Chapter 4 - Kindness

The next thing Lynna knew, she was on her back, lying on what seemed to be a stone slab. It was warm, though, so she didn't mind. The next thing she noticed was that the sun was out. And, again, since it created warmth, she didn't mind.

She propped herself up on her elbows and tried to look around. She could only tell that there was a figure next to her and that there was a dark shape behind them. Why was everything spinning so much?

"Well, that was simple enough…Hey, are you alright?" He seemed surprised that she wasn't standing.

Lynna got precariously to her feet, brushing off her pants as she did so. "Yeah, I'm ok…whooa…" She wobbled and nearly fell over, but her companion caught her. She put a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes as he led her over to a nearby wall.

"You just sit down here for a few minutes, ok?" She plopped down on the ground, keeping her hand on her forehead. "I had forgotten the effect that transportation magic can have on people who aren't used to it…Aside from the dizziness, how do you feel?" He lightly placed his hand on top of her head.

"I'm fine, really," she whispered. She was touched by his concern for her wellbeing. "Thank you." She risked opening her eyes so that she could look him in the face. "You've saved my life, and I don't even know your name."

"My name is Sheik."

"Sheik…what a nice name. I'm Lynna."

She smiled and extended her hand towards him and he delicately shook it for a moment. Sheik cleared his throat and stood up, saying, "Well, Lynna, you should wait here for another minute or two while I go prepare the way out of here. I'll be right over there if you need me before then, okay?" He gestured to the other side of the small clearing before he walked over.

Lynna got a good look at her surroundings for the first time. The dark shape that she had seen before was a set of stairs that seemed to lead into a cave of some sort. Opposite of the stairs was a fence bordering a sudden drop of about twenty feet, which seemed to be overlooking a graveyard.

After she had sufficiently taken in her surroundings, she watched what Sheik was doing. He had found a ladder, which he had leaned against the wall opposite of where she was. At the moment, he seemed to be checking that it was still sturdy by kicking some of the rungs. She assumed that he was satisfied with the strength of the rungs, because he headed back towards where she was still sitting.

"How are you holding up?"

"I think I'm fine now," Lynna replied. She stood up slowly, and didn't feel a head rush. She took a few experimental steps, "Yeah, I'm okay now."

"That's good. Do you think you'd be able to climb a ladder?" He jerked his head towards the ladder that he had set up. Lynna nodded confidently. "Ladies first," He gestured for her to go up the ladder, and she quickly ascended to the ledge above.

Sheik removed the ladder and placed it on its side next to the fence. She did not see that coming. "What are you doing? How are you supposed to get up here now?" she shouted down to him.

But he wasn't there. She looked around on the ledge below, a look of complete confusion on her face. "Sheik? Sheeeiiikkk??"

"Yes?" His voice came from a small distance behind her. She whirled around and saw him leaning casually against a tree that bordered the forest on this higher level.

"What…how did you…?"

Sheik laughed quietly, "Lots of practice. Come on, follow me." And with that, he walked into the forest. Lynna hesitated a moment, but only for a moment, before following him.

--

Sheik led Lynna into a clearing in the forest. In the clearing was a small, cream-colored cottage with dark wood accents, a small garden, and a stream running along side it. Sheik walked up to the door and opened it. He waited for Lynna to enter first before following her, and he closed the door behind him.

The door lead to a hallway with two doors on the left, a large gap and a half-wall that led to the kitchen on the right, and another door at the end of the hallway on the right.

"Come on, let's get you into some dry clothes." He opened the first door on the left, which led to a spare bedroom. He walked over to a dresser, opened a drawer, and started to look through the clothes in it. After a few moments of searching, he pulled out a baggy tunic and a pair of drawstring pants. He held the garments out, expecting Lynna to be close by, but she was still standing meekly by the door to the bedroom. "…You can use these for today. We'll go to Rebecca's tomorrow and get you some new clothes."

Lynna didn't move.

Sheik walked over to her, a look of concern on his face. "Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?" he said apologetically. She looked at him for a moment, then her eyes began to water. Sheik was taken aback. "What's wrong, Lynna?"

Lynna replied, "You're being so kind to me!" She wrapped her arms around him, buried her face in his shoulder, and started to cry.

Now Sheik was flabbergasted. He lightly pat her back, his face turning slightly red. He noticed that her clothes were still very wet. "Why would I not be? Now, listen, you'll catch a cold if you don't get into some dry cloths." He gently pushed her away from his body and handed her the garments that he offered to her before. This time, she accepted them while she wiped tears from her cheeks. "You get changed in here, and I'll go make us some nice tea, how does that sound?" he said gently. Lynna nodded, and he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he left the bedroom, making sure to close the door behind him.