Tuesday, August 17, 2004

part 5
Part 5
Sitting next to the fire, Leto told Yarrine everything that had happened to him since he had found her at the foot of the cliff, including the embarrassing slip and fall he had while fighting the goblins. That part made her smile and giggle just slightly. As he told her the little details of how he fashioned the travois and moved her to this cave he was feeling a nervousness he had never felt before. She listened quietly, and her eyes never left his. By the dim light of the fire he could see that her eyes were the color of bluebells, large and almond shaped. She was obviously feeling better. The color was returning to her cheeks, and her lips began to grow darker. He could not take his eyes off of her. He thought her face was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. After he finished telling her about the long sleepless night he had watching her and checking her breathing regularly, she seemed to blush, and smile.
“I don’t think, in fact I know you won’t be able to walk for at least a week, maybe two,” he said. “I could try to take you to Canicton, but we would have to go back to Licombe to get back to the Ridgeline road, or go past Landenshire to the Heerspiad River and follow it to the north, either way it is a long journey. Do you think your uncle is looking for you?”
“I really don’t know,” she answered. “Nothing like this has ever happened to us. I can’t remember any time where something like this happened to him at all. He always told me stories about his trips abroad, and there were times when he had to fight bandits, or monsters, and sometimes people we knew died, but he never told me anything about anyone ever getting lost, or separated. With the snow falling, and it being dark he may even think I died falling over the cliff. He always said the caravans were dangerous, but nothing to be afraid of. I can only guess that he would keep going toward Canicton, but I can’t ask you to take me all the way there on a litter. If you could take me as far as Landenshire I will be all right there. I can send a message to Canicton and my uncle should be able to meet me there on the return trip. He can pay for any lodging I need, and I will ask him to reward you for your kindness, and good will.”
Leto was thrilled that she asked for his help in taking her to Landenshire, but he had to refuse any reward. This would be difficult, because he knew how Eshians could be about debts, and services. His experiences at the monastery trading with Eshian merchants had taught him to be very careful about insulting an Eshians sense of fairness. He lowered his head and for the first time while talking with her found it difficult to choose the right words. “I mean no disrespect, Yarrine, but the vows I live by will not allow me to accept a reward. I will, that is I can try, maybe to negotiate, yes that would be best, negotiate a fair fee for my services to you, even though I am on my way to Landenshire myself. I will have to go westward and south to find Middlepin Creek. There is a trail there I can follow to Landenshire. It will be easier on both of us to go that way than try to continue across country along the base of the mountain.”
“You are a priest, I guess.” Yarrine’s expression was difficult to read, and Leto tried not to imagine she was uncomfortable with the idea of him being a holy man, but it seemed only fair to tell her the truth now.
“I am not a priest, I have no position within the order where I come from. It probably would seem strange to you, but I choose to live by the vows of a monk even though I was forbidden from taking those vows.” He had told her, and he realized that he had never spoken to anyone outside of the monastery about this. He wanted to share everything with her, wanted to tell her the whole long explanation, but his heart raced with fear that she would not understand, and judge him a fool.
It was not unusual for a sister or brother from the monastery to fall in love, and leave the order. Former adherents were always welcomed back for festivals and special occasions. The order looked kindly on the union of loving couples, and blessed many marriages. He was not unaccustomed to feeling attracted to a woman, but this woman was different, more different than he could put into words. And why, he wondered. He was no fool, and yet he felt compelled to be at her side. Wanted to help her in every way he could. Wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, and wished there was some way he could know if she wanted anything from him that she was not telling him. She could have been a ruthless murderer for all he really knew about her, but right now he did not care. And that thought more than any other troubled him the most.
“Is there something wrong?” She asked, and he realized he had stopped talking and in his thinking he had been staring at her. “I don’t know why I am telling you this,” she began to say and lowered her head, and he noticed she had begun to finger the thick braid of hair she pulled from behind her head, “but I think you are very sweet to take care of me this way. I haven’t met any one like you, like a monk or anything like that. I am probably lucky to be alive after that fall, but even luckier that it was someone like you who found me. I will never forget what you have done, are doing, for me.” She suddenly stopped and tried to lean toward him with her arms outstretched. He could see she would not be able to get to him with out pain, and so he quickly shifted from a sitting position to his knees, and this allowed her to hug him around his waist. He was sure she would feel his heart pounding in his chest. Her small head pressed against him and her arms pulled at him tightly. “Thank you, Leto,” she whispered and held him for a few moments.
When she moved back away from him he immediately regretted not holding her with his own arms, but thought better of himself for not being to forward. “You are feeling better?” He asked as he repositioned himself so he was sitting comfortably.
“Yes. A lot better, I think I can travel if you want to leave soon. I am hungry though. You didn’t find my backpack did you? I had fresh cheese curds, and muffins in it,” she said.
“No,” he answered. “But we can go back to where I found you when we set out.”
“I guess it could be anywhere up the mountain side. We don’t need to waste time looking for it,” she said.
Outside of the cave the skies were heavily overcast. Leto excused himself and suggested Yarrine rest as much as she could. He told her how traveling on the travois would be stressful for her because he would have to tie her down again. He went to the opening of the cave and wondered if the weather would change soon. It was pointless to considered traveling when the threat of more rain or snow hung over the valley. He had enough food and water for both of them for at least two days, but if they were stranded in the cave any longer than that he would have to forage for edible plants and fresh water. He decided that he would be well off collecting some of the snow from the ground and saving it in the pan he carried in his pack, as a small supply of water for now. When he finished packing the pan with snow, he set it on a pile of rocks near the fire. He saw that Yarrine had already drifted into a sound sleep. He decided it would be a good time to collect more wood.
For the remainder of the day the weather did not improve. Yarrine woke every few hours and only complained slightly of the pain in her ankle. While she slept Leto applied a thin salve to the stitches on her cheek, and when the clouds finally cleared the sun was setting on the horizon. Leto helped Yarrine sit upright while she drank a cup of water from the melted snow, and they both shared slices of dried fish, and half of an apple from Leto’s pack. He told her that if the morning skies were clear of clouds he would set out as soon as the sun rose. He would try not to wake her if she were sleeping, and would be careful to tie her so that she would be as comfortable as possible.
“I never felt the ropes the first time,” she said with a smile.
“You have a thick layer of clothes, it was easy to tie you down without pinching your flesh.” As the word flesh left his lips, Yarrine’s eyebrows raised with a sly smile. Leto blushed from the top of his head to his neck, and this made Yarrine laugh out loud. He turned away from her and practically ran out of the cave, saying loudly, “we need more fire wood it might get cold tonight.”

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