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sagesariaKarrah, chapter 15, chapter word count: 807
Chapter 15
Karrah's eyes slowly fluttered open, unfocused and heavy. A blur of brown that must have been the ceiling of the inn settled before her eyes. Slowly she focused, trying to sit up, but the movement made her feel sick to her stomach so she settled back onto the bed.
She shifted carefully, seeing that feeling had returned to her body at least. She felt something under her hand, and her fingers curled instinctively around it. Gradually she found the strength to at least turn her head. Ryder was curled up in a chair beside the bed, fast asleep, holding her hand. She found herself a smile, gently squeezing his hand. The gesture caused him to stir, shifting against the back of the chair and slowly waking up.
"Ah," he exclaimed quietly when he saw her awake, "it's about toym. Welcome back. 'Ow do ye feel?"
"I'm alive...?"
"Yeah." Ryder said with a pleased smile, "Found ye jus' in toym, got ye to a cleric."
Slowly she lifted her bad hand, looking it over. It was still braced and bandaged, but it no longer hurt. Ryder scooted his chair closer to her.
"C'n ye sit up?"
She carefully tried again, his arm slipping under her shoulders to steady her. She sat up successfully this time, and Ryder helped her to scoot back so she could lean against the wall behind the bed, gently brushing some of her long hair out of her face once she was settled.
"Where are--" Karrah started to ask.
"In town. They figured we should be alone. I talked te th'lady at the guild 'ouse."
"I know...I'm a bard, aren't I."
Ryder smiled a little at that. He knew she was at the stage for a reason.
"Ye name is River Scots. Ye lived at the bard guild 'ere all ye loyf. Sweet gal, great dancer. Tho' she said ye tended t'wander off a lot, didn't say whoy. I don't think she knows. She said th'last she saw ye, ye'd gotten into a bad foyt with a couple nasty blokes. Ye took it outsoyd th'city, then ye jus' disappeared."
Karrah listened, staring at the wall as Ryder spoke.
"Well...it's a start." she muttered.
"I'm sorry I couldn't foynd out more. She said she moyt 'ave an ol' journal of yo's, she'll look fo' it..."
Karrah thought quietly. She felt as though an entirely new person was presented to her and told it was her. Karrah, a monk from Qeynos, and River, a Freeport bard. River...it had a nice ring to it. Familiar, somehow fitting. A bard...no surprise, how she caught herself dancing before. Two discoveries about the past she longed to find...and yet it wasn't all. The answers felt rather...anticlimactic compared to what was left.
Ryder stood up, moving to sit on the edge of the bed with her, watching her conflicted face with concern.
"Y'alroyt?"
She nodded quietly, still staring off.
"Just...trying to figure out what to do now...between these two lives I've lead."
Ryder looked at a subtle spot of lint on the sheets, scratching the back of his head.
"Well...'snot loyk ye only have t'live one o' th'other. I'm sho' they'll understand if y'need some toym t'adjust though."
She nodded again, thinking.
"I think you were right...I had been focusing on this place too much. I was so determined to get here as fast as possible, just to learn so little."
"Oy now." Ryder scooted closer, looking her in the eyes, "Don' look a' it that way. Ye found out somethin', di'n't ye? An' 'snot loyk ye won' foynd out mo'."
"No...but I shouldn't have been so obsessed. I missed a lot and...really I didn't appreciate your help so much until now. You helped me so much...not just taking me here, everything. I feel like a better person for knowing you. I've changed so much because of you. I was so determined to get here I didn't get to really see all of that." she looked up at him, carefully sitting up, coming closer, "I'm sorry. And...I never really said thank you."
He smiled, and would have answered if she didn't suddenly catch his lips with hers.
It was an awkward kiss, inexperienced, shy, improvised. But in its flaws it was somehow perfect. Somehow Ryder had expected it even if it caught him off guard at first. A familiar, indescribable feeling overpowered them both. Ryder closed his eyes, pressing himself closer to her and strengthening his own kiss. He felt her hands around his waist, slipping off his belt. His own hands felt their way under her shirt, traveling along her back, savoring the feel of her bare skin.
Helen and Ameila didn't return until late in the evening, when Ryder and Karrah were already asleep.
Chapter 15
Karrah's eyes slowly fluttered open, unfocused and heavy. A blur of brown that must have been the ceiling of the inn settled before her eyes. Slowly she focused, trying to sit up, but the movement made her feel sick to her stomach so she settled back onto the bed.
She shifted carefully, seeing that feeling had returned to her body at least. She felt something under her hand, and her fingers curled instinctively around it. Gradually she found the strength to at least turn her head. Ryder was curled up in a chair beside the bed, fast asleep, holding her hand. She found herself a smile, gently squeezing his hand. The gesture caused him to stir, shifting against the back of the chair and slowly waking up.
"Ah," he exclaimed quietly when he saw her awake, "it's about toym. Welcome back. 'Ow do ye feel?"
"I'm alive...?"
"Yeah." Ryder said with a pleased smile, "Found ye jus' in toym, got ye to a cleric."
Slowly she lifted her bad hand, looking it over. It was still braced and bandaged, but it no longer hurt. Ryder scooted his chair closer to her.
"C'n ye sit up?"
She carefully tried again, his arm slipping under her shoulders to steady her. She sat up successfully this time, and Ryder helped her to scoot back so she could lean against the wall behind the bed, gently brushing some of her long hair out of her face once she was settled.
"Where are--" Karrah started to ask.
"In town. They figured we should be alone. I talked te th'lady at the guild 'ouse."
"I know...I'm a bard, aren't I."
Ryder smiled a little at that. He knew she was at the stage for a reason.
"Ye name is River Scots. Ye lived at the bard guild 'ere all ye loyf. Sweet gal, great dancer. Tho' she said ye tended t'wander off a lot, didn't say whoy. I don't think she knows. She said th'last she saw ye, ye'd gotten into a bad foyt with a couple nasty blokes. Ye took it outsoyd th'city, then ye jus' disappeared."
Karrah listened, staring at the wall as Ryder spoke.
"Well...it's a start." she muttered.
"I'm sorry I couldn't foynd out more. She said she moyt 'ave an ol' journal of yo's, she'll look fo' it..."
Karrah thought quietly. She felt as though an entirely new person was presented to her and told it was her. Karrah, a monk from Qeynos, and River, a Freeport bard. River...it had a nice ring to it. Familiar, somehow fitting. A bard...no surprise, how she caught herself dancing before. Two discoveries about the past she longed to find...and yet it wasn't all. The answers felt rather...anticlimactic compared to what was left.
Ryder stood up, moving to sit on the edge of the bed with her, watching her conflicted face with concern.
"Y'alroyt?"
She nodded quietly, still staring off.
"Just...trying to figure out what to do now...between these two lives I've lead."
Ryder looked at a subtle spot of lint on the sheets, scratching the back of his head.
"Well...'snot loyk ye only have t'live one o' th'other. I'm sho' they'll understand if y'need some toym t'adjust though."
She nodded again, thinking.
"I think you were right...I had been focusing on this place too much. I was so determined to get here as fast as possible, just to learn so little."
"Oy now." Ryder scooted closer, looking her in the eyes, "Don' look a' it that way. Ye found out somethin', di'n't ye? An' 'snot loyk ye won' foynd out mo'."
"No...but I shouldn't have been so obsessed. I missed a lot and...really I didn't appreciate your help so much until now. You helped me so much...not just taking me here, everything. I feel like a better person for knowing you. I've changed so much because of you. I was so determined to get here I didn't get to really see all of that." she looked up at him, carefully sitting up, coming closer, "I'm sorry. And...I never really said thank you."
He smiled, and would have answered if she didn't suddenly catch his lips with hers.
It was an awkward kiss, inexperienced, shy, improvised. But in its flaws it was somehow perfect. Somehow Ryder had expected it even if it caught him off guard at first. A familiar, indescribable feeling overpowered them both. Ryder closed his eyes, pressing himself closer to her and strengthening his own kiss. He felt her hands around his waist, slipping off his belt. His own hands felt their way under her shirt, traveling along her back, savoring the feel of her bare skin.
Helen and Ameila didn't return until late in the evening, when Ryder and Karrah were already asleep.
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