Chapter Text
“The stars shine, on the hour of our meeting.” That was the ancient elvish greeting that Will said to Meneldor. Winter had just started when Will left home and by the time he reached Beast Woods it was borderline freezing in the mornings. He felt a little awkward while setting up the fire. Menel was a blunt and straightforward kind of guy and you could tell he was an experienced hunter. After deskinning the boar he had the meat cleaned and ready to be cooked. The fire created a bubble of warmth around Menel and Will and the mouthwatering smell of meat soon followed. Will studied the archer, Meneldor, no point in denying it, was the definition of beauty. This is the first person he's met since leaving home and he couldn’t help but stare a little. His appearance was unlike anything Will saw in his previous life. He wondered if the humans here would also look so ethereal.
“This is really yummy,” Will said, deciding to break the silence.
“Mmm, yeaa,” Menel said, closing his eyes to savor the taste. It's been awhile since he's eaten like this, the monsters making food scarce.
There was silence once again but Will wasn't too bothered by it. It was nice just sitting next to someone and enjoying the same food together. When Will left the ruins that were his home it felt surreal, like the last 48 hour were a dream - a sad dream. Blood and Mary were gone. The tightness in his chest burned every time he thought about them, how their time together had been too short. The first 15 years of his new life had been so much better than his last one. Blood, and Gus and Mary…Will missed them each and every night.
Menel finished his food before Will and quickly started packing up. Will was a little sad that their meeting was ending so fast but reminded himself that Menel was a stranger and had no reason to stay.
“Ahh…Menel!” Will blurted out. “Could you give me directions?”
“Huh?” Menel turned back to face Will moving his bag onto his shoulder. “You want directions?”
“W-well…I mean, it's hard to explain..” Will stuttered. “I'm not sure how to put it…”
Menel frowned. Come to think of it, he had never seen anyone who looked like Will in either of the villages. “So how did you get here if you don't know where you are?”
“ I came from the south.”
“The south? Bro, there's nothing further south than this.”
Will blinked and opened his mouth but Menel continued on.
“Maybe 200 years ago, sure, but this is as far south as mankind goes currently. Beast Woods in the South Mark the outskirts of human civilization.” Menel paused. “Oh!” He pointed at Will. “You are one of those adventurers who scrounge around the ruins looking for treasure.”
“Well…” Will hesitated. “ Yeah something like that.” Something told Will that even though this guy was a half elf, he wouldn't believe Will if he explained that he was raised in the ruins of an old church by a zombie, skeleton and a ghost.
“So you got lost while leaving the ruins?”
“Yeah…” Will rubbed the back of his head.
Menel blinked in surprise. “I’ve never met an adventurer who got lost in the south considering all you gotta do is head north….” He smirked at Will. “ What an airhead. Well, the way out of Beast Woods is easy, just follow the river down out of the woods. I’m sure even you can’t get lost doing that. There's a town 3 days out right next to the river.”
Will smiled, “Thank you!” And he grabbed his pack and stood up. Menel didn’t acknowledge the thank you, walking away. “Hey!” Will called out. “If it's on the way can we stop by the settlement you're staying at?” There was a sudden change in Menels stance, his shoulders straightened and he stopped walking. The next words he spoke were quiet but sharp.
“No. I don't want anything to do with you.”
Will immediately felt guilty and stupid. Just because the guy was nice to him doesn't make them friends. Will was still a stranger in armor with weapons. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
Menel just continued walking away and little blue lights appeared all around him. Will gasped quietly to himself. Fairies! This was the first time he had seen any, only heard about them from Gus. The soft glow they gave off only made Menel more ethereal looking as he disappeared into the woods.