Veyron by true.fantasy (best books to read for self improvement txt) 📕

here. You know; a clean exit!” I gave a blank look and he laughed. “Never mind. Just let me do this.” I nodded and he began ‘wiping our trail’. Looked like rummaging around the leaves and making a mess if you’d as me. He even splashed water all over the inside of it! He seemed pleased with his work and he relieved me of his bundle and walked on ahead.
“What was that all about??” I ask bounding ahead to catch-up.
“Skill.” He smirked. “We want to stay invisible, so negate all possibility of your location as being true.”
I gave him a doubtful look. “If you say so.”
“I do.” He smirks.
An old friend

~XAVE~

We walked for hours, and Yeira seemed to be getting tired. I was surprised she hadn’t asked me to stop for a break. Pride, I guess. I almost smiled. She seemed a bit touchy of late. We had been walking in almost complete silence, and it was uncomfortable and a bit awkward. As we kept moving, I felt Yeira stumble over a root and reached out for her arm before she fell.
“Whoa! Yeira, you wanna take a break?” I asked. She pulled her wrist away heatedly and shook her head.
“No. Let’s keep moving.” She turned and walked on ahead. She looked like she’d pass out soon enough. I doubt we were even still in the central Kistna region. We’d soon be reaching the next kingdom in Kistna.
“Yeira, you look as if you’re about to faint. Let’s rest for a bit.” I say.
“No…I’m not.” She spoke stubbornly. “If you’re tired, fine, rest here. I’m sure you can catch up to me later.”
I walked up to stand in front of her with my arms folded across my chest decisively. “We either rest, or I carry you. I am not taking a physically-fatigued woman with me on a treacherous journey through the forests.” I smirk. Point to me.
“Xavier!” She exclaim annoyed. “We don’t have time to rest; we need to be as quick as we can be.”
“Okay.” I agree. She gave me a suspicious look.
“What are you playing at here—?” She was cut off again as I swoop her up and continued to walk down the forest trail. “Xavier! Put me down!! I mean it! By order of the—!” I pinched her side and she yelped. “What was that for?!”
“Your safety, madam.” I say sounding serious. “What if someone had heard who issued the order? They’d know who you were.” I add in a low voice.
“You put me down, this instant, or so help me I’ll…!”
“So we rest?” I ask innocently.
“Fine!” I let her slip down and she struggled regaining her footing, then with a huff she stormed of near a tree stump and sat down grumbling something in another language. Laughing, I walked over to sit opposite. She gave me a glare, and pulled out some lunch from her satchel and began eating. We sat in silence until she spoke again.
“There’s some in the satchel for you too, if you want some. Outer pocket.” She offered, without making eye-contact.
“Thanks.” I opened it to find a packaged lunch for me too. Opening it we both sat there eating in silence. What was she mad about this time? Well…I guess there’s a lot to pick from, I chuckle. Maybe I should just ask.
“You’re real quiet.” I comment. She kept eating as if to ignore me.
“Nicely observed Sherlock.” She replied finally. I almost smiled.
“Well? What’s the reason?”
She gave me a look. “Mind your own…” She stopped mid-sentence then shook her head. “Sorry, I’ve…I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”
I nod carefully. “May I ask what it is?”
“You may. But I doubt I’ll answer.” She shrugged. “Not that it matters.”
“Doesn’t it?”
“It doesn’t.” She replied. We remained quiet for another few painful minutes, until she finally spoke up again. “Xave, who are you exactly? I mean, I don’t know anything about you. Your family? Friends? Hometown? Birthday?”
So was I on her mind? That’s not so bad. I smile. “I, madam, am Xavier. And I have no family at present, no single place I know as ‘home’, my friends are all over the country and my birthday is in August.”
She looked thoughtful. “No parents? No siblings?”
I felt my jaw tighten. “Why are you asking?”
She glanced up briefly at me before dropping her gaze back to her food. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, you know.”
I don’t, I think. I remained silent as I thought it over. I had an attraction to her, I’ll admit it, but…how much should I tell her? Are we even friends, or would she still have me kicked out of the palace if she could? “My parents died long ago.” I say simply; that was putting it lightly. Her face dropped.
“Xave…” She gave a sympathetic look. “I’m so sorry. I guess that’s why you didn’t…” She shook her head. “Same with your siblings?”
I nod. “Dead.”
She bit her lip. “Xavier, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. I just didn’t know why you weren’t—”
“It’s okay.” I smile, cutting in. “Just don’t tell anyone else. I hate answering all those questions this brings.”
She nodded. “Of course I won’t.” There was a pause and she dropped her packaging into her satchel and stared at the ground. “Do you miss them?” She asked softly.
“I do.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “Thanks for coming with me after the spring.” She looked up with her soft brown eyes to meet mine. “It was very kind of you.”
I smile. “It was my pleasure.” I slip my wrapping in her satchel and get up. “Shall we continue?”
She smiled lightly. “I think we shall.”

***

“Tell me we’re not lost again.” Yeira grumbled.
I laugh. “Okay.” The map said the forest should have ended by now—or soon anyway…
“Xave!”
I look up from the map. “What?”
“Look up there. Beyond the hill—rooftops!”
I grin. “We’re making good progress, it seems.”
“Well come on then.” She smiled pulling my hand towards the distant rooftops. We ran up towards the hill and stopped on top to see a…town?
“What do you think this is?” I ask. Yeira grinned at me. Without replying, she took my hand again and quickly headed down towards it.
On reaching the edge, we stopped in front of a large area, scattered with stalls. Yeira smirked at me.
“Behold the Saladin Bazaar.” She smiled.
I give her a funny look. “You like shopping?”
She laughed. “No, silly. My friend lives here. Samir.”
I nod slowly. “So, are we going to meet this friend?”
“Of course. He’s the best, I bet he’ll know just what supplies we might need and all about…well everything! So maybe he could tip us in about our…” Yeira glanced around the busy marketplace before continuing. “Um…destination.”
I nod. “And weapons.”
She shrugged. “I have the Goddess. I don’t need another weapon. You can get some if you like—not that we’ll probably even need them.”
“I think we will.” I say seriously. “And who’s the Goddess?”
She smiled brightly again. “My sword.” She laughed. “Duh.”
“Duh…” I mimic with a smile. I glint of a metal behind her had my hands on her shoulders suddenly, I was about to pull her away when I realised the glint came from a belt, not a weapon. I look up to find the owner of the belt familiar—too familiar.
“Xave?” Yeira looked at me confused.
I glance down to her soft copper eyes. Sigh…wait; she was looking at me bemused. What was the question? Oh, my grip. I quickly let go of her shoulders. “Sorry.” I apologise, with one of my charming smiles of course.
“What’s wrong?” She asked turning to look at the crowds behind her; trying to follow my previous gaze.
“N-nothing.” I say quickly. “So where is this friend of yours?”
She turned to look at me suspiciously. “Nothing ay? Don’t think I buy that.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Tell me honestly.”
What to say? Think Xavier think. “Ah…just—just a pretty girl walked past. You didn’t see her.” I smirk.
She frowned. “So why the hell did you grab my shoulders while mooning at some other girl?? I swear, boys are so…” She shook her head. “Whatever. I know where his stall should be; just give me the map.”
I gave it to her with an impish grin. “Jealous…?” She punched my shoulder irritably and I laughed.
“You wish, lover boy.” She scanned over the map and looked up. “Come on, it shouldn’t be far.”


~YEIRA~

“Are you sure this is the right place?” He asked me. Why don’t you ask some pretty girl that walks past? I was about to leer. Instead I nodded. There was small silver bell tied above the stall. I rang it twice and within a few beats, from around the corner came one of my best friends. Samir the Great, as we used to call him.
He stopped suddenly on seeing me and I gave him the biggest brightest smile I could. “Remember me your Greatness?”
His face cracked into a beam. “Yeira?”
I nod smiling. “It’s been too long!” I greet the blue-eyed x-village prankster. I walked around the stall to envelop him in a friendly hug. He returned it laughing.
“It really has.” He agreed
Xave cleared his throat. “Somewhere out of the crowds would be a better idea, don’t you think?” He asked.
“Of course.” I agree. “Samir?”
Samir smiled. “Right this way my friends.” I had missed his twinkling blue eyes and mischievous looks. It really had been too long.
We walked a little further away from the stalls to a small house. Opening the door, he ushered us inside.
“Madora?” Samir called out. There was the sound of running footsteps as a girl stepped out to greet him. It was his sister—well half-sister, the not-so-shy caramel haired girl I knew so long ago.
“Brother! Your home.” She turned to glance at me and Xavier. “You brought friends?”
Samir laughed. “I did. You remember Yeira don’t you?” She folded her hands in greeting and I smiled.
“Of course.” She smiled. “And the gentleman?” I coughed back a laugh and Xave gave me look. Samir laughed.
“I don’t know” Samir says, looking at me questioningly. “Fiancé perhaps?” I blushed and he laughed. “So you’re Aksum?” He asked.
I bet Xave to a reply. “Aksum is not my fiancé, and he is not Aksum and he is not my fiancé!”
Samir laughed out loudly. “You’ve always been so fun to mess around with. Can’t you tell I’m kidding girl?”
I almost pout and instead I turn my attention to a drooling Madora puppy-eyeing Xavier. I roll my eyes, she hadn’t changed much.
“Well...” Xavier glanced at me. “We were hoping for some in-tell and supplies before we head off again.”
“Head off??” Samir frowned. “Surely you’ll stay a night or two, won’t you? Madora can clear out a room for youse and…”
“Sorry, but we need to get going soon