Origins Of Valour

Chapter II-Lloyd

Someone is shaking me awake. I blinked tiredly, the bright light coming from the nearby window blinding me. As I come to wakefulness the memories of the past few days come back to me all at once, and I cry out. Little sound makes it past my lips since they are quickly being covered with someone's hand. I notice that my injuries have been bandaged, and the pain has lessened to a low throb.

"Shh, it's alright, you're safe here remember? I don't want anybody finding you yet so you need to keep quiet. Understood?" I nod my head, and he takes his hand away. "And as promised a bath awaits." He helps me out of the bed and groan as I'm pulled out. I'm sore around my wrists and ankles, and my legs ache still from all of that kneeling. My host shows me to an antechamber of sorts and he starts removing the bandages. I flinch back, thinking of the pain that might come with their removal. I close my eyes and bite my lip not wanting to insult my host. contrary to my belief, removing the bandages didn't hurt and once he is finished, I see that my injuries have improved much. Now they are only large scratches instead of the bloody gashes that I went to sleep with last night.

"In the next room is your bath. I'll leave so you can have some privacy, and when you are done just come back in here and we'll find you some new clothes to wear."

He leaves and I take off my ragged street clothes, now that I really look at them I notice that they're more like rags that barely cover my body and as I drop them onto the floor they seem to dissolve into dust; it seems like a sin to dirty such a clean floor. I go to the next room, and in it's a bathtub filled to the brim with steaming hot water. It burns a little as I get in, especially when it touches my wounds, but soon my body adjusts to the heat and my injuries, though stinging at first. I sigh in relief as the water soothes them. I sit comfortably in the water for a while, I notice a bar of soap sitting on the edge of the tub, so I take it and rub myself down with it. I can't remember the last time I was able to see my skin as clean as it was, and i realize that, it's not just dirt that makes me look tanned. I get out, wrap a towel around my waist, and go back into the anteroom, where I find the noble sitting with his back to the doorway of the bathroom. He must have heard the door open, because he begins speaking.

"Did you enjoy the bath? I hope you were able to find the bar of soap I left in there."

"Yes." I reply uncertainly, as I take a cautious step closer to him.

"Good, now let's get you dried off, and then find you something to wear." He is holding another dry towel and hands it to me, then turns back towards the closet to find me something to wear. I begin drying my hair with the drier towel, and when I think my hair is dry enough I take off the wet towel around my waist and finish drying my body. I then re-wrap myself with the other towel, and walk over to where the noble is standing.

"Now to figure out what size you wear..." He begins rifling through the closet again. He pulls out a few items, and hands them to me. I try on a few of the shirts he has given me, but they are all too large at the shoulders, so I hand them back. Next I try on the pants he hands me and we find a pair that fits. He looks over his shoulder at me and pulls out another shirt, this one matching the pants that I'm wearing; I try it on and find that it fits me. He seems to be satisfied as well.

"Do you like it? I had had it made for my brother for when he got old enough to become a squire, but he was," He paused for a slight moment before continuing, "lost a few years ago, he was just a boy, not quite old enough for an apprenticeship, so he never got to wear it." He pauses again and turns towards me, and I see the smile on his face has lessened "But I'm glad that it has finally found some use though..." I can see his eyes grow a little foggy with tears.

"I..." I stutter, at a loss for words "I'm sorry for your loss." I don't really know what else to say, so I sit there patiently until he speaks again.