My Dear Savior

Episode 10

I nodded my head slowly at that piece of information and covered up his wound again with a new bandage.

“That may start to get itchy as the paste dries, so be sure to not scratch at it. Try to relax and get some rest.”

He huffed in reply as he nodded his head and closed those eyes. I grabbed the cloth from his forehead and made it cool again with more icy water, gently placing it back into position.

I got to work clearing up as much of the mess as I could around him then sat down by the fire, propping up my feet. My whole body felt like lead and I had a slight tension headache now that the adrenaline of finding the boy had faded away. My eyes felt like sand had gotten in them and only closing them relieved the sensation. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew I was cold and the only light in the room was the glow of the dying embers in the fire.

I cursed softly under my breath as I restoked the fire into flames again, adding on some more dry wood. Glancing over my shoulder, I could see the boy was still asleep, so I gently checked his temperature and re-cooled the cloth again. He didn’t even stir, and I smiled softly to myself at the boyishness of his relaxed features. There was just no way this injured, vulnerable boy could be my enemy. What were our peoples doing fighting each other to extinction like this?

Since I still felt groggy, I threw myself down on my bedding to try to get a few more hours of sleep. A noise startled me awake, though I couldn’t quite place it. The faint, white light of early morning was streaming in through the window. I had slept for quite a long time to my surprise. The events of the prior day must have really taken more of a toll on me than I thought.

I quietly slipped into the room with the boy and realized what the snuffling noise was: he crying softly. I rushed to his side at once. “What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

He clenched his teeth when he saw me and quickly rubbed the evidence from his face. He nodded his head once and I smiled slightly at him to put his pride at ease.

“Don’t worry- that’s to be expected. Let me check your wound again, ok?” Even under the paste I had applied earlier, I could tell the swelling had decreased and the redness had gone down. I went to work warming the broth left over from the night before and added in some medicinal plants to help with the pain.

“Here, drink this to help make you more comfortable.”

“Thank you…” He said with a slight, embarrassed smile.

It took me a second too long to realize he trailed off because he didn’t know my name. I felt like a real i***t as I stared at him uncomprehendingly for those awkward seconds that felt like minutes.

“Hatice.” I giggled awkwardly. “What’s yours?”

He took his time slurping up a spoonful of the soup before replying. I could see the wheels turning behind his eyes as if he was deliberating whether or not to answer me. “Zane.”