A Wife's Duty

Calaren barely ate and only drank when someone held a cup to his face. He didn’t speak or complain unless the nurses spent too much time in his room. He tolerated the change in his bandages but each time narisa had come she was told the same thing, ‘He didn’t want to see her. Her nor anyone for that matter. Red was doing better but it was obvious to her now that his face was truly ruined. He needed more of the ointment though she could see but decided to let Calaren have something he has to deal with when he got off of his butt. She’d need to put him back out in the pasture as well eventually to make it that much harder for him.

In truth it didn’t seemed to matter to Simaril that Red was different, she appeared quite friendly toward him and him to her oddly enough. And ofcourse there was Narisa too that he seemed to wait upon. Each time she drew near his snout would nuzzle her and he sniffed for the cinnamon candies that she often had for him. His appetite was growing slowly and already he was eating much more than Simaril did.

Narisa knew that she needed to do something for Calaren and fast. She desperately missed her husband and longed for his company once more. Early one morning she led the red stallion out of his stall and towards the pasture where she turned him out as she did every morning. She watched as he went running off and smiled slyly to herself. She then walked to the Healing House and told the healers that she needed to see Calaren immediately. She walked in and looked at him.

"Before you tell me to leave I need to tell you that I am worried about the red Neifbren. His face was badly damaged and has started to take on infection. I tried to put some ointment on his face, but he ran away from me. He needs you Calaren. I don't know how to help him."

Calaren nearly snarled when she barged in like she did. He wanted to be alone. To face her right then was to face everyone that knew he got men killed. Men that didn't deserve to die. Why didnt anyone understand that? Why did he feel so alone? He knew he loved Narisa. God he'd die for her and part of him wished that he had. The pain inside of him would be gone then at least. 

"The re..." he began and his face changed from anger to concern but then back again. "I don't care...I told you NOT to see me like this!" He shouted. "Get out Narisa...get out!" He shouted again. When she shut the door behind her she would hear him weeping from inside.

Narisa hadn’t quite expected the response she received from Calaren. She was at a loss of words and for a moment she didn’t know what to do. When he yelled at her to get out again she walked out of the room. The moment she closed the door she could hear him start to weep. It broke her heart and caused tears to come to her own eyes. She stood out there for a short time before she slowly turned and opened the door and walked back in. She didn’t say anything. She slowly walked over to the bed and without a word she climbed in beside him and wrapped her arms around him as a few tears slipped down her cheeks.

When he felt Narisa take hold of him Calaren did t fight her or shout or tell her to go he just buried his face and let her love deep into him. The love he knew he no longer deserved. He cried for a while longer before he fell asleep like that in her arms. When he awoke he felt her beside him and her eyes were open and looking into his. 

He took in a breath and then another and another and she saw his face redden and knew what he was doing. He was girding himself up for something and she'd know what. 

"I need your help my darling...help me get up," he asked, "Please?" He said and so very sweetly. "I have a horse Thst needs looking after," he said. As he continued to prepare himself for the pain that was coming.

Narisa stayed with Calaren through the night. She stroked his hair and sang softly to him before falling asleep herself. When she awoke he was still asleep. She just laid there and watched him for a while before he slowly began to awaken. She looked deeply into his eyes and he would see the undying love she had for him. When he began to take in deep breaths she knew that he was going to try and get up. She slipped out of the bed and walked over to the other side to help him stand. She put an arm around him and started to help him up.

"Please be careful Calaren."

His whole body felt like it was on fire and a nurse came up to them almost immediately once they cleared his door. “Alright I don't know what your playing at but your not supposed to be out of bed!” She scolded and then took in lady Narisa. “Uh my pardons mylady...but your man is very ill. Really this is quite serious I must insist that he go back,” she said uneasily but in a softer tone.

Narisa was genuinely concerned about Calaren, but he continued on and soon they were out of the room. However, not one step out and immediately a nurse rushed over to them and told them that Calaren needed to get back into bed. Narisa began to worry that perhaps this was too much for him. She didn't want to push him into doing something that was only going to make things worse. She looked at Calaren.

"What do you want to do?"

Calaren faltered when they stopped. The pain in his back and arm was tremendous. So much so his eyes watered. But it seemed like nothing next to the crushing weight of the dead that he had been holding onto. The guilt, the feeling of failure was poisoning him. He didn't really know what changed but someone needed his help and he couldn't let them down too.

"Get me out of here," he whispered and refused to look at the nurse for fear that she'd see the truth. He was in no real shape to stand let alone walk. But he'd bloody well walk out of there.

Narisa kept her arm around her husband and supported him as best she could. He was a rather muscular man and therefore quite heavy. However, she was used to dealing with horses and was much stronger than most women. She nodded at Calaren's response and helped him slowly and carefully out of the Healing House. Together, they walked towards the pasture. Every few feet she would stop to allow him to rest. It took a while, but they finally reached the pasture where the red Neifbren stallion was currently roaming. Her sharp eyes spotted him immediately, but she hoped he wouldn't come over to the fence.

The Neifbren hadn't seen them approach, it had waited for her for a long while already before it went to feed on the longer, soft grasses that were further out. The gray was there too she could see but when it got to close the Red reared and tried to hit it with a front hoof. A display that would corroborate her story if he only...

It saw her and raced toward them. For some reason though it snorted angrily and it rolled its eyes at Calaren who was next to her when it arrived. It would not approach her like before with him there.

Calaren saw the anger and the sorrow it was feeling as their eyes met. Silently he took a step forward toward the fence to get better eye to eye contact, she also saw him visibly slow down his breathing. The Neifbren complained and it snorted annoyedly and slapped its long tail from side to side as Calaren observed it. It looked as if it might rear up again. It winnied loudly and bobbed his head in frustration at not being able to get a sweet. But Calaren took it all as something else.

"The brown...was it's mate," he said softly but appeared to be concentrating at keeping his eyes soft and non-confrontational. "I understand now," he murmured sadly and his eyes welled up in tears. "I'm so sorry," he said as he had neglected to add one more death to the butcher's bill that he owed. But the eye contact, the soft words had seemed to calm the large Red. And it winnied that soft, high pitched winnie once more as if somehow Calaren had connected with him on a level that didn't involve tricks or food nor candy. She had never seen this before, not like this. He murmured too in elvish and spoke as if whispering and indeed the horses ears shifted toward him and its his eyes seemed to focus upon him.

He held out his good arm to Narisa and as she took hold of him he whispered, "Repeat this with me, just like I do," he said. In elvish he murmured again and then again and again a series of phrases and with each repetition Narisa had learned it. As they both repeated it in unison the large Red lowered its head down below theirs and began to much on the grasses at its feet.

Narisa held her breath when the Neifbren spotted her and started to race towards her. She thought that the entire plan might suddenly be ruined, but then it stopped and snorted loudly at Calaren. It didn't come any closer and appeared agitated and upset at his presence. She waited and kept quiet, allowing Calaren to handle the situation and connect with the animal. She felt a few tears come to her own eyes as Calaren apologized to the animal for it's loss. She wiped the tears away from her eyes and watched as the Neifbren slowly began to calm down and relax. She looked over as Calaren held out his good arm for her to take. She did so and listened to the words he wanted her to say. After a few repetitions she had memorized it and began to say it with him. Within moments the Neifbren was completely relaxed and eating grass near the fence.

When she finally got him home he avoided looking at anyone though people greeted them or waved to them as they passed. The moment the door was closed behind them Calaren sagged in her grasp and it was all she could do to get him up the stairs and into their bed. That had been so painful that his color had waned and he broke into a fever. none of it was life threatening she knew but any more and he might have fallen unconscious from it. Calaren was far from weak and she could only imagine how much he had endured because she asked him to.

Narisa finally managed to get Calaren home and inside. She got him up the stairs and she could tell from the feeling of near dead weight in her arms that he would simply collapse if she let him go. She got him finally into bed and immediately went and got him some water to drink and a damp cloth that she laid over his forehead. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him with a little smile.

"I'm very proud of you Calaren What you did today was incredible. You should rest now though. You need to regain your strength."