XVII- The Determination of the Stolen

Ravenna sat alone in the meadow, wearing a waistcoat that was too big for her. She touched the fabric; it was silken, such high quality. She has never worn anything so fine, being from a poor village. If it weren't for the garment, Ravenna would have thought her mind was trying to block out what had happened to her in the meadow. But her thoughts came back to why she was wearing it in the first place.

"A Seraphim saved me. He heard my prayers. How did he hear them? Did the Ruler send him? But he said he was going to be punished. I don't understand?" Ravenna mulled over her many questions quietly to herself. She decided not to talk to Peter's gruff new coachman. He intimidated her with his rough appearance and aided Peter in her kidnapping. That man could sit there until he starved for that silver coin for all she cared. He was an accomplice in her situation, and she did not want anything to do with such an awful man.

Seeing the dagger that Peter had used, Ravenna picked it up. It wouldn't be used to hurt her anymore, she thought with conviction. She could sell it and replace the dress he had ruined. The weapon felt so wrong in her hands; she was a healer, and this was used to harm. Ravenna pulled a few pins from her hair, made sure she was not being seen, and lifted the sides of her dress. She took the tip of Peter's dagger and poked tiny holes in the sides of her slashed undergarments. Ravenna wove the pins from her hair through the new punctures in her ruined undergarments, repairing them as best she could. She repeated the improvised mending on the other side, feeling more comfortable. She was grateful that only the sides were torn, so the fabric was still salvageable. She had no money to go into Nerium to buy new clothes, so this makeshift repair would have to do.

The young woman's thoughts turned back to the angel Michael's words. He had seen her in the forest before. She was still uneasy about that. She did not know she was being watched, and that made her... she was not sure. But he did risk punishment to save her and gave her his waistcoat to cover herself. He hadn't stared at her exposed skin or continued from where Peter left. Couldn't this man be that bad? Ravenna picked at the grass, weaving little wreaths from the blades. "He has promised to help me get home," she said aloud. He may tell me more about himself and why he was watching in the first place.

So much had happened to her in such a short span of time. Ravenna was a Believer, but had never had proof of the Ruler or any angels until Michael had spared her from Peter's assault. There were so many things she wanted to ask. But part of her longed for a simple life where she knew none existed.

Ravenna was a little nervous about encountering the large Seraphim alone in the forest where he had promised to wait for her. He had been kind to her this far, but her experience with Peter Jones over the last few days had made her hesitant to be around men. She could not believe all men would harm her, as this was simply not true, but part of her would always feel a slight worry. Ravenna frowned at her thoughts. Michael had risked punishment, whatever that entailed, to save her. She could not think that way about him.

Ravenna rose from the grass and dusted off the scraps of her dress. She took a few steps and tested her garment repairs, which seemed to hold. Ravenna felt more confident, knowing her undergarments would not fail her. She started for the wooded area around the meadow, where Michael had promised to wait for her.

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Ravenna slowly made her way to the woods. She was still tender from Peter's kick in her side at the Graenwood Inn; she had not had a chance to look, but her ribs were likely bruised. The longer she had to think about her time with Peter and her abduction, the more she wished she had seen the signs of his predation earlier. The way he had tried to drag her to his carriage once before. She was regretful that she had not talked to Anne about the way he had treated her; perhaps there was something that could have been done to prevent Peter from stealing her from her home.

Ravenna reached the woods where Michael was supposed to be. She looked around, her eyes searching for the Seraphim. She searched for five minutes, and her heart began to race. The sun started setting, throwing pink and purple hues across the sky. She didn't want to be alone in an unfamiliar area in the dark. A twig snapped in the distance, and Ravenna whipped her head around, her hair flying as she turned.

Michael emerged from deeper in the woods. He held a full bag, and his handsome face bore a wide smile. Did he seem... happy to see her? He strode over to Ravenna and looked down at the smaller woman.

"I am glad to see you here," the angel softly spoke. "I tried to find you some food. I don't know when you last ate. I don't know how long that..." A flash of anger crossed Michael's face, quickly replaced by his softer demeanor. "Other.... man.... had you in his possession. Or if he had bothered to feed you."

Ravenna tilted her head back. She knew this man was large, but she had not realized how much taller he was than her, as he had brought himself down to her on their first meeting not to intimidate her with his size. Looking up at him, he easily towered a foot taller than her. She smiled at him, grateful for his kindness. As if on cue, her stomach growled.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Ravenna blushed. "Peter, the man you... nevermind. He didn't feed me. I haven't eaten in..." She trailed off. It had been a full day since Peter snatched her from her home and a day and a half since she had eaten.

"Please don't apologize. You must be starving. While I was waiting, I traveled back to the Kingdom and had my maidservants pack a few things for you. I didn't tell them why I wanted things, I just told them to ready some food."

Michael pulled a large blanket from his bag and spread it on the forest floor. He offered his hand to Ravenna, who took it. Her hand looked and felt so small and delicate in his. She sat on the blanket, which was incredibly soft. She thought about his words. Was he in the Kingdom? His maidservants? What was his life like in the Kingdom?

Michael looked at peace as he worked. He produced a bottle of wine from the bag and a pair of glasses. He unpacked delicate cakes and pastries that Ravenna had never seen before. A pot held meat that smelled incredibly enticing. Ravenna's mouth watered. She couldn't believe what was happening. A servant of the Ruler rescued her, and now she was sitting in a forest clearing, being served food from the Kingdom by the same angel. She had never thought she would experience food from the humans' high society, not from another realm.

Michael sliced several pieces of the meat onto a plate and passed them to Ravenna. She had never eaten this much in her life. How was she ever going to eat this much? Would he be offended if she did not eat it all? Worry quickly crossed her face. She would hate to upset him; he had gone through the trouble to produce the meal for them. She wondered what it must be like for him, being used to serving the Ruler of the Kingdom, now serving a poor, ordinary human like herself. All she knew was that she was incredibly grateful that he had thought of food.

"Oh! Thank you, this is the most food I've ever seen!" Ravenna began to cut a small slice of the meat. She put a piece into her mouth. The meat nearly melted on her tongue; she had never tasted anything this savory. Her eyes widened. "Michael, this is incredible!" Was this really how they ate in the Kingdom? No wonder he had grown to be so tall.

Michael smiled. He poured two glasses of wine and passed one to Ravenna. "This is from the Kingdom as well, it may be a little stronger than you're used to, I'm afraid."

Ravenna took the glass and raised it. "To the man who saved my life." She drank deeply.

Michael closed his eyes and blushed.