Warrior's Heart

Unexpected Kindness

-Merun-

While I certainly didn't like being trapped in the tiny hut and guarded by a man armed with a spear and slew of daggers, at least I had water and no one had harmed me. In fact, that one man had untied me and bandaged my arm, much to my surprise. The others had seemed to listen to him, so he must have been of some importance.

I was still trying to work out where I was and where I needed to go, but I didn't recognize the land, people, or language. I was stuck, and I had no way to communicate.

It was some hours later, after dark, I presumed, when the music started. It began slow, voices ringing out. The sounds were so beautiful, yet so sad. They stayed low and mournful for at least an hour, never faltering. With surprise, I realized that even the man who guarded the door to the hut was singing.

Suddenly, everyone got quiet. A voice rang out over the crowd, seeming to be giving a speech. I thought it could be the man who had given me water, but I wasn't completely certain. Once he was done speaking, the music started up again, this time with lighter tones. Even so, I still sensed a somewhat somber atmosphere. I wondered why these people were sad.

The smell of cooked meat wafted into the tent, causing my stomach to growl. I hadn't had anything to eat since the previous day, and my body was angry with me for that. I heard someone talking to the guard outside, then the man who had bandaged me up before entered the hut, sitting in front of me again. This time he spoke slower, trying to get me to understand.

"Lae malle er Jamesarek," he pointed to himself. "Uk malle er?" He pointed to me. Then, slower, pointing to himself, "Jamesarek," then to me, "Uk?"

I blinked, understanding. He was introducing himself. I put a hand to my own chest, "Merun."

"Merun," he smiled faintly.

"Can I call you James?" I asked. He probably wouldn't understand, so I attempted to rephrase. "Jamesarek. James?"

He nodded, then got to his feet and offered me his hand. I hesitantly took it and he helped me to my feet. My stomach chose that moment to give a great, angry growl. James looked at my stomach, then at my face, his eyes hardening. He stomped outside of the hut, beginning to speak rapidly to the guard posted outside. He sounded unhappy, though I wasn't entirely sure why. When he came back in, he motioned for me to follow. I did, though I quickly grew uncomfortable. The guard stayed a step behind me, the stares of the entire village upon me. Men, women, and children all stood near the center of the camp. A large fire roared in a pit, meat cooked over it. Men and women danced around the fire, though their faces were solemn, some even crying. Music continued to play.

James led me to the pit, finding me some food and giving it to me. I took it, grateful for his kindness. He looked around, his eyes becoming sad like the other people. But he stood out from the rest, in a way. He had the same chocolate skin as most of them had, his hair long and woven with feathers. But he had more necklaces around his neck, his biceps decorated with designs painted with some sort of black paint.

As I was watching the people, I didn't realize that James had continued to move on. He stopped several paces ahead and looked back at me, "Merun."

"Oh, sorry!" I caught up to him.

He laughed softly at me, his eyes warm. He said something and I suspected he was teasing me.

I motioned to the people dancing, then drew lines down my face with my fingers, as though they were tears. "What's going on?"

He motioned to himself, the guard, then all the other people. Then, he drew lines down his face like tears, as I had, "Sekize ros dok ceas od dikiem." He did a hanging motion next, causing me to raise my eyebrows. I didn't fully understand, but I did understand that someone had died. "Bolae," he motioned for me to follow.

He led me up to another man around his age, whose hair was shorter and the ends dipped in red paint. He also had red paint on his face, giving him a warlike appearance.

"Jamesarek," James pointed to himself, then to me, then to the third person, "Merun, Arek."

"Arek," I said the new name cautiously, somewhat nervous around this third person.

Arek wasn't really all that intimidating, however, because he smiled broadly and clapped me on the shoulder. James and Arek spoke quickly to one another, so much so that I couldn't distinguish one word from the next.

"Bolae," James said again, motioning for me to follow. He led me back over to the fire, Arek following close by his side. There, he gave me more food and grabbed a woven blanket from a rack next to the fire. When he handed it to me, it was warm. He led me towards the outer edge of the village, going into a hut just at the bottom of the hill. I noticed in surprise that there was a larger hut a little away from the village, at the top of the hill.

The hut we went into now was much bigger than the hut I had been held in before. There was a shelf made of wood with various weapons, pottery, and a couple of waterskins, as well as a pallet of dried grasses, covered in blankets.

James took the warm blanket from me and spread it out on the ground at the foot of the bed. He motioned for me to sit, and I did. Arek grabbed another blanket from the pallet and draped it over my shoulders, smiling warmly at me.

"Resay," James said, motioning for me to stay. I didn't move as the two of them exited the hut, leaving the guard to watch over me. I began to eat, but I could still hear their voices conversing outside of the hut. I was glad for this, as I knew that at least they wouldn't harm me. The guard however, I watched warily as I ate the food they had provided. The meat was savory, a faint smoky flavor enhancing the taste.

After a while, James and Arek left. I finished eating and laid down in the blankets, falling asleep much more quickly than I expected.