Ashton regarded Sara’s feet just as he did the man’s mangled face the night before. He looked them over calmly, carefully, examining every injury. He looked Sara right in the eyes and smiled.
“This won’t hurt a bit.” Ashton assured her. “Much easier than the last person I helped.”
Ashton knelt down at Sara’s feet, closing his eyes, tilting his head back to look skyward. He prayed briefly, at least he appeared to, as his lips moved but no sound came forth, then returning his gaze to Sara’s feet began his low chant. To Seth it seemed this time Ashton used different sounds than he had the night before, but he couldn’t be sure. Almost immediately this time, Ashton’s fingers were consumed by the pale yellow light as they had been before. The light spread again, only this time it did not encompass his entire hands, nor his entire body, but stayed focused in his palms. The chanting only lasted a moment, and Ashton stood and admired his work, his childish face stretched into a toothy grin. Once again Sara’s feet were perfect. Ashton stopped however and leaned back down to where Sara was seated and, still feeling the magic in his blood, summoned it forth once again, and placed his hand over Sara’s forehead. He removed his hand a second later revealing where once had been a terrible jagged cut where her flesh had tore open, now lay a perfectly smooth patch of skin, unscarred by the heinous attack she had suffered. Sara thanked Ashton several times for his healing, each time Ashton’s cheeks flushed and he assured her that it was nothing. So it was that the four companions continued to make camp before all light was lost.
It was then Seth realized his mistake. He had made sure Sara was clothed appropriately, wore proper boots, was able to defend herself if the need arose, and had a pack to carry her food. What he had forgotten however was just as important. Sara had nothing to sleep on, neither did she have anything to cover up with. It was a simple mistake, but a stupid one. Each night grew colder as winter approached, and he had forgotten to at least buy her a blanket. It seemed to Seth, the only thing to do now was simply give up his own blanket to her. He couldn’t imagine her small fragile, beautiful body shivering on the bare ground.
They had each placed their packs around the base of the tree, marking their spots as it were. Ashton laid out his bear hide bed, and Garret his blanket next to that. Seth dug through his pack and pulled out his blanket, skipping the spot where his pack sat, the laid out his blanket, beneath Sara’s small pack. Sara seen him lay out the blanket, and approached him, realizing that it was his blanket. She walked right up to Seth stopping with just inches between them. Then looking up to face him, tears in her eyes, she spoke.
“No.” She told him quietly enough the others wouldn’t hear, but loud enough that he wouldn’t miss it. “I told you no sacrifices for me.” She said this as a tear slid down her cheek. Her golden amber eyes never leaving his.
“I’m not sacrificing.” Seth started his reply. “I will be fine, you need to stay warm.” He told her. “I won’t let you get sick if I can help it. I want you to use it, it would make me happy.” Seth finished.
“Why must you do this to me?” Sara asked, another tear sliding down her face. “Why must you make me feel guilty? If I use it I will feel guilty you are without your own blanket, If I don’t use it I will feel guilty that I have upset you it’s not fair.” She said this, now the tears came more rapidly.
Seth, reaching up wiped away her tears, and pulled her head to his chest. He hated seeing her cry. Angels shouldn’t cry.
“Please don’t cry Sara, and don’t feel guilty, not over this. Like I said I’m actually being selfish by giving it to you.” Seth stated, liking this new twist.
“How in the name of the gods is giving me your blanket, so you can freeze to death, selfish? Sara asked him with a tone akin to that of anger.
“It lets me feel like I’m protecting you, taking care of you. It makes me feel good.” It was the truth, it did feel good to take care of her, give her what she needed, and make her smile.
“Then we will share.” She stated, and Seth shook his head.
“No, it’s not appropriate, and it might make Garret and Ashton uncomfortable, No, I can’t share. Sorry.” Seth meant every word, and Sara could feel it.
“Why is it not appropriate, you don’t like me enough to share a blanket with me on a cold night? Sara was upset, but she really just wanted to understand his reason for refusal.
“It’s not that Sara, I swear, I care for you, I do, it just isn’t time yet ok?” Seth pleaded with her.
“If it isn’t time yet when will it be? Sara asked.
Seth shrugged.
“Will it be soon?” She demanded
“I hope so.” Seth replied.
Hearing the honesty in his voice, she gave in. Seth did care for her, and wanted to take care of her. It seemed he was waiting for something, maybe even something from her, before he would let himself get too close, too comfortable.
Seth let her go then, and she walked to the tree where the other two boys had already settled in their makeshift beds. She lay down then, on one half of the blanket, leaving the other half sprawled out beside her, leaving the invitation open if Seth were to change his mind.
Seth stood, where he and Sara had had their argument. It wasn’t fair to Sara, to make her feel bad for him. It wasn’t really even anything to do with her in the first place. The only real reason Seth turned down her invitation to share a blanket, to share a bed, was that he didn’t feel he deserved her. He hoped that at some point in the days to come he would do something so great that would make him deserving of any feelings she might have towards him. He knew without asking that she cared for him, just as he cared for her. It was a mystery how such feelings could overcome him about a girl, no a woman, he had barely known a day. But he couldn’t imagine a life without her. He dwelled for a while, about how best to deal with his feelings for her and decided upon some rules for himself. He could only be with her on two conditions. The first of course, if he did something unimaginable for her, earning her companionship, or second, if she told him she loved him, clarifying her feelings towards him, then he would allow himself a place at her side. Neither of these situations likely to occur, he felt secure enough in this fact that he would keep his distance, watching over her, protecting her, caring for her, but nothing more.
Seth walked to the empty space between his sleeping brother, and the woman who unknowingly was the master of his heart. He lay down on the naked ground, and rolling to face Sara, covered her with the unused portion of her blanket. Settling his mind, by watching her sleep, he too closed his eyes and drifted quickly into unconsciousness.
Sara waged a silent war within her mind that first night. Lying still, eyes closed she pretended to sleep. Wishing and praying that Seth would join her on the blanket, yet unsure if it was what she really wanted. She was torn. Once, several years ago, when she was barely a teenager, her mother died. Not knowing where else to go, Sara had stayed where her mom had lived, in the brothel. It was not the nicest place to live, and Sara had many times witnessed John, the owner’s, anger. But for a while John was different. After Sara’s mother was gone he had been very nice to Sara. Making sure she was fed and had clean clothes. That had lasted for some time until Sara had told him of her intentions to find the only relative that her mother had told her about. Sara had an aunt, in a town somewhere to the south, between Stone Haven and the capitol. This brought John once again to anger. He told her then of her mother’s debt to him, for living under his roof, eating his food. Her work, he explained to her, had not been enough to pay off her debt and so it fell to Sara to pay. Sara refused to work for John, if you could really even call it work. It just seemed wrong, seemed dirty. John assured her that she could not leave him, not while in his debt, and he also assured her that someday soon he would be putting her to “work”. This is what made Sara unsure of Seth. She did not know if he was being nice to her because he wanted something from her in return. Or perhaps he was giving her nice things to put her in his debt, though he had assured her she owed him nothing. She cared for Seth already. She knew she did, but was afraid to openly admit it, even to herself, for fear it was a trap. She couldn’t allow herself to be overwhelmed with him, she must make herself wait. Make herself watch him to be sure his intentions were good and that he truly cared for her like he had said. She hoped he shared the same feelings she had for him, though thought it unlikely. He was charming, strong, and even brave. She was a scared, worthless orphan. She didn’t deserve him, but she could hope that by some strange chance of fate that he would turn out to be exactly what she hoped, and would choose her over any other girl. Sara decided then that she couldn’t just wait and watch Seth, looking for some sort of sign. He had already proved he was willing to protect her, he had also proven that he was willing to take care of her, even sacrificing his own comfort to do so. Now she just needed to see how much he cared for her, or if he just wanted something else, something almost all men wanted, something she had yet to give to anyone. Coming to this conclusion, to test Seth, she smiled into the dark, still pretending to sleep. She heard Seth approach, heard him lay down, though not as close as she had secretly hoped. She then felt the blanket she laid upon being lifted and pulled over her to keep her warm. Keeping very still, keeping her eyes closed, she listened to Seth slowly drift off to sleep, all the while wondering what he would dream about. He had not taken her invitation to share the blanket, though now she wasn’t sure if this was a point for him or against him. She contemplated how she might test his feelings for her, and realized it would be very difficult. She too, slowly drifted off to sleep where her dreams would uncontrollably focus on Seth.