Merevaika
68th Fall 515
Late evening
Merevaika awoke aching all over, every position uncomfortable, every movement painful. She moved to sit up, but her abdomen seized up, a sharp pain surging through it. A man pulled over a few rolled up blankets, propping her up on them before handing her a bowl of warm broth, a satisfying smell drifting from it. She sipped gently, letting it warm her, before turning her head to thank him.
Juniper. The events flashed before her eyes - hadn't he been swallowed by Semele? Where was she, were they both dead? She remembered the fighting, and everything going dark. Perhaps she had been killed, and this was where the dead went. But if she was dead, why did she hurt so much? Why was she so cold?
"You might want to set your nose." His words seemed so random, but she remembered the crunch and the pain, which had worn off by now. "I'd do it, but I've never done it to someone else before." Merevaika nodded, snorting out the blood that had dried up inside, before reaching up to grasp it firmly and pulling straight down, moving it to the right position.
It hurt hard, and she felt light and dizzy, struggling to breath, and for a few moments, passed out. She quickly woke again, this time with more panic. The events had become even clearer. They had been attacked. They had tried to assassinate Juniper. She had shot one, and her horse killed the other. And the third man fought her.
"We... we were idiots! Someone should have stayed up, even without men there are too many dangers! Fools! I'm a fool."
Juniper grimaced, hiding something from her. His wrinkled face wrinkled even more, and he looked down at his hands. "I had a feeling this was going to happen," he said softly, and Merevaika stared at him with disgust. If he knew, why hadn't he told her to try and prevent it. He could have been killed! "I stayed awake most the night, and if you hadn't intervened, I would have just played out the fall in the crack routine and you would have been fine. It would have been better. But it's like I'm asking why you would attack men who approach our camp in the middle of the night with bad deeds planned. Perhaps I should have told you."
"You knew?" She felt hurt, betrayed and disgusted by this man, even thought she didn't even know him. He had let her get hurt, and she had been a fool to trust him. Forgetting her injury, she tried to storm out, but her stomach tensed, and the blankets simply fell away from her, revealing bandages wrapped around her waist behind the rips in her shirt.
"I did the best I could with the stab. The rest of the cuts are small and didn't need treating, but this was bad. I need to fetch a doctor though, and couldn't leave you while you were asleep. Will you be able to cope for a bell or two as I fetch someone to treat it properly?"
Merevaika nodded, settling back into her position sprawled across the blanket rolls. "My bow..." she murmured, reaching out for it. The man handed it over, as well as her quiver and knife. He must have collected them after what had happened. She held onto the tightly, her lifelines. It was silent when he left, until Mika bobbed in, bored of wandering around alone.
He licked her fingers softly, and she smiled, glad someone was with her. With her weapons on her lap, her dog by her fingers and Leth peering in through the cracks of the tent, she would be safe. The broth was still warm as she sipped it slowly, enjoying the taste.
