If Time Can Dare [BL]

1

It's a muddy day in this town. The streets are quiet and most shops are closed because there are little customers anyway. However, for a small family with a huge debt cannot afford to close.

The eldest daughter in the family sweeps the floor while the father and eldest son continue their carpentry and the pregnant mother in the back preparing a warm lunch for the family.

When the daughter hears the bell at the front door rings, she goes over to greet the customers. Without looking up, she smiles, "Welcome. How can we help today?"

Then she notices a stream of blood flowing from the customer's feet. She looks up and sees a half dead man covered in old and new wounds. The broom in the her hand falls over.

"Gwen?" Her brother calls. "Is something the matter?"

When he comes out from the back, his sister runs and hides behind him. Before he could asks or takes another step, the bloody customer clasped onto their clean floor.

"Ah!" They sounds at the same time.

"What's wrong?" Their mother rushes to them, and sees the corpse, "Ah!"

Their father comes in. He too is stunned. He looks at his wife who says, "Bring him to the back. Let's help him."

Gwen hugs her mother while her brother and father moves the injured customer to the back of the shop. They lay him onto a wooden plank.

Then she brings a bowl of warm water, towels, bandages, a pillow, and quilt to her brother. She says, "Gin, mom said you and I do it. She's gonna talk with dad about this."

"I'll do it alone. It's much too gory for a kid. You can go clean and watch the shop," Gin replies and drops a towel in the bowl of warm water.

"I'm not a kid! Anyway, good luck!" Gwen tucks her tongue out and runs away.

Gin sighs and wipes the blood from the body. After six bowls of water, the half dead man is clean. Or as clean as he can be. His clothes are torn and no longer usable. However, this poor family do not have extra clothes that fit his burly warrior body. His is only wrapped in bandages and covers by a quilt.

"Good job," Gin hears his mother behind him.

"Thank you... So what are we going to do about this person?" He asks his parents.

"Your father and I will report him to the lord once this rain lets up. He must be a knight, so this is all we can do until then..."

After they leave the warrior and return to their usual routine, Gwen pulls on Gin's shoulder and whispers in his ear, "Is he good looking after you wipe all the blood away?"

Gin rolls his eyes, "He's married. There's a gold ring on his left ring finger."

"Tsk!" Gwen clicks her tongue.

"He probably doesn't like little girls even if he's not married."

"You're annoying," Gwen sighs. "Let a girl dream. Ha, marrying a knight must be so wonderful."

And just at Gwen is finishes her sentence, there are knights marching in the muddy rain outside their shop. A knight opens their shop and asks, "Have you seen anyone suspicious?"

"No. We have not, sir." Gin hides his younger sister behind his back.

"Alright. If you seen anyone suspicious, go report it to the lord's guards." The knight rushes out, doesn't even bother to close the door behind him.

Gwen shivers, "Except that knight. He's ugly and old... Anyway, why did you lie Gin?"

"What's the point of turning in a criminal without a reward? We'll wait until there's a bounty on his head."

"Oh. And here I thought you were being dumb and getting us killed," Gwen purses her lips and squinting her eyes as if observing her brother's thoughts.

Gin closes the door, tells Gwen to watch the shop as he returns to explain the new situation to his parents in sign language as if someone might hear them. His mother gives him a firm nod and tells him to set the table.

'Maybe we should report the man. What if he wakes up in the middle of the night and hurt us?' The husband signs.

'He won't be able to get up any time soon. It's a good chance to make money since we've lost a lot with the convoy last year.'

Still nervous but trusts his wife's judgement, the husband agrees.

Later that night while the family is asleep, the wounded warrior is awoken by a nightmare in sweats. The room is dark and he is uncomfortable on the wooden plank as a bed. He can't bear to get up but is very thirsty.

And as he is thinking about how nice a cup of water is, he is greeted with one. Someone helps him sit up and places the rim of a cup on his lips. Then the water pours in and moistens his dried throat.

The person also helps him lay back onto the wooden plank. Before he knows it, he is fast asleep again. He has forgotten the stranger's face.