A WARRIORS LOVE

A Serene Refuge

A month had passed since my elemental awakening, and during that time, Angelo and I had exchanged very few words. The shocking experience of my awakening had left me feeling disconnected from myself, and I struggled to regain my sense of identity.

Surprisingly, Angelo seemed to understand my struggle, despite our limited interactions. We had only met once or twice back at the palace, with the exception of the unfortunate incident when I accidentally collided with his bare chest during his sword training. It still amazed me how well he seemed to know me from our brief encounters in the woods.

As we continued our journey through the woods, we suddenly heard the sound of rushing water. Angelo swiftly urged the horse to quicken its pace, guiding us toward the source of the enchanting sound. After a few minutes, we arrived at a picturesque clearing atop a hill, where a stunning river flowed gracefully below.

The scene before me was truly breathtaking. The river glistened with a captivating shade of blue, as the sunlight reflected off its surface. The gentle murmur of the flowing water had an immediate calming effect on me, while a cool breeze brushed against my face, further soothing my troubled mind.

Angelo gracefully dismounted from the horse, always aware of my presence behind him. I followed suit, stepping onto the riverbank and taking in the serenity of the surroundings. Lost in my thoughts, I slowly approached the water, observing my reflection at my feet. My hair had grown longer since my last encounter with a mirror, and I had finally come to terms with the fact that my once chestnut locks now bore a vibrant shade of red. I let out a sigh, the weariness evident in my voice.

Angelo paused his actions and turned his attention towards me. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern evident in his eyes.

"Hm?" I turned to face him, his question registering in my mind. "I'm just frustrated by how difficult it is to manage my hair now."

His question triggered a memory from about a week after my awakening. On a particularly hot and restless night, I had decided to tie my hair up in a bun to escape the suffocating heat. However, the brush stubbornly refused to glide through my curly locks, becoming entangled and causing an agonizing struggle to free it from my hair. Frustration overwhelmed me, and in a fit of annoyance, I yanked the brush, inadvertently tearing out a few strands and inflicting sharp pain upon myself.

Angelo must have overheard my grumbling and sensed my distress because he promptly entered the tent to investigate. His eyes quickly scanned the room until they fell upon the tangled brush at the corner. A flicker of understanding crossed his face.

"Need some assistance?" he offered, but I initially hesitated, unsure if he possessed the skill to cut my hair adequately. After all, even though we were alone in the forest, I still considered myself a young lady, and maintaining proper etiquette was important, whether in the castle or the woods.

He scoffed, as if my skeptical look had insulted him. "Well, excuse you, Miss Princess, but I happen to be as adept with a pair of scissors as I am with a sword. And who do you think cuts my hair?" he retorted, raising an eyebrow.

I glanced up at his head, where his dark tresses were stylishly cut short on one side and shaved to a buzz on the other. It gave him a regal yet untamed appearance. "Alright, you can cut my hair," I finally conceded, my voice soft, feeling a hint of embarrassment for having been caught crying.

Angelo strode over to his bag, retrieving a small pair of scissors, and motioned for me

to follow him outside the tent. We settled on the grass near the fire, providing sufficient light for him to work, while I positioned myself in front of him.

"How short would you like it?" he inquired.

"Um... just below my ear," I replied, trusting him with my request.

For the next hour, the rhythmic snip of the scissors filled the air, accompanied by the soft rustle of my red locks falling to the ground. When Angelo finally finished, he handed me a small mirror. I was taken aback by his skillful work.

"Do you like it?" he asked, sounding genuinely proud of his accomplishment.

"Very much," I responded, my cheerfulness perhaps a bit too pronounced.

"Good, because this is the first time I've ever styled someone else's hair," he chuckled, getting up and walking back into the tent to return the scissors and mirror to his bag. I sat there, still in disbelief, envisioning the disastrous outcomes that could have transpired had I attempted to cut my hair myself.

I stood up, brushing off the remaining hairs that clung to my body, and took a moment to admire the tranquil forest around me. Content with my appearance, I turned on my heels and headed back into the tent, settling onto my sleeping bag and closing my eyes, ready to embrace the realm of dreams once more.

As I drifted into slumber, I heard footsteps nearing the tent entrance. I glanced up and saw Angelo frozen in the doorway. "Aren't you going to bed?" I inquired, my voice laced with drowsiness.

"I'm just going to survey the perimeter and cast a few protection spells. You go ahead and rest," he responded.

"Okay, goodnight," I murmured, turning around in my sleeping bag and shutting my eyes, eagerly awaiting the embrace of sleep.

"Goodnight," Angelo replied softly.

When morning arrived, I awoke to an oppressive heat, as if I were being roasted alive, and a constriction around my neck, as if something were strangling me. Half-awake, I reached out to remove the source of discomfort, only to find that the more I pulled, the tighter it became. With a final tug, pain shot through my scalp, fully jolting me awake. I realized that my hair, which had been cut the previous night, had inexplicably returned to its original length, almost mocking me with its gleaming appearance.

I groaned audibly in frustration, aggressively flicking my wrist upward, securing my hair into a messy bun atop my head, and promptly returned to sleep, determined to ignore the exasperating situation.

From that night onward, before succumbing to sleep, I made it a ritual to cast a small water spell, dampening my hair to alleviate the summer heat that plagued me. Pushing aside my hair troubles, I turned around and ventured deeper into the water until it reached my waist, then slowly sank down until the cool liquid kissed my chin. Closing my eyes, I surrendered to the soothing sounds and gentle caress of the water against my body, relishing this familiar sensation.

Since leaving the kingdom and embarking on our journey through the woods, this was the first time we had encountered a river. Consequently, neither Angelo nor I had had the opportunity to bathe properly. Instead, Angelo relied on a cleansing spell to maintain our cleanliness, but it simply wasn't the same as immersing oneself in the embrace of a natural water source.

"I'm going to explore the area. Don't venture too far into the water, alright?" Angelo cautioned before departing, leaving the horse tethered to a small tree nearby to drink some water.

The water felt cool and inviting against my skin, lulling me into a

peaceful slumber. I was jolted awake when Angelo shook my shoulders, and in my groggy state, I responded with a sleep-laden "What?"

"Do you realize you could have drowned?" Angelo chided, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Huh?" I replied, my features still clouded with sleep, until I started to uncontrollably sneeze. I sneezed repeatedly, feeling the chill of the air nip at my skin, causing me to shiver and cross my arms tightly over my chest.

"You should dry yourself off, or it will worsen," Angelo suggested, his tone carrying a hint of mockery as he gestured toward my now reddened nose, well aware of my limited skills in wind magic.

Reluctant to embarrass myself further, I decided against employing wind magic and instead called upon my awakened element. Initiating my personal chant, I focused on gradually releasing a small amount of heat to gently dry my clothes and skin. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Angelo edging a few steps away, aware that my control over wind magic was lacking. As a consequence, my concentration faltered, causing a surge of heat that ignited my hair, engulfing my entire body in flames.

Although the flames did not cause pain, the sight of being engulfed in fire alarmed me. Realizing that my clothes were also on fire and at risk of being reduced to ashes, I swiftly wrapped my arms around myself, concealing my exposed body as best as I could and attempting to hide from Angelo, who stood not far away.

Understanding the need to regain composure and prevent the possibility of starting a forest fire, I focused on calming myself, inhaling and exhaling slowly at five-second intervals, all the while willing the flames to subside. After a while, the inferno receded, leaving a cool atmosphere in its wake.

"Well, that was quite the show," Angelo remarked, approaching me as he removed his shirt.

"Put this on," he instructed, tossing the garment toward me before turning away. My face burned, not from the previous heat, but from the deep blush that spread across my face and to the tips of my ears, overwhelmed by embarrassment.

"Follow me," he directed, once I had donned the oversized shirt. He led the way to the horse, untied the reins from the tree branch, and ventured into the forest. I followed behind, leisurely observing the diverse array of birds and insects that captured my attention amidst the sun's evening glow.

After approximately ten minutes of walking, we arrived at a vast opening in the hillside, enveloped in an assortment of green vines. Plants climbed up the cave walls, creating an illusion as if they were painted in various shades of green. It was a sight straight out of a fairy tale, breathtaking in its beauty. Angelo left the horse outside and proceeded to enter the cave.

Curiosity piqued, I followed him inside, marveling at the presence of firewood stacked neatly in one corner and our sleeping bags already arranged. "We'll be staying here for the night," Angelo informed me, deftly setting up the fire, its flickering glow casting an ethereal ambiance within the cavern.