The long road - Dutch Van der Linde Fanfiction

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The next morning, Celia restlessy paces back and forth in front of her tent. Bib, her red cat, is loudly complaining. That cat always had something to say. Her sharp meowing pulls Celia from her thoughts and with a sudden change in posture Celia picks up the cat and puts her away from camp. She blends in well with the copper-colored ground, but despite that, Bib's loud screeching ensures she won't get lost.

"This place isn't good for us," Celia mutters to herself. She imagines for a short moment that a knight on a white horse will come and whisk her away to a lake full of fish. But the sound of heavy footsteps pulls her attention away. 

She turns to see Dan, the young boy who had joined the group only a few months ago, standing beside her. His eyes squint against the bright sun and looking up into the sky, he starts talking. "Ma'am?" His voice is cautious, but the question that follows is blunt. "We're out of food." Great, she already knew that. "However, I-," he continued,

"We don't have anything to eat?"

Dan nods quickly.

"Are we not currently in a land full of flying and walking animals, Dan? And berries? Herbs, maybe?"

Dan's cheeks flush pink as he starts nodding again, starting to stammer under her sharp gaze.

"Well, go on then," she says, gesturing toward the camp's edge. Without another word, Dan scurries off to fetch his horse. Her father had often complained about the boy's laziness -nearly every other week- but Celia wasn't convinced it was laziness at all. He just did not know what to do. In her opinion, some people just needed a push in the right direction.

Strangely enough, they weren't so different. Both had grown up in middle-class coastal towns, accustomed to the rhythmic sound of the sea. Both were educated. Yet while she had learned to leave luxury behind, Dan not so much. She'd noticed his barely hidden grimaces during meals - the quiet gagging as he forced down the tough game meat they often ate. Still, she supposes, everyone had their limits. 

She was grateful that they are traveling with such a small group of people. Most of the men were either too impatient or too old to hunt. Or both, which meant they relied on the likes of Dan and, most of the time, Celia herself. 

But tonight, she wasn't in the mood for whatever poorly butchered deer Dan might bring back. Tightening her resolve, she mounted her horse and rode out of camp, leaving the morning chaos behind her.

"Celia, wait a moment. CELIA!"

The screeching voice of madam Bram startles her horse, causing it to nearly throw Celia off. If Celia was being honest, that voice unsettled her too, a thread of fear creeping up her chest. Panting, the older woman hurried to catch up, clutching at her pearl necklace like they might hold her together.

"Will and Ed have left already too -you cannot just-"

"They left?" Celia interrupted, cutting her off sharply. "Where've they gone?"

Madam Bram straightens herself, taking a moment to regain her composure. "Oh, child, I don't know. That's not the point. The point is that it would be better if you stayed here. Surely you aren't planning to leave me alone with them, are you?" She gestures towards the rest of the camp.

Looking behind her Celia raises an unimpressed eyebrow. "What, two old men and a cat? That's what you are worried about?" Madam Bram spluttered, but before she could retort, Celia signaled her horse that it was time to move. "Don't be such a drama queen, please, ma'am," she said lightly, already turning away. She was pretty sure that she could hear the older woman say something along the lines of: "Children" and "Just like her father."

And with that she left.

Sorry madam Bram, not today.

The air was hot and dry as Celia scanned the horizon, searching for even the slightest hint of green or the glimmer of water. After a while, she came upon an abandoned camp tucked beneath a ridge. The fire was still burning, its embers glowing faintly red. Whoever had been here wasn't far off, but the thing that catches Celia's eye at first is the pelt hanging from a tree branch. It looks like it was part of a medium-sized animal – hardly a feast, but better than the lack of food they had back at camp. "

"Lord, how amazing," Celia whispered, more to herself than anyone else. Still, a small part of her secretly hoped the person who left the pelt might be able to hear her. Dismounting her horse she walked around the campfire. 

Bib, ever the faithful companion, let out a loud meow of agreement, curling against her leg.

"Bib?" Celia exclaims happily, picking the squirming animal up. "What are you doing here, oh I didn't even notice you on the horse, where did you come from baby?"

The cat didn't answer, and just kept purring in her arms.

Celia slid her bow from the back of her horse and climbed a small hill, her boots crunching softly against the dry grass. From the top, she scanned the landscape - and there they were. Seven cows grazing lazily in the valley below.

Lucky her.

Taking a steadying breath, she took an arrow, drawing the bowstring back as she took aim. The tension in her arms calmed her mind.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The voice, sudden and unexpected, made Celia yelp. Her fingers slipped, and the bow clattered to the hard ground with a soft thud. Instinct took over. In an instant, her knife was drawn, the blade pressed firmly against the stranger's neck, but with his empty hands raised in surrender he was a lot less intimidating. There was no fear in his eyes. Instead, he wore a playful smile, as if this was all some kind of game. His posture was casual, his amusement unshaken by the blade at his throat.

Celia narrowed her eyes, searching his face for any sign of threat, but his demeanor was unnerving. Was he... enjoying this? Weirdo.

Sorry if she comes over as kind of insufferable lol but I promise you that will change later.