^{South of the Virens Forest, Daytime}

Steps and the rustling of overgrown marsh-grass as Seier stepped through the sickly-green forest. He was more than one time in this forest but he always remembered how uncomfortable and dangerous each visit was. That is why he looked around with great caution, his crossbow in his hand, ready to make any attacker a third eye socket. 

He had heard of an corrupted Witch that is spreading her mischief here and immediately began to track her down. Of course, that was a work of weeks, nearly a month. Not to mention the effort to get to place to place. Fortunately, many magic-wielders get severely careless after time. Or any sort of people too.

Seier took another glance around. The common or lazy man wouldn't have seen anything strange on this tree, but Seier was neither of these. Small changes on the pattern of this tree were made by magic. The bark was brittle. So much, that he believed it could have collapsed by his mere touch. 

'Could be Natural Magick then.' He thought and walked on, letting his eyes glance around a bit. He was wary. More than usual. Commonly you had to be ready in this forest to be attacked by animals or anything else of this sort but he didn't encounter any of these. Maybe it was just luck or the protection of the gods, but in the first thing didn't he believe in and the second he rejected. He decided for the moment to shove the subject into coincidence and to let it rest.

His pace fastened as he shock his head.

There was something to be said about the Virens Forest.  The deciduous trees grew overhead, stretching out to meet the other tree’s branches. The leaves were dense and what little light escaped left a mosaic on the lush ground below. There was a soft breeze that drifted through the thick trunks. Its fingers twisted with her locks and tried to pull them along, causing curls to dance around her. There was a soft heat that filled the area but a wonderful thing about the trees blocking the light also meant that the water was trapped below as well. It left a soft cooling feeling with each soft burst of air.

The Goddess spent most of her time in the cities. She could not help but love the eyes of people watching her from every turn but it was nice to have a little peace and solitude this once. The animals did not wish to fight against her. She could not help but believe they could sense what power she held and just knew better than bother the one who dangled strength. Personally, she would have loved the challenge of fighting a wild beast. She would only use her two bare hands and just see who would be the ones to win—herself or the beast.

”So sad.” Rhea muttered. She held a voice that some praised to be that of an angel, but many did not get that the sweetest and most intoxicating voices were the worst. Her voice was nothing like her mothers, who had been trained in the dark arts, but it was enough for her to have a little fun when she wanted it. It was a gift that she could not help but possess.  If one only heard her voice, they would just muse that maybe she was gifted with looks and a soothing voice. There was nothing else about her that would make one stop and think she was anything special.

There was no lying that she had fair curves and a beautiful features but with the brunette’s hazel eyes and simple sun streaked hair, she appeared no different from any other human in this world. It was a comfort to know that with her appearance and her being away from book thriving citizens, she would most likely not be outed easily. She could be a mere lady out in the wilderness.

She donned simple pants and a tunic loosely covering her with the ties pulled from her neck. She would wear the pants to help ease her travel but she would not let ties make her feel as if the neckline of her shirt was trying to strangle her. She hated the feeling of something around her neck unless it was a lovely necklace. If it had been up to her, she would go one with nature and run bare along the overgrowth. She, however, felt it was a better idea to stride for the idea of ‘normal’ over her own personality.

She took long, casual strides as she traveled around the trees. There was no destination to her steps and she held no attention to the world around her. Her eyes were peeled to the sky above, barely missing tripping over roots with her careless steps. Her senses were perfect to help her from doing foolish things, but in most cases they only really helped her to walk into more of them. So, it was just like her when suddenly she was stopped in her place by the rough feeling of her body rammed full speed into someone. The commotion was enough to send the woman back and land unladylike onto the ground.

”You must be kidding me.” She groaned out in anger. Her hand came up to rub her forehead, which only helped to smear mud across it.

Seier’s bilious green eyes looked down at the woman, his expression changing quickly from surprise, to irritation to sheer anger. How did this woman get past his watchful eye? The wind whimpered through the trees for a moment, a shadow falling over the face of Seier, as he glanced at the woman on the ground with a stare that could kill with an equal amount of determination to do that.

‘Guess it is true what they say.’ He thought grimly as he snapped out of it, grinding his teeth ‘You can miss the forest by all the trees. ‘

He dusted his coat for a moment, scowling and quickly aimed his crossbow at her, without batting an eye, falling into a stance. He looked at her thoroughly; ready to shoot if she decided to move. “What is a woman, like you, doing in this cursed forest?” He asked her, his voice cold as his sunken in eyes that pierced through her “I hope nothing Forbidden?”

‘A woman would never be out in this forest without proper protection or reason.’ He though to his sentence and huffed out loudly. He waited for a moment and slowly moved forward, while the corners of his mouth slowly moved up in a fake smile. He had to be sure first.

“I am sorry, lady. I didn’t mean this little ‘outburst’. You understand . . . the tension of the forest.” He gestured with his hand at the trees around him with a toothy grin, his voice sounding irritated and raspy. He moved his hand forward and his crossbow up in one hand to keep the bolt in the flight groove, in an offer to help her up. “You got there a little something on your head.” He added rather captious.

He inspected her again for a moment, his eyes moving from her brown hair to her equally brown eyes. His own eyes fell in to a bored expression for a moment but he quickly readjusted it with a shake of his head, hoping that she didn’t see it. ‘Wouldn’t be surprised to see someone like her boasting around like the gossipers of the mere village’ He thought, disparaging. ‘. . . But I shouldn’t judge by looks alone. She has something unsettling about her.‘ 

He locked his eyes on hers again, cautious to hold up the not so genuine concern in his expression. “Again, I have to ask what someone like you has to search so far in this forest, nonetheless alone.” He went on, his hand still waiting in the air. “I’d guess you didn’t hear of the dangerous beasts or witch in this part of the forest?”

There were a few more grumbles that left the young woman’s lips as she looked around her. She was annoyed that now the bottom of her clothing had a nice layer of mud on them. This was the very reason she had made sure not to wear one of her dresses out in this area. She was positive her Aunt must have been playing tricks on her. It was her normal curse when the wilderness for the better of her. She could not help of having the image of the redheaded Goddess chackling in the background watching what had happened to her niece.

A male voice speaking out to her finally broke her concentration on her body as her head rose up to look at him. Her reaction was probably not something that one would expect when they found themselves face to face with an aimed crossbow, but she just stared at him curiously. Was that really how he greeted people? His voice held a chill to it and he commented that the forest was not only cursed but that he hoped she was not doing something forbidden. She had to swallow back a giggle at such strange words.

”I cannot recall ever hearing that this forest is cursed, full of man eating animals… yes… but not cursed.” She gave the man a small smile as her hazel eyes just watched the end of his arrow. She was not scared of his cold and direct attitude, which for someone out in the middle of a forest made a lot of sense. It only took a moment for him to shift his personality to something that was far more fitting to interacting with a woman.

Her hand reached out to softly take his and let him help her to her feet. She could have easily done it on her own, but she knew it was polite to accept the help of a gentleman even if he already threatened her. Truthfully, she liked him better when he was threatening her with his crossbow. She loved when people tried to stand against her. Brushing off her tunic, she tried to straighten her clothing to not flash him with more skin that was necessary. She did not want to give him more reasons to try and put an arrow in her.

”I grew up in these parts. A witch or those beasts do not care me. I have ways to protect myself, thank you, but it kind of you to worry for my safety.” She gave him a sweet smile as she tried to brush the mud from her forehead. She did not even seem to care that he commented about the mud she failed to notice. She could feel her eye wanting to twitch at the comment but it never stopped her sweet smile. ”Now that you have asked me. I shall ask you. What are you doing out this far into the forest all alone? I have heard it is quite dangerous for even the strongest of travelers.”

Rhea was probably only helping to make him dislike her more but she never did think about what she was saying until they had already left her lips. She was always careful not to speak things that would anger someone too much, but she knew there was no way for him to figure out who she was easily. He could have seen her before on a painting but she was barely ever captured in art wearing something different than a dress or bare.  There may be one or two of her dressed in attire that seemed more correct for that of someone attuned to strength, but most loved to portray her as the woman she was.