“Oh, good. It looks like you’re awake.”
She offered this still-unnamed stranger a smile as he slowly sat up. At least she could now be assured that her burning questions might soon have answers… even if the way he stared at her already proved one of them.
He looked between her and the tray that she was holding, confused, before his eyes darted around the room. To her, it wasn’t anything special—words of wisdom and reminders of the one who watched over them. To him, though, it must’ve meant something more. He got paler the more scripture he saw, until finally he opened his mouth to say something.
Then, apparently, immediately took it back, because he uttered no words.
“I’m Oria,” she said, slower. Would that work? Well, he seemed to recognize what she meant, so it must’ve. “I found you earlier, but we can talk about that later. How are you feeling?”
He once again stayed quiet, but he didn’t seem quite as confused. Instead, he seemed to be contemplating something. At least that meant he’d understood the question. “Okay?”
She tried not to panic at how thick the accent was. What did she just get herself into..?
Still, she decided to try her luck with something a bit more complex. “Do you hurt anywhere? Feel well-rested?”
“I’m fine,” he mumbled. It looked like he was desperately trying to recall some past experience—which only half worked, given how long it still took him to respond. “I… can’t say it feels good, though.”
“Well, I can’t imagine it would. I don’t know what happened but it definitely wasn’t anything good.” She shook her head and decided there was something important she should ask first. “What’s your name? Descendants aren’t all that important right now, I just want to know a little more about you.”
“Caenum.”
“Do you know what you were doing before? Anything that would’ve happened before I found you?”
He froze for a minute. Then he shook his head.
While she doubted the truth behind it, she figured it was worth mentioning later. “I was at the beach when I found you. It… looked like there were fragments of a boat or ship but I didn’t want to get too close to it. When I realized you were unconscious, Orestis laid it on my heart to help you. I brought you back home and now here we are.” She paused and, perhaps, overthought that part a bit. “I guess this must seem pretty strange to you, doesn’t it..? A random person telling you this when the last thing you probably would’ve remembered being when you blacked out…”
“That… isn’t actually the weirdest part.”
“Hm?”
“N-never mind. That’s not important.” He was quick to avoid further questioning. “You said you found me on the beach?”
“A little further north of here,” she said with a nod.
“Could you take me there?”
“Perhaps later, but not right now. You still just woke up. I don’t want to push you.”
“But it isn’t pushing me if I want to go, right?”
She shook her head. “I’m still going to make you wait a little while. I don’t know how long you’ve been unconscious before I found you.” That, and she still needed to find a reasonable explanation for why he was here and why she was helping him…
“How long have I been unconscious?”
“You’ve only been with me a day. It’s currently the tenth of Viklaxus. Is… that close to whenever your last memory was?”
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“It’s been two days,” Caenum mumbled. He seemed to gain some kind of resolve, though, when he tried louder, “It’s only been two days, I’m sure I’m fine. You’re definitely not going to let me go anywhere?”
“No matter how well you’re feeling, there’s no arguing with getting a bit more rest,” Oria said confidently. “I’d like you to stay here for a little while longer—once I’m sure you’re better, I’ll take you to the beach. Here, this tray has some things for you to eat. The kitchen is right over there if something isn’t enough. I’ll be back soon so, please, don’t do anything while I’m gone…”
“You’re leaving?”
“I live alone here. I’m not exactly prepared to take care of a guest, so I’ll need to go out and buy a few things. I don’t think it’ll take me long. Just rest until then.”
She gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile, prepared her things, and left. She would’ve tried to gently remind him of the importance of staying inside but, well, she had a feeling he already understood that part.
In fact, it was probably the clearest part of the situation for him.
Every once and a while, when she stepped into town, she remembered the tales she’d heard from the merchants; of what the Fleyw Bresh thought their lives were like. Apparently, to them, a fairy city meant everyone was fluttering about and precious few could be found on the ground. She supposed it would make sense in the land of the Fleyw Bresh—fairies would have to compete with humans on the paths, and the idea of matching their size was near blasphemous. But, in reality, a fairy city was the opposite. More down to earth, as one of the clergy had put it.
She’d prepared herself for some questioning, at least. On one hand, she was hoping she wouldn’t need to form an answer. But soon enough, an acquaintance came to dash that quick hope of hers.
“Oh, good morning, Oria!” The acquaintance gave a quick bow in favor of tradition.
The name and house of the fairy eluded her, honestly, but Oria offered a smile nonetheless. “Good morning. How are you doing?”
“Perfect, of course! Orestis’s light is shining on me this morning. What about you, though? I couldn’t help but notice something! That’s an awful lot of food you’re buying. You’re not having someone else carry it?”
“N-no, I believe I’m capable of doing it myself.”
“What’s it for? Is your family coming over? They live further inland, don’t they?”
“They do, but… it’s not for them, either.”
“Well, then, who is it? Is the priest coming to visit? Did he find someone for you? Come on, you can’t start buying all this stuff without telling me who’s it for!”
The shopkeeper interjected to shrug and remarked, “But not me, Madam. I don’t mind what you buy—you’re helping business nonetheless.”
Oria decided, however, that it was probably the kind of thing she should clear up. “I’ve met someone recently. He’s doing well, mostly, but I still find myself encouraged to help him. I’m making sure there’s enough for the two of us.”
The acquaintance’s smile seemed to grow even bigger. “You should’ve told me that part! I’ll be more than willing to help. You don’t need to be doing this all by yourself! You’re wealthy for a reason, you know—Orestis thought you were capable of doing great things and rewarded your family for it. Why not hire a few hands to carry your things and help around the house, at least? You don’t have anyone with you, don’t you?”
“O-oh, no, I think I’m fine on my own.” Oria tried, though almost failed, to maintain a small smile. “I don’t want to overwhelm him with too many people, especially not so close to when he woke up. I know enough Life magic that I can keep him comfortable on my own—and I’ll be sure to contact the priest if I find that I can’t.”
Honestly, that might have been a lie. She didn’t want anyone to come to the same conclusion that she had about his origin… and if she saw through it before he said a word, then she had no doubt that plenty of others would, too.
The acquaintance looked a bit disappointed but, thankfully, nodded. “Perhaps this is a test of your own talents, then. I won’t interfere if it’s something Orestis has planned.” She gave a smile, waved, and left.
Oria nearly forgot she needed to hide how grateful she was for it.
She muttered her goodbye to the shopkeeper and continued to buy what she needed, trying to avoid anyone she might’ve thought familiar in the crowd. With no other distractions, however, she returned back home, and was thankful to see that Caenum had the sense to stay there.
He’d gotten up, at one point, and wandered around the room. The half-open curtain told that he’d looked through it, though whatever he saw must not have made him feel any better. He looked just as pale, if not paler, than when she’d left.
“Feeling better?” she prompted gently.
An ambiguous mumble was his response in that regard. Instead, he dared to ask, “Where are we?”
“Salini, one of the islands of True Qizar,” was her simple response.
And he laughed, but both knew she was serious, and neither found it funny.