Lost Youth

She blinks in surprise as he handed her the pouch. She wasn't sure what to do but didn't want to insult him by refusing. Gently she took it from his hand and held it tightly so as not to loose it.

"Clothes?" She asks curiously. She had been so used to wearing the rags that she thought they were normal and all she needed. She glanced down at herself a little.
 
Travis thought of the most diplomatic way to say it.
"What you're wearing will not keep you very warm." He looked at the money pouch she held and suggested gently, "you could tie that around your waist or your neck, hide it under your clothes."
(Would you like to skip a day or so ahead to approaching a larger town maybe?)
 
(Sounds like a plan)

She did as he suggested about tying the bag to her waist. It was strange to have the weight there. She let the hoof beats of the horse fill her ears.

Traveling wad new to her but she managed to get used to it. Getting tired here and there but she never complained and kept quiet here and there, asking questions about traveling.

A few days later they made it to a large city. She had never seen one before and her eyes were wide with amazement. She bites her lip a little as she saw the looks she got from some of the others as they passed. She pulled at her sleeves a little.
 
Travis glanced up at Lena as they walked through the huge protective gates.
"Keep your eye on the gear, " he said softly, "and smack any hands that try to grab things." He passed a short, fat stick to her.
He looked around for a tavern or inn where they could put the horse up and rest for a night or two.
He finally spotted one he liked and pushed his way through the crowd.
"A stall for the horse, warm oats and a hood curry. A room as well, top of the house, " he commanded the stable boy as they entered the much quieter yard. He lifted his hands to help Lena down and took several bags from the horse, slinging them over his shoulder, but leaving the majority with the old gelding.
 
She nods at his words but it was hard to really do as he asked. She had never hit anyone but it seemed that if she had the stick, people minded.

Getting off the horse with his help. Gently she patted the horse's neck. Then she stuck close to Travis. She was nervous, and unsure of the people around them but she had grown to trust Travis.
 
Travis nodded to himself as the horse was led away. He took Lena's arm, leading her inside.
"We can sit and eat while they prepare a room for us, " He said. The inside was dimly lit but cheerful, the heavy aromas of cooking meat and bread permiated the room. Travis led Lena to an out of the way booth and ordered drinks and food from a bar maid. He ignored the stares and looks of the people inside.
 
Lena nods a bit at his words. She still kept at his side until they sat down at the booth. Her eyes glancing around a little. She looks to Travis a little. "Why does everyone stare...?" She asks quietly.

The small town was all she had ever known or at least from what she could remember. This place puzzled her and confused her at best.
 
Travis sighed, "Because you look different to them and they have no understanding of what life you have led up until this point, they only see what's in their small, boxed in world."
He thanked and tipped the maid that brought their food. He licked his lips and inhaled the delicious aroma of goat stew and the white, softness of hot bread.
 
She nods softly at his words. She didn't understand much but she did understand what he was saying. It was in truth how she herself felt.

As the food was placed before them, it was hard for her to ignore how wonderful it smelled. She watches him a moment before she starts to eat as well. It was so wonderful to her.
 
"After this, we will find a dress shop and you can choose whatever you wish, " Travis said around a mouthful of stew. He drank deeply from his wine, wrinkling his nose at the poor quality. He tore his small loaf of bread into pieces and dipped it into his stew.
Hos hazel eyes roved around the tavern, watching hostile faces, his expression schooled to blandness.
 
She was unsure of the place and the many people but soon she was distracted by the food. She was so hungry and the food was perfect to her. It tasted amazing and hit the spot for her.

As her mind got focused on the food, she savored it. She blinks a little as she looks towards the door, thinking she saw someone familiar but shook her head and went back to her food when she couldn't think of where she knew the person from.
 
Travis relaxed a little, stretching back. He waited for Lena to finish her meal, not wanting to rush her.
"Do you have any thought how you want your new clothes to look?" He asked, knowing that a dressmaker would ask the same of her.
his very bones ached, dirt and dust caked his body, turning his hair to an almost off white colour. He sighed, trying to convince himself to keep his eyes open, but they kept sliding shut of their own accord, he was so exhausted, sleeping very little over the last few days.
 
She looks to him as he asked her about her new look. "I....don't really know....." she says and she wasn't really sure. Looking at the other woman in the place, she wasn't sure what would be right for her.

After another moment, she managed to finish eating. All of the food now making her tired. It had been so good and made her relax.

She looks to him, hesitating then asks. "Can...we go get some rest first......I'm tired...."
 
Travis nodded, blinking rapidly to wake himself up, and failing miserably.
"That sounds like a great idea." he rose to his feet and gestured to a maid. "Show us to our room, please," he said.
The girl nodded and led them up two flights of narrow stairs. The room she unlocked, handing the key over to Trav, was small but neat and comfortable.
She pointed to a big wooden tub close to the fireplace, "Missus asked if ya could wash firs."
Travis nodded, "We will, thank you." He slipped a copper coin into her hand, she bobbed a curtsy and departed.
Trav closed the door behind them, "If you'd allow me to wash first, I'll be asleep and you can take as long as you like."
 
Lena followed after Travis and the maid quietly. She looked to everyone a little before relaxing once they reached the room.

After the maid had left and the door closed, she left herself relax. She looks to him carefully as he spoke about the tub and cleaning up. She nods a bit at his words. " Okay. " she said. She wouldn't tell him though that she hadn't ever taken a real bath before. Usually she had to sneak to the lake to get cleaned up and even then it was short and never relaxing.
 
Travis smiled tiredly,
"I'm sorry, if I wasn't so tired, I might try harder to make this more comfortable for you." He quickly stripped, unobtrusively standing behind the tub to cover himself until he stepped into it. He washed quickly, feeling the heat from both the water and the fire seep into his bones. He breathed deeply as he rinsed his hair a final time, then stepped quickly away, wrapping a bath sheet about his hips.
"All yours," He said quietly, making his way to the bed and lying down. After the bath, he wasn't so much as tired, but simply lying on a soft mattress made him feel much better. His breathing was slow and relaxed, his eyes half closed. Water droplets ran down his broad chest, where he hadn't bothered to dry himself properly.
 
She turned her eyes to the floor and waited for him to be finished. The fact that Travis apologized already made him better than the brothers. Nudity though was not anything she blushed about or was nervous about. The brothers were good about making her aware of it.

Once he was done, she hesitated then moved towards the tub. Gently she touched the water. It felt great to her. Carefully she removed her rags.

Her body was covered in bruises and scars. The most painful though as the water touched it, were the open whip marks on her back. Her wrists as well stung horribly. Biting her lip, she sat down in the tub. A faint sound of pain leaving her lips before she tried to relax.
 
"Damn," Trav said softly from the bed, getting up again. He crouched down behind her, fingers trailing lightly across her shoulder, careful not to touch the wounds.
"I think I may have to clean these for you," He said quietly, voice and eyes filled with pain for her. He rose and dug into the bags, dumped close to the door. He returned with the same healing cream he had used on her wrists before as well as some other vials and a pouch of dried herbs.
He opened one vial and sniffed it, checking the contents. He tipped a thumbful into a cup set beside the water jug on the bedside table.
"Drink this," He ordered softly, "It will dull the pain a little and help you sleep, although if you feel half of what I do, you don't need any help with that."
He then asked her to lean forward so he could sponge her back and clean the marks there. He even added another creamy substance to her hair, massaging it into her scalp.
 
She tensed as soon as he approached her. It was a reflex and she had to remind herself that he wasn't like the brothers. She grimaces and bites her lip to keep from making a sound. She never knew how much it hurt until now. For so long she had ignored the pain and pushed it from her mind.

But now, in that moment, she felt every bit of it. She accepted the drink from him and did as told. Once she finished it, she tried to relax again.

It was hard though as she leaned forward so he could clean her back. It hurt more as he cleaned them and she held onto the sides of the tub. The wounds had been close to infections and caked with dirt and grim.
 
"I'm sorry," Trav said softly, "I don't want to hurt you, but you will get sick if these aren't seen to." He smiled gently, "Just when you have everything to live for."
He finished cleaning her back, hand trembling with withheld rage at the state of her. He then took her hands and cleaned her wrists again, looking up into her eyes from where he crouched.
"Lena, I need you to tell me when these hurt. I need your hands cleaned every day, keep sweat and dirt out of them, and the same with your back, but i will help you with that. You can soak here for longer, if you like, but when you're ready to get out, I want you to dry yourself and then lie face down on the bed, I need to dress your back and put some stuff on it to help. Like I did with your wrists." He rose, snatching a flask out of a bag and slumping into the armchair near the fire, staring moodily into the flames, reflections dancing in his eyes.
 
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