Ersia: Raven Dawn

The sun rises a little bit late this morning, and it's certainly not the brightest with all the mist and thick verdure. Randia is already awake and resumes his journey carrying Viena who is still sleeping in his arms. They traveled in tranquility, bathed by the gentle musk of petrichor.

Yet, the coldness of the dampened nature from the night-long rain contrasts with Viena. Her body temperature is getting warmer and warmer by the minute, and she burbles in her sleep even more than usual after Randia had cast a somniferous spell on her a while ago. Viena is having a fever, and she needs to be treated.

Randia unexpectedly grows anxious with each passing second. Despite knowing all the existing knowledge for such a situation, he himself doesn't understand why he is feeling so nervous. It's something primal, something close, something he used to know, but failed to notice. It's fear. The fear of losing something precious.

His heart is in a wrench, and it beats faster than ever. In a slight panic, Randia seeks medical necessities and some food. He took some herbs to tone down her burning fever and hasten the recovery of her fissured calf, a mixture of clay and sap to make a makeshift cast, and a board of wood, and tendrils to make splints since he knew that couldn't use Velda on her as he did with her Yarna corruption.

If he was to do so, Viena's body would react in an aggressive way since her system immune is in an active stage. Randia might end up making it worse instead of curing her. Such is the limit of magic.

"Ngh . . . Don't leave . . . ."

Viena mumbled in her sleep as a drop of tear ran down her face, falling to Randia's neck. She grasps Randia's cloak and is shivering. Realizing how fragile she is and the carelessness that he did which made her suffer, Randia clenches his fist, cursing himself.

"I am here," Randia whispered to the wind.

---

 

Hours later, Viena wakes up to the sound of streaming water and the smell of something being grilled over fire. Though her movements are faint, Randia quickly realizes that Viena is awake.

"Are you awake, Viena?"

Randia caresses Viena's hair as gently as possible. When she fully opened her eyes, she found herself sleeping on Randia's lap. She can also feel something cold sticking to her forehead.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling . . . lazy. Very . . . lazy," Viena took the cold cloth on her forehead.

"Your fever is quite high, it's normal to feel lethargic," Ran took the cloth from Viena, flipped it, and put it back on her forehead.

Viena tries to get up, but she feels a slight stinging pain on her left leg.

"Don't move. Your leg looks as ugly as your face."

He bites Randia's hand peevishly before he pushes her back down. Then, Randia took a small pillow from his backpack. It was a pillow that Viena asked him to buy when they were working in a cotton field a month ago.

"Rest a little bit more. I will have the food ready."

Randia makes porridge out of crumbled bread and water. He flips and cuts the grilled fish to flakes before seasoning it with whatever leftover spices he had. He also adds some wild berries and nuts that he found along the way inside, and some mountain salt and pepper. He took a spoon for himself to make sure it was going to taste well and not too tough for Viena to eat.

"It smells a lot tastier than usual," said Viena while huddling up inside her blanket.

"Come on, now. Sit down. It's time to eat."

Viena asks for a lift-up in a pampered manner. Randia sighs and does as she asks.

However, instead of sitting down on the ground, Viena dragged herself to make Randia her personal couch. She laid her back on Randia's chest with herself covered in her blanket still. Like every kid around her age, she wanted to be spoiled for once in a while.

"Aaah. I'm feeling so tired. I don't think I can manage to even lift a spoon."

"You are really a bothersome kid, aren't you?"

Viena ended up getting fed like a little baby just like she wanted.

"Mmhm! Wow! It's so good! Why have you never made this before?!"

"Because we have to save up supplies."

"Mhm Hmm! But still! It will be better if we- Uhuk! Uhuk!"

"What did I tell you about speaking while eating?" Randia gave Viena's back a rub until she stopped coughing before giving her the waterskin.

Now, Viena is done with her breakfast, and she feels so fulfilled in both body and heart. She rubs her tummy all the time while Randia is busy tidying up the place.

"You sweated a lot back then. You definitely need a wipe."

Randia washed the compressing cloth in the river and made it warm with his magic. Then, Viena wipes her body with the towel until she is clean and ready to continue her journey.

Viena seems already much better than she was, and she wants to try walking with one leg, but Randia is not willing to take any risk. He carried her around during all of the travel. Only when she insisted that she wanted to move around a little to stretch her body, did Randia put her down. Even so, she only walked for no more than five meters before Randia decided to pick her up again, whether it was against her will.

"Duh! Seriously, you are such a worrywart!"

"Nothing you say will change my mind. You are currently a walking breakfast for basically anything out here. Well, though that fact doesn't change that much no matter whether you're injured or not."

"Hey! Aren't you looking down on me a little bit too much?"

"My point being - I wouldn't want to waste my time digging a grave in this soil full of tree roots."

"Dig a what?!"

As they kid around, the verdant-armored hills start to meet their end. There are some squirrels gathering on the edge of the forest tossing nuts at two as if they are telling the two who have been quarreling nonstop to shut up.

"Sigh. You are so much better when you are sleeping."

"Oh yeah?! Well, too bad there isn't any better version of you! You are always so annoying no matter what you do!"

"Alright enough. Don't get too excited. Have you noticed that your breathing is getting ragged? You will hardly get any better if you keep acting up."

"H-Huh? But, I -" Viena suddenly feels a little lightheaded when Randia points out her condition. 

Randia caressed Viena's hair again to calm her down. She finally rests her head on his shoulder, and silence fills the air. It was during this serene atmosphere, that Viena embraced Randia over the shoulder.

The man is so taken aback that he even stops in his tracks.

"I was so scared."

Then, Viena starts crying and repeating her words over and over again.

"I thought I'd never see you again. I thought I was going to be alone again."

"Save your tears. It wasn't me who came to your rescue, the town guards did," Randia looked away.

"No, it's definitely you. No one holds me like you do."

". . . You must be under a very strong hallucinogen back then. Maybe I should take another look at you."

Suddenly, Viena kissed Randia on his cheek. The whole world stops and stays for a while for him. His eyes turned wide open, and he couldn't get any word out of his mouth. For a very brief moment, Viena can feel Randia's body turn soft and relaxed.

"You really suck, you know that? But I don't dislike that."

Viena's word pulls Randia back to his usual self. He gasps for a little air, before putting up his usual poker face.

"Is this how you repay me? By smearing all these snots on me?"

Viena, who had just finished crying her eyes out, is now letting out a giggle that is brighter than the sun and sweeter than any nectar.

---

 

The two continue their journey. Needless to say, their journey went slower than usual since Viena was recovering from her injury. The distance that could've been traveled in two days, takes twice the amount of time instead. Later that week, they arrived at the very edge of the landscape.

The air is howling loudly, and Viena can feel them gathering and surging just a little bit beyond. The piercing sunray blinded her from behind the final branches of the beeches. It took some time for Viena's eyes to adjust with the brightness, and when she did her third blink, her pupils widened.

It was the majestic view of the famed capital of roses and beauty, Fleurein. The path is paved and lined up with neatly trimmed cypress on the side. Some people were seen practicing their swordsmanship on the colorful flower fields near the flower-adorned city wall.

A land surrounded by high cliffs of hexagonal basalt columns while sitting next to an enormous lake at the same time. Viena can even see the bustling harbors of the bright white city. There are also sentry towers standing tall on the cliffs like candles on a chocolate cake with knights roaming the sky riding big flying beasts, ready to put anyone who threatens the god-blessed realm to rest.

There's only one word that can slightly describe all that lies before Viena's eyes; marvelous. 

"I-Is this the capital?"

"Yes."