The Paladin: a story of Faith

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The journey home was slower than Teech wished. Though she was small, the paladin's extra weight was a burden, nonetheless, and so Teech stopped more often to care for her. Moving her in the slightest caused broken bones to shift, the pain of which was unbearable for her to the point of unconsciousness.

The paladin's head wound prevented her from full cognizance when she roused, making it difficult for Teech to communicate with her. It also seemed to affect her memory, for each time she awoke, she didn't seem to remember that he meant her no harm, nor could her abused insides tolerate much more than a thick broth. Anything she needed to chew often caused her to vomit again, which in turn caused her to faint from the pain of her broken ribs.

Teech soon learned, as with at the spring, to make a soup of whatever game the dog chose to share. He fed his charge the broth and ate of the solids, himself. Anything Teech didn't eat, the dog did, leaving nothing to waste.

For three days, Teech traveled in this manner, and even into the fourth day, when a light rain began to fall. By evening, however, the light rain had become a solid shower that drenched everything. Teech knew better than trying to light any fire. The best he could do was to wrap his wounded burden in his jacket and continue forward until he lost the light. He had nothing but water from his water skin to offer the paladin, or to drink for himself.

Slowed by the slick, clay mud of the steep, forested mountains that Teech traveled, he made far slower progress. The footing was treacherous in places and Teech couldn't see where he placed his feet, burdened as he was. Terrified of losing his balance and thus dropping his gravely-wounded charge, Teech's pace became halting indeed.

Though it had taken him four-and-a-half days of travel from his home to reach the edge of the bog, the return took nearly twice that time. Exhausted and soaked through, Teech could do no more at night than sit with his back against a tree, huddled over the paladin to shield her from the rain and wind while the dog leaned against him, seeking warmth.

Finally, after more than a full week of travel, and under the fourth day of rain, Teech finally reached his own cabin. It was with relief that he pushed his way through the door of his cabin, if for no other reason than that he was out of the rain. Having been gone for a full month, Teech knew he had much to do before he could relax for himself. He needed to get both his charge and himself dried and warm, and they both needed food. Standing just inside the cabin door, still with the paladin in his arms, Teech struggled to form a plan of action.

The cabin was divided into three rooms. The main room- the original cabin- consisted of the fireplace and kitchen area at one end, with the other end taken up by the big bed once belonging to Teech's parents, and his grandparents before them. An addition had been built against one side of the cabin, which doubled the size of the home, provided two rooms, one a bedroom on the backside of the kitchen, where Teech himself slept, and the other used for storage, away from any source of heat.

A trunk at the end of the big bed held spare bedding, while smaller trunks on either side served as both night tables and dressers. One trunk held clothes last worn by Teech's mother; they hadn't been worn or used since her death, several years before. The matching trunk opposite the bed and nearest the rest of the room was empty; Teech's father had been gone many years and Teech had worn out his father's clothing long before.

The empty trunk would hold the paladin's things while she stayed with him; he decided immediately. Clearly, her own clothing would be unsuitable for wear, except in the summertime. He hoped that some of his mother's things would fit the girl.

Teech dropped his axe just inside the door in order to free up a hand. Still holding the paladin, Teech opened the large 'linens' trunk and pulled out a towel, which he draped in clumsy fashion over the side of the big bed nearest the fireplace so he could lay his dripping burden on the bed without soiling the blankets or needlessly wetting them. Free to work with both hands, Teech fished out a clean bedgown from his mother's trunk and laid it beside the paladin, needing to trade the paladin's wet silk tunic for dry flannel.