Reconciliation

Perspective : Conrad Garnier

As my consciousness drifted into a peaceful slumber, I experienced the sensation of being gently carried by someone.

Then I didn't remember anything.

I opened my eyes before two nuns, I took in my surroundings, I found that I was placed upon an altar.

There I saw statues of a man holding a book, I immediately knew where I was.

It was Saint Luis's healing church.

Saint Luis's healing church was a religious sect that has established its presence in multiple countries. Centuries ago, a wandering saint, blessed by the goddess of healing, Asclepius, roamed from battlefield to battlefield, using his miraculous healing magic to aid the injured. He showed no discrimination towards any soldiers, irrespective of their affiliation, be it the winning or losing side.

During those endeavours he was captured and executed by a king, whose identity was never to be revealed. Later his followers all across the world revered him and worshipped him, soon Saint Luis's healing church sect was founded.

The fact that they worshipped an actual person that once existed instead of some phony unseen god makes this sect more authentic and dangerous.

I checked for my wounds, but the cut was already healed.

Then I felt a familiar presence.

The door to the church's hall swung opened, and in a flurry of emotions, she rushed towards me and embraced me tightly, almost as if she was trying to squeeze every ounce of life out of me. It was Regina.

If I wasn't dead by that stab wound, I would be dead now, with how tight she was hugging me.

With her face buried against my chest her tears streamed down her cheeks as she cried.

"You scared me to death, You idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot ..... ".

I don't know how many times she called me an Idiot, that day. But It was evident that she was worried about me.

I calmed her down.

"I am fine ... stop hitting me or else I will seriously croke this time".

She replied,

"Don't you dare joke about that".

I tenderly grasped her shoulder and delicately lifted her face. Her nose and ears were tinged with a red hue, her eyes were filled with tears. The sunlight illuminated her face, causing it to glisten as tears moistened her cheeks. I gently wiped away her tears and said.

"Look at me ... I am fine so, stop crying .... okay".

Then I embraced her.

She asked,

"Promise me you will never do such a thing again ..... you will never ever try to leave me alone again".

I replied,

"I promise".

I discovered that I had been out for two whole days.

Then someone else appeared in the prayer hall,

"How are you doing mister Conrad?".

I asked "I think I am fine,

Were you the one who healed me?".

He said "Oh no .... heavens no, I could never take credit for the work that our benevolent saint does".

I thanked him.

He replied, "If you must thank someone, thank our saint .... for he is always watching over us".

I never liked religious people because they were always so self centred with their religion.

Then he introduced himself,

"Oh my apologies, it was rude of me to not introduce myself,

I am bishop Suleiman of this branch of Saint Luis's healing church".

And then I introduced myself and Regina properly as a custom, even if he knew about us already.

Then he suggested us to follow him, he gave us a tour of his church, there were water fountains, statues of Saint Luis and a library, nothing a church wouldn't have.

All those time I was reminiscing about her, that scent of ash was still lingering in my nose, that one glimpse of her face still danced before my eyes.

I was curious and confused that,

Whether my mind was playing tricks with me? or she was real and If she was the soul reaper, why was I left alive?

( It doesn't make any sense)

The questions clouded my mind, so, most of the bishop's superstitious bullshit I didn't heard.

Then, he took us towards a magnificent statue of Saint Luis, larger than any I had ever seen in the church.

There he asked me,

"If you were to shed a part of your worldly possession in this box here and pray to our saint I am sure that our saint would heed your prayers".

I have to hand it to him, that was a crafty way for asking donations. If it were any normal day I would have declined, but they saved my life and you can't put money before your own life.

I asked,

"How much?".

He said,

"As much as you wish, but more then 2 gold coins would suffice".

So I donated 5 gold coins to the church.

I wondered what they did with those funds. Anyways, after that I was released from the church, but was under advice to take rest for the remainder of 2 more days. As they had closed my wound but still I had lost quite a significant amount of blood. And to recover those I required rest.

Between filling that drinking tab and today's 5 gold coin donation to the church, I was feeling paranoid. The kind of feeling you get when, you spend too much money, so even though you have enough money, you become kinda hesitant to spend anymore. That was exactly how I felt.

Regina, on the other hand, held onto my right hand tightly. She clung to me, and I could feel the sensation of her breasts against my skin, a feeling I shouldn't think about .

I attempted to ask her to let go, but she appeared genuinely worried for my well-being, so I decided to let it be.

Her behavior resembled that of a pet; when you distance yourself from them, they cling to you and demand attention. Yes, that's precisely how she was behaving.

The smell of ash was still on my nose, but most of all the smell of gourmet meat, was stronger. I hadn't consumed anything till I woke up so, I was hungry. It seems that both Regina and I haven't eaten anything since morning.

So, we decided to have meat skewers from a nearby stand.

I bought 4 for 60 coppers which I admit was quite cheap.

As we sat on a bench by the side of the road, enjoying our meal, an unexpected moment occurred. In a gentle yet caring gesture, Regina's soft lips brushed against my cheek, leaving me surprised. Instantly, a rush of warmth and care filled the air. I couldn't help but caress my cheek with my hand and ask,

"Why did you do that?".

With a playful smile she replied,

"There was food, on your cheeks".

I said "Next time use your hands".

Then I saw a crum of food on Regina's cheek, so I used that to demonstrate to her.

"See .... this is how you do it".

I removed the crum with my hand and threw it away.

While we were eating out meal. I heard a voice.

"You sure ..... you are not into her?".

It was Thor Gild with some other recognisable faces.

I replied,

"As sure as I can be?".

Thor Gild sighed. and spoke,

"Even if you are ....I am not going to give up on her".

I said like a guardian,

"Over my dead corpse ... Bastard".

He replied,

"So be it".

Regina was confused so she questioned,

"What are you guys talking about?".

I said, "It's nothing".

Then Thor Gild introduced us to his three buddies, that he had generously bought along.

"Hey Conrad and Regina, this is Brandon and those are Marcus and Robin".

"They want to apologise for that day at the party".

They were the same guys who picked on Regina that day in the party.

Men like him don't change their beliefs in a few days, they must have been coerced on to apologising.

The bald man, stood before me and said,

"I am sorry for my behaviour that day".

I responded by redirecting him,

"I am not the one who you should ask for forgiveness , apologise to her".

I pointed towards Regina.

At first the big guy showed signs of hesitation for a bit, then he sucked up and apologized to Regina,

"I am truly sorry for my behaviour that night sister,

would you please forgive me".

Regina replied in boldness,

"Sure ... it's water under the bridge.... but never try to touch me again ... or you will find something precious of, your's missing".

I could sense the agony he was in, it was amusing to witness his pitiable state.

Like him his cronies too begged for forgiveness, Regina forgave them all.

Then, Thor Gild gracefully dropped to his knees, delicately grasping Regina's hands and placing a chivalrous kiss upon them, resembling a noble knight from a tale of old.

He said,

"My lady, now I must bid you farewell,"

He spoke with a hint of longing in his voice. Observing his persistent attempts at winning Regina's attention, my frustration grew, as he seemed to seize every opportunity to flirt with her.

After infuriating me, those four left our sight.

And

We returned home, I recuperated for 2 days after which I was once again ready to go adventuring.