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An hour or so later, Arnath found the foot of the mountain. He began climbing atop the rocks, jumping from one to another, making sure his sword was secure every jump. A ways up he noticed two women speaking to one another. The temperature had dropped being at a higher altitude.

"And when you leave her alone, Lady runs around to find anyone to pet her?" one lady said. She laughed and touched the mare beside her.

The other lady laughed. "Sometimes she goes to graze and if she sees someone new she may go and see if they are friendly."

Arnath approached the two females and bowed. "Greetings."

The first girl looked at Arnath and smiled. "Hello and good day to you. I am Ayla Lhiannan."

The second turned upon hearing her friend speak. "Good day to You."

"I am Arnath Delgata," Arnath stated. "It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintances."

"Excuse my impolite behaviour," the other said. "My name is Tara."

Ayla looked at Arnath and smiled. "It is nice to meet you Arnath Delgata."

Arnath smiled. "Not meaning to be impolite or rude myself but, what reason do you have to be here? I would hardly expect to see anyone around."

Tara shrugged her shoulders. "My reason? Well, boredom, loneliness... Staring at walls and talking to yourself is no joy if you have that all the time." She smiled.

"True, loneliness isn't always the best thing." Arnath said. "Associating yourself with people can be quite joyful on occasion."

Ayla looked at Arnath. "I used to know people who were camp here." She pointed to a long dead fire pit. "I used to spend a lot of time here." Arnath looked to where she had pointed then redirected his attention to her.

"Ah, I see." Arnath said.

Tara turned to Ayla. "It's always a pleasure for me to meet nice and friendly people."

Ayla looked at Arnath and smiled. "Its just Ayla, by the way," she said. "You do not have to call me lady, I get lady'ed to death at my Castle."

Tara thought to herself. "Lady'ed to death?"

"Well I've been traveling ever since my mother died," Arnath said. "Mountainous terrain is almost a part of me."

Tara tried to stay serious but she had been very amused. "Tell Your people they have to bath in mud all the time they call You Lady. They'll stop that VERY SOON!" She laughed.

Ayla looked at Tara and laughed. "Oh my, of I did that they would not like me very well."

"Why, they easily can avoid the mud bath," Tara giggled. "Or are they so polite that they prefer to walk around all black? Then You need a lotta mud..."

Ayla looked at Tara still laughing. "I guess I will just have to live with being called Lady." She looked at Tara, shaking her head and laughing. "They will all have a good laugh about this."

Also laughing, Tara thought to herself. "Poor LADY Ayla...if they go on Your nerves too much, could You borrow me some of them? I've got a lotta work at home I hate to do myself..."

Tara looked back to Arnath who had smiled seeing the two of them laugh. She tried to ban the laughter out of her face. She didn't want to hurt Arnath's feelings now that he had mentioned the death of his mother. "How long are You on Your way now?"

"I don't how long Ive been out here," Arnath said. "Years, maybe."

"Do You have no home, Arnath?" Tara asked. "No place where You can return and rest?"

"A man showed me to a cabin in the forest," Arnath said, "And told me it used to be his. He allowed me to stay there and I occasionally go back to visit the grave of my mother. But I love traveling and I've been personally searching for something." He looked down a bit. "I'd rather not go back so often enough that my memories become painful."

"I see," Tara said. "Have to found my own castle..." She lowered her voice and giggled. "And find a slave..."

Ayla looked at Arnath. "What are you looking for maybe we can help?"

Tara pitied poor Arnath though she didn't know how to ease his pain. "What are you searching for? Or is it very private?"

Arnath looked towards the fire pit. "Could we start up a fire and share our stories over a meal?"

Ayla looked at Arnath and nods. "Yes that would be nice." After a moment, she looked at Arnath and Tara. "My real family and people were all killed by slave dealers I was the only one to get away. I do not remember them, only how they died. A man who became my adopted father found me unconscious by the side of the road."

Tara became very serious. "Believe me, Ayla, I didn't mean "slave" in that way! I feel very sorry about Your fate!

Tara turned to Arnath. "Alright, lets sit down as long as You don't expect me to be the cook. You all would get stomach problems." She smiled in excuse for her missing talents.

Arnath turned to Ayla. "I envy you for having a father..." She stepped over to the pit and cast a fire spell in order to ignite the flame. "Oh, you are a mage?"

Ayla looked at Arnath. "I am in training to be a mage though being the host to a powerful Demoness does help."

"Interesting," Arnath said.

A small girl climbed from the rocks below. She walked over carrying a frog and waved with her free hand. "Hi, Tara," she said.

Ayla looked at the girl and smiled. "Hello I'm Ayla Lhiannan. Come and join us."

Arnath looked at the frog in the newcomers hand. "That would be a pleasant meal."

Tara didnt care for the others when she heard her friend Ghanima's voice. "GHANI! Dear Ghani, where have You been all the time? You built a nice terrarium for the froggy!" She went down on her knees so that Ghani didn't have to hug her legs like last time.

Arnath turning back to the fire took some meat out of his pocket, as well as a container of water, which he opened to pour on the meat in order to clean it.

Tara turned her head towards Arnath. "Don't You dare to touch this frog...take away a child's pet!"

"Are you a vegetarian then?" Arnath asked. Ghanima jumped back down the way she had came.

Tara got up and walked over to Arnath. "No, I'm not but this froggy was a present I made to Ghani. It's got a special meaning."

"Alright then," Arnath said. "Well just in case, I do have some wonderful herbs and non-meat-like products." He laughed a bit. "They are delicious actually...I think Ill make them anyhow."

"What a pity that she ran away," Tara sighed. "Children..."

Ayla looked at Arnath. "Have you not had a pet before, Arnath?" With a wave of her hand, the meat levitated above the base of the fire. As it rotated, Arnath reached into his pocket for the herbs. "Not personally, but I did know an interesting little Familiar once."

"Smells delicious..." Tara said. "Be careful or I eat it all alone." She put off her cape and folded it to sit down finally.

Arnath coated the herbs with a liquid from another container before they levitated into the fire as well. "That liquid makes them almost impossible to burn. Thats why they cook much like the meat." After a minute or two, he placed the meal in three proportions down on a clean cloth he laid out. "I don't have any plates or utensils."

Ayla looked at Arnath and smiled. "Smells wonderful"

"That doesn't matter," Tara said. "Thank You for cooking. If it's too difficult to eat with the fingers we could collect sticks and eat like people in Asia...ooh, now I realize how hungry I am!" Arnath smiled in return.

"What it is that Ive been searching for," Arnath started, "Is actually the man who gave me his house that day. Aside from that is my father, as well as the reason my mother had to die. Right now I should actually be finding my ally Sephfireka."

Tara began eating and enjoying her meal. "That's really delicious." She grinned. "You wanna be my personal cook serving me meals every day?" she said jokingly.

Ayla shook her head. "I have never heard of Sephfireka."

"Never heard this name." Tara also said. "But I'm here the first time, so how could I know."

Ayla looked at Tara and laughed, then at the both of them. "Someday the two of you will have to come to Castle Lhiannan. My cook Mary is great."

"Certainly," Arnath said.

"Thank You for inviting me," Tara said, "but allow me a question. Why do You need a cook if You just have to wave Your hand to get anything You want? Or is it You just can do that with certain things?"

Ayla looked at Tara. "I can do it with what ever I need."

"You may finish my share of the meal," Arnath said, before turning back to the ladies. "I must depart. It was nice meeting you both, I hope to see you again."

Climbing down the mountainous paths, Arnath thought to himself. "There was a lake in the forest, I remember seeing one. I might as well stop there for some more water before dawn."