"What is your town like, Llani?"  The young woman walked beside him along the main road, all the while, she found her gaze frequently on his shallow cheeks, and angular jaw.  His frame looked strong, but because he was drained of almost all his fats, his body looked far too slender.  She blushed a bit when he caught her gaze turned towards him.  "Llani?"

"Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought.  My town?  Well, I guess it's like most towns around.  Because the kingdom was so oppressive, our food production was severely controlled.  They would often send people to the capital to be used as the nobility saw fit.  Extra mouths was the common things I heard ever since I was little.  That's why I was sacrificed.  An extra mouth to feed."  He frowned.

"In my own world, unless you had enough young people to replace the older generations, your workforce would slowly be eroded away. There would be no one left to take care of the elderly, and no one trained in the trades."  She nodded.

"Much of our nobility do not learn those lessons. They just point their fingers, and send people away.  I was sent to the kingdom last year."  She turned away.  "I am glad you survived.  I don't know what would have happened to me in the future, but I know what they've already done."  He laid his hand on her shoulder, and unconsciously, she flinched.  He lifted his hand as soon as she did.

"I already understand what they did."  He didn't say anything else, as he wasn't quite that kind of personality. He wasn't built to comfort people.  He was angry, a fresh seething rage quietly building within him, igniting a side that he could not quench when he was sick.

Heaven help any person who wished to do harm to this young woman.

"This isn't a town. Its a picture of hell."  He quietly whispered to himself. People looked quite haggard from lack of food, which meant they could never build enough strength to fight against the kingdom. Then someone came into view that set his teeth on edge.  "Who is that?"  She stepped a bit closer to him, which told another story.

"The governor."  Leon growled slightly.

"He doesn't look hungry in any way."  She nodded, with full understanding of what he meant.  The governor looked like one of those slimy anime villains, complete with an empty smile.  "I don't like this town, Llani.  Go to your parents house and let them know you're still alive.  I'm going to stay out of sight."  She nodded and walked quietly, but quickly to avoid attracting attention.

Leon looked around and caught sight of a place to stay out of sight.  When he sat down, he noticed someone near to where he sat down.  It was a little girl, dirty, and obviously starving.  Her cheeks looked hollow, and her eyes nearly lifeless.

"Are you still alive?"  She nodded.  He took a piece of dried meat, tore off a small piece and held it out to her.  She looked at the meat, then at him.  With weak fingers, she gingerly took the meat and put it in her mouth.  "Chew it slowly. It will soften up as you chew it."  She looked up in alarm, which caused him to turn his head.  He growled under his breath.

"I wouldn't give that girl any food. Its just a waste."  The governor spoke, which made Leon feel dirty as though his words carried the filth of his mind.  "Instead, you should sell it to me."  Leon stood up effortlessly, and made the official step backwards.  Leon's height was impressive, as were the muscle he didn't know he had.   Then Llani slipped in close to his side.  "And what are you doing here?"  The governor screamed, looking quite upset.

"I came with Leon."  Llani held onto Leon's arm, and stood behind him like she was his shadow.

"You were supposed to be sacrificed!  Just like that girl will be next week!"  Leon growled a bit louder.

"My house is empty."  She said under her breath.  "It's been empty for a long time."  Leon's mind was not bogged down with pleasantries.  He was born on Earth, in a time where neighbors stole from each other, stabbed each other in the back, or called the police for the smallest of infractions.  It was a place that could be considered a hell to those born hundreds of years earlier.  He knew what happened to her parents.

"So she has no parents then."  The governor's smile was sickening.

"Of course! They were inconvenient.  Just like hers!"  Leon didn't growl again.  He reached out, grabbed the governor by the throat and lifted him effortlessly.  "You can't do this!"  He gasped, fear oozing from every pore as Leon lifted him with only one hand.  The governor tried to play the only weapon in his arsenal. "The kingdom..."  Llani smiled, and though she was sad about her parents, she felt immense satisfaction in knowing what would soon happen. She knew what would happen as Leon didn't take any action without following it up.

"Leon destroyed the kingdom last month.  Not one member of the royal family is alive."  The governor's eyes bulged in horror.

"That's impossible!  They were invincible!"  Leon laughed.

"Until they met me."  That was all the crowd needed to hear.  "Your time is up."  Leon said with a snarl, and threw the governor at the feet of the crowd that surged forward. Rage etched their features.

"What if he's wrong?"  The governor shouted.  "What if they're lying?"  The crowd paid him no heed.  They were already starving, so whether it was a slow death, or one that was quick at the hands of the kingdom, they no longer cared.

"Llani, pick up that girl and take her to the gate. I don't want her to see this kind of thing."  Llani nodded, but turned back as she heard the governor scream. A crowd of enraged starving men and women pulled him apart, arms and legs ripped as though attached with only thread.

One thing that Leon remembered from the history books he loved to read was that a sea of people was more dangerous than a platoon of armed soldiers.  It was apparent that this world had not learned that lesson.

"Do you take skins and meat as trade? I don't have coin."  The blacksmith frowned slightly.  His shop was sparse, as the rest of the town looked to have no gold to buy goods, or even feed themselves properly.

"Depending on how fresh the meat is, and the condition of the skin."  Leon put a sample of the meat on the skin he dropped on the counter.  The blacksmith smelled it.  "This smells quite fresh."  He unrolled the skin and chewed on the meat.  "Deer?  How did you....well, it's a nice hide."

"That deer was difficult to skin. The knife was razor sharp, and barely cut it."  The blacksmith nodded.

"Of course. Those ironback deer are extremely difficult to hunt because the arrows bounce off their hides, and swords don't slash their skins.  Something to do with the iron they chew on when they grow up.  I'd like to know how you were able to hunt it, but it's obvious that you were.  We don't have much coin so trade is better."  Leon looked around the room.

"How about the ax, pickax, hoe, mattock, and the drill with a bit?"  The blacksmith looked around.

"Put a large portion of meat, and I will throw in some rope too."  Leon pulled a large shank from his pack.  The shop owner knew that rope was essential for anyone starting over, or just traveling along the empty roads from the villages and towns of this impoverished country.

"Its been dried so it wouldn't go bad quickly, but it was only cooked yesterday." The smith gathered up the tools quickly, and sighed heavily when he picked up the meat.

"If you have any other meat, would you mind trading with the store? People are starving, and we need to get some food into the system quickly, or people will start dying. With the governor dead, we'll be able to keep our food for ourselves. They'll start foraging, but the meat will help."  Leon nodded.

"I understand. I'll check their stock. We need a few things anyway."

"Why did you trade the skin and meat to them?"  Llani asked him as she walked slightly behind.  He had adjusted his long stride to let her keep up, but for some reason, it was more difficult today than yesterday.

"We needed the tools, pots, and dishes.  I can also get more rather quickly, so it isn't a problem for us."  Llani blushed a bit and smiled.  He didn't understand why as he had no knowledge of the opposite sex other than what he learned from movies, and the computer.  Leon knew that information had no impact here, so he just ignored it.

As for personal interactions, he had practically none except for female couriers, and his doctor.  Llani was real, and here because she wanted to be, not because he wanted something delivered.  This was new territory for him.

"Um, Leon?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you grow taller these last couple of days?"  He turned towards her, and looked down.

"I was going to ask if you were shorter, but that can't be it."  He looked down at himself.  "To tell the truth, I don't really know."  He looked off the road.  "Do you know of any places out there that is about a day's journey from your town, no closer to any other village, or settlement, but close to a lake? A clearing would help quite a bit."  Llani frowned slightly, and thought for a moment.

"Um, when I was a kid, I used to explore the forest, and get my parents so mad at me. There was an old merchant's path that led to a clearing.  There is a lake, but it's about half a day from there, but there is a creek to get water at."  He smiled a bit.

"That sounds perfect. The lake was for fish, but the clearing will make it easier to build a shelter."  She looked up at him.

"A shelter?  Why not the town?"  Leon turned away.

"Because there is nothing for you there, Llani. They destroyed your sense of security."  He looked down at the sleeping child in her arms and smiled softly.  "There is no way I would want her to remember what they did to her parents, and see it every day."  Llani  hugged the girl a bit.

"You want us with you?"  Leon looked confused.

"I thought that was obvious, Llani."  She grinned.

"I wasn't sure, but it sounds nice to hear.  Thank you."  To someone like Leon, that smile didn't carry any message, even if it was filled with gratitude, and a budding affection. He had no masks.  He suppressed his emotions to appear unaffected, but he couldn't wear other emotions to hide what he felt.  He also didn't want that skill.  Any person who dealt with him would understand how he felt if it became necessary to educate them.

A solitary life removed all filters.

"Is this what you meant?"  She said as they entered the clearing late in the evening.  He looked around, and inhaled the air.  He had a smile on his lips.  The clearing had been created mostly due to the rocky soil, and the grazing of large herbivores.  Years before the kingdom grew strong, the merchants would camp here, and also plant a few vegetables that they could harvest the next time they came through.  Wild vegetables and herbs grew everywhere in this area, and throughout the edges of the forest.

"It's perfect.  Once you're set up, I'll get some wood for the fire."  He looked down at the child who was still quite weak.  "See if you can make a stew.  I'll gather some water, so just prepare the meat, and a bit of salt.  It will help her gain some weight."  Llani nodded while she hugged the child to her chest.  "You're protective of her."  She took a few seconds to answer.

"She's like me."  It was a simple statement, but undeniably true.  Both their parents were murdered, and one sacrificed to the former kingdom, while one was intended to be a sacrifice in the future.

"She is.  Right now, she's safe."  He looked around quickly, and made a few decisions about what he would do in the near and far future.  "There's food nearby.  I think some berries, sweet potato, and...sniff sniff.....yes, some salt.  Let's get you set up so I can start with food and water necessities."

Llani wasn't sure what he meant when he said that those kinds of food was nearby, but she trusted him.  Leon hadn't lied to her yet.  As soon as they camped near a large tree for a windbreak, Leon took two pails he purchased along with a pot  He returned only a few minutes later, pails full of water, and the pot had a few handfuls of berries, a few pulled root tubers she didn't recognize, and a large amount of salt in the bottom of the pot.  She picked up the root.

"What is this?"

"Sweet potato.  I only picked what we needed.  Take the knife, cut off the roots sticking out of it, the stem, and poke the skin with a few holes deep into the center.  When the fire is hot, just put the potato in the coals. It will cook and taste better that way.  I'll go get some wood now."  No sooner had he spoken, he hefted the ax in his large hand, walked away, and came back with some deadfall he just cut up.

"So fast!"  She said in surprise.

"It was already fallen over, so all I did was cut off some branches, and a few short logs for the fire tonight.  Do you know how to start the fire?"  She nodded.  "I'll leave that to you tonight then.  I'll be right back."  He took the ax with him this time as well.

Llani happily smiled, gathered some dry tree lichen and pieces of thin bark from the birch in the area.  Using an old method, she cut a small notch in a dry branch, and pierced it through without splitting it.  Then she peeled and sharpened another dry stick, and started to rotate the  stick using her hands.  With pressure and speed, the friction turned the tip to a cinder, and she used that to ignite the tinder.  She used other dried twigs to nurse that into a small flame, and kept adding dried twigs, and eventually some sticks.

"That was fast."  Leon said as he returned.  She smiled and looked up.

"Eek!"  She fell back when she saw what was over his shoulder.  "How....."

"It was prowling around, so I killed it while I went for some more wood.  It must have been hungry as it ran at me instead of trying a different angle."  She nodded.

"The silverback wolf is dangerous because they charge anyone, and everything they see.  Humpback bears, ironback deers, and well armed soldiers.  They don't care.  They will eat anything."  Leon thought for a moment.

"Yeah, it was stupid, that's for sure.  The wolves on my world were more dangerous. They would hunt, surround you, come at you from different angles, even try to trick you.  This one just ran up to me and jumped.  Perfectly still target for my ax."  She watched him take the knife and begin to gut it.  She sighed, took a second pot, put some water in it, and took the kidneys, liver and heart he cut out of it.

"The kidneys and heart will make good stew meat, while the liver would be better fried in the pan.  Its flavor is much stronger than the others, and will overpower anything in the stew.  I wonder if we'll be able to forage enough vegetables to last us through the winter."  Leon smiled and sniffed the air again.

"The forest will provide, Llani.  We'll survive."  She smiled and nodded.

The meat, the vegetables he collected, and the dishes were a glut of riches that many in her country didn't possess.  Leon had provided her more food to eat then anyone had her entire life.  Two large meals a day while they traveled, and small snacks when she was hungry.  She didn't know how he was able to tell where everything was, but whenever he inhaled the scents of the area, he found what he wanted.

Llani had never gone hungry since she met him, and that was more than enough to make her young heart start to love this powerful and scary man.

She looked at the small child beside her, gave her some berries to eat, and smiled.  Her sacrifice to the kingdom finally had meaning.