His hand fell back under the water. It was a stiff, awkward motion. She couldn’t see his face clearly, but bubbles rose from his mouth.
Something was not right.
Still on her knees, she crawled into the water. Grabbing his arm, she yanked him back up into a sitting position.
His head resurfaced, a look of absolute terror on his face. He sat there for a moment, gasping for air, then scrambled out of the stream as fast as he could.
Aizel followed him—a little more slowly—to the mossy riverbank. “What’s wrong?” She reached out, touching his knee.
He shook his head, avoiding her eyes. “I... I can’t. I... water. I can’t do water. It terrifies me still. It...”
Suddenly, everything fell into place. Aizel tilted her head into her open palm. “Your nightmares? You’re afraid of water even while you are awake?”
Erich nodded, looking down. “Yes, the nightmares are always about water, too.”
“I’m sorry,” Aizel mouthed.
“It’s my fault,” Erich said. “I was teasing you first. Why don’t you enjoy that soap and I’ll go get us a fire going? We’ll both need to dry off soon.”
Aizel nodded. He seemed as though he wanted some space.
Sitting on the edge of the stream, she did her best to wash her face, hands, and feet. Her hair was already wet, but it was too tangled to resubmerge long enough in the chilly water for a proper washing.
She felt much better by the time Erich had lit a small fire.
Crawling to join him, she sat as close as she dared to the welcome heat. “Want to talk about it?” She raised her eyebrows at him.
Erich blew on the burning flames, coaxing them to grow larger. “Ever since that day at sea...” His eyes remained on the fire. “I would have drowned that day. I remember rope around my arm, dragging me down.” He paused, his body trembling for a brief moment. “I think someone swam down after me...”
Aizel nodded, encouraging him to continue. Had he recalled her being there?
He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment before continuing. “Now, water terrifies me. It attacks me in my dreams.” He smiled sheepishly. “I know that sounds ridiculous.”
She shook her head. “No, it doesn’t.”
He jumped up. “I almost forgot. I found something else in town today.” Opening his saddlebag, he took off his wet, gray jacket, and slipped back into his colorful purple doublet. He topped off his outfit with the feathered cap.
When he turned back toward her, his face was lighter. He had either forgotten about his scare in the water or chosen not to think about it.
He walked around to her side of the fire, shaking out a folded bundle of fabric. “This is all they had, but I thought you could use it.” He was holding a cream shirt and loose black pants. “You don’t have to take them if you don’t like them.”
Aizel tapped her chin, pretending to consider his offer. She desperately wanted to change out of her damp, cold, dirty dress. The woolen shirt and comfortable pants looked clean and fresh. She didn’t care that they were boy’s clothing.
“He didn’t have a dress or anything or I would have gotten that.” Erich’s voice was hesitant.
She looked past the outheld items into the nervous face of the young man holding them. He had been scrupulously kind to her since that night at the tavern. She hadn’t missed the confused glances he threw her way when he thought she wasn’t looking.
His black hair faded into the evening light, but she could still make out the soft waves that flowed over his ears. His brown eyes reflected the light of the fire. They were kind, filled with concern for her and fear he had done the wrong thing. His tall shoulders sloped downward, relaxed in his comfortable, preferred clothing.
Suddenly, she was no longer cold.
“Nevermind,” he said, looking away from her intense scrutiny of his face.
She shook her head. “Come closer.” She beckoned him down with her hand. She wanted him to feel less terrified, and she had a feeling that doing something humorous would help distract his mind.
“What do you need?” he asked, leaning down toward her.
“This.” She reached up to take the clothing from his hand, but with an extra stretch she reached higher and grabbed the hat from his head.
