The next day, Arielle awoke as usual to an already stirring Eden who was crouching in front of the fireplace.
"Good morning." the blond said sleepily.
"How are you feeling?" Eden asked, turning her head towards her.
Arielle stretched herself slowly and judged her body's reactions.
"Better. It doesn't hurt as much and I don't feel so hazy." she answered, noting that all the salves, ointments, and different teas she was being given had definitely helped with that.
"Good."
Slowly Arielle rose from bed and washed herself as Eden prepared some breakfast quietly. They ate in silence. Eden was pleased in the blond's relatively fast healing; the bruises were fading quickly, her forehead no longer needed a bandage.
"I'm going to the market for some more herbs." Eden mentioned after a while, staring at her food and Arielle raised her head from her plate.
"Herbs? Like the ones you make these teas out of?" she asked, getting a nod in response, "You know, it's all very fascinating; how they work, all those ointments and everything you used. ...Eden, could you...would you teach me...about the herbs?"
Eden didn't look up, but stopped eating for a moment, dragging her bread around her plate in circles. Arielle had begun to get used to the fact that sometimes it took time for Eden to reply and she patiently waited, hoping she hadn't gone too far again.
"You can come with me to the market if you want. I'll show you." Eden replied, slowly raising her eyes to meet Arielle's.
"Wonderful." Arielle said with a smile, her delight dancing in her eyes.
Eden's gaze automatically darted back to her plate. Arielle wondered in silence over that reaction. It seemed that every time she smiled or tried to be warm, the raider's gaze would flinch back as if burned. It puzzled her that all the reactions that would normally gain a person's favor, attention, and even trust seemed to irritate the raider. She rifled through all the reasons that her curious mind could conjure up, but none of them seemed to make sense. She had already seen that Eden had the ability to be warm and gentle, but somehow she simply chose not to be. Maybe it's the reputation she's living up to? Maybe something happened once?
After finishing breakfast, they rode back to the markets of Antioch, Eden armed and armored, Arielle dressed in the clothes Eden had given her, a thin shawl covering her head, and with the staff in case she felt tired. Eden could see through the main gate that the streets were bustling with activity and decided to leave the horse outside the gates, away from the crowds. Each carried with them a large shoulder bag and they dived into the market commotion. They walked from merchant to merchant, buying the things they needed. Arielle absorbed the atmosphere like a sponge. She had been in markets before in Avignon, but this one was different. There were different sounds, smells, and colors. The traders were so diverse and from so many different places- Armenians, Franks, Seljuks; merchants from Damascus, Jerusalem, Cairo, Basrah, Rome, and Constantinople. The exotic flavor of it all intoxicated the blond- silk, grains, sugar, oils, wines, gold, spices, linens, silver, ivory, wax, skins, herbs. She seemed to marvel over almost every thing she encountered, wanting soak it up, to know it inside and out. Eden, on the other hand, went about in a very business like manner, spotting what she needed, paying for it, and leaving without dawdling, usually having to shout at Arielle to keep up. After having bought some fruits and vegetables, they went on to buy some bread, a little cheese, and lamb.
When they reached the herb merchant, Eden finally turned to Arielle and looked at her. She took a deep breath and proceeded to tell Arielle what she knew about healing herbs. At first, she thought she was simply indulging the blond in some whimsical idea of hers, but when she noticed the serious attention she was giving to the subject, she took more heart in the matter and actually wanted to pass on all she knew.
"These are cloves," Eden explained patiently and pointing to the different herbs, one by one, "used as a painkiller and antiseptic. Coriander for fevers. Saffron is for infections, though it's hard to find; it's better to use thyme or achillae for that. Balm leaves of Melissa for wounds. Coltsfoot for fever and inflammation. Yarrow helps you sleep. Garlic is good for everything."
Eden went through all the herbs she had used and then went on to explain what other ones did as soon as the blond asked. She could almost see Arielle registering every word in her mind like a diligent scribe, her brows creasing, her eyes focused. Eden noticed a peculiar little warm feeling in her chest. Perhaps because it had been a week since the day they met in the most bizarre of circumstances and Arielle hadn't once run for her life in a hysterical, screaming panic like most did. Or perhaps it was because she was talking about something different than battles or divisions of spoils; something she had to learn herself and that someone was actually listening and not out of fright, but with interest. Arielle looked at Eden who was lost in her thoughts and smiled at her and the sudden realization struck Eden that the blond wasn't terrified of her and it hit a chord deep within her. Arielle leaned against her staff a little more and Eden snapped back into the present.
"Enough scholarship for today." she said, paying for her herbs, "Want to go back?"
"Yes, let's. I am a little tired." Arielle admitted with a small, sheepish grin.
They turned back into the alley where Arielle accidentally bumped into a man.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Arielle said quietly.
"Watch where you're walking, you little piss!" the man shouted, waving his arms and blocking the alley.
Arielle took a step back in shock and felt Eden take a step forward and stand right behind her and heard a deep, low growling in her throat.
"Oh, no, this can't be. Oh, this is just too good!" the man began to shout in menacing laughter.
"What's the hold up there!" a shout came from the back of the little crowd that had gathered in the tight alley.
"Hey, look what we got here, chief!" the man yelled over his shoulder.
A darker, taller, and more formidable man pushed his way through up to the front and when he saw Eden, he simply crossed his arms over his chest and chuckled roughly. Eden suddenly felt the same sensation she had felt in the desert, the charge of protection. She effortlessly shifted around Arielle and now stood right in front of her. Arielle could smell her leather armor and feel a strange strength pulsating off her skin.
"Karas..." Eden growled through her teeth.
"Now is that any way to greet an old friend?" Karas asked, an evil grin on his face.
Eden's hand slid down to the hilt of her sword, which he immediately noticed.
"Ah, ah, ah. Now why would you want to do that?" he asked sarcastically and she watched as eight of his men drew around him as he took a step forward, "You know, I think you should be taught some manners. First, you leave without even saying goodbye and then you don't even say hello. You're getting to be like that little tart."
"Back off, Karas." Eden warned.
"Just some innocent advice." he said, mockingly raising his hands into the air and then resting them on his sword, "I think we could give you both a little...schooling."
"Back. Off." Eden strained through her teeth, feeling a strange energy being pumped through her veins and her muscles strained almost to a breaking point.
"Oh, come on, what's she to you anyway? She's certainly not helpful or useful. And you don't need good company. Everyone knows you have no friends. Isn't that right...Zauba'a?" he sneered.
The mention of the name sent shock waves through the whole crowd of curious onlookers. Arielle noticed everyone begin to move away in absolute fear, whispering the name to their neighbors and praying for themselves all in the same breath. "I heard she killed 10 men with her bare hands and blindfolded. Zauba'a killed Rebecca's daughter, she was only 9 years old. The candlemaker lost his eye in one of Zauba'a raids. She burns down churches, she's a witch! I heard she eats the hearts of the knights she slaughters. She once walked into a school and cut each child in half, my brother saw it with his own eyes. She'll murder us all or sell us to slavers." The remarks bombarded Arielle's ears and mind and she leaned harder against her staff for fear of being buried underneath them all. Eden cursed Karas to every corner of Hell imaginable. He knew that they wouldn't fight in such constricted quarters so he instead turned to a different way of inflicting damage. Plus, if he was lucky, the city people might just carry her outside of their walls on pitchforks themselves.
In the corner of her eye, Eden spied a small corridor in the sea of people that lead down a side alley. Seeing her opportunity, she suddenly grabbed Arielle's arm and pulled her behind her and quickly ran down the alley and turned left and right for what felt like an infinite amount of times before they were finally free of the city walls, the crowd's murmuring, and Karas's booming laugh. Without a word, she nearly flung Arielle onto the horse, mounted herself and galloped away from there as quickly as possible.
Back at the hovel, Eden dropped the shoulder bag on the table, picked up a small pouch off the shelf and stormed outside to a clump of trees off in back of the hovel. Arielle stood near the fireplace trying to think of what to do. She hadn't seen the raider that mad before and the thought of Karas being so near scared her somewhat. The remarks she heard in the marketplace relentlessly swirled in her head to the point that it started to make her head ache. She walked out the door and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She noticed storm clouds gathering on the horizon. After a few deep breaths, she decided to go talk to Eden.
The blond found her sitting on a rock, under a clump of trees, sharpening her sword meticulously. She approached her from the back, but wisely judged not to come up too close and she stopped a small distance away. She listened to the sliding grating of the stone against the blade, a chilling yet practical sound. She noticed that it had a certain music to it and coupled with the raider's rhythmic movements, it turned into almost a type of dance.
"What does he want with me exactly?" Arielle asked quietly after a few moments of silent observation.
"I really don't know," Eden replied after a while, "but he knows it gets to me." He knows it'll hurt me.
Arielle stared out into the horizon and Eden continued sharpening her sword. They both wondered if she would be forced to use it one day against him.
"Eden," Arielle started tentatively, her brows furrowing, "those things they said...about you...being a witch..."
The sharpening sound halted and Arielle noticed how blisteringly quiet it became and felt uneasy. Eden sighed heavily and her shoulders slumped.
"What did they say?"
"They said... they said that you burned down churches. Ate the hearts of dead knights. Murdered children..."
"Is that what they think of me?..."
"Is it... I know some of it is crazy... Is what they say..." Arielle stuttered, somehow not able to formulate the potentially destructive question.
"No." Eden said, letting out a deep, slightly aggravated breath, "At least not all of it. I've killed, yes. I've torched and raided, yes. But I don't gorge on dead people, I don't touch any places of worship, and I would never hurt a child. Common peasants and their stupid, revolting imaginations..."
Eden returned to sharpening her sword vigorously. Arielle was ashamed to admit that she breathed a silent sigh of relief. She somehow felt that the tales couldn't be true, but, on the other hand, she couldn't say that she knew Eden at all. She understood, but feared the reputation that had probably kept her alive to this day. The demon horse and the demon rider. No fear in battle, no heart as a weakness.
"It was cruel," Arielle said with a hint of compassion and taking a few steps forward, "how they treated you. And what they said about you having no friends."
Arielle heard the sharpening sound slow down and that heavy sadness that Eden seemed to carry everywhere with her filled the air and hung like thick smoke.
"It was true." Eden admitted so quietly that Arielle almost didn't hear her.
The admission tugged at Arielle's heart. She wanted to tell her that although they didn't know each other, she somehow enjoyed the raider's company. She wanted to tell her that even though she could probably find a hundred sensible reasons against it, she still wanted to at least try to be her friend. She gingerly reached out and put her hand on the raider's shoulder.
Eden jumped up and swiveled around, raising her empty hand in protest and opening her mouth ready to shout out a threat. But she caught the gaze of those innocent green eyes now mixed with confusion and a little embarrassment and found the shout dissipate in her throat. They just stood there for a while, looking at each other in silence, Eden slightly crouched in an almost defensive stance, awaiting attack and Arielle standing straight with her hands folded in front of her, awaiting judgment. Then Eden began to finally relax, standing up straighter and lowering her hand. She sheathed her sword and walked forward a little until she was standing beside the blond.
"Do you like lamb?" she asked with a hint of doubt.
The silence that she was getting in response was making her nervous and she began to think that it was better to just turn around and run.
"Yes, I believe I do." Arielle finally answered, turning to Eden with a small smile.
Eden let out a small breath and they both made their way back to the hovel to roast the lamb over the flames.
A steady rain set in while they were eating their dinner and when they had finished, Eden threw more logs on the fire to keep the hovel warm. The room filled with bright light and they rested on the rug, opposite each other, drinking a weak ale.
"You know, I think that was probably the best lamb I've ever eaten." Arielle said a little dreamily, seeing Eden scoff lightly, "What? No, really, it is!"
"Alright, alright."
"I have an idea. How about I cook tomorrow? I feel a little useless and I'm not too bad around a pot and spit myself." the blond claimed, boldly raising an eyebrow.
"Alright then. If we die of hunger or poisoning, it'll be your fault."
"Hey!" Arielle chuckled.
Eden suddenly tensed and Arielle's laugh and smile disappeared. A few moments later she heard the sound of galloping hooves rumbling through the damp ground. She shifted her eyes to Eden who seemed to turn into one large nerve, picking up the slightest sounds and analyzing them instantly. The horses stopped in front of the hovel.
Eden felt her heart charged again, her blood racing slowly, her body at a tense peace, her being open and unattainable. She looked at Arielle with an intensity that the blond could hardly bear. Arielle saw such an iron gaze of resolution that she would have sworn she could move a mountain or push back the sea with those eyes. Long flames flickered in those oceanic eyes; it wasn't coming from anger, but something else that Arielle couldn't determine, something that seemed far deeper.
"Are you just going to leave us out here in the rain like this?" a shout came from outside, "Like I said, no manners!"
"Listen to me, princess." Eden said with a nearly lethal seriousness, "Stay here. If something happens to me, take the horse and run."
"Wait, what? What are you saying?" Arielle asked, obviously frightened and worried as Eden arose.
"Run and never look back."
Eden rose, turned on her heel, neared the door, opened it and walked out defiantly, leaving an alarmed Arielle still on the rug.
Light spilled out into the night, illuminating the riders somewhat and reflecting off the heavy rain. Eden stood opposite nine drenched raiders and knew that this encounter would not end with mere words.
"Well, well, well. Finally come to show us some hospitality?"
"Leave." Eden replied, her voice sharp like a stone.
"Guess not," Karas remarked, unfrazzled and shifting in his saddle, "You know, I've taken about as much lip from you as I can stand so I'm just going to say this once and for...well, old times' sake. Give me the harlot."
"What do you want with her?"
"Well, we know just how to break in a colt like that. Don't we, boys?" Karas asked, turning around to them and they all jeered, sending a shiver up Eden's spine, "So how about you hand over the little jewel, huh?"
"You know I won't do that."
"What is it with you anyway? You really want to cause such a raucous over that worthless tramp?" Karas asked, tilting his head slightly and leaning forward in his saddle.
"You're the ones who came galloping over here in the pouring rain for nothing." Eden retorted.
"You always were a sharp one," Karas remarked with a heartless chuckle, "and I never did like that very much. Oh, look who graced us with her unbearable presence."
Arielle walked into the doorway of the hovel. Eden turned her head to the side and saw the blond from the corner of her eye, her figure steeped in light, her face full of resignation.
"Eden," she said softly, "maybe I should...You can't fight all..."
Eden's heart began to hammer steadily and she turned her gaze back to Karas.
"You know as well as I do that if I want something, I get it. So hand her over and I'll leave you be." he growled.
Eden said nothing, the humming tension in her body filling her lungs, spilling into her blood, speaking to her. Arielle took the silence as a sign of hesitation and acceptance of Karas's terms. The sound of the blond taking a step forward crashed into Eden's mind with such force that she thought for a instant that her body might just explode. Eden shifted slightly to the side, now fully in front of Arielle, blocking her way.
"Do you really want to give up your life for this wench? Who is she to you anyway? No friend or ally. Have you grown that pathetic and sad? You want to become a martyr not even a dog will remember, is that it?" Karas yelled and his men dismounted, drawing their swords, "I'm warning for the last time!"
"No, I'm warning you. Anyone tries to touch her and I'll make them regret the day they were born." Eden hissed.
"You disgust me," Karas shouted, spitting on the ground near her, "I'll take pleasure in putting your head on the wall of the room where I'll have my way with that bitch!"
The men lurched forward and in flash Eden had her sword in her hand, ready to meet them. She let the terrible calm within drive her actions and she stabbed and slashed in a lethal dance that didn't allow for any mistakes. She flowed with power and grace and Arielle noticed that the raiders looked like badly made wooden puppets in comparison to the woman. The first man fell to a wide swipe of her sword before he could even raise his own. She then shifted her weight onto one leg and launched herself to one side, piercing the man there, pulling out her sword quickly and using her momentum to spin around and thrust her blade into the man rushing her from the other side. Four of the remaining men launched themselves at her simultaneously and toppled her to the ground under their collective weight. They quickly rose and began to batter her with kicks and the pommels of their swords. Give in. Give up. Just let it go. Have your peace finally. Find the solace you crave. You won't have to feel anymore and no one will ever hurt you again. Just surrender.
"No!" Arielle screamed as one of the men reached her and grabbed her by the waist.
"Silence!" the man screamed and hit her across the face with the hilt of his sword, letting out a terrifying smack.
"Eden!" she screamed with all her remaining strength as the man dragged her away.
The group of raiders abruptly jumped back as Eden suddenly vaulted upward off the ground and raised her sword, her name echoing in her mind, boiling under her skin. She let out a yell of near madness and hurdled forward, slicing the raider in front of her from the shoulder down to the opposite rib. The two raiders on opposite sides ran at her blindly. She took two steps to the side towards the youngest of the raiders who was scared nearly stiff. He began to slow down and didn't even raise his sword and she struck him in the head with the pommel of her sword, knocking him out. She then turned and fell to one knee, driving her outstretched blade right through the stomach of the charging raider. She pulled the sword out roughly and turned to the raider who grabbed Arielle.
"You really shouldn't have done that." she growled and the raider absently let Arielle gof, a panic beginning to overtake him as Eden began to stomp towards him.
She stared him in the face, piercing him through with eyes like some kind of demonic ice that could suck all of the humanity out of him and he began to tremble.
"I warned you." she whispered.
He suddenly jolted upright as Eden drove her blade up through his throat and out the back of his neck. He stared at her wide eyed and she kept her eyes locked on him, as he slowly slid down to the ground with the life that was seeping out of him. He finally crumpled dead to the ground and she pulled her sword out and breathed heavily.
"Not bad," Karas remarked, dismounting and drawing his sword as he approached Eden, "but like I said, I always get what I want."
"Karas, I'm giving you one last warning now. Leave now and I'll spare you your worthless life." Eden warned forebodingly.
"Oh, sorry, I've got other plans."
"Then, I hope they involve burning in Hell."
"Oh, no, ladies first." he sneered and hurdled himself at her.
His attacks were swifter and stronger than those of the other raiders and Eden, tired and aching, quickly found herself on the defensive. Karas sneered at her, knowing his advantages well and toyed with her, trying to wear her down as much as he could. Yet Eden knew him well and deflected his attempts using as little energy as she could. Karas finally grew annoyed when he saw he wasn't getting much of anywhere and launched himself at her in a flurry of strikes. The night was drowning in the sound of the deadly dance; sharp blades clashing, heavy breaths expelling, steps spinning in the thick mud. Karas grinned as Eden breathed heavily.
"I really don't see what everyone is afraid of." he spat.
"That's your first mistake as usual. It'll be your last." she retorted.
Karas lurched forward with another furious volley and Eden found each strike harder and harder to deflect. Just give up. Karas unexpectedly swung with his left fist and slammed into Eden's face, sending her to one knee with a groan.
"Ha! Pack your bags lovely," he cried to Arielle, "you're coming with me! Oh, I'm going to love you to death. That I promise you."
Eden saw Arielle huddled in the doorway with her arms around herself, her legs giving out and sliding to the ground. She heard her whimpering. She felt her fear. She turned her gaze to Karas as he looked back at her and rose to her feet.
"You sick, disgusting son of a whore." she spat coldly, her eyes freezing over, the charge swelling in her body.
Karas struck, but Eden parried his blow, holding her sword in only her right hand. Karas struck once more, but was deflected again and again. He noticed the awesome ease with which she fought now and felt a fear begin to crawl up his spine that she could easily sense.
"Did you miss me, oh gleam of my heart? Did you pine after your death angel, hm?" she hissed through her bared teeth and with a frigid glare.
Eden now took the offensive, each one of her strikes sending Karas back, stumbling in the mud and rain. Yet it came with a horrifying ease, her motions and aggression pouring out of her like the simplicity of breathing.
"I warned you, you sick bastard. I gave you a chance to save your miserable existence!" Eden raged over the rain, "But you couldn't leave me alone, could you? Well, now I'll send you to the hell I come from!"
Eden launched a barrage of strikes that he finally sank to his knees beneath. And as he hurriedly tried to shift and thrust his sword into Eden's side, she was quicker and plunged her blade between his neck and shoulder and straight down to his heart. His body jolted stiffly, remaining paralyzed for a few moments and then fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
Eden took a couple of steps back, retrieving her sword, breathing heavily and scanned the ground, looking at the havoc she reeked.
"You bastard! You sorry son of a blasphemy! You couldn't just leave me alone? You could've just listened! You soulless sack of pig shit! I hate you! I hate you and everything that came from you, you miserable bastard of a pagan!" she screamed as she paced amongst the dead, dragging her sword behind her.
And then she let out piecing yell, carrying all of her regret, sorrow, and hurt. Because she was the victor, but she had never really wanted any of this. She dropped her sword and sank to her knees and began to cry though no tears came. She pulled on her hair in anguish, her chest heaving in dry sobs, her whole body shaking from her effort that was beyond her means. Arielle heard the cry and saw the slumped black raider and felt something painfully twist within her. She pulled herself up and on her shaky legs walked out into the rainy night towards the forlorn figure. She moved as if by someone else's hand, along a thread she couldn't see and a reason she couldn't remember. Quietly and without reflection, she sank to her knees behind Eden and gently slid her arms around Eden's shoulders and rested her forehead on the back of her neck. Eden only hung her head and let out another cry, this one low, full of her heavy sadness and loneliness. Arielle responded by pulling her arms around her tighter.
A loud stirring caught Eden's attention after a while and she noticed the man that she had knocked out beginning to get up. She gently unclasped Arielle's arms from around her, got up, and walked over to the raider who had stood up and was clutching his forehead in a daze. Eden approached him, grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up so that he was on his tiptoes.
"Everyone else is dead." she told him in a frigid tone, her voice cracking slightly under the strain of her rage and sorrow, "Do you want to join them?"
The raider shook his head, blinking madly.
"Get these bastard friends of yours out of here and I'll spare you. If I see a single shred of them here in the morning, I'll find you and pull your spine out through your throat. Do you understand me?"
The raider nodded and Eden let him go and he dropped to the ground. He looked up to see Eden glaring at him like Death itself and he scurried on all fours over to the first of the bodies and began to drag him back. Eden heard Arielle approach.
"Let's get you out of this rain." the blond said softly and turned to the hovel.
Eden followed her almost unconsciously. She walked back into the hovel, closed the door behind her and faced Arielle who was looking at her. The sight of Eden broke the blond's heart; she was covered in mud, blood, soaked to the core and had the face of someone who had be robbed of everything she held dear. A tear fell from the blond's eye and silently rolled down her cheek. Eden noticed it and followed the tear's path down Arielle's face and neck until it disappeared behind her tunic. She found that tear strangely fascinating, as if it was the first time she actually saw one.
"Don't cry." she whispered hoarsely, her gaze a little blank and lost.
Arielle let out a stifled laugh mixed with a suppressed sob and raised a trembling hand to her lips as more tears threatened to show themselves.
"Thank you. I can't even..." she whispered in a breaking and trembling voice.
"No need." Eden replied shaking her head slowly, the water dripping from her hair and down her face.
"Stop. Just stop it." Arielle said softly, but sternly, catching Eden's attention as she walked forward and threw her arms around the dark-haired raider and succumbed to sobs.
The blond cried shamelessly into Eden's shoulder and for a few moments Eden simply stood there in utter surprise and confusion. Her heart began to hammer again, but this time in a steady echo, willing her to react against her well armed reason. Slowly she lifted one arm and wrapped it around the crying blond. They stood there like that for what seemed to them to be hours; muddy, bloody, soaking wet, and exhausted. Arielle cried over them both, realizing their pain and sacrifices, but not knowing how to help or heal. Eden had saved her life, but she watched her killing herself in the process and it made her feel numbingly helpless; she wanted more than anything to finally do something. Eden simply listened to Arielle's tears, feeling her tremble against her body, her breath settling on her collarbone, her hands resting on the small of her back. It was so gentle, innocent and purely human that Eden was completely awestruck. She felt like a child who was experiencing a beautiful summer's day for the first time. Her fascination struggled with her fear of humanity, but she was too exhausted for this battle and out of all the times she could have surrendered that day, she chose this one.
Eden sighed heavily onto Arielle's shoulder.
"It's alright now. It's alright." Eden tried to soothe.
She gently pulled away from Arielle.
"How about we put on some dry clothes, hm?" Eden suggested and Arielle weakly nodded.
They changed into the last two tunics Eden had, Arielle putting on another skirt and Eden putting on old animal skin leggings. They sat in silence on the rug and Eden made them some tea, willing her hands not to shake. They sat in their usual places by the fireplace and sipped their tea slowly, letting it warm them from the inside.
"Let me take a look at that." Eden said after some time, referring to the nasty bump on Arielle's cheek.
She shifted over closer to the blond, picked up a jar with an ointment and applied it with the same care as before. It almost made Arielle want to cry again. She then noticed a bruise forming on Eden's bare forearm and remembered the beating she took.
"And what about you?" she asked.
Eden looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully as she moved her limbs around. She winced and looked down, pulling her tunic up somewhat absently and revealing a long scratch on her side, below her ribs. She frowned at it slightly and reached for the ointment, but was halted by a hand on her wrist.
"No," Arielle said with a certain insistence, "This time let me. I want to do it. I want to learn. I want you to teach me. You have to teach me everything you know."
Eden looked at her with a baffled curiosity. But the forest green eyes expressed a deep urgency and pleaded for acceptance, for a chance. Yet, Eden saw that they were not the eyes of a naive, giddy, young lady, but someone much wiser and more knowing, who understood and believed in more than human reason allowed. It seemed almost as if an ancient spirit had taken refuge in a girlish body and it spoke to Eden in a silent tongue, asking to be seen. And Eden's emptiness responded, accepting its request for an audience.
Eden lifted her hand from the ointment and Arielle let it slide through and out of her hand. She then took the ointment in her hands and shifted closer to Eden.
"Tell me what to do." Arielle said with decision.
Eden explained and Arielle followed and Eden noticed that the blond's hands trembled, but said nothing. They both checked Eden for any other wounds, finding a couple more scratches, several growing bruises around her midriff, a cut on one arm and the bruise now forming under her eye. Once finished, they looked at each other.
"Sleep. It'll both do us some good." Arielle said before Eden had the chance to say the same thing.
Arielle went to the bed and Eden stretched out on the rug. The hovel fell silent except of the sound of the continuous rain and the crackle of the fire. Arielle stared up at the ceiling, feeling the pressure of Eden's hollowness in her chest and she decided to do something about it. She promised herself that she wouldn't leave Eden like this. She just couldn't.