The Comfort of Creatures
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Len, Paula
Date Posted: 22nd January 2015
Characters: L'fael, Telemon
Description: The young drudge comes to the healer for help, after his mistake during the Lord's dinner
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 10, day 27 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Yarmel, Bryvin; Follows True Colors
Lafael sighed deeply, trying not to panic at the way blood foamed out of his nose with every deep breath he took. Not that he could take many, the cook's assistant had made sure of that. It was the cook's woman who had found him candlemarks later, curled under a table in one of the storage rooms. I was she would had stopped the worse of the bleeding and had given him the directions to the healer's cot.
The night may have been warm, but he never felt so cold to the skin before. Sure he had been beaten before, but never like this. What would happen? Would the Lord see him dead? Or was this to be the worse of it? He hadn't meant to spill the food, it was just that his had hurt bad, so bad. Ever since coming to this place the voices in his head had become worse, so much worse. Maybe he was losing his mind, it wouldn't surprise him.
Just ahead was the place the woman had said. Tentatively he knocked at the door.
Telemon went to the door, Ena riding on his shoulder. One look of the boy and he pulled him gently inside. "Oh Faranth! What happened to you?"
"I...I..." Great tears welled up in his eyes. "I spilled food on the Lord and was beaten for it." He got the words out in a rushed whisper, his head hanging in shame.
"Come on, go to sit there," Telemon ushered him towards a couch. He went to fetch his medical bag. He kept a basic kit in his room, the one he carried with him when he traveled and circled the holds.
Now that salvation was so near at hand, Lafael wanted to just fall down in pain instead of being brave. But it was only a few more steps, he could get there. He had to get there.
When his shins bumped against the edge of the couch he sobbed in relief. Now he could just lay down and curl into a ball of misery. The only thing keeping him from losing the plot was the hope that the healer had fellis or numbweed on hand.
Ena left Telemon's shoulder and landed to the arm rest. She crooned at the boy, like she was trying to comfort him.
Telemon returned. "Let's take a look at your injuries. Where do you hurt? Face, ribs, stomach?" he asked. "Oh, and I have to touch your bruises to make sure there aren't broken bones, and that's going to be painful."
"Stomach...the cook's assistant kicked me loads of times. Back too, they put a strap to it." He winced at just the memory of it. Surely some wet trousers was not worth the reaction he got.
"Alright," Telemon inspected his injuries as gently as he could. Then he cleaned them up and applied numbweed. "Look, I'm going to stop by at the infirmary and get you some fellis. Ena can keep you company. There's feline here somewhere too, so don't be surprised if she comes over to beg petting."
Lafael nodded once and sighed when he heard the door shut. At least the Healer seemed to feel badly for him, enough to treat him. That terrified voice in the back of Lafael's mind that had feared Telemon would be every bit as cruel as all the others was calmed. As soon as he was able, he'd get himself down to the Sea Hall and onto the first ship out, that he promised himself. The numbweed beginning to take effect, he looked up into the whirling eyes of the green flit. Oh, to have one of them! To have something that would love him, something that would never leave him, would never hurt him. What was that like? To never be afraid, to not have to hurt, not have to hide. To not be beaten or almost raped. He shuddered, thinking back to that horrible horrible moment a few sevendays back.
A black-and-white feline walked out of Telemon's bedroom. Seeing that he wasn't moving around, she came to conclusion he would make perfect pillow and hopped up to curl on his chest.
Lafael smiled, reaching up to softly touch her. Maybe if people didn't love--or even like--him, then he could get affection from the animals. His eyes blinked shut and his breath slowed as he fell asleep, feeling truly protected for the first time since coming to this Hold.
Telemon came back just to find out that the mug of fellis he was carrying wasn't needed. He just left the boy there to sleep.
Last updated on the February 10th 2015