Favours Ch. 01

"Turn left," the GPS' nasally voice said, as Tatiana approached the corner. She turned slowly around the bend, peering around at the wilderness. All she had wanted was to go for a hike on her Saturday off, and instead she had gotten lost. She thought the drive was relatively easy, when she had looked at Google Maps the night before, with most of the drive along the freeway, before taking Exit 16, which she had done, and then a left at the second roundabout, which she had also done. But now, according to her GPS, she had managed to drive past the start of the hiking trail, and after an awkward U-turn was still hopelessly lost.

"Turn right in 500 metres," the GPS instructed. Tatiana slowed, but she couldn't see a right turn. She slowed right down to a crawl, as the GPS told her to turn right. There was no right turn, only trees that seemed to press closely in on themselves. She cursed under her breath and kept following the road.

"Perform a U-turn when possible," the GPS barked at her. It always seemed to her that the lady in the GPS sounded irritated when it told her to perform a U-turn, and she turned the volume on the GPS down. The road was too narrow and twisted to perform a U-turn safely, Tatiana decided. She kept driving ahead, turning around the left bend slowly. She was cautious of other drivers, but the road seemed to be deserted.

"Perform a U-turn when possible," the GPS repeated.

"Shut up," Tatiana muttered back. What a waste of money, she thought to herself. Brand new, and it had gotten her lost.

Still, the view was nice at least. The forest seemed to press tightly in on her, urging her forward along the road. All roads had to lead somewhere, she reasoned to herself, and when she got to that somewhere, she could turn around and try again. She turned another bend to the left, and then another to the right -- or was it to the left again?

"GPS signal lost," her GPS chirped up, the screen glitching.

She was truly lost. Fortunately, she had left early, so there was still plenty of daylight hours for her to find her way home. She just had to keep following this road, until she came out the other side of the forest or found a safe place to do a U-turn.

There were worse things than going for a scenic drive, with a playlist of her favourite songs to keep her company. If she was lucky, Tatiana reasoned to herself, she might still get time to go for that hike if she manages to find her way to the trail. Her stomach grumbled and she hoped she found the trail soon.

She turned another bend before skidding to a stop. The road abruptly ended, turning to a narrow, wooden bridge across a creek. On the other side of the bridge was a footpath, snaking up into the forest. Tatiana cursed to herself and turned her car off. She felt like a dark cloud was hanging over her and she resolved to improve it by eating the sandwich in her backpack and seeing if her phone's map could help.

She pulled her peanut butter and banana sandwich out of her backpack, and holding a triangle in one hand, turned her phone on with the other. She took a bite and let out a heavy sigh as the phone's screen lit up. She checked her signal -- Emergency Calls only. She clicked the screen off, and angrily tore into her sandwich. She cranked her window down, and let the warm summer breeze in. The sound of birds kept her company as she ate her sandwich in her car, taking a swig from her drink bottle. At least it was a beautiful forest. The babbling of the creek seemed to soothe most of the foul mood away. With food in her belly, and the peacefulness of the forest around her, she felt more at ease. She would reverse out and follow the road back. She just needed to do a three-point turn, and it would be fine. Tatiana looked around her surroundings. It would probably need to be more than three-points, but at least there was no one around to watch her bad driving. She turned the key in the ignition, and her car sputtered.

"No, no, no, no, no," Tatiana said, desperately trying to get her car to turn on. It briefly came to life, only to reveal the frantic blinking of the fuel light, and the fuel gage at empty. "You've got to be kidding me!"

She was certain she had filled it up that morning, in preparation for her drive. She got up out of her car angrily, how had she not noticed a leak in her fuel tank? Tatiana inspected underneath her car but found no evidence of a leak. No smell of petrol, nothing on the ground underneath her car. She kicked a tyre in frustration.

No signal, no car, a broken GPS, and no idea where she even was. She could walk back the way she came, but as she looked down the road a chill seemed to creep up her spine at the thought. The gravel road twisted and turned, and the trees loomed menacingly. She hadn't noticed how tall the trees were, or the way their branches seemed to bend out towards her like claws.

Ahead was the wooden bridge and the path. She could follow the winding path upwards, and hopefully find a signal. Tatiana bit her lip as she pondered her options. What were people supposed to do in this situation? Stay where they are so that it would be easier to find them? That probably only helps if people know you're lost, she reasoned to herself. But her parents were accustomed to her not texting for days, and she'd just broken up with her boyfriend so she doubted he would notice her going dark on social media. Maybe her colleagues would notice? But she didn't work for another three days, so that likely wasn't going to do much good for the immediate short term. Besides, Tatiana reasoned, this path had to lead somewhere, right?

A rustling noise in the trees behind her startled her, and she whipped around. Her blue eyes frantically searched the forest line, but she saw nothing lurking in the trees. It was probably just a bird, or a rabbit, or a fox. Hopefully nothing bigger.

She took a deep, steadying breath. She didn't want to stay here. She didn't want to walk back the way she came. If she followed the path, she was sure to end up somewhere safe. She knew that she would, as surely as she knew her own name. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she could feel something pulling her down that path.

She grabbed her backpack and keys, cranked up the window, and locked her car. Not that there was anything worth stealing in her car, but she'd rather be safe than sorry. She cast one last glance behind her at the road that had brought her here and shuddered at the sight of the trees stretching towards her with their horrible claws.

Determined, she stepped onto the wooden bridge. A calm feeling swept over her, assuring her that she made the right choice. She kept walking, her backpack snug. The forest offered leafy shade, as she crossed over the creek and made her way along the path. It ascended at first, and Tatiana took her time to admire the nature around her. If nothing else, she could at least enjoy her walk.

The path continued its upwards climb for a while, and Tatiana soon found herself running out of breath. Her legs burned, but just as she was beginning to think about turning back around the path straightened out. She paused to take a drink from her bottle and enjoy the scenery. It was shady, and forest flowers covered the ground around the path. The setting sun cast long shadows and an orange glow on the forest. Tatiana did a double take, surely the sun wasn't setting already? She checked her phone for reception -- still nothing and the battery was getting dangerously low. She turned around to return to her car, but she couldn't see the path. When had she strayed off the path? Tatiana frowned.

The sun was setting quickly now, how had it gotten so late so quickly? Panic began to set in, and she felt her chest grow tight with anxiety. She swallowed nervously and looked around. Trees surrounded her, and she could hear creatures skittering and scurrying. She could hear the babbling of water, if she found the creek again, she could follow it out of the forest. Tatiana did her best to follow the noise, stumbling over the gnarled roots of the trees. Her boots slipped over a rock, and she felt herself falling and tumbling down a small slope.

Twigs and rocks scraped her arms and bare legs, grazing and bruising her, and she cursed herself for choosing to wear shorts instead of something longer that might have protected her skin better. She pulled herself into a sitting position. It was getting harder and harder to see, and she pulled out her phone. It buzzed in her hand, signalling it turning off due to the critically low battery.

In frustration, she cursed loudly to the night air. Her voice carried through the forest, echoing back to her. She felt utterly alone, with no hope of finding her way home. Tatiana took a deep breath. She still had one peanut butter and banana sandwich, two granola bars, and a plum in her backpack, and her two-litre drink bottle was mostly full still. She'd sensibly packed a jumper, though it was light and not likely to keep her warm, and a basic first aid kit. Tatiana cursed herself. She felt stupid. Her first proper attempt at hiking, and it had all gone terribly wrong. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about the prospect of spending the night in the woods, alone and afraid.

The last of the sun's rays slipped behind the horizon, and only the moonlight lit the forest for her now. Its pale face shone down malevolently on her, mocking her. She flipped the man in the moon off. It didn't make her feel any better.

She looked around, wondering what she could do for shelter. Nothing seemed to offer itself up as an immediate solution. She thought back to her high school camping trips, with their attempts to teach the kids survival skills. She vaguely remembered makeshift shelters, made out of sticks and twigs and branches. She also remembered the camp having several conveniently shaped branches for them to use, and as she looked around, nothing seemed to stand out as useful. She stood up, wiped the tears from her eyes and pushed the anxiety down.

She slowly turned around in a circle, looking for anything that might be of use. It was then that she saw it. A small, orange camp light. Someone who might be able to help her! Tatiana felt hope bubble up inside her, and she began making her way towards it. The same sense of calmness washed over her, and she found herself making her way quickly towards the light.

She could see the flickering of the flames now, the smoke as it curled up towards the night sky. The moon didn't seem so taunting now, as its pale moonlight showed her safe passage through the forest. A figure was seated near the fire, his back to her. She was so excited to see another person who might be able to help her, that in her haste she tripped over a root or a branch just as she was about to enter the campsite. She tumbled face first into the light of the campfire, her ankle twisting underneath her.

She stretched her arms out to meet the ground, falling with a heavy thud. The wind was knocked out of her, her ankle hurt, and the fall only aggravated all her cuts and bruises.

"Are you okay?" said a concerned voice. It was definitely a man's voice, and there was a hint of alarm to it. She groaned and rolled onto her back.

"Sorry," she breathed, "I meant to announce myself first before I fell into your campsite."

"It's okay," said the voice, closer to her this time. There was a smoky quality to it, and she opened her eyes to get a proper look at the stranger. He had approached her and was crouched next to her. He had shaggy brown hair that flopped into his vivid green eyes. A layer of stubble covered his chin, not quite long enough to be a beard yet. He had a heart shaped face, and an elfish quality to his features. His shirt was unbuttoned revealing an athletic chest, and he wore a simple wooden beaded necklace. A long, slender hand was extended to her.

"Let me help you," he said, a kind smile on his face.

She took his hand gratefully, feeling an electric bolt run through her as his hand clasped around hers. She went to pull her hand away, but his hand firmly grasped hers and helped her up before she could protest. He helped steady her, as she stood on her left leg. Her right ankle was sore, and she gingerly tested it. She wasn't going to be able to walk on it for a few days at least.

"Here, take a seat," he said, gently guiding her to the log where he had been sitting.

"Thank you," she said, pushing the spark out of her mind. She was being foolish. That sort of nonsense only happened in silly romance novels, and she had only just met this man. She didn't even know his name yet.

"I'm Robin," he said, as if he could sense her thoughts.

"T-Tatiana," she sputtered. "I, um, I got lost."

He sat down next to her, offering her a bowl of food. She hadn't even seen him fill the bowl for her, but it was there, and it smelled so good. Her stomach growled, and she took it from him gratefully. She lifted a spoonful of the stew to her mouth, and almost melted from the first bite. Tatiana had never eaten anything that tasted so good ever before. She tried her best not to greedily inhale the entire bowl, but it wasn't long before she was done eating. The warmth of the stew spread throughout her body, and she felt some of the aches from her tumbles fade away.

"Do you want more?" he asked, a sly grin on his face.

"Yes, please," she said, but he was already handing her a full bowl. She didn't remember giving him her empty bowl, but she must have. She took the second bowl slower, watching her saviour carefully. He was handsome, his vivid green eyes stealing glances towards her often. Tatiana wondered what it would feel like to run her fingers through his hair. She immediately blushed as his green eyes jerked up towards her, as if she'd said it out loud.

"Let me have a look at your ankle," he said, setting down his own bowl. He re-positioned himself at the end of her leg and started untying her laces. She blushed as he gently pulled her foot out of her hiking boot and rolled her woollen sock down her foot. Her ankle was swollen and purple in colour. She let out a sharp intake of breath as his soft hands gently examined her leg. He massaged her ankle and foot, his hands gently pressing against the bruises. She whimpered at the pressure but didn't pull away from his touch. She felt safe in his hands. He wouldn't hurt her.

"You know," he began, his hands still gently massaging her ankle, "It used to be common knowledge to not eat food given to you by the fair folk."

"The fair folk?" she asked, her mind not quite following. She was too distracted by the sparks she felt flowing from his hands.

"Fairies and the like. If you eat food given to you by the fair folk, you're indebted to them."

"Oh. Well, fairies aren't real," she said.

"Aren't they?" he asked, looking up at her with a wicked grin. In the camp light, his features did look incredibly elfish, she had to admit. Were the tips of his ears pointed before? Surely, she would have noticed that. She looked down at her ankle in his hands to see the bruising had disappeared. And the pain had gone. When had the pain gone?

"I, um..." she trailed off, distracted by his hands massaging further up her leg. The scrapes and bruises seemed to fade under his touch, and she was having trouble focusing. She looked down at the half-empty bowl in her hands, suddenly no longer hungry. Warmth seemed to spread from his slender fingers, radiating up her leg.

"It's not always a bad thing to owe the Fair Folk a favour, depending on the fairy," Robin continued, gently setting her leg on the ground as he reached her thigh. She let out a small sigh of relief, until he picked her other ankle up and started gently unlacing her boot. Gently again, he pulled her sock off and started massaging her aching feet and ankle.

"It's not?" she asked, trying to focus on the conversation. A warmth had spread throughout her entire body now, making it hard for her to focus. She was lost, she needed to get back to her car, and back to her apartment. But his hands felt so good, rubbing her tired feet.

"Sometimes the favour can be mutually beneficial," he murmured, his green eyes staring intently into hers. She wanted to look away, but she felt hypnotized. He had the smallest spattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks.

She swallowed. "I don't think I know what you're on about." Her heart was pounding. His hands had reached above her knees. He was so close to her now, when had he gotten so close to her body? When had her breathing gotten so heavy? Tatiana swallowed. She'd only just broken up with her boyfriend, she couldn't possibly be thinking about another man already. But he was so close to her, and he smelled so good. How had she noticed how good he smelled before? He smelled like the forest around her, and how it smelt before it rained.

"You ate my food, Tatiana," he murmured, his hands slipping further up her thigh than he had before, brushing against the edge of her shorts. "You came to my campsite, and you took my help. I'd say that indebts yourself to me."

"You're not a fairy," she breathed, trying to focus on anything other than his hand rubbing up and down her thigh leisurely.

"Am I not?" he asked, giving her a toothy smile. "Want me to prove it?"

She nodded, her breath catching in her throat.

"Let me kiss you," he said. Tatiana simply nodded again.

He leaned forward suddenly, his mouth colliding with hers in a passionate kiss. She gasped in shock at the impact, and he used that as an in to slip his tongue into her mouth, tasting her. His hands steadied himself on her thigh, and she felt the warm sensation intensify, her whole body tingling. It was like standing outside in a thunderstorm, where the electricity in the air was almost palpable. She raised her hands to steady herself, clutching his biceps. They were strong, she could tell. She stopped herself from running her hands through his hair, stopped herself from bunching the brown curls in her fingers. Stopped herself from pulling him closer. His hands inched further up her thighs, creeping under her shorts. She felt her excitement and her desire growing.

He pulled back almost as abruptly as he'd kissed her, a smile on his face.

"Look around you," he said cheerfully.

Tatiana peered around and felt her jaw drop. Lush moss covered the log she sat on, and forest flowers that weren't there before sprouted from the ground, spreading out from where they sat.

"Still don't think fairies are real?" he asked.

"I -- I don't understand," she gasped. She was in awe, as he waited patiently for her to drink it all in. She looked at her hands still clutching his biceps, amazed to find no cuts, scrapes or bruises from her tumbles. Slowly, she turned her gaze to his, and a shiver ran down her spine. His green eyes had a mischievous glint, his grin taunting her.

"What does this mean?" she asked, her voice breathy with excitement and nerves.

"It means you owe me a favour," he murmured.

"What kind of favour?"

He only smiled his toothy smile, his mouth curling upwards. His hands were still on her thighs, his hands pushing her shorts up. She was certain he could hear her heart pounding. Did he expect her to have sex with her as a favour? Tatiana swallowed nervously. He was handsome, of that there was no doubt, even with his face curled in a mischievous grin, but she didn't think she could have sex with him as a weird thank you for his food.

Robin leaned forward, kissing her again, interrupting her train of thought. His soft lips met hers, biting on her bottom lip gently. She gasped, and he used the opening to slip his tongue inside her mouth. He kissed her more aggressively this time, he was possessive. And she was melting into it, letting him claim her. Tatiana couldn't resist this time, she ran her hands up his arms and through his hair. The electricity seemed to crackle in the air again, and he pulled her body closer to his. And again, as abruptly as he'd kissed her, he pulled away again, this time completely, his hands leaving her body.