Of Wild Rose and Wolfhound

Of Wild Rose and Wolfhound Prologue Though all before me is shadow, Yet shall Odin be my guide.

I shall not be left to wander the drifting roads of the beyond.

For there is no darkness in Odin's Light And nothing that He has wrought shall be lost.

All that lies before her is darkness. In her mind, she can still see the ash and dust and fire around her.

Her world was burning down, destroying the only life she has ever known. But now, her eyes see nothing. Only darkness.

She gasps and tries to breath. Her chest hurts, each breath is painful. Yet she is still breathing, alive.

She is laying on a soft surface, covered with rough clothes. A bed? Is she home? But home was burning.

It was the last thing she saw before everything went dark.

How long has she laid there? Where is she? Papa? Mama? What happened? She remembers the pillar falling down and Papa pushed her away to avoid it crushing her. But then, nothing. She cannot remember anything else.

Something keeps her eyes shut. Wildly she feels her arm flailing, trying to touch whatever it is preventing them from opening. It is a kind of soft clothing wrapped tightly around her eyes. Rather panicked she tries to remove it, but before she can do so, a warm, large and callous hand stops her and pulls her hands away from her eyes. The gesture is firm, yet very gentle.

"I would stop ter touch it if I were ye," says a voice not far from her. It startles her. Everything hurts, but now the pains start to lessen and her head clears a bit.

"Nay, don’t be afraid. Yer safe now. I didn’t meant to scare ye. Father Yosuke told me to watch over ye. But now yer finally awake. Don't touch yer eyes though, would get 'nfection he says," the voice says again, this time even gentler.

It is a voice is of a young boy her own age. It is rough and has a funny accent, barely comprehensible at first to her, but it is warm and gentle and comforting. Somehow, she clings to every word. The boy, whoever he is, keeps holding her hands away to stop her trying to touch her own eyes.

"Aye, yer a lucky lass. They brought ye here to the Abbey to the two days ago, after the fire. They thought ye were a goner after breathing so much of the smoke. But Father Yosuke did his best and here ye are! Alive and awake now! The only one that survives the fire that kills dozens. Too bad for your eyes, though, but Father Yosuke said it might heals after a while, hopefully. Yer a tough one, ain't ye? Good for you, lass. Good for ye."

The voice keeps talking, chuckling now as if amused, and firmy holding her hands in his. Finally she calms down and stops to fight him completely. For reasons she does not know, she squeezes his hands tightly, trying to comfort herself with the warmth of another human being in the darkness that scares her to death.

"W-Where is Papa and Mama? " she says finally after a while, coughing a bit between each phrase.

Each words are painful and her lungs feel like burning. Her voice sounds smalls and frightened. It startles even herself.

The boy becomes quiet now, although he keeps holding her hand gently in his. When he speaks again, his voice is soft and very gentle.

"They're walkin' with Odin, now," he says finally. "Yer in Saint Cap'tolina Abbey, Father Yosuke brought you here, said that this is the best place for those who need rest. And rest ye need." She clings to his hands and sobs uncontrollably after hearing his words.

"W-Where is Papa and Mama? " she says finally after a while, coughing a bit between each phrase.

Each words are painful and her lungs feel like burning. Her voice sounds smalls and frightened. It startles even herself.

The boy becomes quiet now, although he keeps holding her hand gently in his. When he speaks again, his voice is soft and very gentle.

"They're walkin' with Odin, now," he says finally. "Yer in Saint Cap'tolina Abbey, Father Yosuke brought you here, said that this is the best place for those who need rest. And rest ye need."

She clings to his hands and sobs uncontrollably after hearing his words.

She hears the chair cracking when he moves to sit on the bed beside her gently. He squeezes her hands tight in his. Her closed eyes feel like burning as tears wet the bandage, but she does not care. She feels lost and scared and would probably scream if not for the presence of another human being now sitting beside her on the bed.

She does not know how long she cries, but he stays there all the time, for once quiet and not saying anything, letting her pouring out of the agony in her heart.

When she is finally calm again, she feels exhausted, tired and spent. Everything hurts, nothing make any sense beside this person beside her that speaks roughly but not unkindly. She tries to fight sleep, afraid of the dark without his voice and the touch of his hands on hers as her only beacon of light.

"Who are you?" she says finally, after she finally calming down an eternity later.

"Aye, name's Liam," the voice replies. "You can call me that. Liam. That's my name. Just an acolyte in the Abbey, a Monk in trainin’. And yers?"

"Just Liam?"

"Liam. No just. Don't have family name if that's what ye mean. They just put me inside a basket and put it in front of the Abbey's door when I was just a babe. Never knew my parents. The Monks here brought me up with several others. Orphans all of us."

She lays down quietly, digesting all this and tries to keep her mind away from the fire and the raging pain inside her.

"Caitlin," she says finally. "Caitlin of House Muir."

"Caitlin? Aye, that's a fine name, Caitlin of House Muir. Suits ye. Well, you have to rest now, Cait."

"It's Caitlin, not Cait."

"Yea yea, sure, Cait. You need rest or Father Yosuke will tan my hide."

"Would you... would you be here when I wake up?"

Liam chuckles a bit, and pinches Caitlin's cheek teasingly.

"If ye want, Cait. Afraid of the dark, aren't ye? Well alright, it's fine. Don't worry. I'm here, Cait. I'll be here when ye wake up. I promise that" The world is still engulfed in darkness, but now at least, she finds it less frightening. Caitlin falls asleep that night holding Liam's rough hand.

He watches her falls into deep slumber. He would show her around later when she wakes. She would need help going around the Abbey, at least for a time. Well, he would have to hold her hands in his and guide her, it seems. Be her eyes for a while, as Father Yosuke asked him this morning.

But now, he sits quietly beside her. He would be there when she wakes up tomorrow morning. He promises her that, and he is not one to break his own promise.

Notes The small poem in the beginning is a modified version taken from Dragon Age Universe's Chant of Light. I really love that part and it suits Caitlin's story well.

For the full original version, it's from the Canticle of Trials 1 https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Chant_of_Light_verses