Lost Youth

As she was moved from the saddle, she stirred a little but didn't wake. Managing to stay asleep as Travis carried her and then set her into the bed.

It was several hours later before she began to stir. She blinks a little and looks around. Not recognizing where she was, she sat up quickly and looked around in a panic. She grimaces from moving so fast.
 
"Easy," A soft voice said, "How are you feeling?"
An older lady sat in the chair beside the bed, she sat up and touched Lena's shoulder.
"It's okay, I sent Travis to bed, but he's only in the next room, he's almost as exhausted as you are. Might I look at your back? I dressed it a little, when you arrived."
 
Lena blinks a little and looks to the woman, flinching slightly when touched. It was a reflex and she had to force herself to be calm.

She nods a little at the woman. "It hurts..." she says honestly and looks around the room again before looking back to the woman. "He is okay?" She asks, concern in her eyes.
 
"He's fine, just through that door there," The healer said, pointing, "You can go check on him when I'm done."
She lifted Lena's shirt and frowned a little, but nodded when she set the shirt back down. She handed Lena a glass, "Drink this, it will help with the pain and put you back to sleep until tomorrow." She nodded to the side table, "There's some food for you there, if you're hungry. Good night, my dear, I will see you again in the morning."
She rose and left.

Travis had fallen asleep atop the bed clothes, still dressed. He was sleeping facing the adjoining door.
 
Lena accepted the glass from the woman. He was okay. That helped her relax a little. Sipping the liquid then looking to the food. She was starving. She ate what she could and drank what was left in the glass.

She looks toward the door that the woman had pointed to. Biting her lower lip, she thought of going to the door to see him but she hesitated because she didn't want to wake him up either.

Before she could even make her mind up, she started to get tired again. Laying back down in the bed, she curled up gently. She fell asleep almost instantly.
 
Trey woke as the sun shone through his open window. He scrambled off the bed and dashed into the next room. he stopped in the doorway, breathing a deep sigh of relief to find Lena still there, still breathing.
 
As if feeling that he was there, she stirs a little from where she was burrowed beneath the blankets. Blinking sleepily, she looks around, careful not to jump or move so quickly this time.

Her eyes then fall on Travis in the doorway. She moves to sit up a little. "Sir...you are okay...?"
 
Travis smiled gently, crossing the room.
"I don't like it when I can't see where you are, I start to worry," He said softly. He sat at the end of the bed, "How are you feeling?"
 
She was glad to see that he was alright. She smiles a bit at his words. That was something she felt the same about. Not seeing him scared her.

"I'm okay sir..." she smiles to him.
 
Travis smiled gently.
"Stop calling me sir. Do you want to come downstairs with me? Breakfast will be served soon."
The door flung open without knocking, both his brothers stood there,
"Really? You just can't help yourself, leave the poor girl alone, I'm sure she's right sick of you now."
Travis sighed, "Lena, I suppose I should introduce you to my brothers. Trey is the eldest and Toby is the middle child."
 
She nods a bit,smiling. It was habit to call anyone sir and now that he was home she didn't want to be considered disrespectful. "Food sounds good." She smiles.

As the door flung open she jumped a little and looked to see the brothers there. It was a little hard for her to understand the teasing the brothers were doing but knew they weren't be truly mean.

She looks to Travis then back at the brothers as he introduced them. "Hi...I'm Lena. "
 
Trey smiled gently down at her,
"Nice to see you actually conscious, Lena, we're very glad you brought Trav home to us." He clapped his hands, "Cook's made a great breakfast for you, when you're ready, a maid will be up here shortly to help you dress. We're taking your white knight downstairs, to remind him not to let louts get the jump on him."
Toby grinned, winking at Lena, hauling his little brother up and shoving him out the door. Trey also winked at Lena before shutting the door, "Don't worry, we'll bring him back in one piece."

A maid soon came in.
"Good morning, milady," She said, bobbing a curtsy, "Would you like to wash first or get dressed before I take you down for breakfast?"

Travis was pushed out into the courtyard.
"Do you want to ruin her reputation, you idiot?" Toby growled, drawing his sword, the live steel singing as it slid from the sheath.
"What reputation?" Trav hissed, keeping his voice low, catching his own sword as Trey tossed it to him, "She has none, she was a slave to those morons."
"We can give her a new life, a new identity," Trey said as Toby rushed at Trav, grunting as his little brother blocked his blow and sent him away with a kick to his rear end.
 
It was hard not to smile at the brothers and she nods to them. She watched as they left together, hoping they weren't to horrible to him.

She looks down at herself a little. A part of her felt so out of place here but some small part of her felt familiar. It confused her.

As the maid entered, she smiled. She realized that she actually was probably still dirty from traveling and a bath would be good. "Bath would probably be good."

Nodding a little as she managed to get out of bed. She had to sit on the edge for a moment, she felt weak and tired. She looks to the maid with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry...."
 
The maid smiled gently, "It's alright, that's what I'm here for." She hurried over to Lena's side and helped her to stand. "If you hold onto the bed post, i can undo your clothing. i've already drawn the bath in the next room and all the men are downstairs, so we can get there in your nightgown."
 
Lena manages to smile and nods at her words. She was grateful for the help as she got to her feet and used the bed post as support as the maid got her changed from her clothes to the nightgown. "Thank you...." she says.
 
"You're welcome my lady," The maid said. She offered her arm to Lena now, "Can I help you next door?

The bathroom was already warm and steamy. Sophie, the maid, had already placed towels near the fire to warm, as well as heating the room. The healer had given her some more treatments to put on the girl's back once they were done and fresh bandages to rewrap them with. Medication was left with the cook to be served with meals.
Thick floor rugs kept Lena's barefeet from touching the cold tiles of the bathroom and lined the path to the bath.
The scent in the room was sweet and heady from the oils Sophie had poured into the water, as well as the dried herbs added to the fire.
 
Accepting her arm, she moves with Sophie to the room where the bath was.

This kind of treatment was so new to her but some part of her knew it wasn't. She wanted to cry but she didn't. She had cried too much lately, even if they would be happy tears.

Once to the bath, she managed to get in without fall though she was sure the only reason for that was because of Sophie helping her. After taking the nightgown off and being in the water, it stung a little at first on her back but soon she starts to relax.
 
Sophie gently sponged Lena's back, cleaning away dried blood that the healer had missed, focused only on getting the wounds themselves clean and not worrying about the healthy skin.
"Would you like me to wash your hair as well, milady?" Sophie asked softly. She wanted to help this poor girl in anyway she could, the picture the scars upon her back painted were enough that she would go out of her way to help, even if it wasn't her job.

Travis and his brothers were all drenched in sweat and dust from rolling about in the dirt to avoid contact with each other. All three panted heavily, but were grinning.
"She's someone, you know," Travis said, "Those bounty hunters, they knew something about her, something of how she fell into the hands of those fools and their mother."
 
The gentleness of Sophie's cleaning helped her relax further and she closes her eyes for a moment before opening them. "I've never had my hair washed before..." even as she said those words they didn't sound right to her. It was confusing.

Nodding gently to Sophie. "Yes please." She says in answer.
 
Sophie smiled gently,
"I think you will like it. It's a massage for your head."
She guided Lena's head back and used a jug to scoop water over her hair, then worked the cleaning solution into Lena's hair. While that soaked, she worked a comb through the tresses, trying to untangle the knots without causing any pain.
 
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