Dedicated to @RoLanderW for being the first one to comment and vote ;) Thank you!

I had lived in the forest for as long as I had remembered. Not once had I left the safe shelter of the trees. I had never seen anything else but the forest, all I knew about the outside world was either from stories or from Aunt Kara.

I had never seen a castle or visited a village, I had no idea what they looked like. Even though, Aunt Kara did a great job with describing them to me, I couldn't quite imagine the tall towers, the golden carriages or the beautiful dresses.

Although, I was happy most of the time, there were still moments when I wondered how my life would have been if I had grown up in a normal village. Would I have been happy there? Would I have been a different person? All those questions would run through my mind. But I couldn't answer them. All I could do was ask myself 'what if...'.

"Adelaide, where are you going?" Aunt Kara asked me.

I was on my way out, the door handle already in my hand. "I am going for a walk, Aunt Kara," I told her truthfully. But it wasn't the whole truth.

When I had returned back home yesterday, I didn't mention to any of my Aunts my encounter with the stranger. I didn't want them to worry about me. I had a feeling that the stranger wouldn't hurt me.

But even though, I pretend as if nothing had happened, they still sensed that something wasn't right. I had been walking around the whole day, lost in my thoughts. I even forgot to ask if Taspy had arrived with a letter for me.

When my aunts asked me if something was bothering me, I simply denied it and pretended as if everything was alright. The next day I could hardly wait for the time to pass by as I was eager to talk to the stranger.

I thought that maybe he could tell me more about the outside world and how it felt like to live outside the forest.

"Alright, but don't stay out for too long, lunch will be ready soon," Aunt Kara reminded me. "And don't..."

"Don't go too far away from the house," I finished her sentence with a slight smile. I walked over to her and kissed her cheek. "I know, Aunt Kara. I promise that I will be back soon." I smiled at her one more time before walking out of the house.

As I was walking through the forest with Ray's shadow constantly following me, I suddenly grew nervous. Yesterday was the first time that I had actually talked to another human being that wasn't somehow related to me. I was too distracted to really think about what I was doing.

But now, that I was about to talk to him again, my confidence suddenly grew smaller and smaller with every step that I took.

When I finally reached the clearing he had mentioned yesterday, I let out a relieved sigh. He wasn't here yet, which meant that I had time to cool down my nerves and clear my head.

I sat down in the shade of a tree and started to talk to Ray, something that would always help me to relax.

"Do you remember the dream I told you about yesterday?" I asked him. He let out a caw before landing on the grass in front of me.

"I had a similar one last night," I told him while picking a few of the grass halms. "I was again in that large room. I am not even sure if it is a room, it looks more like a large hall. The man with the cold eyes was standing above me, he stretched out his hand as if he wanted to grab me."

I stopped for a moment to see if Philip was here yet. When I realized that Ray and I were the only ones at the clearing I continued with my narration. "He opened his mouth to speak again, but this time I didn't wake up like I usually did. Do you know what he said?" I asked Ray. The bird looked at me, his head slightly crooked.

"He said: 'You shall have a happy life, sweet little Briar Rose, but it won't last long.'," I stopped for a moment, the memories of my last dream running through my mind. "His voice sounded so hoarse and rasping."

"I hope you are not talking about me," a deep voice appeared behind me.

Startled, I stood up and turned around. When my eyes landed on the stranger from yesterday, I let out a breath I only now realized I was holding back. "You scared me," I told him honestly.

"My apology," he said with a slight smile. "I wasn't sure if you would come."

I shrugged my shoulders, not knowing what to answer and set back in the grass. After a moment he sat down next to me, his arms resting on his knees.

"Did you find your way back to the Kingdom of Gilion?" I asked him after a moment of silence.

"Yes, thank you for showing me the right way," he answered with a smile. "So, why did you come?"

"I don't know," I said while shrugging with my shoulders again. I watched as Ray lifted himself up into the air and then settled down again on a nearby tree. "Can you..," I hesitate for a moment before continuing. "Can you tell me about the world outside of the forest?"

He looked at me surprised, his eyebrows raised. "Sure, what do you want to know?"

"You said that you were one your way to the Kingdom of Gilion," I recalled our encounter from yesterday. "How is it? I mean, what does it look like?" I asked him.

"The Kingdom of Gilion," he thought about it for a moment before answering. "It is one of the largest kingdoms I have ever seen. The castle has three giant towers that you can see miles away. In fact, if there weren't all those trees you would probably be able to see them."

"To how many kingdoms have you been?" I asked him interested.

"About seven, I believe," he told me with a thoughtful gaze. "I travel a lot."

"Oh, so you are a merchant?" I asked him surprised.

He hesitated for a moment before answering. "Yes, why not, something like that."

"My father is one, too," I told him excitedly.

"Does your Father live with you in the forest?" he asked me curiously.

"No," I said my mood instantly clouded. "He is traveling from one kingdom to another. I haven't seen him in years."

"So you live here all by yourself?" he asked me, disbelief and confusion written all over his face. "

"No," I let out a light laugh at the thought of living all alone here. "No," I answered him with an amused expression. "I live with my three aunts. What about you?"

"Me? I...I live somewhere far away," he answered. I had a feeling that he was trying to hide something, but I didn't bother asking him about it. After all, he was a stranger to me.

Ray lifted himself up from the branch he was sitting on and flew down on the grass next to me. I stroke him a few times before he lifted himself up into the air once more.

"Why isn't it afraid of you?" Philip asked me astonished.

"Who? Ray?" I asked him, surprised by his question. He looked at me with furrowed brows, unsure who I was talking about. "It is a he and his name is Ray," I explained to him and pointed to the raven who was now sitting on a branch.

"You named a raven 'Ray'?" he asked me confused. "Like the sun ray?"

"Yes, when the sun is shining on his feathering, it can sometimes be really blending just like a sun ray," I told him with a smile.

He shook his head in amusement, a smile tugging at his lips. "So, how did you end up with a raven as a pet?"

"He is not my pet, he is my friend," I clarified. "I found him at a tree when I was twelve years old. He must have fallen out of the nest or something. I brought him back home and fed him until he could find his own food."

"When he was finally able to fly, I brought him to the tree where I found him and let him go. When I went for a walk the next day, I noted a shadow above my head following me and realized that he had been waiting for me outside my house."

"Ever since then not a day has passed that he wouldn't sit outside of my house, waiting for me to finally wake up," I finished with a smile.

Ray crowed a few times before lifting himself up into the air. I looked up and realized that the sun was already high up in the sky. "I better get home now, my aunts are waiting for me," I told Philip as I stood up.

He stood up as well and looked around. "I should get back to the kingdom as well."

"How long will you stay in the Kingdom of Gilion?"

"About a week," he told me, almost seeming sad that his time here would be so short.

"Will you come back tomorrow?" I asked him hopefully.

He looked at me surprised. "If you want me to, I can come back," he told me, a smile tugging at his lips.

"I would like that," I told him with a small smile. "I will see you tomorrow then?" I asked him to make sure that he would come.

"Yes." He nodded and looked at me.

"Alright, get back safe," I said before turning around and leaving.

The whole way back home I could stop thinking about my encounter with him, a smile tugging on my face.

Hey guys! Hope you liked the chapter! Let me know what you think by leaving a comment and don't forget to vote! Thank you!

~Tessa