On The Road

"That was just a mistake! I totally would've stopped him if I wasn't in the middle of taking a piss." A loud-mouthed man shouted over the fire.

"Pell, my man, you shouldn't have been drinking so much on the job. A guard's duty is to protect the citizens." Cordain quipped, chuckling.

"Man, I shouldn't have told you guys about that. So damn embarrassing!" Pell's face went red.

Pell had been the guard who was assigned to ride in their carriage to guard them. Cordain, always one to look to make friends, had made sure to introduce himself to the ruggedly handsome Pell, drinking with him all the way.

The road to Azura was long and there were at least three more nights until they arrived. Cordain had noticed this guard was different from the others. Unlike those older guards, he wasn't almost robotically going about their duties. He seemed fun and outgoing, so he invited him to drink the first night. Illyana was happy to just be a part of it, enjoying the two banter and occasionally joining in.

"Fine, fine. I guess I have to tell you something in return. Before I started dating Illyana, there was this girl in my village who was a tease. I let my dick think instead of my brain and tried to get with her, but I ended up getting trapped by her boyfriend. They bullied the heck out of me for being so stupid thinking I could get with her. That went on for years until I got stronger. By then, it didn't matter. I had already left for the big city."

Pell looked surprised. "That's... Really sad. Sorry to hear that dude."

"Well, I guess you can't blame them. I was a scrawny kid back then and not as worldly as I am now. But hey, I'm thankful it happened because now I have the perfect girlfriend." Cordain looked lovingly over at Illyana who was blushing, the drink warming her face. She looked at him with those brilliant green eyes and smiled.

"Yeah, you sure got a good one here. She's cute and she seems to love you a lot from the short time I've known you both." Pell smiled. It seemed he was getting a little tipsy himself. He stared a little too long at Illyana. Cordain didn't miss the way she averted her eyes in embarrassment.

"That she does. Right, Illy?" Cordain asked, squeezing her hand.

"I really do." She gushed. "Cordain's my everything."

"That's great to hear." Pell beamed. "A toast to love!" He lifted his cup in the air. Cordain and Illyana joined in and they drank.

"And to new friends!" Illyana chimed in. She had a twinkle in her eye as she looked at Pell.

Cordain failed to notice it, being more than a little tipsy himself. To him, it just felt like they were all getting along as friends. But to Illyana, she felt a certain magnetism towards this young man.

Pell was just four years older than Cordain, but he felt like he had lived a lifetime of experience. He was outgoing like Cordain, but he had a certain ruggedness that contrasted his gentle nature. Whoever he ended up marrying would be a lucky gal, she thought.

As the night drew to a close, Pell retreated back into his living quarters leaving Cordain and Illyana in their own caravan.

"He's a pretty fun guy. I feel like we could be close friends." Cordain said as they slipped into bed.

"Yeah, I think so too. He's very handsome too." Illyana whispered, her heart racing at her admission.

"Handsome huh?" Cordain raised an eyebrow. He hadn't thought about it but now that he considered it, Pell was quite a handsome man. His dark hair, rugged face, and strong build made him look like a hero out of the stories. "You think so?"

"...Yeah. I don't know... He's a lot like you. But older." She bit her lip, not sure how he would react to her honest admission of attraction towards another man.

"Hmm... I can see that. I think I'm jealous." He teased, poking her side.

She giggled and squirmed away from him. "No, no, there's no reason to be. I only have eyes for you. It's just... He seems really nice."

"Mhm... That he is. Well, we should get some sleep. We have another long day of travel tomorrow." He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "Good night, love."

She snuggled into his embrace. "Good night."

As she closed her eyes, she couldn't help but think about the handsome guard. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help herself. It was more than just his looks too. His personality was exactly like what she envisioned Cordain would be like in a few years. He was maybe a little too similar to Cordain and she felt almost guilty at the attraction she felt towards him, so much so that she told herself he was off limits. She couldn't betray Cordain like that. And yet, the thought lingered as she drifted off to sleep.