The first thing I saw the next time I woke up was the woman who I can only describe as my savior. The light from a window illuminated her from behind, having her appear radiant while sitting in a chair. She had changed into a more revealing outfit than last time, though compared to armor anything would be. She wore a top that left her shoulders bare save for two straps, with detached short sleeves that allowed full view of her well-toned arms. The chest of her shirt was sewn with a delicate pattern, though it was wrinkled through her posture and likely was meant to depict something specific. Due to my position I couldn't see her lower half, and when I began to adjust myself she spoke up.

"Morning darling." Her voice sounded haggard, betraying the warm smile on her face.

“Uh, hi?” her eyes got wide after I spoke up. “Is everything ok?”

“I should be asking that. That’s the first time you’ve responded to me in days.”

“Days?”

“I mean, yeah? You would wake up every couple of hours and just sob. Do you really not remember?”

“No?! How is that even possible? The last thing I remember is waking up the day I was brought here.”

“Oh, yeah, Drake mentioned that. He’s the guy you spoke with that night. I gave him an earful the next day when he finally told me about your conversation.”

“I still don’t know if I believe I’ve been here for days. Especially with no memories of it.”

“Look, I get it. Some strangers happened to find you in the remains of some burned down village and take you somewhere nice? A little suspicious. But we aren't going to hurt you. We had plenty of chances already, and nothing happened. You can even look outside, you’ll see we’re in Bogra’s capital.”

She beckoned and moved aside, standing from the chair she was using. After a moment of failing to get my footing, I managed to trapse over to the window and get a good look. The street outside was bustling with both armored guards and normal citizens. There was even a carriage and a few horses milling around a post. I could see a few shops marked with boards depicting their main wares, like a general shop and toolsmith. All the buildings looked recently constructed, implying this was on the outskirts of the main city in a newer district, similar to where I lived. Bogra was essentially just one ever expanding city as far as the citizens, and well everyone were concerned.

“And the fact we’re in the city means you aren't the bandits who destroyed my home.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Exactly.”

“Then why did you bring me here? Why didn’t you leave me there?” Are they a part of the church?

“Cause I wanted to.” Turning around as suddenly as I did was not the best idea, leaving me a bit light headed, but I needed to see the look she had while saying something so...inane. It was the same smile she had when she first spoke to me.

“What? Why? How did you know I wasn’t a bandit, or dangerous, or...Oh no. You’re one of them aren’t you?”

“Who? You already know I’m not a bandit?”

“No no no. You’re one of the clergy. Probably heard about my blessing and decided to seek me for guidance or whatever. How many times do I have to say this, leave me the fuck alone!” The venom in my voice while talking about the church shocked her, makes sense if she’s one of those uncaring pieces of shit who just want to use my fucking blessing when there’s already tons of other, easier options. Thinks everything is going to be alright if she prays to unsympathetic gods.

“Stop right there. Please, calm down. I can tell this is a sore subject, and that you’re getting worked up, but I promise I had no idea about your...blessing? I’m not even from Bogra, and I haven’t had a chance to learn the local religion yet. All I know is that it’s a small pantheon of three gods, that’s actually it.”

“And why should I believe that? Can’t show me some view to prove that.”

“Well...no I can’t. I guess I just want you to take me at my word.” We sat for a few minutes as she thought about something. After the wait she shook her head and proceeded. “What if I promise not to ask you to use whatever blessing you have?” She was pleading with me, outstretching her arms and revealing her palms. I’ve had a lot of people do the exact same thing to me before, but none of them asked for me to not use my blessing.

“Fine, that should work for now. But if you break that promise, this whole conversation ends and I’ll take my leave.” Even if I have nowhere else to go, it would be better than dealing with more of those assholes.

“I have no plans to, so that works for me.” She takes a deep breath after saying this, the smile again returning to her face, replacing the worry she had just a moment ago. “Now that that is taken care of, how about some names? You can call me Angie.”

“Ginger.” Saying my name aloud made me aware of myself like I hadn’t been for a while. I realized my horrid bed head, likely from the days of staying in, not that I normally kept good care of my hair, but it had a mind of it’s own at this point. My clothes were a disaster, my bodice being almost completely undone. The work pants I wore were no better, seeming to still be on by chance more than anything. I also realized I smelled of ash and smoke, and the same smell wafted off the bedding. It likely came from the soot coating both the bedding and my clothes, making up various dark patches on them.

"Alright, Ginger. If you're comfortable, could you tell me a bit about what happened that day?"

Having to think back to that day wasn't something I was looking forward to. Angie must have been able to pick up on that and tried comforting me. She rarely let go of my hand since I'd awoken, and now her other hand rested atop it, slightly caressing it. It helped remind me that she was there, and she wasn't pushing me to come forward. Not being able to fully trust her didn't mean I couldn't appreciate her presence when I felt so very alone.