The Wandering Witch VOL. 1 - The Prelude Arc (COMPLETED)

10| Dawn of The New Light

( 10 )
N O C T

The whole situation was so sudden, it was almost too funny. Noct had never expected nor intended for this to happen. Only a day ago, if someone had told him this was how he was going to end up after all that had happened, he would have dismissed that person with a huge guffaw for such an unlikely joke. A day ago, Noct never even had the thought cross through his mind that he would have to leave the kingdom of Uldard—the only place where he had been all his life—in such an abrupt way. A day ago, he never would have even guessed that his so called 'best' theft of a lifetime would lead to him accepting a deal and working under a girl who looked no less than a few years younger—and was a witch, of all things.

That's right. It all happened a day ago. The mere thought that Noct had only just met the little miss in such a short timespan made him unknowingly grin in amusement as he sat there on the wooden backside of the wagon they were riding on. Only the sound of the steady clip-clopping of the horses and the low murmur of the other people who were on board was heard.

It was still early morning. Not an hour had passed since Noct and the witch had traded their oaths. After they had a proper round of breakfast and discussed how they would leave the kingdom before getting caught, Noct had went and bought all the necessary things he thought they needed for their journey using the money the witch had given him: a change of shoddy clothes, two long cloaks, two bottles of water, a spare satchel, and a small package of bread and food. Other than that, Noct had no idea what else to bring. Since the witch hadn't particularly told him what to get other than the robes she had asked for in order to conceal their faces, he had to trust his gut with the other basic necessities.

    Still, Noct felt like there was still a lot he had missed. After all, the witch had not given him any additional information about what she meant by their oath. Noct, however, had understood the fact that he would have to accompany her in her travels, and that she would repay him in exchange. The witch had not chosen to elaborate further, however. Noct did not know where they were headed, how long it would take them to get there, or even why they were even traveling in the first place. Though it was not that he cared in the slightest. If it meant she would be the one to pay for everything, and also would repay him in return on top of that, Noct felt like he didn't need to go that far to involve himself deeper with a stranger he had just met. To him, she was nothing more but a mere benefactor. A patron, of sorts.

It was not that he had not accepted her deal without thinking it through. True, he had been unwilling at first simply because the girl was too naive and trusting and he felt like he didn't want to be involved with her any more than he already had. But once he thought it all over, he realized going with her was the better option. If he had stayed, it was inevitable that he would end up captured and sentenced to death again, with his face revealed by so many people. And since her offer was something a thief like him was unable to easily refuse, Noct had accepted. Another part of the reason, perhaps, was also because of what she had told him.

"I believe the dead also led me to you."

That was what she had said. Noct remembered the dread he immediately felt once he heard those words. If the dead was involved, then he felt like he didn't want to take any chances.

Funny how now the deceased almost seem very eager to threaten me into helping her, he thought.

A small and strained laugh escaped from Noct's mouth unintentionally. He then looked beside him with an expression of slight embarrassment, noticing, to his discomfort, that the witch was staring at him. The look of her face underneath the hood was confused and it was only in that moment that Noct realized that she must have been staring for a while now. He shook his head, offering an apologetic grin.