Huath, Nara thought. I wonder what it's like there. So far all she had seen, or all she could remember seeing, was the inside of Boka's house. She was excited, and anxious. The meal was quickly finished, and she was surprised when Gaijan bid them a good night and left. Boka bustled about, tidying up the house before bedtime, and Nara changed into the nightgown that had been lent her and sat down on the bed.

"Boka?" The woman looked up from wiping off the wooden table.

"Yes?"

"Where has Gaijan gone?"

"Oh, he always stays at old Horish's house when he visits. There's enough room there for him and his horse."

"Visits? I thought..."

"What, dear?"

"I thought... that he lived here, that you two were-" Boka burst out laughing, throwing back her head and holding her stomach with both hands. Nara wondered what she had said that was so funny. Boka laughed like that for a while, then stopped when she noticed Nara's expression.

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry, dear, I don't mean to laugh, but-Me and Gaijan? Oh, no, no dear. He is much too sullen for me, but don't tell him I said that. No, he doesn't even live here, he lives in Huath. He's an adventurer of sorts. He's been coming here quite often for the last few years years, so it's almost like he lives here, but no. Oh, goodness, married to Gaijan... stars help me." Boka wiped away a few tears of laughter, then continued with wiping off the table, giggling every once in a while. Nara wondered why it was so hilarious to think of being married to Gaijan. He seemed nice to her. A bit secretive, but nice.

As Gaijan had said, the day after next they set out. Nara was surprised that Gaijan had bought her a horse, and reluctantly told him that she had never ridden a horse before, or at least she didn't remember ever riding a horse, and didn't know how. After a quick riding lesson, they continued on. 

Gaijan seemed to be very quiet, and whatever he did say was short and to the point. Nara wished that they could have a real conversation, but she didn't know what to talk about. She still could not remember anything other than her dream and a younger version of Gaijan. She also wished he would tell her why she remembered him. But she knew that either he didn't know, or he didn't think that she should know. For whatever reason, she trusted his judgement.

Right before sundown they stopped and made camp. Gaijan pitched the tent and Nara made sure the horses were watered, then she sat down by the fire and gnawed at a piece of jerky. Soon Gaijan joined her, eating his own piece of jerky. It wasn't quite as good as Boka's cooking, but for some reason she was still ravenously hungry, so she ate her two pieces and a large hunk of bread. As she was reaching for the water skein for a drink, Gaijan suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand. He brought it close to his face, inspecting it. Nara looked, too, and saw that the bandages on her hands were wet with fresh blood.

"Oh..." she said. She hadn't even noticed. Gaijan let go of her hand, then grabbed the skein of water. Gently unwrapping the white cloth from her hands, he poured a small amount over the cuts, washing away the blood.. Then he knelt solemnly in front of her, taking both of her hands in his own.

"This may feel strange for a moment, but try not to move, alright?"

"What are you doing?" Nara asked nervously.

"I'm going to use a spell to heal your hands."

"A spell?"

"Yes. It is very simple, but it is important that you remain still."

"A-alright." Gaijan closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Suddenly she felt an itching sensation where each of the cuts were in her skin. She held her breath, fighting the urge to snatch her hands from Gaijan's grasp and scratch manically. But then the itching stopped, and he had already let go.

"There, that should be better."

Nara inspected the now unblemished skin on her palms, mystified. Magic? A million questions sprang to her mind. Who exactly was this man she was traveling with?

"Thank you," she said, realizing she should be appreciative of his help yet again. He nodded curtly.

"No problem. As I said, it is a very simple spell." He stood up and went to the saddle bags, took out a blanket, and spread it out on the ground.

"We should get some sleep," he said as he laid down on the blanket. She looked from him to the tent. It was rather large, it should certainly be big enough for them both to sleep in. It would probably get very cold tonight. The sun wasn't even down yet, and she was already shivering.

"Gaijan, it is a bit cold already. We can both sleep in the tent, it would be much warmer than you being out here." He looked at her again.

"I'm used to sleeping out in the cold. I got the tent for you." Then he closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply. Nara put away the food, then slipped into the tent. A big stack of blankets sat in a corner, and in the middle was a thick sleeping mat. Nara took off her boots and got a few of those blankets, snuggling underneath them. She hoped that Gaijan wouldn't get too cold.

The next morning they had a quick breakfast, packed up all their stuff, and set out once more. Nara asked him how long it would take to get to Huath, and he said a couple weeks at most, if they kept up their pace. 

A couple weeks was what it took. They ate up their food at a frightening pace, but they passed through a few villages on the way and replenished their supplies every time.

In every village all the people seemed to know Gaijan, and Nara wondered just how many times he had traveled back and forth. Boka said that he had been visiting her village for years. Nara guessed that he had just found her on his last journey, and taken pity on her, a girl that couldn't remember anything about her past. She was very grateful to him, and hoped that someday she could repay all of his kindness. 

Every night that they spent in a village people would crowd into the inn or whatever place they were staying at, and ask Gaijan to recount stories of his travels. Unlike when he conversed normally, his stories were long and full of detail. There seemed to be a few favorites among the people, and she heard those stories again and again, always told exactly the same way. Nara saw that he was quite popular, and wondered that they didn't stay in any of the villages for more than one night.

But then whenever they left a village behind, she noticed that he breathed a big sigh of relief. She realized that he liked it better out here, out in the open, all alone. She worried that her presence was an annoyance to him. But then he seemed to like her. At least he always seemed to be staring at her. Of course, how could she know he was staring at her if she wasn't looking at him constantly?

It was very strange. All she remembered from before was him. Yet he was so different from the image she had in her head. She didn't know how she knew him, and he certainly didn't offer any kind of explanation. Maybe it was just her imagination. But then she did want to know how he had found her, and why he was going to all this trouble for her.