Keira's words left Aaron speechless. She wanted so little, but things he could only promise with uncertainty. He could easily die on this journey. And so could she. But all he had to do was wield a sword and promise her the world and there she was, willing to help him.
Was it purely out of good will?He thought.
"I see. And I'll be as sincere as possible. If I win this war, I would do all I can to give you what you want. That I promise. But if I were to die before that, I would want to repay you with something" he said calmly
"I can't promise to help you win your war either. But I can promise to do my best to keep you alive so as to repay your debt." she said as she went towards him still in the water, "So what do you say? Are we now officially partners?" she asked
Aaron quietly looked up to the starry sky before stretching his hand down to hold hers. "I'd prefer we discuss this when you have some clothing on. It could get quite distracting this way." he suddenly said with his usual straight face.
Keira quickly withdrew her hand before telling him to hand her clothes and turn around. Face completely red and muttering curses under her breath, she got out the water and put her clothes on before meeting Aaron where he was standing.
The night was even colder than before.
They quietly walked together to her tent.
"I don't even know your name" Keira said as she sat down on the bed
"Aaron" he said
"I am Keira" she answered with a smile.
"Now I have a few terms to discuss first.", Aaron started and she nodded prompting him to proceed.
"I don't know so much about your race, asides a few rumors here and there. I believe it wise you share what you can with me so we avoid assumptions " he said and she nodded in agreement about to speak but he interrupted her
"Not now, we shall talk on that when there's time to spare. Secondly, we'd have to do something about your hair, an almost permanent hairstyle to be precise. If not it will fall off in public and raise suspicion for its hard to see a human with such long and pretty hair" he added as he looked around trying to remember what else to add.
Deep in thought, he didn't notice the creeping blush on Keira's face from the compliment.
"Yes, then I noticed there will be some of your abilities you don't master yet, especially the control of supernaturals, so I'd take it upon me to find you at least one supernatural for you to practice on from time to time, how does that sound?"
He asked suddenly focused on her
"That will be fine, I guess" she agreed
"Also, you'd have to be comfortable traveling and staying with us for the entirety of the time that is before and after the eventual battle, can you wield a sword?" He asked
"No, I can't" she said shaking her head as she recalled her father would have probably never let her learn
"Fine, for your own safety, we'd have to work on that "he added and she nodded in agreement.
There was some silence after that exchange. The candle in the room was dimming and their shadows were prominent on the walls.
Keira kept her eyes on the candle for fear the wind would blow it out.
"I have a question " she said "a few actually " she added
"Why are you fighting? Who are they?" She asked
Aaron looked at her briefly before laying down on the bed, his face to the ceiling and hands behind his head
"My brothers" he answered calmly.
Slightly taken aback, she mimicked his position before asking, "why?"
In the quiet of the night, they were almost whispering
"I need to survive. It's a kill or be killed situation" he said humour laced in his voice
"What of your parents?" She asked again
"Dead, both of them" he said coldly
"I'm so sorry"she said
"It was a necessary evil. I'm guessing your real parents are not alive either" he said
"Well... I don't know about that, but it's said the witch's race was extinct. My father said he found me in a farm" she added the last part with a soft smile
"I see."he added
"You seem like a nice person. Earlier I thought you were just rude and cold. It seems you've just been through a lot" she suddenly said and then he laughed leaving her surprised.
"Nice is not the word I'd use to describe myself but thank you Keira, it's nice hearing that" he said with a soft smile.
Keira decided she couldn't comprehend this man, there were like a hundred different shades of him and she would wear herself out in trying to understand his attitude.
"Tell me, " he said pulling her out of her stance
"Do you believe there are others like you out there?" He asked
"I don't know, but honestly, I hope so" she said as she set her eyes back on the bright candle.
"There's hardly any literature about witches according to my dad. So I don't know much about them. So I hope that one day, I can sit in a room with some and share our experiences " she said
"There's a library in the King's palace. I can bet there's some books on that hidden somewhere there. I hope to get there one day, so I'd hand you over as many of them as possible" he said and she smiled.
"I should let you rest, we have work to do tomorrow" he said suddenly getting up and stading at the door.
The sound of insects and moving trees where now very loud outside.
"Have a good night Keira, I hope neither of us regret this partnership when things turn sour" he said.
"I won't. I don't know about you. And have a good night too Aaron" she said and he nodded stepping out and away from her sight.
Keira lay back on the bed and closed her eyes.
Thinking of ways she could use her skills to help him win a war.
She didn't know much about witches and she honestly doubted how much she could be of help.
However, he seemed confident that he needed her and she was determined to use this opportunity to also learn about her self.
That was how Keira joined hands with a total stranger, claiming to be a prince and promising her the world, willingly deciding not to think of the number of ways that could go wrong.