In Another Life (KiiteMorau x loneiysong)

Aiden couldn't recall much of the night before the accident, before he wandered down the road clutching the gaping wound in his side with a hand drenched in his own rich blood. He could remember coming back to the tavern after collecting and delivering his client's artifact, being a thief, nothing really bothered him anymore and he could hide and steal and be more deft than anybody he knew. More than anybody knew. Tonight was unusual, his guild members had insisted on a "celebration" all he wanted was to return to his hideout and sleep off the stress from his awful mission, including rub out his sore feet after he landed harshly on them countless times.

But in their drunk state they managed to overpower him, and give him a few drinks as well, on top of that, they took him to a brothel, the last place he ever wanted to be. They had hired a few wenches and with that he was whisked r away to be laid by a woman with no other job than this. Aiden had to admit she made him feel like he had gone to heaven, and when he released his pent up cum, it was the most wonderful feeling. He had actually passed out. Although, she couldn't break the heartache he so often felt.

Aiden had no clear explanation for that heartache he felt. At the moment it didn't matter, because last night when he woke in the bed of his house and he heard something. Like that he had been attacked, nude, he had been wounded then once again taken. When he woke up next they were out of the city and had called for the night. His kidnappers had the kindness to dress and bandage him before they left. He was able to leave and escape.

Traveling had taken a toll on him and now the sun was rising as he driving down the road limping. Then a house, just a quaint little house really, small and nestled in the trees. Struggling he, walked to the door and then fell against it. "Help...." Aiden called out meekly.

Amber was walking along in the night. She had a lantern in her hand and draped in a black cloak. She was checking her traps one last time for food and was walking back with two hares when she saw a man stumbling to her small house. He collapsed on the porch. Walking forward, she looked down at him quickly assessing him for a weapon. No he was wounded. Leaning down, she lifted his shirt and frowned softly. He was wounded terribly.

Getting up, she opened the house door. She set the hares inside and then walked back out and grabbed him under his arms and carefully dragged him inside. Laying a fur down in front of the fire, she laid him on top of it and then raised his face and blushed. He was handsome.

Standing up, she moved to a water bucket and came back sitting down and raised his head and offered him a dipper of water.

"You awake my lord?" She spoke like a girl of breeding. She frowned when he didn't respond and got up and moved around and soon sat down and began to sew his wound closed and rubbed salve into it and bandaged it up. When she was done, she covered him up and set about to cleaning and skinning the hares.

Aiden was lost in his mind, in a lame attempt to save himself, that was all it really was. Although, he barely capable of helping her carry him into her house or do much over than that. He didn't feel her arms wrap around him and usher him inside, nor did he feel her lay him down on the fur floor. His body was unaware and could careless about what she did to him, nor did it respond. So the results were him letting her see his wound and admire him with no protest.

He slept through her process of skinning and cleaning he hates she had caught and by the time he woke it was late morning. The floor was not the most comfortable of mattresses but it was better than nothing at all. Aiden groaned and looked around as he shifted uncomfortably on the ground for awhile. Then he slowly sat up, recognizing the pain in his side. His top was bare and bandaged. He wished to stand but the idea made his legs feel weak.

Amber was hunched in front of him cooking a hare stew and turned adn looked at him and grinned. "Good morning, you are in pain aren't you? Well I have something to fix that up." She got up and moved over to him. She had slept in her bed. She looked at him. "Sorry, I didn't think I could get you into a bed." She smiled and sat down. She was wearing a black dress with black vest and grinned softly. She smiled and watched him looking at the bandage. SHe took it off and began to touch it up with the salve that would make it numb. She replaced a bandage and held out a leaf between her fingers.

"Open up, I want you to chew this, it will make you thirsty as hell, but it will make you feel better." She smiled and then looked at him and grinned propping him up and smiled wider.

Aiden saw the woman, she took him by surprise really. He wasn't prepared to wake up in her house nor have her be so happy to see he was awake. Honestly, he expected to wake up outside in the rain, dying. That seemed fitting. But no, here he was. Although, he nodded at her question regarding his pain, it was true his side did hurt so did his stomach from the smell of the food. "It's no problem, I could understand that," He spoke softly when she apologized for not trying to drag him into the bed. "I'm impressed you got me inside," Aiden was a bit more cheerful now and grimaced when she began to clean and change his bandages and wound.

Reluctantly, he took the leaf and did as she asked, within a matter off minutes his mouth felt like the Sahara desert. Completely devoid of any moisture and he began to sweat a bit from it, because honestly it bothered him to feel like that. On the other had his wound began to hurt a lot less between the salve and this leaf.

She smiled adn came over and looked at him. "I am not sure what got you, if you are poisoned or not, but I will give you some broth if you want. At the very least you need to drink some water." She then looked at him and then moved over and propped him up and got a bowl of rabbit stew broth and came back and blew on it so it was cool and then raised his head and then head the bowl to his lips and smiled. "Here you go." She smiled wider.

The woman smiled.

"I am Amber by the way." She whispered and then looked at him.

"I don't think I got anything...just wounded," Aiden spoke furrowing his brows trying to recall if anybody would poison their weapons. "I hope," He added at the thoughts that maybe that did poison a weapon or two. It was her offer, though, that brought him out of his nightmare. Rabbit stew sounded pleasing, he was terribly hungry and sitting up right now was perfect. He helped her prop him up as best as he could with hurting to much with moving his stomach and body.

Although, Aiden gave a small frown when she treated him like handicapped child, he didn't like it. "I can feed myself, but thank you," Trying to sound polite as he took the bowl and began to drink the warm broth.

"Very well." She shrugged handing him the bowl and moved away making her own bowl and stood up grabbing a piece of bread adn sat at the table and began to eat not looking at him but there was something about him that was constantly vigilant. She didn't get her feelings hurt, she just was so used to living by herself and when someone or something was hurt it was usually an animal.

She continued to eat and was quiet.

Aiden took the warm clay bowl in his hands and began to the guzzle down all the broth first, he wanted the warmth it provided. After that, he began to eat the pieces of rabbit, eating how he mostly always had with his hands. He'd never really learned manners, but when he was at the dinner table with other members of his guild...he'd use silver wear and manners. For a change. But now he felt guilty, a rare occasion in the career of a thief to feel guilt or regret. But here was experiencing it.

Sighing he set his bowl aside. "My name is Aiden. Thank you...for saving me," Aiden spoke sincerely to her, this was one of the those times he wanted to fix the things and relationships he had screwed up. So why now fix this one?

"No problem." She smiled and looked at him. She looked down at something on the table and out of his line of sight. "It is what I do. I consider myself to be the one who keeps the balance of nature." She then looked at him and smiled. "So who did you make angry?" She watched him carefully. She watched him carefully and canted her head.

Aiden wasn't sure how to explain it, he could recall the tattoo on the two mens' necks, he knew who they worked for. And the hatred they're boss had for him ran deep, on top of that if he told her the full truth she'd have him arrested. He was a thief, a collector of all things valuable. "Well I pretty much pissed this one guy off a long time ago, I guess he didn't forget about me because he sent two of his men to come and kill of capture me. At first I fought back but he got me in my side and after that it's all a blur until now really. But I know I'm far from home," Aiden sighed softly explaining this as carefully as he could to her.

"Bad luck." She smiled and looked at him listening carefully. "Far from home? I can help you get back, but it would take a while. And I would perfer you heal first." She smiled adn then looked back at him. "You steal something from the man?" She laughed and looked at him. She suspected he was a man of ill repute and a thief was lowest as they could get.

For the first time in his life, he actually wanted to stay here with her for awhile, there was something about her that made him want to tell her that he wasn't a master thief, that he'd just been hurt for voicing his opinion and it actually did slip out.

So he chuckled like it's a joke. "Ha I wish. I couldn't be a thief if my life depended on it," Lie. "In fact, I think he hates me because I voiced out against him in public maybe even humiliated him," He chuckled once more and the sighed. "I'm not sure if I even want to go back now. He'll probably just drive me back out,"

"Part truth, part lie. Very interesting theif." She smiled adn then looked at him adn stood up. "If you wish to stay, then stay you shall. I could always do for help ." She smiled and then moved to the bed and sat and looked at him and canted her head. She watched him very carefully.

Aiden's eyes widen when she figured him out like a puzzle and with that he looked up to her, confused and concerned. "H-How did you know?" He said, his voice dropping to a whisper, just incase, one could never be too safe. He almost wanted to approach her and he tried, struggling to stand up while holding his wound. His lean and fit body was exposed to her, his bright blue eyes looked at her pointedly.

"You have a tell when you lie, but don't worry." She got up and moved forward to him laying him back. She smiled. "I am not going to tell anyone, there have been worse than you in teh same spot and I have healed them and sent them on their way. I tell you, I keep balance." She smiled and looekd at him canting her head.

Aiden looked down to her and when she approached him and tried to lay him back down. He refused though, looking down at her brown eyes. "Thank you. I don't steal for myself...most of the time. I steal...well for the greater good. I take power out of the wrong hands," He sighed, maybe she wouldn't believe the truth. He smiled softly to her, somehow it felt right to be so close to her.

"You don't have to explain it to me." She whispered and stroked his face and then smiled and looked at him. She stroked his arm. "YOu should rest and not strain yourself." She whispered to him.

"Hm. Where should I rest?" Aiden whispered to her as well, he lifted a hand and cupped her cheek gently. He smiled to her softly, there was something about her. Carefully he wrapped his arms around her body and looked down to her with a smile.

She looked at him and looked at him adn then canted her head. "I have a guest bed, if you want to rest there." She bit her lip and looked down as he touched her and held her close. Seh blushed and canted her head. It was natural for a man to fall in love with a woman who was healing him. She looked up and bit her lip gently.

"I can sleep there, if you want," Now, Aidem was not a master of seduction. He never needed it in his profession. It was stick to the shadows and don't say much, which lead to a feather anti-social life. Although, he really had learned a lot from that and knew how people would react to certain things and so forth. But when she bit her lip he frowned and became concerned. "What's wrong?" His voice was concerned for her as well.

She smiled adn shook her head and then stood up and then looked at him and then wrapped her arms around his trunk and helped him to his feet and propped him against the wall and then looked at him. "How do you feel?"

Aiden was still concerned and slowly, he stood, wincing just a bit from his wound. Sighing, he slowly nodded to her, notifying her he was fine. Really he was in his own mind, he just didn't want to scare her. "I feel fine, not great but not too bad," He shrugged, leaning against the wall.

She smiled and then looked at him and lead him to the bed and slowly sat him down and laid him back and grinned watching him.

"There we go...thats better." She purred to him.

Aiden smiled in return, her smile made him smile, and he didn't know why...but to was also extremely cliché to him as well. Grabbing her hand for support and guidance as they stumbled through the hallway down to the guest room. By the time she managed to get him to lay down he was beat. Panting ever so softly, mostly from the pain he had endured.

"Thank you. For everything, if there's anything I can do for you tell me," Aiden sighed looking up to her as he shifted into a more comfortable state.