Fairy Tale Part Eight

Fairy Tale Part Eight

His stomach churned while his body protested toward him still being asleep. As the haze of slumber drifted away and he sat up, he felt ravenous. Hunger protruded his thoughts while he glanced around for the source of the smell. The wonderous smell of cooked meat, so much that he could eat his fill and then some for many days. His eyes met those of the young maiden Kyra.

"Aloric?" she asked while preparing the food. The large collection of meat was placed on two makeshift plates carved from wood. Aloric took one piece in his hands, oriented himself, then spoke,"Yes, lady Krya?"

A smile crossed her face as she knew he recognized her.

"I was not sure if you would know me...the arrow..." she soon trailed off as they both remembered the attack of the Black King. The young man took a bite out of the meat he held, satiating his appetite before speaking further.

"It did me no harm, good lady, I feel perfectly fine," he said with a grin, flexing his arms. She laughed at his dispaly and returned the smile.

"Well, luckily the wound was not as bad as I feared. With some herbs my granmother told me about..." she started but was cut off by Aloric's excited voice. He looked towards his right as if he heard something.

"Is that a river nearby?" he asked, knowing full well that running water meant for once he could bath as well as drink all he wanted. Kyra looked slightly disheartened by the interruption but merely nodded. Despite bandages and bedrest, Aloric quickly got to his feet and ran toward the river, disrobing himself when out of eyesight of Kyra.

While in the middle of his bath, his mood soon turned sour as his mind drifted to the lady he had left behind. He wiftly dried himself off and clothed himself. Upon returning only a short time from when he left, he cursed himself.

'Inconsiderate bastard,' he thought as he saw the remnants of the cooked meal. The meal she had prepared for him, the food she had hunted for both of them. Like a deadly spear, guilt shot through him. Something she had done for him out of compassion, he had shrugged away for a simple bath and a small amount of water.

A piece of nature he was sure would have been there hours after he had finished eating and speaking with Kyra. He sat down, agry at himself, eating cold food which he knew would have been warm earlier.

"Clothing and the stench of battle can wait," he said to himself," was it truly such a luxery to have fresh water that I would abandon her so swiftly? A fool you are Aloric."

Wallowing the last of his helping of the meat, full on the cold remains, he laiid waiting. Angry as she was at him, he would wait. Wait for a time to attempt to heal the damage his foolishness had done.

"Over water," Aloric muttered," over damned water."