He woke to the smell of cooking bacon and ham, lifting his head slightly and turning towards the door. In general, food had never interested him and he only ate to keep him alive. But the smell of roasting meat and having not eaten in so long caused him to lean up on his arm and stare in the direction of the smell.

Soon, Kina walked into the room carrying a tray of a meal she had prepared. Her eyes was down as she walked, refusing to look at his face. She silently placed the try on a nightstand close to the bed while saying nothing. She slightly bowed to him and turned to leave, disappearing behind the frame of the door.

Caim did not question. Slowly, he pushed himself up so he sat up in his bed and his back was to the wall. He pulled the tray over to him and placed it in his lap, looking at the contents. Collected together was a slab of ham still simmering, accompanied with a cut orange and several slices of bread.

Heh…, he thought. A feast fit for a prince.

Slowly he ate his meal, taking his sweet time while being careful not to repeatedly open his cuts. His hunger sedated, he stayed sitting up, gazing about the room, taking interest in the setting outside the window.

A meadow surrounded the house, the fields green and lush. It had been a while since had seen such a pristine sight. Where ever he went, carnage and flames followed, the cries of the innocent ringing in his ears. The sun was high in the sky, illuminated the surroundings. He could see that a small farm house though he didn't know if any animals inhabited it. He let his head rest against the wall, gazing at the ceiling, thinking nothing.

His hostess soon returned to retrieve the tray, taking it from his lap. He gazed at her with his eyes soft, as if to give gratitude and appreciate, things that he was unaccustomed to giving. She smiled slightly in return and left the room quickly.

The meal had helped his recovery and kick started his recuperation. As he sat in his room alone and secluded, he was able to renew his strength and within hours, he attempted to stand on his feet. Slowly, he moved the sheets that covered his body away from him and turned in the bed, moving his feet to the ground. Though it was still painful and his chest moved up and down with each breath he took, he was able to put pressure on one foot, then the other. Within seconds of standing up, his strength wore out and he was forced to sit back on the bed, his hands on his knees. He frowned at his own limitation and sat for a long time, unmoving.

Kina was next to check on him. She saw him sitting as he was, shirtless, his hands resting in his lap, his eyes empty and unresponsive as the stared at the ground. Slowly, they moved to look at her face as she stood in the frame of the door, silently wondering. "You shouldn't be up," she said softly, moving towards him. "Will you give me your name now? I feel I've earned the right." she asked, curious and inquisitive.

It was hard for Caim not to smile at the girl's simple request. Her heart was pure, much too pure, one that would have normally caused the warrior's own heart to burn with disgust. His own incapability to give her the reply made his spirit lift and he found it humorous, causing him to smile. Surprisingly, he still knew how to.

"Do you find that amusing, soldier?" she asked. "Why do you refuse to answer me?"

I have a simple answer to that.

"Do you think our hospitality unbearable so you will not give me your name?" Caim still held his smile, his amusement growing. She flushed red with frustration but refused to give in.

You deluded girl. How little you know.

"Please," she said, her voice stern now. "I only wish to know what to call you."

Caim looked slowly about the room, scanning for something on which he could write his name. He knew not why he was he had the intention of granting her wish but having another say his name after years of being called the "One-Eyed Man" might give him additional enjoyment. He nodded to a paper that lay nonchalantly on a desk across the room and Kina took the hint, walking to fetch it. She took the quill that sat next to it and handed it to him as he still sat. He took the quill from her grip and calmly wrote the letters of his name: C-A-I-M.

She looked up at him. "Caim," he said, reading the characters. "Why do you not just say it? Are you incapable of speech?" The look in his eyes gave her the answer. "You cannot speak…" She stood looking at him for a moment but she quickly shook the thought away. "Forgive me, I didn't know."

How could you have?

"Still, you are in our company and we will treat you with warmth. Perhaps you should keep that paper in order to communicate with us. That is the only way that my brother and I will know what it is you want. Rest while you can and call upon us when you need anything."

Kina turned to leave and the warrior held the paper limply in his hands. She exited the room. Caim shredded the paper.

Two days passed before Caim was able to stand fully and walk around. After taking every meal, he would attempt to get to his feet and when he had again mastered the art, he would walk several steps about his room, resting occasionally. Eventually, he was able to walk without assistance and he began exploring the house and the fields around.

He stepped out of the house for the first time since he had arrived unconscious and broken. His shirt and armor were left abandoned in his current room as he walked out onto the grasses wearing only his old trousers. Kina and Harn had not been in the house and the sun had called him out, paired with his own subdued curiosity.

The farmhouse he had seen before stood alone several hundred yards from the house. A small fence enclosed what he could tell were chickens, clucking in the spring sun. He gazed out slowly, seeing the trees out in the distance.

He walked around the building and stood gawking at the area below. The home had been built on a hill and below lay a village, one desolate and brown. The grass that had occupied the region about stopped abruptly near the foot of the hill, leaving the village an ugly tan color. He could see little movement from the pathetic excuse for homes, the decrepit and rundown buildings.

Caim turned back to the farm and walked unhurried in its direction. The chickens ignored his approach as they pecked at the ground, picking up dry pieces of corn. He peered inside the barn as Kina started towards him, her hands full of feed for the animals.

"Oh," she said in surprise as he suddenly stood in her way. "Good morning Caim." She moved towards him and he stepped out of her way, allowing her through. "I see your well enough to walk now. Good, I'd like to think that I'm a decent physician," said Kina with a slight smile.

You take too much credit. It was hardly your doing. I'm not that weak.

"In case your wondering," she started, throwing seed at the birds that now crowded around her, "Harn is in the village below. He works for a blacksmith, making weapons for the Knights of the Seal." Caim's mood instantly turned for the worse as the mentioning of the organizations name.

"He hates it," she said suddenly without noticing her guests gloom. "The Knights have caused our suffering here. Down below the village is poor with little to offer. If you had been found by any other around, you would have been left for dead because they would not have had the means in order to save your life or feed you for that matter. My brother and I are lucky and we inherited this small farm from our father who passed away in the late war. He only works there to earn enough money to buy what we need and he hardly have any luxuries but we get along well enough."

Kina paused, stooping to pick up a small chick from the ground who was in danger of being trampled by the bigger adults. Holding out her hand, the young chicken started snatching up the corn.

"The Knights have been trying to get their hands on this small farm and land ever since the end of the conflict between the Union and Empire. This small area is the only place where green grass is allowed to grow and it isn't corrupted by the evils of the Knights. Harn has fought them off countless times with his words, forcing them to leave. I admire his determination to keep the last thing our father left us, but these conflicts have been getting increasingly dangerous and several times, they threatened to imprison and even kill my brother if he did not step down. Keeping this land isn't worth his life."

Heh, the fool.

She gently placed the chick back on the ground after it had had its fill and tossed the remaining bits along the ground. The gate swung open as she moved through it and closed it behind her, walking along the ground towards the image of the village below with Caim following her.

"I'd hate to think of what would happen if they got this place. It would instantly turn to a dustbowl like the town below and life would cease to exist here. They would cut down all the trees, kill the animals in the forest. I would hate to see our territory turned into what the Knights feel is sanctuary."

Caim turned to look at her from the corner of his eye. Her face was hard with an emotion of sternness in her determination to save her home. He felt her sympathy and they shared a secret hatred for the same organization.

"Come, I'm sure you'd like to cleanse yourself and change your clothes as well as your bandages. I'm sure they're uncomfortable by now." She walked towards the house without looking at him. Caim gazed at the barren landscape below for a moment longer, then turned to follow her into the house.

A hot bath was prepared for him and he stripped down to enjoy the water. He ripped off the dresses that covered his injuries, revealing large cuts and gashes across his body. They stung when they were dipped in water but he ignored the pain and relaxed in silent bliss, his head laying against the side of the tub.

He dressed in her brother's clothes, the pants being slightly too large. He carried the shirt with him as the left the tub and sat again on his bed waiting for Kina to appear with binding.

She soon walked into the room, her arms full of medication and cloth. The majority of his wounds were on his back and arms, places where only a coward would strike. The girl placed her luggage on the nightstand while he watched her with silent eyes. She dabbed an antibiotic on a rag and turned to him, who refused to turn to allow her to treat him.

"You have to let me help you," she said softly. Caim wore a heavy frown.

I don't need your help.

"If you aren't treated correctly, those cuts will scab over and turn into scars that will be painful in the long run. Trust me, I promise you'll be fine."

There was plenty he could do to resist her. Violence was always the answer. But the girls eyes and expressions were soft, surprisingly calming him. He turned so his back was towards her.

"Thank you…" she said quietly and moved to sit next to him.

Each time the cloth touched his skin, it brought him unbearable pain. The sting of the medicine seeped into his open cuts, killing potential diseases and viruses. He flinched as she cleansed his wounds, clenching his teeth as his deep wounds were sterilized. As gentle as she was trying to be, she could not help but notice his pain and hurried as quickly as she could.

Bandages were placed over his right shoulder and all along his arms, wrapping them up from his wrist to his elbow. She covered his incisions tenderly as she sat facing him, both pairs of eyes following her slim fingers as she smoothed out the cloth. He looked at her behind his brown hair that bent into his eyes, taking in her features.

Blood…

Pain…

Regret…

Betrayal…

These words rang in his ears as he gazed at her, reminding him of the pain he felt inside, the things he had experienced. She had not noticed him looking intently at her and continued her work, finishing quickly. He moved away from when she had concluded and pulled the shirt over his head. Kina smiled warmly at him as he stood gazing at her. She moved to leave as she walked passed him into the kitchen. He did not follow her but stood alone, his mind heavy with thought.