Worlds Collide

Virgil

They all got away. Good. Janus bites my shoulder and I hear a crunch, I scream. Janus pushes me into the ground and I go back to my normal self. My shoulder is bleeding and he probably broke a bone, my back is covered in gashes from when he tortured me disguised as Logan, and everything hurts.

Janus turns back to himself and lands in front of me with a smirk. I quickly shapeshift into a hummingbird and fly away. I'm not getting caught again. But as I fly my shoulder hurts like hell. So once I get to a safe place I turn back to normal and collapse onto the ground.

I start crying from the pain. I won't be able to make it back to the house in this condition. I'll either be found by guards if I stay here or just die.

Just die. That's what I'll do. Even if I did make it back, Roman will kill me for killing his mother. But he has to understand that I had no other choice. I try to get up and I yelp in pain.

I close my eyes as I'm laying on the ground. I'll just die. That's the best thing for me now. I deserve it.

Everything goes black.

I feel something soft under me. I hear firewood cracking and smell the smoke of the fire and herbs. I open my eyes and see an unfamiliar wooden ceiling. I sit up and see I'm in a small hut.

It's only one open room. I'm on a bed in the corner, there is a fire in the center of the room with a pot of soup over it, and some tables and chairs. There are two small windows on the right and left side of the building.

The door opens and I get scared, I see an old woman who is around 3'5. She has long grey hair, a long purple dress, brown flats, and is on the chubby side. She sees me and smiles, her teeth dirty and rotten.

"I'm glad to see you awake, child," her voice is kind.

"Who are you," I ask.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help. I was searching for herbs and saw you laying on the dirty old ground. You almost bled to death so I patched up that nasty bite on your shoulder and your other wounds. I assume your the shapeshifter that everyone is calling a traitor. I saw you in your dragon form and I must say I'm impressed."

"Uhhhhh... Thaaaaanks? But who are you?"

"Your welcome. And I'm Lillian. What's your name, child?"

"Virgil."

"What a nice name." She stirs the soup with a wooden spoon, "You worried me child. I thought I was too late."

"What do you mean?"

"You have been here for nine days."

"Ni- Bleobsnalxne days?!" I had no words to describe my shock so gibberish came out. I have been asleep for nine days! That's longer than a week! I wonder how everyone is doing without me. Are they worried or happy?

She pours two bowls of soup and sets them on the small wooden and cracked table.

"Yes. Nine days. I have been looking around but I never asked flat out in case anyone dangerous and evil was searching for you."

She gestures for me to sit down at the table as she sits down on a wooden stool that creaks when she sits on it. I get out of bed and when I stand up I have to lean on the wall to keep myself from falling. It takes be about three minutes to get to the table.

I take a small bite of the soup. It taste wonderful! So many different flavors.

"This is really good," I say between bites.

"Thank you, child," she smiles at me.

"Why are you taking care of me? You don't even know me other than that I'm a traitor and yet you saved me."

"Because no one deserves to die on the dirty ground in the middle of the woods for some random person to find their remains. And you remind me of my son."

I perk up at the last part, "You have a son?"

She looks down with sadness in her eyes, "Not anymore... The King killed him..." Her voice cracks. "My son was in town buying me some ingredients and the King saw him. He started picking on him and when my son said something with attitude... His second hand, the yellow one and himself beat him to death on the spot..." She starts crying.

I wipe her eyes and hug her gently. "I'm so sorry."

"You didn't do it child."

"But I was one of them."

"And that's in the past. Now I'm sure your friends and family miss you and are deeply worried. You should return to them."

"Actually.... Could I stay with you? I can cook and clean. I can sleep on the floor so you can have your bed back... I just don't think my friends will want to see me. They are probably mad at me..."

Lillian nods slowly, "I see. I will have someone bring in a second bed and you can live here. I can teach you some potion making."

I smile, "That will be great."

We finish eating then she changes all my bandages which I have a lot. I have many on my back from where Janus disguised himself as Logan and cut my back with a knife, making an x shape, now x's cover my entire back, then my shoulder where Janus bit me and broke my bone, and on my arms and legs where I had minor injuries but a lot from the dragon fight. I then lay down on the floor, with a pillow and cover as Lillian lays down on the bed. We both fall asleep quickly.

Since she lives in the woods away from everyone it is quiet and peaceful, which I like a lot.