I apologize for the shorter chapter. Thank you to everyone who followed!
Breaga awoke slowly, feeling the warm sun shining softly on her face. She was in a bed, two thick, wool blankets draped over her. The bed was in a small room with an adjoining door. A bedside table was to the right, topped with various vials and a bowl with a rag resting in its base. Where was she? Breaga sat up, head throbbing, and examined the room around her, calculating her next move. Had she been taken by Odin's men? The room seemed too nice to be a dungeon. The door opened, startling her. Breaga had raised the blanket to her face, cowering with her eyes squeezed tightly shut.
"Woah! I didn't me to startle you, it's me, Merlin. Remember?" He was carrying a small tray lain with more vials and another bowl, this one filled with thick porridge. At this, she relaxed some, releasing the tension in her muscles and lowering the blanket back down. Breaga managed a weak smile, which told Merlin he could proceed. He walked around to the side of the bed and sat on its edge, placing the tray at the foot of the bed. "Well, your eye is looking a bit better," he said cheerfully, examining the girl's face. Breaga instinctively reached to touch her eye and grimaced when she did. "Ah, I wouldn't touch it," Merlin warned, gently pulling her arm away from her face. Her memory of the prior days' events began to return, she then remembered her father. It felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Merlin must have noticed the change in her and was quick to bring up another topic, "How about your arm? Can I see it?" he looked into Breaga's frightened eyes and assured her he meant no harm, they were a fierce green. She apprehensively extended her arm, which had been bandaged in white linen strips, now blood stained. That couldn't be good, she thought.
She watched as Merlin's nimble fingers unwrapped her wound. The boy, noticing her watching, looked up and smiled. Once the wound was undressed, he took a moist cloth and dabbed it gently, careful to read Breaga's expression for any signs of discomfort. She gritted her teeth as he applied a salve and skillfully redressed the injury. "There," Merlin remarked, surveying his work, "all done." He turned to return the supplies to the tray when he heard in his mind a small, female voice, Thank you. Whipping around, he saw Breaga, unmoved, smiling slightly. "W-what?" Merlin asked, bewildered. I said thank you, the voice said again. "You're a Druid?" he stated, more than asked. The girl nodded, rolling up her other sleeve to reveal an intricate treskelion tattooed on her forearm.
"My-my village was attacked," she said quietly, voice as delicate as lace. Merlin sat back down, staring at Breaga intensely.
"It's alright, you can tell me." he pressed gently. Merlin placed his hand on her shoulder and she looked at him, tears threatening to spill over.
"My father was, dying," Breaga swallowed, speaking slowly, "and he passed on the sacred healing spell, to-to me, next morning Odin attacked, but the men with him, they, they didn't seem like his men, they wore red capes, like your friend. They were looking for me, so I surrendered myself, but it was too late. I was supposed to be in charge and everything, everything-" she shook her head and buried her face in her hands, leaning into Merlin who embraced her.
"Shh..." he comforted, "Its alright." Merlin had never been great at comforting people, but he hoped he was helping just by being there. He spoke in her mind, Hey, its alright. Can you tell me your name?
She responded aloud, "Breaga." Now sitting up, she rubbed her eyes, again forgetting about the injured one. "Ah-" she whimpered. It was still extremely tender and her vision was slightly stinted. Merlin gave her comforting look.
"Still that sore? I'll have Gaius look at it again. But here," he handed her a cool, moist cloth and she pressed it lightly to her eye. "If you're hungry, I've brought you some porridge." he said motioning to the bowl still resting at the foot of the bed. Hungry, she was. It happen been two full days since she had eaten and the ravenous look in her eyes told Merlin it all.
Merlin rose, but as she did Breaga spoke, "Merlin, thank you, for everything. Really, I can't tell you how much this means." He smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but as he did the door open and none other than Prince Arthur entered.