strangers meet-Zaharias Leifsson

Ylva had been having a interesting day so far. Her father had been much nicer to her today. Something that made her wonder what he was up to. He was never nice unless he wanted her to do something or wanted something from her. She hoped it wasn’t anything too horrible or hard, but if she didn’t do it right or the way he wanted she was sure she would find out very quickly. All his sudden kindness would be gone and he would go back to treating her with contempt or displeasure. His kindness could also be because he had hurt her the night before. She had tripped over something and broke a cup she had been holding, spilling her drink all over the ground. So her father had punished her by grabbing her off the ground and screaming at her. His hold had been very strong and painful, but nothing really that new for Ylva. Anytime she made a simple mistake she was punished by him. Even if it wasn’t her fault or like she did it on purpose.

Sometimes she wondered if she should start breaking things or doing things on purpose. She was going to be punished no matter what. At least she would get the enjoyment of doing it herself and not because she was a useless blind girl. Her Thrall had told her that she had hand print bruises on both her arms by her wrist, and a black and blue mark on the bottom of her left cheek. Dark and would be hard to hide from what the Thrall said. So she had to tell anybody who asked that she was falling and her father was trying to help her, and she had still hit her face. Not that he was shaking her and screaming at her. People would surely stop believing these type of excuses some day. She hardly fell over around the village so why was it she got hurt all the time falling at home? People mostly likely Just didn’t care that her father hurt her, because she was again a useless blind girl.

Ylva had left her house early to get away from him and his fake kindness to go explore. She had made it down to the shoreline like she always did, and was slowly making her way back when she suddenly ran into something hard. Well hard and soft. Making her know it was a person she had ran into and not a building or something else like that. The sudden hit had made her fall and hit the ground. Dropping the lead that was attached to her dog as well. “I’m so sorry” she said as she tried to find the lead and then pick herself back up from the ground. “I’m blind and didn’t know you were there. Sorry I ran into you. Are you okay?” She said when she finally got herself back off the ground lead in hand. She wondered who she had hit, and if they were going to be kind or cruel. She hoped they would be kind, but most people were cruel. So she didn’t keep her hopes high. The fall had also thrown her off, so she hoped she wasn’t pointed in the wrong direction now. She also hoped the person wouldn't say anything about her bruises.

Ylva smiled when she heard the person speak, it was a man, and a man who she didn't know. She had never heard his voice around the village, so she wondered if it was the new man. A man who had just moved her that a lot of the women around the village were talking about. ”Don’t worry about it.” he had said first before she had felt his hands on her, making her flitch just slightly as he helped her to her feet. He sounded to be friendly, so that made her a little less nervous. ”I’m fine, did you hurt yourself?” he said next. Making Ylva smile more than she was before. He was a kind man, she could hear it in his voice. Before she could answer him she felt him place something against her hand, her dear dogs lead. ”Here is the lead of your dog.” he told her softly. Ylva grabbed it and wrapped it around her writs so she wouldn't drop it again. " I'm okay, thank you. I didn't hurt myself this time!" she told him before biting her lip slightly.

She felt him step back a bit, so that meant he was giving her some space and not trying to crowd her. This man interested her. So far he had been nothing but kind to her, and she had knocked into him so rudely. He was showing care for her, making sure if she was okay. This was not one of Halfdan's men, Ylva knew that for sure. Something that made all of her nerves about being near a new stranger go away. If he wasn't one of Halfdan's men, then he wasn't going to hurt her. Besides he had done nothing to make her think he would anyway. Quite the opposite actually, this new man made her feel at ease and safe. A feeling she would get from Sithric and Hakon when she would spend time with them. ”Can I walk you to your destiny?” he said as he spoke again, making Ylva lose her train of thought. He followed that up with ”I promise I won’t let you bump into people.” which made Ylva let out a light laugh. "You may, only if you really want to though! I live in the hut by the dressmaker, but I'm actually on my way to see if I can find Sithric or Hankon! So unless you want to go on an adventure you can drop me off at home, and I'll have my barings again. " she said as she held out her free hand to him.

Normally Ylva wasn't this trusting, but there was something about him that was different. Like the way he reminded her of her boat building friend Sithric, or her Blacksmith friend Hakon. Both are very nice people who are kind to her in the village. They are part of the small group of people that are nice and kind to Ylva. " Before we travel together, you have to tell me your name. For I have not heard your voice around before." she said to him as he took her hand. " My name is Ylva, Ylva Halvorsdóttir." she added as she smiled toward where she was almost certain his face was. He knew she was blind if she was wrong.

Ylva felt herself smiling a lot around this man. He was very kind to her and it made her happy to have another potential friend in him. She felt him take her hand and place it onto something else. His arm she found out as she felt him link his arm though her own. It made a small blush jump onto her face. She wondered if he knew that his little action alone made her feel even more at ease. He was close but not too close that he was touching her too much. Besides with him she wouldn't have to worry about tripping over anything on her way toward looking for her friend. She was hoping to find Sithric, for she had gone down to the area of the shoreline where he build his boats and he hadn't been there. She had a small gift of sorts for him, it was a tool of his, at least she was pretty sure it was his. That she had found in the water by where he builds. She couldn't see what it looked like, but it felt like some kind of carving knife. With her luck however, it was broken and that was why it had been in the water. She hoped that was not the case, or she would look rather silly when she gave it to him when she found him. However even if it was trash she was pretty sure Sirhric would just pretend that she had done him a favor and not tell her anyways.

She smiled as she heard her companion speak again. ”Nice to meet you, Ylva. My name is Zakarias.” he said first followed shortly by ”But call me Zak, please.” next, finished with ”So, where can we find this ‘adventure’?” Ylva smiled at him small blush slowly finding its way back to her face. "It's nice to meet you as well Zak." she said to him. Ylva had noted that he didn't say his last name to her, but she didn't question it. Maybe he was an Odinsson and didn't want her to judge him, not that she would. Ylva could care less about names. She cared more about a persons character then who their parents were. Seeing as her father was as close to a monster then anyone else she had met, and he had use to be a high ranking Viking. She was glad that he wanted to go with her on her adventure. At least she would get there a lot faster this way. "Okay lets go adventuring! Well I would like to find Sirhric, I had went to visit him where he normally works on his boats, but he wasn't there." Ylva said first before reaching into the small bag she caries and pulled out the tool."I found this,and although I have know idea what it is...I'm pretty sure its his...and I want to give it back to him." she said as she held it up in a place she hoped he could see for a moment before putting it back in her bag. She didn't want to drop it and lose it. Even more so if it was something that was important and not garbage.

Taking a deep breath she went on."So if he wasn't by the shoreline he will be in his hut, or in the forest training. At least those are the only other places I know he goes.I could be wrong and he is with a women for all I know" she said ending with a small laugh. She didn't know everything about her friend Sirhric, but she was sure he had female friends. He was kind and sweet to her all the time. So if he was always that way, she couldn't see why he would have women. "So we could try his hut first, he lives by the Blacksmith kind of but a little farther down the road. I'll be able to find it when we are by the blacksmith.." she said next. Turning her head toward Zak more. "Are you sure you want to go? I'll feel horrible if I let you lead me all over and we don't even find him..Not that I don't want you around..I like the company...I just know its not always fun to be stuck with me..." she said to him as they walked. She didn't want to annoy her new friend if they did all this and it was for nothing. He was very kind so far and Ylva liked to cling to those people and keep them close. Kind people could out weigh the back people greatly, and she tried to focus on the kind instead of the bad.

Ylva smiled brightly when she heard Zak say ”It’s a chisel, it’s used for carving into wood,” about the tool she had found. ”And be careful with it, it’s kind of sharp on the flat side.” he made sure to add. Making Ylva smile even more. At least the tool she had found was not broken and trash, it made her feel better about having it in her bag. At least she wouldn't embarrasses herself when she gave it to him."Oh, okay, I'll be careful! Thanks for telling me what it is! I had been worried it might have been broken and that I would be giving him back trash." she told him as she turned her head towards him and gave him a bright smile. Ylva could fee him slowly adjusting their pass as they walked, he was making sure he kept her safe and from running into things like he said he would.Ylva thought it was very nice of him. Maybe he could be another knew friend of hers, like Ivar was. A person she very much missed at the moment too. He was a good friend to her, even with his angry and sarcasm. Ylva often wondered if she could have stayed with him there, if they could have been more then friends ever with the few things that had happened,such as the accident? She wasn't sure, and tried to keep those thought out of her mind. She most likely wouldn't like the answer anyways. He was a prince, and yes she was on her way to becoming a healer, she was still not as high ranked as he was.She would be happy with his friendship and the idea of going back to visit him.

As they walked she told him about how they could go about finding Sithric, but that she could be wrong and that he couldn't be in any of those places at all. "Ah" Ylva heard him say with a small laugh that came out next. She found that she liked his laugh, it was nice and somewhat carefree in a way. It made Ylva wonder what he looked like. She could tell he was taller then herself, and that he was strong from the hand she had on his arm. However she wondered about everything else. She had people describe faces to her before, but that didn't mean she completely understood. She had never seen anything at all in her whole life, so when people tried to explain colors or objects it was hard. She understood better with feel and smell. From what she could tell, Zak smells like wood and the earth. She wasn't too close so it could be the air mixing in, but he smelled like wood and trees for sure. It was much different from how Sithric smelt of wood, but also the same at the same time. It made her wonder why they had a similar smell to the two of them, but yet so different at the same time. Maybe because they both worked with wood? She almost wanted to ask if Zak by chance knew Sithric, but decided that it would be best not to do so.  

When she spoke again, making sure he was really wanting to go and spend time with her, she was not excepting the way he answered. ”Don’t say that,” he said first, but his voice was soft as he corrected her. Different from if Ivar would be correcting her. ”I like the company of you just as much as you like mine. And to be honest, I think any other man would want to walk a girl as friendly and good looking as you.” was what he said next before gently squeezing her hand on his arm, and Ylva felt the blush come back into place once more around him. that was a very nice and sweet thing of him to say and it made Ylva feel a bit embarrassed. She had been told before once or twice that she was good looking, but never really in this kind of context before. She had always questioned if her father or the thralls were telling her the truth when they told her she was pretty, but with the way Zak said it just now she seemed to actually believe him. Why would a stranger she just met feel the need to lie to her if she wasn't at least a little pretty. Blush still in place she smiled at him "You are very kind, I am glad that I bumped into someone so nice!" Ylva told him sweetly. "I have no idea what you look like, but I am sure you are also good looking!" she told him next with a smile and small giggle.

She had honestly been a lot happier since coming home from being at the feast and being with Ivar. She had gotten to travel to a new land, and make a friend that she cared a lot about there. Sure her father had almost ruined that all for her, but Ivar and herself had been able to fix it. She had been able to beg him into being her friend, and he finally had agreed. A few other things had happened as well, things that made her blush and smile at the same time. Ylva was glad she had Met Zak after coming home. Before she had gone she had been much more shy, and a little more guarded. Now she wanted to be more friendly, to stop having her blindness hold her back."So you are new here right? I heard someone moved to the village, am I right in guessing it was you Zak?" she asked him. She wanted to make conversation while they walked, and she wanted to get to know her new potential friend too. They still had a little bit of a walk before they would get to Sithric's hut. She could tell from the ground under her feet and the way it shifted that it would be a few more minutes. "If it is, I am glad you moved here!" she added next as she waited for his reply.