Do You believe in fate?

Back to training

Back at the barracks, life was different than the year before.

Even Jones was still in training when we got back, so we did not see much of him. He was busy with his own training, which took place in another part of the area and he was still eating in the dining hall, opposite us.

The Colonel had kept his promise, and pushed our team so that we came on team with some of our former teammates. We quickly resumed our old routines of co-study, and eating in the canteen.

The year was pretty uneventful, we looked after our training and classes just like we looked after ourselves.

Max and I became even better friends, almost like brothers, at least he became that for me, I experienced that there was a part of Max that I didn't know, but it didn't matter to me, he was my brother!

As the time for the winter break approached, deliberations were divided between us. Max himself got the holiday so he could travel home and visit his family. I was only given two

days of leave, over the holidays. Otherwise I had to stay back and train the newest team at the lieutenant training, while their normal instructors were on leave.

I chose to go with some of my oldest friends who also had leave same time as me to the nearest town.

It was a popular port city, where both the navy and merchant ships docked.

It was planned that we should find a few navy men to knock a few teeth out of them. Not the part of our excursion I was looking forward to and I never got to take part in the antics either.

On my way through the streets of the city I saw her! An adorable girl, with her blonde hair tied up tightly in a knot under her little blue hat. Her suit was the same blue color and her shirt with a small frill was white. When she dropped one of her boxes, I quickly dashed across the street and picked it up for her before she could even stoop to pick it up. I held it and straightened up, looking down at her and seeing that her eyes were the same color as her blue suit.

They were blue, like the sky just before sunset. Dark and clear, yet it was as if I saw light for the first time.

I smiled at her and held out my other hand.

"May I not help them with their packages?" She looked at me skeptical at first, then she smiled an enchanting little smile. She nodded and handed me the rest of heer boxes.

I took a step back and looked up and down the street before looking back at her, smiling crookedly and shrugging one shoulder a little.

She nodded in the direction I had come from and I turned to start walking after her, but she put an arm under one of my arms and rested her hand on the inside of my elbow, smiled and nodded again. I calmly started walking in the direction she had shown me and she calmly followed.

She led me through the streets of the city and soon we were on a street where there were not many carriages and even fewer people walking.

I cleared my throat and felt myself blush as she looked up at me curiously.

"I forgot to introduce myself, my name is William Nate but everyone just calls me Billy!" I sighed quietly but she smiled calmly at me.

"My name is Elisa Woods, and I'm called Elisa!" She looked forward again and turned onto a side road which, to the best of my knowledge, led into a forest. I stopped hesitantly.

"It's not entirely appropriate for me ro follow them into the forest!" I frowned and looked around. Elisa tilted her head and looked up at me.

"I thought they were going to help me all the way home with the packages?" I nodded and looked back into the forest.

"They can be quite calm, it's only a small park... I live on the edge of it, on the other side." I dragged it out a bit, but then chose to walk her all the way home.

She had been right, it was a small park we came through, but on the other side the forest stretched and she lived a good distance inside the forest.

Her home was a lovely little cottage with a herb garden by the front door and tall trees behind. She let go of my arm and opened the door, went in and hung her hat on a hook right by the door.

"Mother!" She called and I breathed a sigh of relief, the thought of visiting such a young girl in her home without a lady of honor didn't appeal to me.

Elisa looked at me over her shoulder and smiled, took some of the packages and went into the rest of the house, I had to duck to avoid hitting my head on the overhead.

I was standing in a small entrance hall, with a door on both sides of the hall and a very steep staircase at the end. The staircase was so steep that it was almost a ladder with deep steps.

Even the entrance hall was quite dark, the only light coming from the door behind me, which I blocked. The door to my right was closed and the door to the left through which Elisa had disappeared was open and although there was light in the room, it was still dark in the entrance hall.

I slowly took two steps forward and stood facing the door on the left.

In front of me was a cozy little living room, with a large clock in one corner and nature paintings on the walls. Under the window facing the herb garden stood a long table, much too large for the small living room, but with chairs all around and various crafts in progress, it still seemed as if the table was where you stayed, so the space was well spent. On the opposite wall from the window were two rocking chairs with a small table between them and on the table was an oil lamp and there was also needlework and a book on it. After the furniture was another open door and I could hear voices from there. I had no doubt that Elisa had disappeared that way, but I was unsure if I should follow her.

I wasn't allowed to stand long before an elderly woman came into the living room and looked at me.

She was very small, not much more than five feet if that, her hair was black with streaks of gray so light it looked white. Her face was kind, many small fine wrinkles that testified to a life full of smiles and laughter. Her eyes, which looked black from a distance, were small and almond-shaped, squeezed into a smile around a long, straight nose that she wrinkled merrily as she tilted her head and smiled at me with her pink lips. She seemed so happy and friendly that I thought that even if Elisa had said something bad about me, she would welcome me with a smile and only smile wider as she kicked me out.

She dried her hands on the apron and extended a hand towards me:

"Welcome Billy, thanks for helping my daughter with her goods!" I bowed and went into the living room to take her hand. Her handshake was firm and warm,

"Thank you ma'am, it was my pleasure!" I replied clearly as I tried to avoid banging my head on either one of the ceiling beams or any of the dried herbs hanging from them.

She let go of my hand and looked up at the ceiling and nodded, muttering something to herself as she turned towards the door and beckoned me along.

I came out into a kitchen that seemed to run the entire length of the house's side towards the forest. Elisa was standing at a table even bigger than the one in the living room, unpacking her boxes among many other things on the table.

At first I think it seemed chaotic, but soon I noticed that each part of the table was built up in zones. Closest to me was a teapot, with cups, plates, sugar and biscuits, then there was a cutting board with small bowls, a mortar and various knives. There would probably have been a bare spot if Elisa's boxes weren't lying there on the table being unpacked. Then there were jam jars, some filled and closed, while others stood around a bare space, ready to put a pot. Down at the other end there was white linen, I thought they were working on finishing it there.

Even the room smelled of herbs, tea and freshly baked buns. Elisa's mother stood by the stove, waiting for the kettle to boil.

"Tea?" She asked with an expectant look over her shoulder and I nodded after a quick look at Elisa, who just smiled at me.

Soon I was sitting at the table with my hat on the table next to my teacup and accepted a bun and some rosehip jam.

Elisa's mother dipped her bun into the tea while she looked at me, I smiled kindly at her and glanced at Elisa who was still standing by her boxes and smiling lovingly at us.

"They followed my Elisa home?" I nodded and took a bite of my bun, suddenly feeling like I couldn't say a word.

"Do they intend to woo her?" I was about to swallow when she bluntly asked, my bun got stuck in my throat and I started coughing so I dropped the rest of the bun into my hot tea, which spilled and ran off the table onto my trousers. The tea was very hot and I jumped up, my chair overturned behind me and I hit my head on a ceiling beam, all the while struggling to catch my breath despite the lump in my throat.

The older woman calmly sat on her chair and dipped her bun into her tea again while her friendly face looked at me a little worried. Elisa calmly walked around the table and proceeded to tap me on the back.

"Sweet mother, you know not everyone appreciates your honest

straightforwardness!" When I had coughed up the lump and could breathe again, I took a few big mouthfuls of air and Elisa gave me a glass of water.

"Drink this before they answer my mother!" She said with a loving smile and a twinkle in her eye. I widened my eyes, grabbed the glass and drained it in one gulp. I looked at her mother and once again the words would not. I was going to sit down, but had forgotten that the chair had fallen over, so I ended up on the floor between the table and the chair. One of my pants legs apparently got caught on a chair leg on the way down and was ripped open. There I sat on the floor, with pants wet from tea and torn, and a sore throat and a bump on the way. I sighed deeply, looked up.

"Perhaps I should give up beforehand as I really ruined every hope of making a good impression," I looked down at myself and threw my hands out, "But I don't think I can! Their Elisa is undoubtedly the most adorable creature I've ever met, I don't know her but she's already made a big impression on me!" I tried to get up from the floor when Elisa's mother sighed and stood up, "Go into the living room and take off their pants, I'll find something for them to wear while we get that sorted!" Elisa came to my rescue again and helped me up, smiling lovingly at me.

I went into the living room, sat down in the nearest rocking chair and began to lace up my boots. Soon the door opened and Elisa came in with a pair of trousers. They looked worn, but were obviously clean. She put them on the arm of the rocking chair and left the room again.

When I had changed my pants, I went back into the kitchen with my own pants over my arm.

"It's very kind of them, but I can sew my own trousers. If only I can borrow these with me home, then I promise to send them back when they are washed." Elisa and her mother both looked at me offended. The latter quickly walked over and lifted my pants off my arm as she shook her head and walked out the door towards the woods. Elisa sighed and looked after her mother before looking at me seriously.

"She did it on purpose!"