Titania stayed bent over Blemish for hours, cleaning his wounds and stitching up the gashes. She didn’t rest or eat or drink, but only focused on trying to save his life. Any time she barked an order, Grognor and Meriel would jump into action, but would otherwise stand to the side watching. Grognor struggled to wrap his mind around the logic of this choice of hers.
Blemish, whoever he was, was without a doubt an Arch Angel. He was an assassin trained to hunt, kill, and butcher non-humans that the Inquistion told him to. He had nearly killed Jessai. His wounds were clearly from his desperate battle against the Orc guardians. It would have been wiser to ignore him…or to turn him over to Jessai for a reward. But even the suggestion of such a thing infuriated Titania who continued to work on him like a surgeon. The slab of meat was rested on the boys forehead to help with the fever. She would pour the alcohol she had onto any open wound she found. The stinging liquid would cause Blemish to wrench up and scream, to which she used a single powerful hand to hold him down. She didn’t rest until she felt every one of his injuries were addressed. After which, she stepped back and sighed, looking to Meriel.
“Know any songs to heal? You’re a bard, right?”
“I…yeah, I know a song for rejuvenation, but it won’t fully revive anything…it just makes you feel better.”
“Play it anyway.” Titania stood and walked back to give Meriel room. She sat down and began to play her lute, charmed notes drifting from her strumming. The song was low and soft, but carried a revitalizing energy to it. As she played, Blemish stopped squirming and began to lay still, breathing slowly. As she played, Titania walked outside, and Grognor saw her stagger a little. Curious, he followed after her.
“What’s this about, Titania?” He asked.
“I needed some fresh air.” She answered.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Grognor growled. “Why did you save him? You know he’ll kill you the moment he gets his strength back.”
“Then I’ll defend myself, but I can’t just leave him to die.”
“Why the hell not!?” Grognor snapped. “No offense, but he’s not our ally just because he’s out to kill Jessai. He’s with the Inquisition! He’s dangerous. He can’t be trusted.”
“You know…I’ve heard people say similar things about Ogres.” Titania sneered.
“Don’t turn this into a double standard. You and I have been friends since we were in high school, before this Cataclysm. That guy? We don’t know him!”
“What I know is that he came to my door pleading for help. He didn’t go to Aynor or to another human, but to me. He trusted me with his life, so now I’m going to help him. If that bothers you Grognor, then go back to the Citadel.” Grognor snorted and pulled out his pipe, puffing it angrily and impatiently. He wanted to rant and rave about this but couldn’t find any other words to say.
“You’re a stubborn wench, you know that?” He grumbled, hissing smoke from his teeth.
“You’re not wrong, Groggy…I know it’s risky. But it’s…I can’t see anything dangerous in him. He’s so young…and his face was so full of fear and pain. He didn’t act anything like an assassin.”
“A clever trick.”
“Or a lost child, searching for help.”
“…Aww, think he misses his mommy?” Grognor teased. Titania let out a laugh and shook her head.
“I try to be sincere with you, and you go making jokes.” She scoffed. “He stays, Grognor…at least until he’s well enough to leave.” Grognor didn’t answer but just sat on the bench on the front deck of the cabin. “I think you’ve gotten grumpy in your old age.”
“Shut up.” He grunted with a smirk.
Meriel finished her song and lay back, exhausted from expending her magical energy into the music. Her mother stood behind her, frowning at glaring at the assassin. She clenched her fist a few times and then glanced at the window not far off, open for fresh air to come in.
“We should go.” She whispered.
“Where?”
“We can head East….we need to risk it.”
“Risk it? Mom, you heard what Titania said. Going East means passing through Wood Bark, the slaving village. Then we’d have to cross the-”
“I know what the ogress said,” she hissed, “but I think there’s a chance! If we stay a little northward of Wood Bark, we can try and get to Holdenwood. There aren’t many Orcs there and we could maybe slip through to a fishing village and get a boat to Serindal.”
“Serindal!?” Meriel gasped. “Mom, Jessai’s planning to attack Serindal.”
“He can’t possibly invade it! It’s a giant island in the middle of the sea. We’ll stay there…live among other elves…live peacefully.” Meriel stood up to face her mother. There was a fearful glint to her eyes. She was scared…but also a bit hopeful too. She seemed to have a slight mad look in her eye. Meriel knew her mother hadn’t been the same for years…not since her father was killed. She’d been distant and a slight fanatic. Serindal was an elvish kingdom, and, for some reason, her mother had longed to evacuate there…to live amongst them. But Meriel had always just brushed off this desire. She knew it was too dangerous to attempt.
“Mom, Serindal is…just getting there will be dangerous. And we have no proof they’ll let us stay in their territory.” Meriel argued.
“I know that but, it’s worth a shot.”
“So was going to Nirvana!” Meriel countered. Jennifer just shook her head.
“Serindal is REAL, sweetheart. Nirvana is just a fairy tale!”
“Fairy Tale!? Mom, look at the world we’re in! Look at what we are!”
“I KNOW!” She barked, struggling to contain herself. She trembled a little and gripped the wooden pillar near her, trying not to burst into tears. “I know what we are….and I know what’s happened…but that’s why we need to stick to reality…as much as possible.”
“Mom, the world we knew…it’s not real anymore.”
“Only because we live with filth like Jessai and Tita….sorry….like them.” She hissed.
“Titania is going to get us to safety.”
“Through a mutant infested swamp and PRAY that we survive it so we can live in a land of halflings? I’ll pass.” Meriel and her mother slowly began to lower their voices to a hushed snarl…anger building between them.
“Mom, you’re going too far.” She snapped.
“Too far!? We haven’t gone far enough! We should be further and further away from this place. Why are we even still here right now!? We know where to go now and we can-”
“Know where to go!? Right into a Orc infested hell hole, and without a guide!? I’d rather face the Rotmore swamp. Besides, we’re also here to help Blemish.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“You mean the Inquisition assassin!? Are you serious!?”
“Titania trusts him.”
“Titania is an OGRE!”
“TITANIA IS THE ONE GIVING US PROTECTION, AND BLEMISH IS THE ONE WHO BROKE US OUT OF THE CITADEL!” Meriel shrieked. “Mom….Mom, I love you…I love you so much, but you’re out of your mind if you think risking everything on a trip across a slave forest and a sea of beasts to a land we may not be welcome to is the best chance we have.” Meriel’s mother bit her lip as tears rolled down her face as she listened to Meriel explain her folly. She leaned against the pillar and clenched her eyes shut in hysterical sobs.
“It’s all insane…isn’t it? We’re in Hell. The Inquisition is right….we’re forsaken. Oh God…” She sunk to her knees and it was all Meriel could do to drop down and catch her. How long had Jennifer held in these feelings? How long had she held a brave face while surrounded by lustful and hungry orcs. She’d stayed stoic…strong…and brave for her daughter. She’d stayed so sturdy like a mountain. But now the foundations were crumbling. Her first taste of freedom had permitted her to let go of her strength and now she felt even more trapped than before. Being freed from Jessai still did not grant her a return to the life she so longed for. She was, and perhaps always would be, alone.
The softest groan stirred them. Blemish was squirming, the effects of the spell wearing off as his body was beginning to feel the pain again of his injuries. Meriel and her mother stood up and backed away, frightened of the idea of him waking and seeing them. Would he recognize them? Would he kill them? They didn’t know and didn’t want to find out. As they did, the door opened and Titania walked back inside. Grognor remained on the deck to smoke, but Titania seemed more frustrated than when she’d walked out. She looked at the elves and then Blemish. With a nod towards the deck, the two took her hint and ran out the door so that she could be alone with the strange assassin. After the door clicked behind them, She placed her hands on her hips and stared at the boy in front of her. She stood silently for a long moment before sitting beside him at the table and placing a hand on his wounded side. The boy gasped and his eyes flew open in agony.
“AAH!” He yelped.
“Easy…I was just making sure the stitches were holding.” Titania assured him. The boy’s wide eyes looked to her and then to his body. He stared silently a long moment before looking back at her.
“Wh-why?”
“…You’re the second person to ask me that today. I’d really like it if I could just say ‘I’m a good person,’ and leave it at that.” Titania answered. “Do I need a motivation to do the right thing for someone?” He looked around until he saw a broken apart mask laying by his bed. He picked it up and held it in front of his face. “If you want, I’ll ask Grognor to fix that for you.”
“Grognor?”
“My blacksmith friend.” She answered. “He doesn’t trust you because he thinks you’re Inquisistion….but he’ll listen to me.” The boy didn’t answer her but only ran his other hand along his bandaged and stitched sides. He started to sit up, when Titania rose too, towering over him. She placed a hand on his chest and shoved him down again. “Lay still. You’ll undo the stitching.”
“I have to go.”
“Where?”
“….” He didn’t answer. He simply lay there under Titania’s hand, feeling weak. Titania frowned sadly.
“How old are you?”
“….”
“Where are you from?”
“….”
“Fine.” Titania removed her hand and huffed, walking away, leaving Blemish to sit up slightly and painfully after her. “You want to go get yourself killed, feel free. I did what I could for you…I’ll let you make your own choices.” The boy sat there a moment and then, slowly and very gently, he lay back down, his eyes staring at the wooden ceiling.
“…The Archbishop says that I’m 14 years old.” He whispered.
“He says that? You don’t know?”
“I’m not sure…” He answered honestly.
“Then what are you sure about?” She asked. “I’m not trying to pry…I just want to help you.”
“You’re an ogre. The Master Watcher says you’re….you’re evil and violent creatures.”
“Does he?” Titania smiled as she looked him over. “And what do you say?”
“Huh?”
“What do YOU say?” She asked again. “Don’t think about what the Master Watcher or the Inquisition says about me. What do YOU say? What do YOU think?” Blemish looked at his lap and ran a hand down his stomach,, feeling the lumps and bruises of his fight as tears started to brew in his eyes.
“I don’t know. I’m confused.” He answered honestly.
“How so?”
“I don’t know…I just…I don’t know.” He hung his head sadly and Titania blinked.
“Blemish, do you know where you’re from?”
“I don’t know…”
“Is Blemish your real name?” He didn’t respond to that. Instead he looked frightened by the question…scared to answer it. What was it with this boy? An Arch Angel of the Inquisition was a feared and terrifying force. When Meriel had described him, he seemed like an untouchable shadow…but behind the mask…was this boy? “My name is Titania. Wanna know what my old name used to be? David.” Blemish looked at Titania in surprise. “Yeah! I used to be like you, ya know? Scary right?” Blemish cracked a smile, but then hid it immediately, shaking his head in shame.
“No…no it’s…this isn’t right. You’re an ogre…I can’t talk to you. I’ve done wrong. I’m a failure!”
“You’re not in trouble, Blemish. No one is upset.”
“The Watcher will be. I shouldn’t be here…”
“Don’t worry about that, right now. Lay down, okay? No one has to tell the Watcher about this.”
“He always knows…the Watcher always knows…” Blemish slowly started to lay down again.
“The Watcher doesn’t know me. Alright?” Titania promised. Blemish placed the mask, broken as it was, over his face, as if it might somehow calm him down, and to Titania’s surprise, his breathing became easier…softer…more relaxed. There was definitely something to this boy. “Get some rest…I’ll bring you something to eat in a few.” Blemish didn’t answer…having fallen asleep.
“So?” Grognor asked, as she walked out again. “He gonna live?”
“That kid has seen Hell…worse than I think most of us.” Titania explained. “It’s not just his body, he’s emotionally damaged too.”
“What? He’s depressed?” Meriel asked curiously.
“No.” She shook her head. “I have a feeling…he’s like you Grognor. I think the Cataclysm aged him.”
“It WHAT!?” Grognor gasped. “But he looks so young! Hardly a teenager. That could mean he’s…”
“I think in that assassin’s body is the heart and soul of a child…and he truly is lost.” Titania whispered.