𝔐𝔶 𝔉𝔞𝔦𝔯 𝔏𝔞𝔡𝔶 (ℜ𝔢𝔶𝔩𝔬 𝔉𝔞𝔫𝔣𝔦𝔠)

Chapter Seven: In the Meadows

Rey's POV

Everything about the morning scenery before us as we headed down a gravel path into the woods seemed so pleasant to me.

I couldn't help but take a deep breath, inhaling all the fresh air I could as if I were taking in a part of nature.

The smell of fresh pine and lavender filled my nose, making me feel warm and happy.

Once we reached the meadows we both dismounted our horses and tied them to a tree to have breakfast.

Ben had with him an apple to eat once we settled down.

I couldn't help but snicker.

"What seems to be so humorous Malady?"

"It's just I knew we'd possibly be hungry so I brought a few things. And it's a good thing I did because I know you couldn't possibly be filled with a single apple."

"Maybe so. But no need to make fun about it, I like the apples here."

He only looked at me as he ate his apple a bit embarrassed at my matter of laughing at him.

"Here." I laid everything out atop a linen cloth.

I put out my hand to him. He looked at what I held in my hand strangely.

I pulled back what I had tried to offer him a jar of honey and bread.

I assumed he didn't know so I explained why I was trying to hand him such things.

"I brought honey to spread across the bread, why do you look at it as though you've never seen such a thing."

"Because I have not. And for what is it for? The bread?"

"You have never, not even once, had honey with bread? You must have lived on another planet!"

"Well I was living in a different country not long ago. So I ought to think that should count."

"Well, yes. That is true...you have really been missing out. Here, try."

With a knife, I toke a spread of honey to a piece of bread I had just freshly cut.

I handed the piece of bread to him as he gave it a go.

As soon as he could taste the mixture of bread and honey together his eyes held a bit of surprise.

"This is...quite good."

He hesitated on his response which made me confused to if he truly meant it.

"What's the matter?" I looked into his eyes.

His eyes showed no disapproval but his voice gave away a slight tone of what his eyes did not show.

It was difficult to tell whether or not he was truly surprised of the taste in a positive way.

"Ah. It's nothing really."

"What? You've tasted better?"

"Possibly. Have you ever heard of a hazelnut spread? That's what is very common among my people."

"No, I'm afraid not. People who live here have never really thought of making nuts into a fine spread unlike honey that is already... spreadable? If I'm saying such things correctly."

"Yes. Well for one, the reason I have not heard of such things as honey is because where I come from there is no such thing as warm weather. This results in many things we can not have that you people here have that including honey and other types of food like apples."

"Must be quite difficult to live in such environments all your life."

"Difficult, yes. But living through the difficult and hard tasks in life grant you a gratitude for when it comes easier moments in life. Such as now. I don't have to endure a ten degrees weather from morning to dusk on a daily basis."

Ben and I talked and chatted for a bit more.

We talked about a many things, so much that we ran across time as if it were a mere few minutes.

I could here the distant chimes and rings of the bells.

We started to pack up and as we were about to leave I had dropped the basket in a hurry.

Nothing fell out thankfully, so I attempted to grab it.

Just when I was reaching for the handle a snake appeared suddenly and struck my hand.

I threw it off me, stepping on it straight afterward.

"Argh!"

I did not care to look any further at the snake and looked directly at my aching hand.

A small part of my hand, where I had been bitten, begun to swell in a absurdly black color.

I was frightening as the pain rapidly increased as well as for the color.

Ben hurried to my side to find what the commotion was about.

"What happened?" His voice was calm as well as sounding very worried.

"A snake..it came out of nowhere and struck my hand..." I could not get another word out from the unbearably pain I was feeling.

"We need to get you to a physician. They will know what to do." He tied up the basket to Sherbet, fastening it in haste as he mounted Prince.

I was now in Ben's arms as he rode the horses as quickly as he could.

I revisited the sight of my hand, my eyes widened in panic at the sight.

My veins were turning black all the way up my forearm.

I ripped a piece of cloth from my dress and tightened it just above where the black color stopped on my forearm so the process could slow.

I did not want to lose my arm over snake poison.

Ben hopped off his horse with me, telling a couple guards to take care of our horses.

My vision faltered and Ben's face became unclear to me.

I felt sluggish and unstable to stand.

"Cordelia...she'll know what to do..." I trailed off as my conscious started to slip away from my grasp.