Chapter 4: Little Knowledge

Soon after the old man had left with his odd gaze that bothered me more than it should, I found myself pacing around the room, worried and uncertain. I couldn't figure out what was wrong when talking with him and answering his question- he would quietly listen to my story for the most part. Perhaps I wasn't earnest enough?

Something was wrong, I knew it. It's just that...

Dragging me out of my thoughts, the door opened again, and a roasted smell entered along with the bitter cold. The girl with the same fur coat came inside a similar-looking garment above her hand. Her eyes then fell on the bed, perhaps thinking I was still laying, but then turned toward me.

She walked toward me and handed me the cloth, "They have asked for you to come outside, " she said, hesitating "what should I call you?"

Not minding her, I replied, "Zareth, you?"

"Zareth..." She slowly mumbled my name for a second before realizing my presence, "Oh, I'm aria."

"Aria, is it? Let's get going." I gently urged her, way too curious about what was about to happen to me at the place they called for my presence. But aria, huh? It was a nice name that had a nice ring to it.

While walking through the rather dense road, or if it can be called so, I noticed almost everyone looking in my direction, curiosity flashing through their eyes. When I met with the children's eyes they would cautiously shift and looked away. It made me curious as to what their thoughts were.

It took us less than ten minutes when we reached our destination, aria as she called herself, moved in front and talked to two of the men that stood valiantly in front of our path and I did not get the feeling of them looking down on her rather the younger one- barely a young adult-looked at her with a weird reverie which confused me but I placed it as a mistake of mine. At her little word that I had not managed to hear because of my fleeting mind, they moved and made way.

When I tried to follow behind aria, as she urged me to, the younger guy blocked my pathway with his arm. Curious for the reason, I looked up at him, he frowned at me and said, "Just because you have managed to cross the mount of Faria, don't think you are special, kid. Be grateful that lady Aria is kind," Not giving me any time to put my refuting comment he pushed me at my back with enough force that I stumbled forward and fell. At my humiliating sight, he laughed and I shot him an angry look.

What was that? Huh?

"Please don't mind them," aria said, extending her hand forward and I grabbed hold of it, "they are just...not having a good time." I did not say anything else but memorized his face.

But lady aria? Was she someone important in this place, I looked at her from behind with a curious glance and then threw this new piece of information at the back of my mind.

We walked for a few more minutes until a rather large fire came into our view, surrounding it sat many men and I realized they weren't just a group sitting outside for a small talk but some important people as aria called them the council. They talked amongst themselves and I could barely make out their voices.

"So what are we going to do with that northern kid?
"-Let him stay?-"
"Elder..."

When we were close enough and our footstep had reached them, they stopped their conversation and looked toward us-closing in the distance and aria found me a sit at a side, from where I could make all of them out and so could they. And then she took her to leave while I waved her away.

When my newfound companion-whose presence somehow had been calming me down. was out of my sight, I tapped into my nerve and steeled myself for what was about to come. For I was certain, this was reality and not a dream and I would have to face it all.

This time, unlike before I didn't wait for them to start their questioning but let my voice out first, "Hello everyone, I'm zareth. It's nice to meet you," I stood up before saying so, but the silence made me feel way too uncomfortable until someone among them said breaking it, "It's nice to meet you too, zareth."

I followed the voice and found a middle-aged man, sitting upright with his leg spread wide- his athletic build and muscles that bulged through his thin garments stood out among all the others. Despite the fire and the warmth it provided, I wasn't certain about him wearing such thin clothing.

He continued, not minding my inner thoughts, "But I'm curious about something. Do you mind if I ask?" He said, and the others prodded along with him, displaying their curiosity and intent. He looked my gaze across the crackling fire and I relented first out of politeness.

"Please go ahead, " I said, preparing myself for his question. But I had a hunch, that he wasn't going to ask something too hard

"I have listened to what you have revealed to the elder and he had ensured me that you had told the truth, " he began, swirling his drink and losing his gaze in there, "but do you have no idea how you are here?" he asked, genuine curiosity present in his tone. His words stuck out as something particular but I let it aside for now, "I'm not sure, everything just happened at a moment's notice. One moment I was in another place but then I was here. It made no sense." While I recalled my memories again, all of them listened to my words with clear focus and cut me off sometimes to ask a few questions here and there, but otherwise, they let me finish my tale.

"I see, thanks for telling me. " He said fulfilled at my recount, and I took the chance to ask my questions-those that I was curious about, "What is mount of Faria?"

"Mount Faria?" He said, thinking for a moment, "It's the hill that surrounds the north of our territory. And it's the hill that you crossed and made your way here."

From his tone that went back to being monotonous again, I could tell there was something special about it but not something he was fine talking about so I changed the topic, "Do you have any clue as o why I am here then?"

"I am not sure.", he said before glancing at the face of the other men present, locking his gaze with one of them," Kaius, take zareth to aunt dally tomorrow and tell her I had sent him."

At his word, a man probably in his mid-twenties stood up and saluted with his hand in front of him, "Yes, sir."

From there on I asked all the questions that I was curious about, and he would answer most of them while the others also joined in, explaining things here and there. After a while, he clapped his hand bringing everyone's focus on him, "Alright, enough with the questions. Let's all eat now."

At his word, my eyes drifted toward the lamb that was being hanged above the fiery fire and the roasted smell of it penetrated my nostrils, making me salivate.

Oh, I was hungry.