Adar

Chapter 10 : Healing

It was morning, the sun was rising over the horizon. John, Nathaniel, and Melanie were beside the cart. The cart was parked away from the road, in a clearing of the woods.  John and Melanie sat on stools, while Nathaniel leaned against the cart. Adar was sitting in the cart, leaning against the side, visible to all three who were eating breakfast.

Adar had refused to eat that morning. He had eaten the night before, but he had no appetite in the morning.

Cooked pigeons were what the three were eating, along with apples and Apple cider to drink.

Adar wore a different blue sleeved shirt that morning. Nathaniel had packed a few extra shirts and had given Adar one to wear. The  shirt seemed a bit large on him, especially the sleeves. Melanie had smiled when she had seen how big the shirt was on Adar, she tried to conceal her laugh but it soon followed.

***

Melanie looked forward and saw Adar looking up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought.

A bird had flown across the sky, catching Adar's attention. He looked up and saw it briefly. His attention then turned to the clouds. He and his mother always played a game with the clouds. Imagination was a great thing to have on a boring day like the one he was having. It was always good to have someone to talk to as well.

Adar turned and looked at John.

"John, do you know how to cook? "

John had finished eating the little bit of meat on the stick and looked at Adar. 

"Yes, I take pride in my cooking. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Said Adar." I was merely curious." 

I didn't expect him to say yes, Thought Adar, I guess people do have unpredictable talents.

"He also knows how to sew and sing lullabies at night." Said Nathaniel, smirking."He would make an excellent mother."

Adar laughed, immediately remembering he had a wound as the pain started. He placed his hand on his chest to try and relax but found it hard to stop laughing. Nathaniel had joined in on the laughter.

"There is nothing wrong with a man knowing how to cook." Stated Melanie.

"What man cooks?" asked Adar, after laughing. It was quite odd thinking of a man cooking. Back when he was a boy, all the men of the house went out and caught the food and brought it home for his mother to cook. His father and brother, Cane, would have laughed at the idea of a man cooking. Even more so if it would have been a man like John, a former Mercenary.

Melanie immediately took offense to their mocking. After all, her father, who was a man, taught her the skills of cooking that she now possessed. She found those memories comforting, and usually held onto them to overshadow the bad ones.

"Several men cook! Have you never heard of chefs? Cooking is a necessary skill." retorted Melanie, laying her stick, on which she ate her pigeon, on the ground.

Adar raised a brow." Do you know how to cook?"

A look of disbelief crossed over Melanie's face.

"...Yes I can cook!"

"Well when we get to the town, then will you cook something? " asked Adar.

"I will!" Exclaimed Melanie."And you won't taste any of it!"

Melanie arose and looked at John.

"John, would you mind if I fed the horses some apples?"

"No need to worry about that." Said Nathaniel. "We have plenty of oats-"