“I should be on my way.” He managed to climb to his feet and walk towards the saddle. His body screamed as he tried to lift it and he let out a growl as it slid from his grasp and landed on the ground with a soft thud.
Without a word, Mira walked up beside him and lifted the saddle. She was stronger than she looked. She managed to get it on the horse and buckle it.
Wren looked on, ashamed at his own weakness.
“I could have gotten that,” he said.
“Fool,” she snapped. “You aren't riding off on your own if you can't even saddle your horse. Think you can ride if I help you?”
He kicked at the dirt. “Probably.”
“Good. Now that you can stand, we're taking you to my father.”
Without another word, she motioned him over. It took many tries, but they finally managed to get him onto the horse. She climbed up in front of him.
The woman was full of surprises.
“Hold on,” she said, taking the reins in her hands.
He scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her waist. Her hair hit him in the face so he brushed it over one shoulder, his fingertips skimming her skin. She gave the horse a small kick and when it took off, she moved against him.
He closed his eyes, enjoying her feel even as his body ached for him to stop moving. A blinding pain was starting behind his right eye and his head lulled forward. When his chin landed on Mira's shoulder, she used her free hand to grip the arm he had around her.
They trotted over open land and it wasn't long before they were on the streets of the small village.
Wren felt eyes on them as their horse walked by, unfriendly eyes. He caught quite a few people throwing their sneers Mira's way and it made an anger rise up inside of him. He'd only known her for a single day, but he knew she didn't deserve the way they looked at her.
Their looks turned from scorn to curiosity and a little suspicion when they traveled from her to him.
“Do you think you can get down on your own?” she asked, seemingly unaffected by the attitudes of her neighbors.
“I can try.”
She gave his arm a squeeze before stopping outside a small home and sliding down. Immediately a thin woman appeared at the door.
“Where on this earth have you been, Mira?” Her voice had a screeching quality that only made Wren's headache worse. “I needed you to help with the twins and there are chores that need doing.”
“Thank you for your worry, mother. I'm fine.”
“Don't you sass me.”
Their argument was broken up by a crash from behind as Wren attempted to slide down from the horse and ended up in a pile on the ground.
“Wren!” Mira screamed, rushing to his side. She bent down and looked into his glazed eyes then glanced back at her mother. “Where's father?”
“I'm here,” he said, stepping from the house. “What trouble have you brought to us this time, Mira?”
A crowd of neighbors had gathered. Mira knew her father would be angry, but she also knew he would not turn away someone who needed help.
“This is Wren. I found him in the woods. He was on his way to join the king's forces when he got injured.”
Her father sighed. “Garrick,” he called. A man appeared from the crowd. “Take the horse somewhere where no one will think about turning him into food.”
The horse was led away and Wren's foggy mind couldn't grasp that things were so desperate for that to even be a consideration. He glanced at Mira, painfully away that she'd probably made it worse by bringing him to her home.
Mira's father walked forward and leaned down to haul Wren to his feet. “Sir,” Wren said, trying to walk on his own. “I'd like to thank you in advance for your help.”
“Thank my daughter.” He scowled. “She's the idiot of the family.”
Mira blushed furiously and hung her head in embarrassment. Wren wanted nothing more than to tell her parents how wrong they were, but in that moment, the fog in his mind grew thicker. As soon as he was led to a bed, he collapsed into unconsciousness.
Chapter Three
The long day passed and he hadn't woken. They ate their meager food and went about their daily chores all while a stranger lay sprawled on one of the beds. Only, he didn't feel like a stranger to Mira. She watched his face as soft snores sounded in her ears and knew there was something different about him.
She thought about the extra food in his saddle bags for just a moment and glanced at her brother and sister. No, she couldn't steal from this man.
He'd left his home to join the army that the king would surely be calling upon soon. When she was in the midst of her connection with the earth, she could feel something large happening. It was as if the very ground held a suppressed joy that it covered with trepidation. What was coming was going to have monumental consequences.
Her eyes scanned the room. Would it change all of this? Would it allow her to be free? Her fingers tingled in remembrance of a time when magic flowed freely from the land. She sighed loudly. She'd do anything to feel in running through her veins again.
But she wasn't doing anything.
This man from Isenore was giving up everything. He had a lot to lose. She had nothing and yet here she sat as the realm prepared.
The room was lit only by a ring of candles and the fire that burned in the stove. Her mother and father's shadowed figures huddled around the stove for warmth. Her siblings had long gone to bed on their small pallets. The silence made her smile. It wasn't often she got a moment of peace.
Wren mumbled something in his sleep and Mira grasped one of the candles and moved closer. The flame cast his face in light.
Rustling came from behind her and she noticed her parents putting out the fire and crawling under their tattered blankets. She listened for a few minutes before she heard her father's snoring and her mother's even breaths.
The one room house was full of people, but she could still feel so alone.
Wren had been placed on her bed so she knew she was in for a cold and dirty night on the ground. It didn't make her eager for sleep.
Wren's pink lips moved slowly as if he would speak. Strain appeared in the fine lines of his handsome face and he jerked his head from side to side.
“No,” he mumbled. “No.”
She laid a hand on his shoulder and felt his entire body quiver. Tears appeared at the corners of his still closed eyes.
“Please, Zak.”
His chest convulsed and fear bloomed in her chest. After checking him over, her father had told her he would be fine with some rest, but she'd wondered if he just didn't want to use any of their limited supplies on a stranger.
“Wren,” she whispered. “Wren, wake up.”
His eyes shot open and he stared at her for a tense moment before recognition took hold. His gaze darted around the room as he struggled to catch his breath.
He eventually relaxed and she realized her hand was still on his shoulder.
“Sorry.” She pulled it away quickly.
He shot her a weak smile and ran a hand through his sweaty hair. “How long have I been out?”
“Just today. My father said you needed rest and then could be on your way.”
“I don't want to be a burden on your family. You've been so kind.”
“You're not,” she stammered then stopped herself and sighed. “Okay, maybe you are, but you needed help. What kind of person would I be if I didn't do what I can.”
His eyes widened in wonder. “I've never met anyone like you before.”
She laughed nervously. “You mean an odd girl with nothing better to do than look for stray men in the woods?”
He reached out boldly and took the hand she'd placed on the bed beside him. “Kind. Beautiful. I've seen a lot of this realm. Trust me when I tell you that you are as rare as they come. Distrust, anger, and selfishness have become a way of life in Dreach-Sciene.”
“They've had to. It's how people survive.”
“Then tell me, how do
you survive?”
She pulled her hand away and looked away. “Surviving is easy because we have no choice. It's living that's difficult.”
“Aren't those the same thing?”
“No.” She fiddled with the ends of her hair. “They're not. Excuse me. I must get some sleep.”
“Oh, but I must be in your bed.” He tried to sit up. “I can take the floor.”
“You absolutely cannot!”
“My lady Mira, you cannot sleep on the ground.”
“Of course I can. I'm not the one who let my horse step on me.”
He tried to get out of the bed, but his strength would not let him and she wasn't inclined to help. A tiny smile played on her lips, but it fell quickly as she curled up on the cold dirt floor. There were no blankets to spare and a shiver ran down her spine. It had grown very cold and she could feel it in her very bones.
Pulling her arms in closer around herself, she laid her head against the dirt. It didn't happen instantly, but her icy limbs began to thaw as a warmth pulsed through her. Placing a palm against the ground, she smiled.
“Thank you,” she whispered before falling into a comfortable sleep.
“Get up, Mira.”
Mira didn't know how long she'd been asleep before she heard her mother's harsh words and felt the toe of a boot poke into her arm.
“Mira,” her mother snapped again.
With a groan, she uncurled herself. Light was just beginning to push away the darkness. It was early.
As soon as she broke her connection and clambered to her feet, the warmth of the night left her.
Her mother scrutinized her. “You need to bathe today.”
“Why?”
“Just do as you're told for once in your life, child.” She shook her head. “I'll be giving your breakfast portion to our guest.” She shot a disgusted look over Mira's shoulder at Wren and left the house.
Her father was already out, presumably with the twins in tow, leaving Mira alone with Wren. She turned to find him sitting up in bed. His lips curved into a smile and she felt a flutter deep in her belly.
Shaking off the feeling, she walked towards the door. “I have to do as she ordered.” She grabbed a bucket and ducked out of the house, making her way to the well at the center of town. Each family only got an allotment of water for their daily needs. If her mother was using some on Mira, there must be a reason.
She pumped a generous amount into the bucket, wanting to take advantage of the order. Hefting the heavy bucket, she returned to her home.
“Do you think you can get out of bed?” she asked Wren. Water sloshed over the side of the bucket as she set it down.
He pushed himself up seemingly pleased with the return of some of his strength. Without a word, he swung his legs over the side of the tiny bed and stood. He wobbled slight and then righted himself. “I'll go sit outside the door,” he said.
When he was gone, Mira found a sponge and a tiny bit of soap. It had been a good batch she'd made last month and smelled of a flower she didn't know the name of. Flowers of any kind were rare and she'd been amazed to find a small patch of them in the woods.
Undoing the laces of her dress, she pushed it down and stepped out of it as it pooled at her feet. The cool air hit her pale skin and she sucked in a breath.
“I don't envy you,” Wren said from the other side of the door.
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“It must be freezing.”
Her teeth chattered as she began to sponge her long arms. “It's fine.”
“Sure.” He chuckled lightly.
She scrubbed her thin legs and then came to the point she'd been dreading. Steeling herself against the oncoming cold, she bent over the bucket and pushed her long hair into the water.
A hissed escaped her lips as she scrubbed it, rinsed it, and flung it back. Icy water trailed down her back.
Wren laughed louder this time.
“I don't know what you find so funny,” she snapped.
“I'm just picturing you naked right now.”
She stopped moving as his words shocked her brain. Bold didn't even begin to describe them. She should have been angry at his forwardness, but she found she was angry at something else instead.
“And that makes you laugh?” she snapped.
“No, I'm laughing because I imagined your face when I told you that.”
She hurriedly pulled on her underclothes and then her dress, leaving the laces slightly undone before marching to the door and yanking it open.
“You're …” she started. “You're …”
He climbed to his feet with a flash of pain crossing his face before grinning. “Handsome? I'll bet you were about to say handsome.”
“Ugh, I think I liked you better when you were in too much pain to be yourself.”
“That hurts, my lady.” He held a hand over his heart.
“I'm no lady.”
He cocked his head, considering her. “No. You're not, are you?” He stuck his hand into his pocket. “Anyway, I saved you this.”
Mira looked down at the bread he'd pulled out and her stomach rumbled at the thought of having even the tiniest bit of food.
“Don't you need that to regain your strength?” she asked.
“I never wanted to take anything from you.” He pressed it into her hand. “Here. You must be starving. I would have saved the cheese your mother gave me, but she stared until I ate it. I'm fine. I can just go get the food from my saddle bags.”
“Not until you leave. If anyone sees you, they'll take it all.”
“Stop worrying about me. Are you going to eat?” As soon as the first crumb passed her lips, she couldn't help herself. She shoved it in hurriedly, sighing as the picked the last crumbs from her hands. “Thank you.”
He bowed slightly. “I guess that means I'm forgiven for picturing you naked?”
A laugh burst free of her. “Come back inside. You must be freezing. I'll make us some tea. My mother won't notice a few missing leaves.”
He followed her in and watched as she put the water on to boil and pulled her curls over one shoulder, running her fingers through them to smooth out the wet mane. She stared absently into the fire and didn't notice Wren walk up behind her.
She jumped when she felt his cold hand on her back. “Need help with the laces?”
“My mother usually does that. She complains, but she still helps.”
Her dress tightened as his nimble fingers worked the laces, occasionally brushing against her skin.
“I have three sisters,” he said quietly. “I've done this a time or two.”
When he was finished, she spun around to find her face to face with the man who was still very much the stranger. She knew the village would talk if anyone saw that they were alone.
His breath warmed her face and she couldn't decipher the look in his eyes. It was curiosity mixed with something else.
“You have sisters?” she stammered, stepped back to give herself space.
He chuckled briefly and scratched the back of his head. “Three sisters, two brothers.”
“Why are you the only one your father sent to the king?”
“As far as I know, the king isn't sending children to war. One of my brothers is so young he barely knows which end of the sword to hold.”
“You said you had two.”
“Zak …” A tortured look crossed his face.
“You were calling out to him in your sleep.”
He looked embarrassed as he breathed deeply. “I don't know why I'm even telling you this.” He sighed. “Zak was kidnapped by a squadron of men from Dreach-Dhoun. They like to take the sons of Isenore nobles to their dungeons and then return their bodies.”
Mira reached out and grabbed his arm, sliding her hand down to intertwine her fingers with his. “Wren.”
He closed his eyes for a brief moment. “It was a few years ago. Can we talk about something else?”
“Why aren't your sister
s with you?”
“Why would my father send them?”
“You don't think women should fight in this war? That's ridiculous. It is just as much our realm as yours. Our bellies are just as empty as any man's. Our lands just as destroyed. I can remember the feel of having magic right at my fingertips, why shouldn't I be able to fight to have that back?”
“I'll bet you would fight.” He laughed for the first time since the admission about his brother. “Bow or sword?”
“I can hold my own with a bow.”
“See? That's where you differ. If it isn't a knitting needle or a paintbrush, my sisters can't wield it.”
“Oh.”
He grinned. “I'm not the woman-hater that you thought I was, am I? I'm just a deep, dark, tortured soul.”
“You're something, alright.” She busied herself making the tea while his eyes burned into her back. Her hands shook as she poured steaming water into the two chipped cups.
“I know you're used to better.” She handed him a cup.
His eyes didn't leave hers. “This is perfect.”
A blush rose up her cheeks as he took a sip and peered at her over the rim. She drank her tea in silence before twisting her hair into a simple braid.
He frowned and set his cup on the table.
“What's wrong?” she asked self-consciously.
“It's just …” He blew out a breath, stepping closer once again and fingering the end of her braid. “I like your hair free and wild.”
“Wild?” she breathed.
He nodded.
“Do you always say whatever is on your mind to a complete stranger?”
“Oh, but you're not a stranger. You saved my life. You took care of me. I told you about my brother and I don't talk about that with anyone. There's something different about you.”
Mira's chest rose and fell rapidly as Wren leaned in, so close that if she moved she'd brush up against his.
He lowered his voice. “To answer your earlier question, if I really said whatever was on my mind, I wouldn't hesitate to tell you how much I've wanted to kiss you since the first moment I saw you on the forest floor.”
Once Upon A Broken Dream: A Creativia Anthology Page 17
