He gasped for breath, his hands clawing at his chest as if a desperate attempt to claw oxygen back into his lungs as they felt like they filled with fire. Only to find that a burning pain began to surge through his arms, looking up to see the flesh on his and arms barely clinging to his body. The smell of charred flesh filled the air, tinged with the faint aroma of herbs upon his skin began to grow more fragrent as he tried to move around.
"Be still, child. You were gravely wounded during the battle. Most of your body is burned, you need to lie still." A soft feminine voice spoke from behind the large cauldron, her tone almost that of a mother. She hobbled over to him slowly, placing a hand upon his arms and offering a smile to the young man to try to assure him of her intentions.
Pellam opened his mouth to speak, but found his words replaced with rasped growls and grunts, not seemingly able to form words or communicate in any intelligable manner. Though again he found the womans gentle touch over his mouth, her head shaking slowly.
"You're quite alright here, safe and sound. You need to rest. No talking, you're not strong enough yet." He brushed a thumb over a large cut that ran like a line across his cheek. She grunted while hobbling back towards her cauldron, stirring its contents carefully while peering back toward one of the curtains.
A ragged mess of brown hair set above two brown eyes peered out at the woman and Pellam, a beautiful smile only eclipsed by the little girls voice. "Is he better yet? Can he come outside?" She asked innocently, with a voice that could soften even the hardest of hearts.
"No my love, he won't be for some time. Now, come back in here and tell me what happened." The crone replied, her voice echoing the same mother like tone while pulling a chair for the young girl to sit in.
The little girl nodded and walked over to the chair, carefully climbing into it and looking towards the woman who stood behind the cauldron. "He the bad men, there were bunches of them! Men from the other villages, they were all fighting the bad men. I couldn't find my papa, and I was afraid so I cried." She lowered her head quietly and began to sniffle softly.
The old woman pointed with the wooden spoon towards Pellam, her eyes looking down to the little girl curiously. "And he found you, yes?" She asked with a raised brow, her eyes now trailing to the young man who lay upon the furs.
"Yes. He gave me to one of the village men and told the man to run. Everyone started to run towards the mountain place but he didn't come with us. He told me to close my eyes and cover my ears, and don't open them until I was at the mountain place. That my papa would find me there." The child looked back over to Pellam, watching him carefully while continuing to speak.
"There was a big light, it was blue.. I..." The little girl trailed off and grew silent, her gaze now turning to the old woman. Tears rolling down her cheeks, soon carefully wiped away by the womans thumb as she knelt infront of her.
"I opened my eyes, and I saw blue fire, and then it was dark. The fire went away, and nothing was there. Only that man over there, laying on the shining place." She stopped and looked back to Pellam, who by now was barely on the verge of conciousness.
The old woman smiled and brushed the hair from the young girls face, kissing her forehead and nodding. "Thank you my dear, go find your papa. Last I saw he was around the fur stalls." The crone said while standing and wiping her hands upon her apron. Her careful gaze now resting upon Pellam as the little girl bounded out of the large hut.
"I hope you are strong, boy. If you're going to survive, you will have to be." She knelt beside him, resting a careful hand on the young mans forehead.
