Ezer could only hear voices, but not open his eyes that seemed to be made of lead, nor could he move or speak. A person would panic in this situation, although Ezer was too tired to be. He goes back to sleep and wakes up, although can't say it for sure since his eyes only saw darkness and maybe the voices were dreams.
The uncertainty ends when he wakes up for the third time and manages to open his eyes. The first thing he sees is a woman who, to his surprise, had the same hair color as him. Although hers had a more pure and beautiful hue like snow, while Ezer's hair had an almost grayish hue.
“You woke up. You've been asleep for a long time.” The voice that came from his lips was clear and Ezer had no problem hearing it despite being half asleep.
“Thank you.” After organizing his thoughts and filling in any memory gaps with guesses, Ezer determines that the person in front of him poses no danger and could very well have helped him.
“You are welcome. More importantly, don't you feel pain anywhere?”
“No… Well… Yes, a little.” When trying to move he feels the stabs of pain in his shoulder and strangely also in his leg.
“Do not move. Especially that shoulder of yours, it's going to take months before you can use your arm again.” Lyaria walks away and returns with a wooden cup that was giving off a light vapor.
"This will make you feel better.”
“Thank you. Would you mind telling me your name?” Ezer tastes the tea and pronounces those words as formally as possible considering that she was a stranger.
“Lyaria.” Ezer is surprised, not because of the name, but because of those blue eyes that she possessed.
A feeling of nostalgia invades him, but he does not know the reason for it. He stops staring at those eyes when notices that he was staring at her intently.
"What happened to me? The last thing I remember is being dragged after...”
“I found you on the ground badly injured and clearly exhausted. I took the liberty of bringing you here and treat your injuries. You were out of danger, but suddenly a toxin manifested itself and your body could do nothing but focus on it. We had some problems... but you being awake means it worked.”
“We?” He looks around but only sees her.
“My grandfather and I. It was he who did all the work.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"Boy, if it wasn't for her, you wouldn't be alive. You owe her more than to me.” The old man enters the cave at the exact moment he is mentioned.
“I am eternally grateful to you.” Ezer uses his good arm and tilts his head slightly.
"Well, boy, what do you plan to do from now on?" The old man finds a chair and sits next to the bed where Ezer was.
“I was thinking of following the mountains to the sea and from there to the duchies by ship.” Tries not to be too specific and not impolite by withholding too much information.
"And the reason for that? Where is your family?” But the old man seems to know no manners and tries to delve into his personal information.
“............”
"Come on, boy, you can trust the one who saved you a little bit." He doesn't lose his patience and asks again.
Ezer begins to tell him his story, changing key parts such as his family or the reason they were looking for him, stops lying when he enters the mountains to where was now.
"Hmm, so... son of a merchant? In the north? The least developed and poor land?” The old man narrows his eyes.
"Yes, that's right, a fur trader." Ezer says it with a serious face imitating Relen as best he can.
“Well, that's enough for now.”
Ezer sighs inside himself seeing that his story was accepted, or so he thought, since he hadn't seen the small smile on the old man's face.
“You won't be able to travel for at least three months, even with my help, and that means that by the time you do, you'll be at the gates of winter. Mountains cannot be crossed in winter, no matter what.” The old man gets up, moving his chair to a place where is not in the way.
"And I'm not going to help you directly anymore, until you earn it or I owe you. Now little one, you have a promise to keep.” After warning Ezer, he turns his attention to Lyaria.
“How do you know?” She was expecting it, though not so early.
“He is asking questions, I managed to reach an agreement, although it won't last long.”
"I'll go out tomorrow."
"No, rest a few more days, but don't trust that you'll find another like you did before. You do not know how lucky you were and also that boy.” With those words the old man begins to leave without looking back.
Ezer fails to fully understand the old man. At times he seems to care about him and at other times seems to be looking at him with deep hidden hatred in his eyes.
"Right now I can't help you or move, when I do, don't hesitate to ask me for help." He says it because he has to return the favor and for some reason, thinks that can trust her even though he only known her for minutes.
"Concentrate on resting and don't leave the cave unless I tell you to, do you understand?" She smiles and answers firmly.
“Yes, of course.” He is intrigued by the fact that he cannot go out, but decides to obey her. At least for now.
“What would you like to eat? There's not much to choose from either, so you'll have to make do with what's on offer.” The warnings ends, making the conversation change to a warmer and more comfortable one.
Ezer can't suppress the joy of eating something different than tough meat. The sentiment makes him remember Relen, wondering if he’s going to be okay. Probably eating rabbit soup.
After a week of complete rest without getting out of bed, Ezer takes his first steps through the cave. The bandages on his right arm prevented its movement to ensure that the bones rejoin in the same place.
"I'm finally going to be able to go to the bathroom by myself!" Being able to move is not his only happiness.
He had some privacy at the time, but that doesn't mean someone had to dispose of the waste. The first few times were torture, although later he resigned himself to his fate.