The Thief and Prince

Chapter 15: Lullaby

For the next hour, we collect our belongings from the slaver's possessions after Darko tells us where to locate them. Esau and Cane decided to head back to their homeland so we lend them two horses and some food before sending them on their way.

The slight shower has since turned into a downpour, so we all go under the awning and begin to look over our wounds. Darko has collected large barrels and has set them out in hopes to collect water for us to rinse off in—thoughtful I suppose.

Amiri and Laria sit a few tables away from Crispin and I and I hear a sniffle escape from her every now and then. It's clear that tonight's events have reopened both old wounds and memories that she has suppressed for far too long, and with the coaxing of the Acadian along with sweet nothings whispered in her ear, she's finally allowing herself to deal with her emotions as he not only begins to tend to her injuries but her heart as well.

"Are you okay?" Crispin asks, drawing me from my thoughts, "I mean, from earlier...in the cabin."

"Oh, um, yeah I'm fine. I killed him before anything happened," I answer, replaying the images of my teeth clamping down on his throat. "What about you? You look pretty beat...handsome still so don't worry—but beat," I say, a ghost of a smile reaching my lips.

He lets out a low chuckle and nods, "Well I think my nose is broken and I have a few cuts that can probably be sewn up, but other than that I'm fine," he says, looking at me through his one eye. "It'd be nice to see though."

"Well in that case I guess it's only fair I set it then, considering you did mine not too long ago," I tease, referring to the time Amiri broke my nose while sparring.

He lets out another low chuckle as I dab away at the blood that cakes his face. Seeing that his injuries were greater than mine, I figured he should be tended to first. We sit in silence for a few moments as I clean him up and I try to ignore his warm gaze on me. He watches my every move, studying every feature of my face and the only thing I can do is pretend not to notice.

The rain pelts the metal roof, causing a dull roar to fill the air. The fires have long since been extinguished and the only light we have are the lanterns that are slight on each table.

"I thought we were going to die tonight, that I was going to die. So thank you for saving me Cora," he says suddenly, reaching for my hand and pulling it away from his face. "I'll forever be indebted to you."

Looking down, I see that my hand is still in his and I enjoy the warmth they give me. Meeting his emerald gaze again, I shrug a shoulder, "You would have done the same for me..." I trail.

He gives a small smile and nods, "That I would," he pauses. "You know I have to say you continue to surprise me each day. You are far from the girl I believed you to be when we first left Paevia. I hope you can forgive me for any ill thing I may have thought of said of you," he finishes.

At this I can't help but to laugh lightly, "Crispin, I think you must have hit your head rather hard sometime during the night because you're acting strange," I say. "Are you sure you are feeling okay?"

Crispin looks up at me and I feel gentle grip on my hand release, "Never been better."

We then take our time cleaning up, doing what we can with what little we have. Darko lends us a kit to suture everyone's wounds—apparently I am the only one that gets by generally unscathed.

I sew up a cut on Crispin's forearm and thigh—which I took everything in me to focus on his wound and not how muscular his leg was—before moving onto Laria who has suffered an angry cut to her bicep. They both thank me and begin to change into a new pair of clothing they retrieved from their bags on our horses who seem generally glad to see us.