The Rescuer 2/2

"The Mother?" Alexandra says growing tired, her head and throat throbbing. She raises a hand to her throat, as if to rub the soreness away, only to wince.

"I don't think I am helping," popping a piece of bread into his mouth, sadness in his eyes, "I'm leaving town tomorrow to speak to King Jaymoth. You should come with me; he would be able to explain better." As he finishes off his food Alexandra thinks through what he had said. She did need help, she knew that, but a king? He would have many better things to do then to sit around for an entire day and explain to her this world she knew nothing about. He stands, walking to the kitchen and starts filling the sink with water. Pumping it up and out of the faucet with a little lever.

"Go with you?" she asks, popping a small piece of bread into her mouth for the first time, "but you don't even know me. I don't even know your name."

"Oh gosh my bad," He reaches over the counter to her, hand outstretched, "I'm Nathan Greenway." He says in a rush. Alex never thought she would find comfort in something so simple. She swallows her food and smiles up at him.

"Alexandra Rose." She says, happy to leave Joseph off for once, though her name sounded a little strange without it. She is surprised by how calloused his hand is when she takes it, matching his gentle squeeze, "but simply knowing your name doesn't mean I can join you."

"Sure it does. What else do you have keeping you in Alder."

"Well I..." she started to say before realizing she really didn't have any reason to stay here. No reason that made sense anyway. Where ever she was, Victoria wasn't anywhere close. If she stayed, she would end up traveling alone and risk getting lost, or attacked by those strange people she had seen in the woods before, "I don't actually have a reason."

"Then it's settled. You are coming with me, but you can't come looking like that." He says, exhaling heavily, "I'll run you a bath and get you some clothes. Just stay here and finish eating."

He leaves the kitchen, disappearing through the door way. Not for the first time that day Alexandra felt like she just needed to cry. She clenched her hands together and breaths. Trying to calm down before he came back and noticed. She had been so scared when that man pinned her, so helpless against him she couldn't even fight back. She had never felt such fear before and now: now she couldn't stop reliving it, over and over she saw his face in her mind swimming threateningly around with the rest of her thoughts. Was she really that weak? She couldn't stop feeling his hands on her; grazing her skin, caressing it.

"Th-thank you." Alexandra blurts out as Nathan comes back into the room. He walked so gracefully across the floor that she felt a little jealous. Heavens knew she wasn't capable of that grace. she noticed at this point the various, well hidden, weapons strapped to his boots, thighs, hips, and even forarms.

"What are you thanking me for? You have barely eaten anything." At the counter he began washing dishes and she just stared at him. "What do you do for a living that requires that many weapons" she wondered silently while she ate. She'd have to remember never to give him a reason to use them on her.

"For helping me," She responds, setting the plate aside, half the food still there. He just looks at her, completely calm.

"outside." She adds refusing to acknowledge the plate of food he now started at.

"Ah, well, it's not a big deal, I mean you did most of the work." She didn't know what to say to this. She wanted to ask more questions. Maybe even yell a little, but she knew that it wouldn't help. She sat there in silence while he worked on the dishes. She felt bad for not helping him and wished she knew what she could do without angering him. She looks up to find Nathan smiling at her. Frustration and embarrassment wash over her. "Why is he helping me?" She quickly stands, joining him in the kitchen; plate in hand. She needed to move, for him to not look at her like that.

"Sit down."

"What?" She responds, a bit too loudly. The level of demand in his voice replacing any embarrassment with defiance. They stare each other down, unmoving with a little pinch in the eye brows, until finally he moves. Sweeping the plate easily out of her hand and nudging her out of the kitchen with his knee. She concedes a step to keep from falling. Fast; he was definitely fast. She wasn't going to let that stop her though, sweeping up a towel off the counter she starts drying dishes.

"You sure are stubborn, aren't you?" He says leaning over the sink, washrag dripping soap onto the counter. She hadn't noticed how handsome he was, or how close to her age he was either. She keeps quiet, letting the moment pass and her mind find sanity again.

"Why did you insist on me coming with you tomorrow?" he avoids looking at her while he finishes eating the food off the plate that had been hers.

"It's not really for me to explain but let's just say I owe someone." He grabs a stack of dry dishes off the counter, "Your bath should be ready. You should go wash up and get some rest. The clothes are on the bed and don't worry, the bedroom is all yours, I'm gonna sleep on the couch."

Setting the drying towel down Alex enters the other room the door closing with a snap. A few candles were lit around the room. A small bed centered against the wall to her right. A tub of steaming water was against the opposite wall, a small rag hanging over the side. On the nightstand next to the bed sat a bar of soap, a comb, and a cloth shirt, boxers, and pants. Alex picked up the comb and started working the numerous knots out of her mangled hair. Leaves and twigs fell out and onto the floor and once she was done, she could still feel dirt in it. She reaches for her zipper, her hands shaking as she pull it down and raises the halter piece over her head. She was so very tired and sore. The dress fell around her feet, quickly followed by her underwear. The bruises were still dark enough that some spots actually looked black and her ribs still hurt endlessly. It was going to take a few weeks until it stopped aching so much and she would feel healthy again.

Alexandra yearned to wash the days events away in the warm water and when she tests it, it is the perfect temperature. Without any hesitation she steps over the edge and sinks into the water. The entire time she cleaned the dirt from her skin she thought about her day. The woods, those cloaked people in the meadow. Even that horrible man and what he had tried to do. Then her mind wondered to Nathan and how easy it was to be around him. She just felt comfortable and safe once she had come through the door. It was like one of those instant friendships you made in kindergarten. The burns on her wrist ached as she cleaned them out and, pushing the thoughts of Nathen away, she wondered if they were bad enough to scar.

Once her skin felt raw and the water had grown cold and grimy, she climbs out of the tub and shivers until she noticed the towels tucked under the tub itself. Once dressed she gathers up her old clothes from the floor and steps quietly back into the living space. Nathan was already spread out on the couch, his face turned toward the fire. He didn't say anything as she throws her clothes into the fire. "Maybe he's asleep." She thought though it didn't matter much, she needed to do this. After a few minutes of watching them burn she turns and disappears back into the room, climbs under the covers on the bed and falls into a fitful sleep.