Abruptly, a man walked into the clearing and stopped short, gaping at the two assassins. "A-are you two okay?" The older gentleman asked. His greying beard reflected the fading light causing it to twinkle when he moved. His lips twitched into the faintest of smiles as he watched the strange sight.
Nikandros' head snapped up, worried that there may be trouble. As he registered the man, he relaxed, "We're-" he searched for the right word. Not finding one, Nikandros left the sentence hanging.
Thea quickly picked up where he left off, "We have come across some misfortune." She started to explain. She smiled, but it was quickly replaced with a grimace, "W-we could really use some...help."
"I think I can help you." The old man paused. He walked a little closer to the assassins, so that he could see them clearly. "Would you like to stay at my house? I will gladly supply you will plenty of food and drink."
Thea looked over at Nikandros, "I think that would be very...kind of you, sir." She gasped when another wave of pain struck her and closed her eyes tightly.
The old man hobbled over, took one glance at Thea, still shutting her eyes tightly, and whistled.
At the whistle, Nikandros grew suspicious, "Who are you calling?" He demanded.
The old man cackled. "Don't get your pants in a bunch."
In a few minutes, a charcoal horse with a white star on its forehead trotted to the old man's side. "This is Charcoal. Now how about you get the lady on the horse, and we will head off to the cabin." Nikandros picked Thea up and gently brought her over to the horse, a little ashamed of his suspicions against the man. Gently, Nikandros placed her on the horse. Thea let out a quiet groan. Nikandros' face tightened with worry and concern for his wife.
The old man lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Is she alright?"
"Internal bleeding." He said shortly, trying to conceal the pain he felt.
The man's other eyebrow shot up as well, then both went down as quickly as the they had shot up. "Well then. The quicker we get to the house, the better." He picked up the horses reigns and started forward in the direction of the cabin.
Thea gripped the mane of the horse tightly, already feeling nauseous, "Nik...I think I'm gonna be sick."
"Stop the horse." Nikandros said quickly.
When the horse stopped, Nikandros gently got Thea off the horse, holding her bridal-style. "We'll walk." He said simply to the man.
The man raised an eyebrow again. "Alright. We should be there soon anyway."
Sweat dripped from Thea's forehead as she turned to bury her face in Nikandros' tunic. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly.
The small group continued walking through the forest for a short ways until the old man stopped the horse.
"Here we are." The old man pointed to a small, beaten down cottage. The roof had boards on the top that had been nailed down to keep rain out. "Let's go inside and get her comfortable. Ummm...are you two married? Or are you just siblings?"
"We got married about..." Nikandros thought, thinking through how much time had passed, "about two or three days ago." So little time had passed, Nikandros realized.
"Interesting. By the way, what is your name?" The old man asked as he led the way into the cottage.
Nikandros thought quickly, "My name is Matthew. Her name is Jamie." He spoke the words to the man, but he also told Thea. He wasn't sure how far they could trust this man.
Thea tightened her grip around Nikandros' neck, "It's...hurting...again." She whispered.
Tears formed in Nikandros' eyes and he rested his head against Thea's, "We'll get you inside on a bed where you can rest." Looking at the man, Nikandros asked, "Could you show us a room, or even just an extra bed?"
"I have an extra room, and I will get an armchair in there as well. Would you like something to eat?"
"Yes, please."
"I will get something right away then." The old man led them inside and went right away to get an armchair to put in Thea and Nikandros' room. After the armchair was in the room, he put a kettle over the remains of an earlier fire, and went outside to cut some more wood.
Gently, Nikandros laid Thea on the bed, "What can I do to make you comfortable?" He asked. A deep feeling of sadness had settled in his heart, realizing not for the first time, that Thea may not make it.
"I don't think there's anything you can do..." She whispered, forcing a smile.
Nikandros brushed a stray piece of hair away from Thea's face, looking deep into her eyes. So many words to say, but not sure how to say them. "I love you." He said simply, but from his heart.
Thea vaguely smiled, "And I love you."
Nikandros gave a small smile in return.
"Actually...there is something you could do..." Thea smirked, the pain momentarily vanishing.
Nikandros hesitated, "Um...what is it?"
"Maybe a kiss?" Thea started to cough, but quickly cleared her throat, stopping it.
Nikandros smiled, "That I can do." And planted a kiss on her lips. She sighed, contentedly.
The old man opened the door abruptly, and stopped immediately. "Forgive me, Matthew. I didn't mean to intrude."
Nikandros gave a quick smile to Thea, before turning to face the old man, "No, it's fine. By the way, what was your name?" Nikandros asked.
"My name? It's Rolfe." The old man said cheerfully. "I wanted to let you know that supper is ready. Does..." He paused, trying to remember the name Matthew said for the girl. "What is your name, miss?"
Nikandros leaned slightly towards Thea and whispered, "Jamie." Just loud enough for her to hear.
"It's...J-jamie." Thea spoke tiredly.
"Well then, Jamie," he put a little emphasis on her name, not fully believing them, "would you like me to bring you a bowl of stew, or would you like to come and eat at the table with us?"
"I..." Thea glanced at Nikandros, "Maybe I can try. I'm feeling a bit better." She said, hoping that Nikandros wouldn't stop her.
Nikandros hesitated, "Ah, well, maybe not...." He trailed off as he saw his wife's hopeful face, "Well," he started again, changing his answer, "Maybe for a little while." Thea smiled.
"Alright then. Come along and I'll serve up the soup." Rolfe said as he left the room, heading toward the cupboard to get the bowls for the soup. Once he had the bowls in his hands, he spooned the soup into the bowls, and set them on the table.
Thea swung her legs off the side of the bed slowly and reached out for Nikandros. He reached out to steady Thea with his arms. Together, they walked slowly out of the room towards the table.
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Ithildae, Evara, and Aris
Writers:
Rolfe: Aris
Thea: Ithildae
Nikandros: Evara