In His Arms

Chapter Eight

It was already dark and karma didn't even notice, normally as sun is about to set she would count every second until it was dark.

She watched as Duncan crushed the leaves he had been carrying around all day using a smaller stone on a  flat stone. He was wearing only his trousers since he gave her his shirt, because her dress was ruined and if could somehow repair still hadn't dry.

After crushing the leaves to satisfaction he put it onto a cloth. "My grandmother called this arnica, when I was younger and would get into a fight with my brother she would always put it on our bruises and swelling."

He knelt down before her and tied the cloth around her ankle.

"Thank you." She said, her voice hoarse. blushing at the feeling of his hands rubbing against her skin she thought to herself this is something I could never get used to. Never will I get used to someone treating me as a fragile flower as if they really cared. This must be what it  feels like to be cared for. "At least I wasn't completely useless today if it wasn't for me we would have been dried grapes from thirst."

Duncan almost laughed. "of course, weren't it for you today would have been absolutely dull."

She thought back on the eventful day they had and she couldn't stop herself from smiling. But, for some reason she needed to know that it wasn't her alone today had such an impact, so, she said casually, "today was great." She had never had some much fun in her entire life. This day was something karma knew she will never forget.

His expression changed and he looked at her for a while before he said "it was, wasn't it?"

They sat opposite each other eating fish Duncan caught at the lake. Surprising, it tastes good. Really good. After finishing eating she pulled her legs up to her and made a long sigh. "I love it here, even the food is great."

He chuckled.

"let's stay here forever." She jests, but if he had agreed it wouldn't be hard for him to convince her to stay, it has been the best place she had been. No Odious people, no Richard, none of his solider just serenity. "You see from as far as I could remember I never do well at nights, day even, during the day I was terrified of my father and during the night I was terrified of... she paused, she didn't want to bring her brother in the conversation."

"You were afraid of what?"

Karma pulled Duncan's big white shirt closer to her before she answered. "The darkness" and that was an accurate answer for her brother was darkness himself.

"You still are, aren't you?" He asked remembering when she had a night terror.

"yes, but when I'm here I'm not; l feel safe here with you. My mother was the only one I feel safe with. Since she died I have never really felt safe."

"I don't think you should feel safe with me, I can't protect anyone, in fact, I do the opposite. I caused my parents to die and they left my brother with me to protect and I let him die as well."

She was sure he didn't cause their deaths. She could see that he was hurting and she couldn't restrain herself from holding on to his hand to comfort him, but he just sits there with a familiar pain in his eyes as he stared at the fire.

She began singing a song her mother always sings to her, which would always help her to ease her pain. tears were running down her cheek but she held her head up and finish the song anyways.  At the end of the song she looked at Duncan and saw that he was staring at her strangely. In the split of a second he came over to her, pulled her into his arms and soothe her and at that moment she realizes they both have something in common and that is their familiarity with pain and darkness. However, he knows how to love while she doesn't. 

He held her and she felt like the pain was going away as they stood there surrounded by silence, not the usual awkward silence, just no talking, only feeling as time stood still.

Duncan finally let go of her, still, everything unsaid but heard loud and clear.

She sat on the log beside her. 

Her head was consumed with thought. She thought about what he had told her, what she had told him. It was the first time she had ever spoken to anyone about her mother and it was easy too, difficult because of the pain it brought but easy because she knew he understood how she felt.  She had never imagined that just talking to someone could be so, she couldn't find the word to describe it, so comforting.

She went and lie beside him and he pull her closer to him, muttering something.

Her last thought before she fell asleep was could he be her sunshine?