The Sorceress and the Woodsman

Ch. 2 The Woodsman

It had been a year since Bill had awoken Demetri from her sleep by chopping fire wood. She had pranked him plenty times since then, such as opening his hogs pen to let them run wild. It had taken him the whole day and half the night to return all of them home. But no matter how much he tried to make amends with her, every time they encountered each other, he couldn't help but be sarcastic towards her. She would grow furious and in turn prank him again, one time she snuck to his hut in the dead of night while he was asleep and yelled 'Fire! Fire! Your hut is aflame!' making him jump from his bed and run outside with a bucket of water, only to find that his hut was safe.

He found himself with Demetri quite often since the day of the chopping wood. Marla had asked him to keep an eye on her, and to not let her wander too far from her hut alone. Often when she was hunting, he would climb a tree and hop from one to the next quietly following her. He watched her gracefully take down stags or ensnare a boar. There were a few times she had caught him, and he had to make excuses such as him picking wild mushrooms, or he was heading to a friend's hut.

He did not mind watching over Demetri, because he was lonely. He lived alone, he had no wife, or children. His mother had died when he was a boy, and his father soon followed. But he was not bitter, he loved his life, and The Woods. So, when a few men approached him on Sunday during the market and asked him if he would like to join The Woodsman Watch, he agreed without question. Apparently, some suspicious people were wandering around The Woods, and fathers were getting anxious for their children and wives. Though Bill had none of these for himself, he had come to consider Marla a surrogate mother, and Demetri...well, he didn't know about Demetri. He couldn't see her as a daughter she was younger than him by eight years but not young enough. A sister perhaps, but then again, he seemed to like her too much for that. Though he did not show it well, he did like Demetri, and he hoped she secretly liked him.

It was Godsday, a day within ten where people prayed to their Gods, sacrificed something for them. It was also market day, and Marla had asked him to take Demetri into the market to trade their beans. Bill showed up early to their hut with his dog Otto and walked in without knocking. Marla was sitting in the kitchen peeling apples.

"She's in her room getting ready, and beware, she doesn't know I asked you to take her." Marla said with a sarcastic sinister air. Bill grinned and headed down the hall to Demetri's room with Otto in tow. Her bedroom door was open, so Otto ran in and jumped on her bed which Demetri was just in the process of making.

"No, Otto down, get off you dumb dog, I can't do anything with you on it." Otto had laid on his back, belly up, wanting a scratch. Demetri turned to see Bill leaning against her door frame grinning at his dog. "Do you make a habit out of allowing your dog to jump on other people's beds?" Demetri shot at him. He frowned.

"No, I just make a habit out of letting him jump on your bed." At this Demetri picked up a pillow and threw it at him as hard as she could muster. But Bill just caught it and tossed it on her bed. "Hurry up, the market won't last all day, by the time we get there and set up it'll be half over." Bill complained.

"What, you're coming with me?" Demetri asked flabbergasted.

"Yes, I am, someone's got to watch over you."

Demetri groaned, "Can't you just send the dog instead?" She asked turning around and opening a jewelry chest that sat on a wooden desk in the corner of the room. Bill couldn't see what she was pulling out, but when she turned around he saw a golden chain glint on her neck. He stood up straight and walked farther into the room.