Chapter 35: Senses: Part Two
By nightfall, the group ventured further into the forest without any issues. The calm melody of animal noises faded, making them question if they were on the right track, but after checking the map, Axel confirmed they were. They sat around the campfire; not long after eating a vegetable stew, Cilv kept making faces during each bite and swore she would hunt the next day. Evanna and Ger sat next to each other against one of the trees near the fire, while Ronan sat next to Cilv, and Axel had Nesrin putting his beard into small plaits.
Evanna could not help but laugh at watching the little fairy plait his brown beard, making the giant of a man who always looked fierce with an axe and a shield, sitting patiently while his beard was being styled. By the end of it, though, they found that it suited him except for the daisy’s she used to keep the plait together.
As the evening wore on, the temperature began to drop again, leaving Evanna to pull her mask up, covering her nose and mouth. She also scooted closer to Ger against the tree, who sat there smoking from his pipe. The heat from his body would soon transfer onto her; he put his free arm around her and started rubbing her shoulder to warm her up. Smiling, she leant into him, comfortable to be sitting with her best friend in one of the strangest places she had ever been to. She was grateful to have Ger by her side. She honestly would not know how far she would have come if she left on this venture by herself.
"Thank you", She said. He puffed out from the pipe and glanced at her.
"I’m sorry, what did you say? Your mouth is covered," His eyes shone in amusement at how frozen she looked, with her hood up and mask covering her face. If he didn’t know it was her, he would have said she looked like a bandit.
She smacked him lightly, knowing too well that her voice was not muffled, and they were too close for him not to hear her. Glancing back to the fire, she could not help but notice Ronan staring her way. He raked his hand through his curled hair as his jaw ticked, she wondered what he was thinking, but he looked away before announcing he was going to bed.
Evanna then glanced at the floor after some movement caught her attention. Cilv was lying on the floor again and had shifted while she looked up at the sky. Her body was ridiculously close to the fire, but she was spread out so that all of her body would stay heated from the flames. Evanna’s gaze then went back to the fire in front of her. The sounds and the waves of the flames started to put her into a trance. She began to feel her eyelids get heavy as she continued to watch the fire, and for the first time since entering the forest, she fell soundlessly asleep.
Ger glanced down at Evanna, who by now dropped her head onto his shoulder, her eyes closed. He shook his head at her; there was a perfectly usable tent she could sleep in. But as he continued to look at her, he could not help but feel warm from their closeness. A small smile spread on his lips, his eyes softening.
Was he physically warm because they were huddled together? He frowned after realising a warm and tingly feeling was coming from his stomach. His eyes widened as he slightly tensed. Did he have romantic feelings towards his best friend? Shit, he thought, that was not good, she was a princess, and he was a peasant.