*****
The morning unfolded softly and filled the room with the strengthening day’s light. The room grew warm from the sun and the fire flower responded by releasing its heady perfume into the air.
The hand lying on top of the covers twitched and then moved slightly. After a moment of stillness it lifted and reached out toward the table. The little piece of paper disappeared in the grasp of the large hand that brought it back to the bed and with help from the other hand pulled it apart in order to read it. One hand rolled the little paper up then and closed over it tightly.
Outside the room Thaddeus couldn’t restrain himself any further and pushed the door open and stepped in.
His gaze met mine and he exhaled in a sigh of relief, “Praise the Lord in heaven above, you're back with us boy! You gave me an awful scare! Please don’t do that again!”
I felt very weird to say the least. “How long has it been since the battle?” I asked, my voice sounding rusty.
“Three weeks.”
Just then the doctor brushed past Thaddeus. I recognized him as the one who had stitched me up once before.
“Well, this is certainly better! Well done Thaddeus, for whatever you’ve been up to, but now it’s time for you to rest,” the doctor said, turning to Thaddeus.
Thaddeus protested strongly, but the doctor held his ground.
“It’s alright grandfather. I’ll be here when you get up. I promise,” I assured him, as I cut through Thaddeus’s protests.
His eyes met mine and he gave up the fight and left the room grumbling as he went towards his quarters. I smiled slightly as I listened to his colorful grumbling as he retreated down the hall outside my room.
The old doctor got my attention once more, “How about some food Roric?”
The word food hit me like a war hammer. My stomach constricted sharply in pain as my body screamed out its need for nourishment loud and clear.
I sat up in the bed stiffly, feeling like an old man.
The old doctor laughed, “Nurse, would you bring us some broth please?”
Seeing my expression he laughed again, “I know you could probably eat a whole cow, but it’s best to start out slow.”
I progressed rapidly over the next two days and I felt that I could handle more so I walked to the stables. I entered into the stable barn and walked down the hallway until I came to Flin’s stable.
It was empty!
Panicking, my mind jumped to the conclusion that Flin was dead and they hadn’t told me for fear of upsetting me. A snort sounded from the far end of the stable barn and I turned to see a man let go of Flin.
Flin bolted across the barn and barely stopped in time to keep from knocking me over backwards into the stable door. He threw his head over my shoulder and I hugged his neck for a moment.
“I missed you boy. The dream world I’ve been riding in would have been a lot better with you under me.”
I stepped back, patting his shoulder. The man who had been walking him had come up to us. It was Rolf.
He looked a little gray and thin in the face, just as I probably did. I noticed the empty sleeve pinned to his side. My eyes rose to his and his gaze shifted away a little, as if somehow embarrassed. I stepped forward and put my arms around him, pulling him close, not saying anything. He resisted me for a moment and then his remaining arm closed tightly around me and we stayed like that for a while.
I stepped back slightly, “It was pretty crazy wasn’t it?”
He smiled slightly, “Yeah, it was and you were a little crazy yourself too.”
“Speak for yourself, Rolf. It was shear insanity, you coming back through that press to get me.”
He shrugged his shoulder with a wry grin, “Somebody’s got to look out for you.”
“I know and you do a good job of it. I want you to stay here at Thunder Ridge, Rolf.”
He nodded and said, “I like the place. It’s a good spot to settle down I think.” Somewhat more reluctantly he divulged, “I’ve been seeing a widow woman. She doesn’t mind about the arm. She lost her husband in the fighting and she’s got a couple of young kids that need a provider. It should work out for us I think. The Creator’s been good to me Roric, ever since that day when you waited for me and helped me to escape from the arena. You see, I was raised up as a kid not very far from here, but I rebelled against my parents. I killed a man over a foolish squabble when I was fifteen and I fled the Valley Lands. I broke my parent’s hearts by what I had done. I heard later that they died shortly after I ran away. They were both older when they had me, but I blame myself for them dying. I thought the Creator had forsaken me until I met you. Thank you for bringing me home Roric.”
I’d always suspected that Rolf’s ancestry was rooted in the Valley Lands. “The Creator is good my friend, even when we don’t deserve it. He blesses us and uses us to accomplish more than we’re capable of, if we just let Him.”
We walked out of the barn to a spot where we could see over the valley below and for miles beyond. “Are any of my other friends alive?” I asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.
“No,” said Rolf softly and I nodded my head, as I felt the loss of my friends keenly in my heart.
Rolf looked over at me, “Are you content in this place Roric?”
“Not yet, but I hope to be soon.”
“When are you going for her?”
Not much slipped by Rolf, “The end of the week.”
He nodded, looking back out at the valley, “I’ll have Flin saddled and ready for you.”
I smiled slightly, “What! You’re not going along to babysit me?”
“I think you can handle yourself. The question is, will you be able to handle her?” Rolf said knowingly and I had to admit that he might have a point.
Krista might take some serious convincing to leave her new life, but I was determined to have her by my side.
A Warrior's Redemption Page 67