boots tap the wooden floor. No, it’s familiar bare feet walking against the wooden floor. My chest tightens. What do I do with the sword?

The doorknob shakes.

Ser Willis steps out the door. “Tamen, did you tell your grandmother?” He’s smiling a toothy grin. The sound of blood rushing courses through my ears.

I nod.

“You hear that, Mama? Your boy beat me,” he boasts, “He’s finally a knight.”

My grandmother smiles, tears covering the rims of her eyes. She’s in front of me, and we’re outside “I’m so proud of you.”

A firm hand lands on my shoulder, “Good job, Boy.”

Ser Willis becomes small, his hair white, the corner of his eyes wrinkly. He’s my grandmother. A hand cups my cheek, “You’re a liar.”

My skin grows cold, and an electric shock flies through my skin. My eyes fly open, and my labored breathing continues.

Thunder clashes behind me.

Where am I? My chest heaves rapidly as I sit up. I let out a sigh and recall the last three days of running. Rain falls outside the crevice I lay in as I make myself comfortable within a large cave. My horse stands just outside the crack, his presence made known as lightning flashes behind him. A gust of wind brings in the smells of the familiar forest.

I sneeze, not lightly. One of those that makes you double over and groan in pain before lightly rubbing your nose. Rain neighs and stomps the ground as I move closer to the dim fire. Even with the flames smothered down to embers, I breathe out a small thank you. The inside of the small, dark cave feels warm and forms a vivid contrast against the frigid storm wind. Once again, thunder roars, and Rain stumps the ground anxiously. The horse stands underneath an overhang formed by the cave near the entrance.

“It’s alright, Rain.”

I stand, my eyes only following a glimpse of what I saw earlier as I try to approach the horse. Lightning flashes, and I smile at him as my hand reaches for the bridge of his nose. I hush him, doing my best to show calm.

The sky introduces us back into darkness. He leans slightly into the touch and I let out a breath.

“Be firm, Tamen. Firm, but gentle.”

I listen to Ser Willis and place my small palm against the bridge of Tony’s nose. The horse quiets down, but his nerves are still visible.

“If you aren’t firm he won’t listen, but if you aren’t calm, it’ll prove he has something to fear.”

I rub my jaw before my teeth can clench at the memory. My gaze turns to the exit of the cave. The trees protest against the wind and bring a spray of rain inside the cave every so often.

“We only have half a day’s walk; hopefully, the rain lets up before morn–”

Thunder clashes loudly, drowning out even the wind and the trees. I coo at Rain as he kicks at the ground unsteadily. Lightning flashes, coloring the sky purple and striking down the earth in the distance.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright. It’s going to stop soon.” Lightning illuminates the sky once more. Within the darkness, I catch a glimpse of the storm being reflected at me. I freeze as my skin grows cold.

My hand reaches for my sword on my side to no avail. It’s not there and too far within the cave. Even if I am to turn back for it, I don’t believe the darkness will help me. If they saw me, why haven’t they attacked? I can’t risk injuring Rain in an aimless attack–what if they moved?

I hear the stones on the ground being dragged across its wet surface. The sound of boots scuffling seems to move away. “Who are you?” I demand.

Lightning strikes once more, revealing the figure at a further distance. I take my chance and slide beneath Rain to push the intruder to the ground, my fist tight against their chest. “I said who–”

Fits of coughing break my question. The person's body beneath me is hot, even with the cold and wet clothes that cover it. Thunder drowns out their coughs and lightning illuminates their face once more. It’s a pale face with red rims around the eyes. A weak, yet piercing grey that I mistook for the storm. The intruder trembles as we are introduced back into the darkness. Their heart beneath my chest is erratic as their fingers wrap around my wrist.

“I’m sorry. Help me, please.” The grip at my wrist loosens before the body goes limp. 

➸➸➸➸➸

The spicy and pleasant smell of yarrow dances in the air along with the scent of mildew. The air is cool with the promise of humidity. I stare at last night’s intruder. He lays on the bed of hides I had arranged last night originally for myself. I managed to help him with what I could by lowering his fever and keeping him dry.

I finish preparing Rain and climb up on him. A cough echoes within the cave. My gaze settles on the path I have to take to end back on the main trail leading to my village. My fingers tighten around the reins and my jaw clenches. I sigh as more coughing echoes within the cave. With a frown, I slide off Rain and walk back inside.

I push back brown strands of hair and tend to his forehead. The strands are soft and slick, almost if they’re not hair at all but plumes. The feeling makes me stop for a moment, my hand resting on his warm forehead for longer than needed. Long brown lashes part, revealing equally as dark hickory eyes. A gasp echoes through the cave as the male sits up, scurrying backward and far away from me. The back of his head hits the stone wall of the cave and he winces in pain, although his crazed eyes never leave mine.

“Hi,” I start cautiously, “You asked me for help last night.”

His head turns, and his gaze roams the walls of the cave as well as the entrance. He’s thinking of running?

“I only helped you because of your state.” His line of vision meets mine once more. “You’re not being held captive. You’re still coughing, and you’re carrying a fever. I’m going to leave now, but I don’t believe you are in any state to be alone in the middle of the woods. You’re very far from any village other than Skyland.”

His eyes widen and his lips part. Instead of words coming out, he falls into fits of coughing. He leans back against the wall, exhausted, and my plan to merely leave him with a map dissolves. Chivalry, Tamen, chivalry.

“There’s an herbalist in my village. She could help you more than I did with the yarrow. Would you like to come?”

He attempts to speak again but stops just as his lips part. A hand goes to this throat before going to his forehead pushing his hair back. He nods.

“Alright then.”

I stand and wait for him to do the same. His hands push against the ground, but he doesn’t move as his arms shake. He stops and his breaths come out shallow.

I frown and crouch in front of him again. “You’re weak.”

His head whips up to introduce me to his red face. If it weren’t for his fever, the daggers he’s tossing at me would tell me the red is full of anger.

“I-I don’t mean you’re weak,” I stammer. “I mean that your body is weak. I can carry you.”

The glare disappears, but he still looks at me skeptically.

“Listen, I got robbed just three nights ago, I can’t say I’m comfortable traveling with a stranger either. I’m helping you because you need the help. Do I have consent to carry you? The sooner we leave the sooner you can get medicinal aid.” He stares at me a bit longer before resting his eyes on the ground and then nods. I extend a hand and he grabs it before I pull him up. In my arms, he seems underweight and much lighter than expected.

We make our way to Rain, but when the stallion becomes visible, the man in my arms nearly jumps right off. I struggle with his weight for a moment, before he calms down. His arms tighten around my shoulders.

“You act as though you’ve never seen a horse before.”

His head whips to me, brown eyes bewildered. Why, I don’t know. I help prop him on Rain, which he hesitates to do at first, fingers digging into my shoulders before he finally gives in.

“Now, was that really that hard?” I watch his Adam's apple bounce. This is most definitely not a thief or someone with a hidden motive. He hesitates but then places his hands on the saddle’s pommel.

After packing what was left and adjusting it on Rain, I climb up behind the stranger. Watching his tense shoulders I take a deep sigh, chivalry, and kindness.