The maiden walked into the hut tears streaming down from her face holding a small bundle in her arms. Quickly, seeing the woman enter, he grabs the bowl and sits it to his side. Jumping to his feet, he begins to move towards her, "M'lady, what's the matter?"
"...My husband he never came home.. last night..."
"I see... perhaps he was caught in the storm and forced to camp for the night..." Looking to the bundle in her arms, he smiles a bit.
She nodded lightly. "...You don't think he was mad at me and never came back because of it do you..?"
"Surely not m'lady... t'would be a fool to leave you alone over such a petty thing as asking questions out of confusion..." Smiling at her kindly, he points to the bowl, "I've got a bowl completely filled with fine dust of the black wings... how much more will you require?"
She walked over slowly looking in the bowl nodding lightly. "That is more then enough for the young ones."
"I've worked to achieve that through the night, not once did I stop to rest for more than mere seconds before I continued my task, I hope it serves it's purpose..." Slowly, he walks over beside her and gathers the bowl in his arms, "Shall we proceed?"
"... In the morning let the children rest a little longer."
"Of course..." he says as he takes the bowl to a table and places it near the wall so it would be safe from spilling. "Is there anything more I can do for you m'lady?"
She shook her head sadly. "No I'm sorry I came in and bothered you..." She bowed before she walked back to her hut slowly.
Catching her by the shoulder lightly, before she left, he smiles to her with a kind and gentle smile, "Please don't think of it as a bother m'lady... truth be told, I was pleased to have you visit as it was pleasurable to have someone to converse with." She nodded lightly looking up to him the child's eyes closed breathing weakly.
Gently placing his left hand upon the top of the child's head, he gives her hair a light stroke, "She looks so weak... m'lady... we could treat her now... a handful of the dust should be enough for a single child... right?"
She shakes her head. "All children will be treated as the same my child will be no different."
His head lowers a bit, nodding slowly, "I'm sorry m'lady... you're right, no child should be treated any different than the other..."
"... I'm sorry I even came and bugged you." She looked toward the hut entrance sadly.
"I assure you... you've caused me no disruption... it was a pleasure speaking with you..." He says as he stands behind her, sadly looking to the back of her head, wishing he could just hold her, wanting to have her with him once more.
"... I'll get your breakfast ready for you now get some rest before the sun comes up ok?"
Bowing slightly, he nods his head a bit, slowly standing back up and looking to her again, "Of course m'lady... if you need anything, don't hesitate to wake me, I am at your service, in repayment for your hospitality."
"...What you have done with the medicine foe the children is more then enough help..."
"Even still... I offer my services for so long as I stay in this village... please do not hesitate to request anything of me... it would be an honor for me to aide you."
She nodded lightly. "Thank you kind sir..."
Slowly, he moves around her and pulls back the mat that covers the doorway, bowing to her, "I'm sorry for keeping you as you were trying to leave... you have things you must tend to and I do not wish to hold you back from them."
"I enjoyed talking to you I doubt when my husband comes back I will be allowed to talk to you like this.."
Nodding softly, he glances out the door a bit, "I understand m'lady... but it was a pleasure while it lasted... perhaps we will be able to hold such a conversation again another time... for now, I will rest in preparation for healing the children..."
"Thank you for being so kind to a woman and a village full of sick children you never met before..."
"I owe you for saving my life... and for your hospitality to a lone traveler... it is a pleasure to be able to help you and your village in return." Nods lightly smiling to him kindly.
"Thank you for allowing me to stay here... it gets kind of lonely traveling the lands with no real place to go." Smiling to her, he bows again, staying bowed as he holds open the door, not really wanting her to go, but knowing she needed to do things before they began to heal the children at sunrise.
"Thank you." She bowed to him sadly before she entered the hut laying the bundled down softly. Smiling somewhat sadly, he watches her, slowly letting the mat fall back over the door. Looking down a bit, he lets out a soft sigh, softly whispering so she wouldn't hear him as he walked back to his own hut, "Ayame... I wish you could remember me and we could leave this place... I can't believe what fate has shown me... you live yet you were dead... the pain of being here with you though I cannot be with you is worse than the sword in my back when I lost you... but I can't bring myself to leave..." The moonlight came through the window the angel's wings glossing in the moonlight as she slept. Laying in the bed with the angel, he finds himself unable to sleep, merely watching her soft black wings glisten in the soft blue light of the moon. "So many things have changed since you came into my life... the threads of fate entangle you like a spiders web do small insects... pulling at the strings of others and bringing about huge turns of events..." The girl laid down on the bedding closing her eyes fully now as she laid motionless breathing weakly.
Slowly reaching out, he brushes his fingers over one of the velvet like black feathers, head tilting a bit as he did so, "So angelic... yet being used by humans... sad really..." She made no sound her eyes remained closed as she rolled on her stomach the collar visible now. Running his fingers up her wings, he slides his hand down to the collar, lightly touching it with the tips of his fingers as he had her wings, "Don't worry... as soon as the children are well... I will remove this from you... and we will begin to find a way to get your soul back..." The sun rose slowly the maiden cooked silently in her home the child laying motionless. Seeing the rising of the morning sun, the man slowly sits up on the bed, having gotten no rest at all he yawns lightly. Giving the face of the winged one a gentle petting, he stands and moves to the table, gathering the powdered feathers and exiting the hut, moving to Ayame's hut. The maiden had set his bowl on the table she was already struggling to feed her child. Entering, he places the bowl of dust on a table near the door, bowing to the lady feeding her child. "Good morn m'lady... I am ready to begin with the children as soon as you are."
"Eat first kind sir then we will." She spoke sadly.
"Of course," he says softly, bowing to her again before taking his seat on the floor at the table, sitting upon his knees with chopsticks in hand. "It tastes and smells great, you're a wonderful cook."
She blushed lightly. "Thank you for the compliment..." the child struggled to chew the pieces of carrots.
Smiling up at her, he continues to eat his food slowly, though his appetite was small, wanting to end the child's suffering weighing heavily on his mind. The child finally finished her carrots finally her eyes open weakly her blue eyes faded.
Looking to the eyes of the young one, his appetite fully fades, his hands laying his chopsticks on the table, "That was delicious m'lady... pity I was unable to eat it all but I am not very hungry this morn... I do thank you for the meal though."
She nodded lightly as she stood with her child. "I guess we should head out."
Bowing lightly, he nods his head softly, "The children are in need, we should begin now."
She laid her child down on the bed gently. "I will gather the children in here then."
Nodding his head softly, he moves to the cooking area, removing the pot that hung above the fire pit, "I will prepare the fire, we will do this for the children, haste is of essence for their suffering is not something a child should have to endure." She nodded quickly moving out to the other huts. Kneeling over the pit, he begins to build up a fire from the still hot coals from the cooking fire, working quickly. The child coughs badly shaking every time her eyes closed tightly. After building the fire up, he stands slowly, looking to the child with eyes filled with sadness, "Hold on little one... you will be better soon... my darling daughter..." Moving to her slowly, he leans down, gathering her into his left arm and holding her gently before moving to the bowl and picking it up, carrying it back to the fire, placing it on the floor nearby, awaiting the return of Ayame. The child held on weakly her body almost motionless against his her mother entered slowly among other parents with their sick children. Gently brushing his fingers against the cheek of the little girl, he smiles down to her, his eyes saddened visibly. "Soon you will be strong... full of life and able to live as a child should..."The children were placed on mats on the ground to rest. Keeping the girl in his arms, he looks up to Ayame, nodding his head softly, "Are we ready to begin m'lady?" Looking down at the girl, he awaits the woman's reply, his free hand on the bowl, preparing to pour its contents upon the fire.
She nodded lightly. "Yes these are all the children that managed to survive the illness..."
Nodding softly once more, he takes the bowl, lifting it near the fire. "May the threads of fate find the use of these feathers, given us by the angelic one, worthy, spreading wellness to the ill children of this village..." he says aloud as he turns the bowl up, the powdered feathers pouring slowly into the fire. As the last of the dust falls into the flames, a slight flash occurs, the flame growing to twice it's original size, the ashes of the feathers beginning to float about the room, giving off a gentle white light... could this be the healing power of the feathers of darkness...?