Child of Mara

Rescue

"Thank you, Bishop, I wasn't sure what to do with them. I've a village waiting for me and don't think they'd make it the journey. Please take the goat as thanks."

"May Primus bless your kindness, my son. Go, we'll help them. Your family awaits your return and Primus will guide you safely to them."

Mar hums. They know Primus. This is a safe place, the sound of this voice kind and warm.

"Bishop, the child is waking!"

"Well then, Sister Helenis, let's get them inside."

Something warm is pressed to Mar's lips and slips down their throat. It's spicy like medicine and Mar coughs. Their head pounds and the warm liquid is replaced with cool water and orange faces fill Mar's bleary vision.

"Hello, young one, drink slow," one of the faces says and Mar does.

Head clearing, Mar looks around. The faces aren't orange, they are the Soli tan with large orange hoods flaring around their braided hair.

Mar tries to speak, but no words come out.

"There, there. You were half-dead when the hunter found you, just relax for a bit."

There's something missing, something warm.

"Tae," Mar manages to cough.

"Hmm, what was that?"

"Tae? Where's Tae?" Mar's voice is more agitated and one of the Soli strokes Mar's forehead.

"Hush now. If that's your Literan friend, he's in the next room. We're taking care of him so just focus on yourself right now, okay? Here, have some more soup."

Mar gags down more of the warm liquid, the chill starting to leave their bones and lulling them back to a dreamless sleep.

When they wake up, it's with a lurching stomach, vomiting over the bed with shaky gasps. Another orange hood rushes over, rubbing Mar's back. "Oh dear, Bishop! Bishop!"

A Soli in a blue hood trimmed with gold comes in and joins the other at Mar's bedside. "Go find something easy on the stomach, Helenis. And you, my dear, here."

A wet cloth wipes Mar's face clean and they gasp, "W-where am I? Where's Tae?"

"You're in Solanus' Retreat, a convent of Primus. I'm Bishop Celesta. You can call me that or Mother Celesta, whichever you prefer. Your friend is recovering next door."

The woman's eyes crinkle as she smiles and Mar's widen. "Y-you know Primus?"

Bishop Celesta laughs. "As much as a mortal can. Do you think you could tell me what happened to you and Tae?"

Mar shakes their head and Celesta justs nods. "I see. Can you tell me your name?"

"My name is Mar."

"It's nice to meet you Mar. I'm going to go check on Tae, be a good girl and stay here so Helenis can bring you something new to eat."

Mar blinks. "I'm not a girl."

"Apologies, I shouldn't have assumed just because a young man has long hair."

"I'm not a boy either."

Celesta looks confused and Mar explains, "I'm Mar."

"I see. Well then, Mar, do try to eat something when Helenis comes back, okay?"

Mar nods and Bishop Celesta quietly shuts the door behind her. The room is small and bright. A window with light curtains illuminates the bed Mar is in along with the basin by the door. Blue flowers peek from the outside. Mar lays down and wonders what a convent is.

Their wondering is interrupted when Helenis returns. "Alright, Mar, I'm Sister Helenis, let's see if we can't get you something that'll stay down, eh?"

She puts a plate on Mar's chest and offers a slice of fruit. Mar shakes their head.

"You have to eat something or you'll never get stronger. Come on, try a bite. It's just an apple slice."

Mar shakes their head again and Helenis' smile falters.

"H-how about some nice toasted bread?"

Helenis twists her skirt when Mar pushes the plate away.

"It's good, see?" The Soli woman eats a bit of the bread, chewing enthusiastically. Mar pulls the blanket up to their nose, suddenly remembering what Tae said about their teeth.

Slowly, Helenis moves the plate to the bedside table. "Well if you change you're mind, they're right here."

With another nervous twist of her orange skirt, Sister Helenis leaves the room. Mar slowly slides out of the blankets. Their shoes are gone and so their toes curl on the rough wood. After a nervous glance at the door, Mar goes and peers out the window.

Beyond the blue flowers are rows of low green plants. Another orange woman is kneeling in the dirt, pulling plants free of the earthy soil. Mar can make out voices drifting from the next window.

"...think it's just exhaustion. The cut on his head isn't deep at all even if it is infected. Try to get some soup in him, hopefully it'll settle better than it did for the little one. Stars know what a Literan was doing wandering the mountains with a child."

"He's certainly too young for it to be his."

"Perhaps a half-sibling. The child has more Soli features than Literan."

"Mar doesn't sound like a Literan name anyway."

"Well our guessing isn't doing any good. Let's just hope young Tae here has some answers for us when he wakes up."

Having heard enough, Mar climbs the window sill and slips outside. They carefully watch the orange back of the gardener while creeping to the next window.

Inside, Tae lays unconscious, his face deadly pale and covered in sweat which is wiped away by Bishop Celesta. Carefully, Mar climbs into this new window, wincing as they squish some white flowers with their toes. Bishop Celesta leans over to moisten the rag and Mar moves closer to touch Tae's sweat slicked head.

"Star above!" Celesta yelps. "Child, you scared the living daylights out of me. What are you doing out of bed?"

Mar leans over and gives Tae's shoulder a nudge. "Wake up, Tae. Please wake up."

The bishop takes Mar's shoulders and gently guides them into her chair. "Give him time, little one. He's a little sick and—"

"M...ar...?" Tae groans and Mar leaps up.

"Tae! Tae, wake up. I don't know what to do!"

Celesta holds Mar back from shaking Tae again. His eyes open but roll around unseeing. Celesta lets go of Mar to put a bowl of soup to Tae's lips which he swallows greedily. Finished, his head falls back onto the pillow, eyes closed.

Mar clings to Tae's blanket, shaking.

"Sit down, Mar, you're in no condition to be agitated so," Celesta says firmly and Mar slides down to lean against the bed, knees pulled up to their chest.

The bishop puts her hands on her hips. "Don't you think the bed you were in would be more comfortable?"

Mar shakes their head and Celesta sighs. "How about this, you can stay planted right there as long as you eat something?" She holds out another apple slice. "Deal?"

With a trembling hand, Mar takes the fruit and puts it in their mouth. Celesta brushes her hands on her skirt. "Well at least there's that. I'll be right back with something for you to sit on."

As soon as she's gone, Mar spits out the apple and hides it under Tae's blanket.