Eyes of Azyron

Chapter Two

The next two days passed without incident. I allowed myself to rest, and yes, I'll admit I indulged in my own self-pity. Amelia was kind and understanding. If it seemed that even small talk would elicit no response, she left me be, but was never far from my side.

My condition was stabilizing with time. My sight did not return, although now I could make out some light and shadow, if I concentrated. Still, it left me feeling debilitated, and wondering how I could go on with my life. It did occur to me that there wasn't much life left to go back to, the way the fires had so utterly changed everything.

With my eyesight gone, there was no hope of salvaging my work in the village, if there was even anything left of my home to return to. I didn't know much else after the fires had jumped to gobble me up, but I knew my home had gone up in the sudden blaze before I had. Was there anything left for me to return to? The feeling that there may not be consumed me.

As it was, I had been living alone anyway, my mother and father already in their graves, and I had no siblings. There wasn't any way I could return to the life I had been living before in the state I was now.

I urged myself out of my own self destructive and indulgent reverie, waving my hand to motion Amelia to approach me. I turned my face to her as she approached. Even though I can no longer see, it still seems only polite to try and look people in the eye. "Do you think I might be able to sit up and eat something? I'm terribly hungry."

The smile that crept across her face was audible in her voice. "Right away, Miss. Do you think you would like to start with some broth, maybe a crust of bread? It's been quite some time since you've eaten."

I nodded, and she shuffled out the door, the lock clicking softly behind her. It would seem for all their well meaning here, they did not yet trust me. In all fairness, I wouldn't trust a stranger brought into my home, no matter how damaged their body had been either. Still, under their care I was recovering quickly; that is, what I could recover. I waited for her to return to help me sit up, for I wasn't entirely sure how much strength I had just yet.

A warm cloud of the aroma of beef broth, hearty and savory, announced her arrival even before she opened the door. I heard her set the tray down, then she laid her hands gently on my shoulder. I flinched, expecting the pain that had plagued me until the treatment they administered to emerge yet again from my body. Yet it did not come, and I let out my restricted breath with a loud huff. She backed off for a moment, and I reached my hand to my shoulder, touching it tenderly. The skin felt smooth and soft, as if it had never been touched by flame.

"It's like I've never been burned." I remarked. "It's a miracle."

"Yes, Miss. What my lord did for you was great indeed. It is a great gift, in its own way." I wasn't quite sure what she meant, but I couldn't help but to agree.

She placed her hands on me again, helping me to steady myself as I worked into a sitting position. Once satisfied I was properly set, she stepped back to grab the tray, and laid it on my lap. I had no idea how I was to begin eating, but she gently guided my hands to hold what was not a bowl, but a mug filled with broth. I couldn't help but smile at the kind and thoughtful gesture. The liquid drew warmth into my limbs as it traveled down my throat. It was slightly salty and beefy, but not so strong that it could turn my stomach. She helped me set it down, then directed my hand towards the bread. My fingertips came into contact with the soft and crumbly texture.

"I feel as if I have to relearn how to do everything," I muttered, still pitying the state I had been reduced to. "I don't know how I'll ever live independently again."

Amelia made a sound in the back of her throat. "Hmm, well, I doubt my lord will ever turn you away from here, so I wouldn't have any fear of that, Miss."