C H A P T E R E L E V E N
Nola was wandering in the forest, trying to find her way back to the trees where they'd set up camp. She'd passed the same rock seven times, going around in circles. Venturing on a new route she saw someone in the distance, gripping her blade from her scabbard she approached them. "Chon yu bilaik?"
Westley turned around and she lowered the weapon, he breathed in relief. "I've been looking everywhere for a familiar face—I went to take a piss and got lost for twenty minutes."
She let go of her blade and dropped her arm. "The undine forests are a paradox, they like to play mind tricks on wanderers."
"Huh." he hummed. "Well that's one way to spend my name-day, lost in a damn forest with no direction on which way is north." He looked up at the day sky, not a cloud in sight. Nola turned away from him and he jogged beside her to follow. "You said that for hapotei you give gifts right?"
The queen nodded.
"How about we compromise," he proposed. "I give you something and you give me something?"
"What do you want?" she raised and eyebrow.
"Teach me to speak your language."
"Really?" she asked, not knowing he had any interest in her culture. She assumed he was only there because she was making him, she was starting to think he was doing it voluntarily. He was a ripa after all.
She reached inside her jacket and pulled out a book. Westley's eyes opened in astonishment and he politely took the relic from her Grace's grasp. "Is this real?" he asked as he flipped through the pages. "It smells great."
"I found it under some dirt while trying to find where we set up camp." Nola smiled, not recalling where she'd truly received the book. "Read this to me and I'll teach you Trigedasleng."
"Trigedasleng," he echoed. "deal, why do you want me to read it though—not that I'm not complaining?"
She looked up at him through the corner of her eyes, "Uh, I don't know how to read. It's very uncommon unless you're from Detrea or Motos."
He nodded. "And what are those?"
"Clans." she said with a hint of sarcasm.
"How many are there?" he asked as he flipped through the book over and over again.
"Twelve for the lesser gods and the Elysian Fields."
"That's where people go when they die right?" he asked for clarification.
"Until they pass over to the Other Side," Nola continued. "that is when their soul is finally at peace and can't reincarnate any more."
Westley nodded as he became more educated on what his reality was becoming, he was always one who had enjoyed history and mythology, it was a dream come true to be living in a world where gods and goddesses existed and where magic was real. "the Seven Devils. I saw it on the plex my mom gave me, she put over thirty books on there—I never got a chance to read it." he turned to the first page and cleared his throat. "The Seven are of the Elysian Fields, born from the Sun God and his Moon; each named after a burning light in the night sky. There's a reason shooting stars are no longer deemed 'stars' as soon as they kiss the earth. Once you fall, you crash and burn."
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