Ravenna dashed toward her sanctuary, toward her forest. Embarrassment flushed her face, her freckles hidden below her blush, the tips of her ears bright pink. She felt terrible leaving the injured Seraphim in the infirmary, but she needed the time to herself, to get away from it all.
The brush around the pathway grew from tall grasses to thick trees, and the young woman immediately felt her tension ease. She was safe here. –Or is the Ruler watching me here too, waiting for me to slip up to show Michael's Brothers things here?– She shook the thought from her mind, approaching the stream that ran through the trees. Slipping off her shoes, she sat on a boulder at the edge of the water and dipped her toes in the water.
Tossing a small pebble into the stream, Ravenna selfishly wished Michael was an ordinary human. –But then he couldn't have saved me from Peter…– She tossed another stone, watching the water ripple. –I care about him the way he is…I'm just heartbroken he lost his wings, his life in the Kingdom, all for me.–
The image of Michael's mangled back came to Ravenna's mind, making her feel ashamed of her momentary selfish wish that Michael was human. He had sacrificed so much for her.
She thought of what the Seraphim had told her. His entire family had seen her most intimate moments with him. –How much did the Reflecting Mirror show the Brothers? Did it just show us kissing? Did it show me unbuttoning his waistcoat? Or him encouraging me to undo the buttons of his shirt, feeling his chest, his waist? I know they saw him lying on me without his shirt, but how much more did they see? I'm so embarrassed…but Michael had to stand there while his Brothers watched it all, that had to have been worse…–
As Ravenna thought of what Michael must have felt while his Brothers watched everything the Mirror had to show them, she felt guilty that she had left him alone in the cottage. He had been through so much worse, and she didn't have her entire family judging her every movement. She withdrew her feet from the stream, and let them dry before slipping her shoes back on.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ravenna left the infirmary room, and Michael struggled to sit up. He felt terrible that he had upset the woman he loved, but he knew it was best to tell her the truth. Even if he hadn't told her, she would have eventually found out, and it was best that the news had come from him.
He understood her feelings; it would be awful to find out that her most private and intimate moments had been shown to so many. –I should do something special for her to make her feel better.– Michael grasped the headboard, and used it to support himself, grimacing as he pulled his weight forward. He sat up, and a low moan escaped him as he stood. His legs shook with effort, and he made his way slowly to the kitchen.
Michael looked at the stove, and observed the broth that Ravenna had spent the day making. "I can finish dinner for us, I've seen Victoria and Ophelia do this plenty of times, how hard can it be?" He noticed the vegetables that had been sliced, and smirked, his confidence rising. He saw cooked chicken in another bowl, and his grin widened. –This is almost too easy.– He found a second pot, and placed it on the stove. After a struggle, he managed to light the burner, and he tried to twitch his wings as he always did when he had a small victory, causing pain to ripple through his back. He leaned against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut. The pain passed, and he continued to cook.
He placed the sliced vegetables and chicken into the second pot, and found a wooden spoon on the countertop. Smoke soon began to rise from the mixture, and concern crossed Michael's face. He poked at the meat and vegetables with the spoon, and the mixture sizzled. –What am I doing wrong? This never happened to Ophelia or Victoria!– The contents of the pot quickly began to turn black, and Michael's concern turned to panic. "I've ruined it! Oh, this isn't helping at all!" He pulled the pot from the burner, and stood in front of the stove, not knowing what to do with it. The burner still remained ignited, and Michael's eyes darted back and forth between the pot in his hands and the flame.
"I have done a bad job."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ravenna approached her home, admonishing herself for leaving Michael alone after he had clearly been through so much and needed her support. –I need to be better! He needed me and I let my embarrassment and upset get the better of me. I need to make it up to him….what's that smell?–
She rushed to open the door, and saw Michael standing in the kitchen looking panicked, his gaze flicking between a smoking pot in his hands and a fire on the stove. "Michael! What have you done?!"
"I….I have done a bad job…"
Ravenna quickly extinguished the flame on the stove, and gently took the smoldering pot from the worried Seraphim. She peered into the pot, unable to determine what the blackened mixture was. "What did you try to…I'm sure you had good intentions, but what is this?"
"...Dinner?"
"Oh, Michael…" Ravenna looked up at the angel, who gave her a sad look. "You did try your best…but these were already cooked and ready. All that was left to do was be added to the broth here, it just wasn't quite ready yet."
"I've ruined it, haven't I?"
"Well, no…there just isn't any chicken or vegetables left for the broth now. It'll just be a little…thin. We can have the broth tonight and I can go to the village in the morning and get some more things to add to it so we can have a proper meal tomorrow, okay?" She placed the pot on the countertop, and smiled up at Michael. "Don't look so sad. You tried to help, and that's what matters. I'll get us some bowls and we can just have a light dinner tonight."
Michael made his way to the dining table, and gently sat down, the bindings on his chest and back making it hard to bend. Ravenna placed a bowl of broth and a slice of bread in front of him, and kissed his cheek.