Chapter 4

Rama guides you through the forest, pointing toward the tall, blueish flowers you need to pick up as she does. The energetic little fairy directs you to a small, shallow cave near a running river. As fast as you can in your condition, you hurriedly step inside it, right as the rain starts to worsen. Through the entrance hole of your new rock shelter you can see the multiple thick drops of water repeatedly fall over the green grass, faint thunder booms in the distance.

"Nice place, huh? I was thinking of making it my new home. You are lucky I'm letting you stay here, human." Rama spirals inside the empty cave she claimed as hers.

You drag yourself towards a big, lonely rock in the corner of the cramped cavern. Sitting over it with a deep groan, carefully straightening your back and taking a deep breath. You leave the handful of flowers you've collected at your side, over the improvised seat... Here comes the fun part...

You firmly grab the crossbow bolt stuck in your shoulder, closing your eyes and holding your breath. "Three... two... one." You count in a whisper, removing the bolt out of your body with a swift, quick pull instantly after you reach the last number. The sharp pain makes you flinch and stomp the ground with your boot, causing some pebbles and dust to fly away.

...A pair of seconds pass and the sensation thankfully eases. You silently look at the small projectile in your hand before tossing it away with a sigh. Now you can remove your armor.

You unstring the ruined, dirty leather armor from your torso, revealing the grey linen shirt below. The front part of it is completely soaked in dark-red dried-up blood, holes ripped on the right side and the left shoulder part, exposing your injuries. It's a rather grotesque sight, Rama lets out a little gasp. "Ohhh, that's, uhm... ouch... Just let me know when you are done." She covers her eyes with her palms.

It feels how it looks. Very slowly, you grab the lower part of your shirt and roll it upwards. The feeling of the linen brushing against your wounds is very unpleasant, almost nauseating... You let out a relieved sigh as you finally manage to remove your garment. Over your well-built, hairy torso, besides the stab and the puncture wound, there is scattered a collection of old scars and bruises. Lucille's favorite mark to kiss and caress was the large one across your right shoulder blade... you actually got it saving her life on the battlefield...

You now grab the bunch of blue flowers, gathering them between your palms and strongly squashing them until they turn into a pasty, wet salve. Trying to make this process as quick as possible, you unhesitantly bring your hands to your wounds and let the unguent adhere to them. This is the most painful part so far, but you are almost done.

Groaning and sweating, you grab your scattered shirt and rip it into two long, improvised bandages. Wrapping one around your toned stomach and another across your chest, covering your left shoulder.

"Is it over?" Rama asks, peeking from between her fingers.

"Yeah." You breathe. This should keep you alive until you receive proper aid back in the city.

"Finally! You took your time, huh?" She snorts, removing her hands from her face...

The fairy expectantly smiles at you for almost a minute, exaggeratedly sighing when she notices no word is going to come out of your mouth. "Thank you for saving my life, Rama! You are the best forest fairy ever!" She imitates your voice, high-pitched tone sounding comically awkward when she tries to make it deep and slow. "Oh, it's okay, human, it was not a big deal." She answers to herself, dismissively waving her hand, using her normal voice this time.

You ignore her little show, gazing towards the opening of the cave. Water still vigorously falling. "How much more is it going to rain?"

Rama rolls her eyes. "Like... twenty more minutes."

"Great." You simply answer, getting as comfortable as you can over your rocky seat, closing your eyes, and intending to spend the remaining time engrossed in your thoughts, meditating about the situation you are currently in... Lucille, the short man, the clown... What was his name? Balathiel? Probably a fake one, yet-

"H-hey, are you going to stay mute like that the whole time?! I'm getting bored." You hear Rama's squeaky voice loudly say. "Am I the first fairy you've ever seen? Don't you want to ask me something? We are pretty interesting, you know?"

"No." You answer, eyes still firmly shut.

"Noh." She mockingly repeats after you, mimicking your voice again. It's still a terrible impression. "Noh. Noh. Noh."

...How did Lucille get involved in any of this? Money? No... Maybe she-

"Hey, you have one of those 'sword keepers' but you don't have a sword. How is that?" She points at the empty scabbard hanging by your side.

"Will you please be quiet? Just for a second."

"Ok." Exactly one second of silence passes. You aren't even able to start a line of thought this time before being interrupted. "How many days did that beard take to grow? Does it itch?"

You sigh, opening your eyes again, deeply frowning in annoyance. "...If I tell you who I am and what happened to me, will you keep silent until the rain stops?"

"Uh-huh! Sure!" The fairy eagerly nods her head, so fast that her messy, short green hair wildly bounces up and down, getting even more disheveled.

"...My name is Arthur Hawker, I'm the bodyguard of Princess Charlotte. Today I was stabbed by an ex-lover, shot by a clown, and the girl I was supposed to protect got kidnapped in front of my very eyes... So, to sum it up, I'm having a really shitty day."

Rama's eyes go wide, expression softening. "Woah." It's all the fairy is able to say. She starts slowly fiddling with her fingers, her gaze moving down towards them. And just when you thought she was going to keep her word and stay quiet, she opens her mouth to talk again. Not very surprising.

"I think I know who Princess Charlotte is. She is the one with the long pink hair, right?"

You nod your head.

"...And, are you going to rescue her?"

"I intend to, yes."

She stays silent for the longest time ever since you met her. Then, she takes a deep breath and puffs her small chest out before saying her next words. "Don't worry. I'll help you, Arthur. I'll go rescue her with you."

Oh, for all the gods in Amarantum, please no.

Outside the cave, the rain starts getting quieter and softer until it completely disappears. Birds chirp, sunrays make themselves present, you rub your temples in despair.