Hunters

11 - An Unexpected Meeting

With the right herbs and plants, Diaval returned to their hiding spot. To his relief, the girl was still sleeping. In the shadows, he first covered his own wounds with the balm he had made, before putting healing leaves on them which he tied with flexible strings. Tired he sat down on the ground, waiting until the pain in his side would slumber. The last thing he wanted, was waking her up with an unexpected cry of pain when he tried to give her the sleeping potion. 

The sky already started to turn purple when he felt strong enough to go to her. The first birds were awake, performing their songs. Tiptoeing, he walked over to the sleeping girl. Her face was peaceful and for a while he just sat there on his knees, watching her fair skin and her full lips, which still showed a hint of a smile. Now he saw her from a different perspective, she looked different and the urge to protect her increased even more. 

Suddenly, she opened her eyes. Diaval gasped, hoping he was imagining things, but she kept staring at him. She needed a few moments to realize that she was awake and sat up. Disappointment filled his heart as she recoiled and the otherwise loving glance turned into one of suspicion. Diaval thought of the scars covering his face and neck and wondered if they scared her. 

"Who — who are you?" she stammered. Her hand glided across the grass, looking for a weapon. 

Quickly, Diaval took a few steps back while looking for words. He wasn't prepared for a confrontation. 

"My name is Diaval," he told her when her hand touched her sword. He kept a sharp eye on the weapon and continued: "Maleficent sent me with a potion." He raised the flask he had taken from her bag. "It will heal your injuries. They — they tend to infect quickly in these lands."

The grip on her sword weakened. He had been looking at her hand, too afraid to look her in the eye. What did she think of him? Would she give him the benefit of the doubt or did she believe that he was a monster? With averted eyes, he offered her the flask. Skittishly, he looked up as she took it from him. The moment he saw the hesitation in her eyes, he forced himself to keep eye contact. Doing the opposite would only create the impression that he had something to hide.

The moment their eyes locked, Diaval felt his stomach clench. He felt like she could hear his thoughts and saw right through him. Anxiously he waited — then, she moved the flask to her lips and took a sip. 

"W-what's happening?" she stammered. With narrowed eyes she sank down in the grass, careful as if she was afraid to fall. 

Diaval said nothing as he watched how the strength left her body until she laid back in the grass. Only when the steady pace of her breathing returned, he gathered the things he needed and sat beside her. Carefully he lifted the hem of her dress, sighing as his eye caught the deep cuts marking her skin. It was a miracle she had been able to sleep at all. He dipped his fingers in the balm and carefully caressed her skin. She was unaware of it and continued to sleep as if they'd never met.