Dryads and Nymphs

Chapter 13-The Second Meeting

She dreamt that she was riding a horse. She was terrified at first but then she became used to the way the horse used to gallop and lost her fear. She knew the horse wouldn't throw her off. She felt as if she had to hurry but to where? She looked around her and saw a forest on either side of her. It was a different forest, she could tell. In front of her, she saw a light: not sun light but fire light. She sped up knowing that she was about to arrive, at wherever she had been going.

She woke up to the sound of galloping. She opened her eyes and saw a horse: a brown one, not like the white one she had been riding. The horse stood near the lake and began drinking from it the moment she sat up. It looked familiar.

She looked around and saw a figure coming towards her. It's Salem! She thought, in dismay, He's found me and come to take me back! But as the figure moved from under the shade of the tree, into the bright moonlight she saw that it wasn't Salem.

It was Aron. Her eyes widened. He stood there looking at her, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"You're here," she said, in disbelief, as soon as she found her voice.

He nodded, "You don't look happy to see me, Aria."

She shook her head, "It's just that I'm surprised you came back. I thought you'd forgotten about this place."

"I would never forget this place even if I tried," he said, truthfully. Then he added as an afterthought, "After all I don't get stuck near lakes only to have pretty dryads fall all over me, literally."

He grinned his boyish grin, and Ariana blushed, and muttered, "It was an accident."

"Why did you come here?" she asked after sometime.

"Well for one I couldn't forget this place. And I had a few more weeks to stay here before going back to the castle so I thought, why not make a new friend?"

"Consider it done," Ariana said and smiled to hide her nervousness.

"So," he said, smiling, "I promised you riding lessons, if I recall correctly."

Ariana sighed. She didn't want anything to do with a horse right now.

"Actually, why don't we talk instead," she said and sat down on the branch again.

He sat down beside her, an arm's length away from her. She noticed this and chided herself mentally for being upset at such a small thing. He was here after all, when she thought that she would never see him again.

"What exactly do you want to talk about?" his question broke into her thoughts, bringing her back to reality.

"Well, what are you good at?" she said, trying to think up a good topic for discussion that would avoid horses too.

He grinned and looked over at her, "Aside from being excellent at weaponry, you mean?"

He's too arrogant, Ariana thought, rolling her eyes at him.

"Obviously," she said in a mocking tone.

"Well I can sing really well, I think," he said.

"So can I," she said, before she could stop herself.

Some of his nervousness vanished and he grinned brightly at her.

"I also love to draw," he said, and raised his eyebrows as if challenging her.

"So can I," she repeated, coolly, the stopped short. Could dryads even draw? Maybe they did, on animal skins.

Aron was thinking along the same lines.