STRANGER

The sky was dark when she heard something.

Among the sounds of the wind making the beige curtains in her room go aflutter ,and the rustling of leaves of the Maple tree in their garden,she could barely make out the sound of a whisper.

"....She's..."

Who's there?

Through her sleep laden mind,she forced herself to look and sure enough,there was a silhouette of a person. A man.

Quite feeble in stature, he seemed to be sitting on the ledge of her window.

Her mind whirring, she looked at the silver dagger in her bedside, then at the man's silhouette,mentally calculating the risk factor if she reached for it.

She wasn't a naive duck to not know that her residence was at one of the least safe part of the town which thieves considered to be quite lucrative. Like moths to a fly,they all came here to raise a ruckus.

The people who resided here were mainly commoners,so if one or two of them died not many would notice.

Then there's the fact that those of high status don't really care about the common people..

She felt the familiar feeling of burning hot fury slowly making it's way up her veins as she sat up,stealthily enough so that the person outside doesn't notice anything wrong.

Mister thief or whoever you are,you've chosen the wrong person to mess with,She thought as she picked up her dagger and stalked to the window without making so much as a squeak.

You wouldn't see many young women in thesedays who goes to sleep with a dagger in her bedside, but years of living along in places that are questionable made her prepare for the worst.

The least I can do is try to injure the person enough before he can kill me.

Licking her lips that are suddenly dry,she started to tip toe. Her heart was beating at a frantic pace, she could almost feel it vibrating against her ears.

She stopped once she came right in front of the window,now nothing but a thin curtain separating the man and her.

Either the man didn't notice her,or he just didn't care,it seemed. Was she so little intimidating that the man didn't even care? She didn't know how she felt about it, but she pulled the dagger out of it's sheath.

Here goes nothing,she thought,by the name of all that is holy, devil may perish!

She was going to put all her strength and jab into the stranger's shoulder blade, but before she could so much as graze her a pale hand shot out and grabbed onto her wrist tight enough to leave a bruise. The dagger dropped to the ground with a metallic thud.

She squinted from the sheer force of it and tried to yank her hand away but to no Avail. She grimaced, for looking so frail and sickly he has one mighty arm strength.

"You shouldn't overestimate yourself. Don't go charging until you know who your opponent is."

She didn't know what was to happen now that he had caught her, she should be scared, but she found herself thinking that his voice sounded nothing like that of a lowly troublemaker.

Instead,he sounded very clear, carefree manner. If she didn't know better she would have thought he seemed refined, even..

She tried looking at the man's face,but it was obstructed by the curtains. The only thing she could make out through the thin veil of curtains was that he had a very, very long raven black hair that shined in the moonlight....the texture of it,she somehow felt a sense of familiarity.

How weird is that?

"Says the one that's probably after the measly amount of money I have saved over the years."

She knew she shouldn't look a tiger in it 's eyes, everyone had warned her so. But weirdly enough, it just didn't register in her mind that she's in a possible mortal danger.

"I'm not after your money, or anything that you could possibly have."

He told her,in that same carefree manner as he did the first time, and it made her head spin. She didn't know why,but she wanted to believe him.

As if a thief would ever say he's a thief.

"Don't tell me you're here to hold my hands,then?"

Before she could stop herself,the words were out. She grimaced realising a moment too late that she possibly just made a grave mistake.

Grandma always told me that my mouth would someday get me into trouble.

She was too preoccupied deliberating the factors of her survival when there was a chuckle,and she shivered. There was something..something feral,and unbridled and familiar in this man's every word and attitude that seemed to tick her off somehow

"I think you have a misunderstanding,agápe. I'm not a measly bandit nor did I ever want your life,or possessions." He chuckled again as if the prospect of stealing her possessions were funny to him.

How preposterous!

"I come from the Land of the théos. I'm here for nothing but to appreciate the view before I must leave for my destination tomorrow at early dawn. I was travelling and got famished so I decided to catch my breath here, I present my apology for ruining your grace's sleep."

He nodded, as if that explains it all and released her hand.

"I'm sorry for holding a lady's hand like that too,I was alarmed and acted without thinking,please find it in yourself to forgive me,m'lady."

"It's...you're not lying. "

It wasn't a question, and by the quiet hum in his throat,he agreed with her statement.

"Where are you going?" Against her better judgement,she heard herself asking,as if she would've made a grave mistake if she didn't.

What a foolish notion, she thought to herself.

"I'm living for the capital of Chámenos. I cannot disclose any more than that,m'lady." He seemed to be smiling at her bewildered face before he looked at the time from what seemed like a pocket watch,and swore.

This man makes even swearing sound like old folktales,she caught herself thinking as she started fidgeting with her robe, suddenly feeling ashamed for accusing a perfectly mannered man for being a thief.

She was going to apologise too,but before she could so much as make a sound the man waved a hand at her in goodbye,apologized again in a hurried manner and jumped down the ledge before disappearing into the darkness of night.

I didn't even get to ask his name,She thought as her knees gave out and she slipped to the ground right beside her dagger.

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