Flames

Chapter Nine

He stared down at the sleeping woman. Amber. The name was common, yet he liked it for her. It suited her. To him, the name belonged to someone with a fiery personality and who had passion beyond comparison. From the little they had talked, he knew it was right for her. Cedric longed for when she felt good enough to carry a longer conversation than the brief ones they shared.

Several days earlier, he had sent for a medic to come over as soon as he had arrived home from the war. They had looked it over and done what they could for her wound. It involved heavy cleaning, stitching, and bandaging. Amber had done well so far, sleeping for the most part. Cedric kept her in his bedroom, taking to the living room and sleeping at his dinner table. It wasn't the most comfortable thing, but he took comfort in knowing Amber would heal faster in his bed where she could get proper rest.

He looked over her. He had pulled her black hair into a braid to keep it out of her way as she recovered. Even as she healed, her skin remained the soft paleness it had been when he had first laid eyes upon her. He had been frightened several times, calling to the medics to come back, as he'd place his hand on her forehead and feel her skin burning up. Each time he thought it was a fever, but the medics proved him wrong after each panic. They concluded that she was always unusually warm, an odd trait for someone born in Phaepyr.

Cedric didn't know why he was so trapped by her. She was a stranger he had rescued from the battlefield. He was anxiously waiting for her wake up, going as far as skipping some of his work meetings with Roman. They didn't matter to him. He didn't want Amber to wake up in a home she didn't recognize and be alone. He wanted to be there when her eyes first opened.

To his relief, he was.

It was the middle of the night, nearly a week after the battle. Cedric was half-asleep by the fireplace, continuing to nod off despite fighting sleep. He had pulled his chair up, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. A thud had alerted him awake, followed by several heavy gasps. He stumbled awake with eyes still half-shut, hurrying down the little hallway and peeking his head into his bedroom. To his delight, he saw Amber upon the ground. It was a sight that sped up the process of waking up. She held her side, half of the blankets on the floor with her. Wide, panicked eyes scanned across the room. He could see the beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.

"Wh-Who are you?!"

Cedric carefully approached her, holding his hands out to prove he meant no harm. He knelt before the woman. "My name is Cedric Thomas. I was the one that rescued you from the battlefield. Do you remember?" He had been blunt and cold to her their first meeting. Part of him hoped she wouldn't remember it.

Grey eyes nervously looked him over. Amber crawled to the bed, leaning up against the side. "Where are we?"

"Home." He offered a smile. "I brought you back, safe and sound. There's no need to worry. The medics already came and took care of you. It was just a matter of time when you would wake. Once you recover, I can track down your family."

"Home?" Amber repeated, her eyes being drawn to the window on the opposite side of the room. Looking out, she could see pure darkness. Not even the light from the moon reflected inside the room. It was as though she was peering out a window in the middle of winter.

"What part of the city does your family live in? I can send a letter to them tomorrow. I know staying in a stranger's house isn't ideal. Perhaps you'd be more comfortable going with them than being here." While Cedric didn't want her to leave, oddly enough, he understood that he was still a stranger. He had known her for a full week, but her memory of him was somewhat distant.

"I... I..." Amber shook her head. "I remember the battlefield."

Beneath his gaze, Cedric could have sworn he watched her eyes tremble. He couldn't understand what she was so afraid of. He had shown her that he had meant her no harm. "Yes. I was the one that removed you from the battlefield. Death was moments away from grabbing you." He tried to make light of the situation, offering a smile.