I am Robin

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And:

He put Carys down on the pallet in the corner. He hadn't slept on it in weeks. He set about lighting a fire, all the time conscious of Carys' fear and wariness. He understood. She would learn soon enough who he was and why he had rescued her.

He turned to find her watching him. He looked a mess, he knew, but that was all part of his disguise. He needed to get water and he could sense her thirst but also knew that she was planning her escape.

"I need to get water," he said, blowing on the fire which was sharing its warmth and its glow in the room. "You can leave if you want."

He knew that exhorting her to stay or locking the door would frighten her.

He got up from where he was squatting and looked at her. She was thinking. Her thirst was her main concern. She would stay. For now.

He went to the door and left.

Carys looked around her. It was orderly. She could see that it was clean and it smelt good. Spices, herbs - she knew their earthy scent as if they were part of her. She felt wary but not threatened. She wanted to look around but something told her that he would know what she'd touched. Instead, she used her senses. Was he a healer too? Or something more sinister? There had been talk of such otherworldly powers shifting and altering the status quo in the world. People were keen to look, in their poverty, to malevolent external forces, like witches, with their Dark Arts.

She knew too well the mark that left when the accusation landed.

The door opened and her rescuer stood with a bucket. He grabbed an earthenware goblet and dipped it, passing it to her. Suspicious, she sniffed it and he smiled.

"Drink. It's water," and she looked at him, his eyes, and saw only care there. Who was he?

"It matters not," he replied, again. He could see her thoughts! "Know that you are safe."

The cool water drenched her throat like an elixir.

"Your name?" she croaked.

"I am Robin."

Carys knew that name. Her heart shook.

***

366 words

So, who is Robin? At this stage, I'll be honest and say that I'm not really sure myself. I will give it some thought over Easter and report back with another instalment. He's a mystery man - to me as well as you.

Thanks for stopping by! If you do read this, please do leave a comment as I love to interact with my readers.

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