Now, I'm about to tell this story a little differently than before, but it's merely to keep your attention.
In our last chapter of Mataski Tenji's life, you saw nothing more than a broken man with nothing to call his own but his name. As the cherry blossom tree he lay under covered his body bit by bit, all that was left to be seen were the earrings his mother gave him as a child, bearing their faces in the open, hoping that whoever passed by would see them.
"Mataski, please don't. Don't listen to them. All they say are vile things, things to hurt you. I have never betrayed you, not once, my love, and I know you. I know that you're nothing like him. Believe me when I say this: he may be your king, but he is no man. He is the devil himself. And if I die here today, then so be it.
"I've had enough of seeing him use you like this. If you knew of all the things that your king, your friend, has done behind your back, and like a dog, you bow your head and carry out his commands without a second thought. It makes me so angry.
"This meeting you're carrying out is not about bringing peace between Mamosa and Kleno but a ploy thought up by your so-called great King to start a war between Mamosa and Kleno. There's a Mamosian guard posing as one of Kleno's guards, and at the very moment His Majesty, Kleno's king, goes to sign the peace treaty between us, the fake guard is going to attack one of your men, leading to the rendering of the treaty and all-out slaughter.
"Why? Because the Mamosian king only knows war, and you're just another pawn for him to play with."
"SHUT UP, WHORE. THIS WOMAN SPOKE FOULLY OF OUR KING, AND AS KNIGHTS OF MAMOSA, WE MUST NOT LET THIS GO UNPUNISHED. YOU WHORE, I WILL TAKE YOUR HEAD NOW."
"Please, NO! Stop this, men, now!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
---
*Chirp, chirp*
Hmm, birds?
*snif, snif*
Someone's making soup?
"Mothe—
"Dammit. Why can't I go one night without having that God-forsaken dream?"
*Not again. As the narrator, I try to keep from getting too involved in what's happening, but to see a man like Mataski wake up every day from a dream of watching someone he loved die, over and over again... I wouldn't wish that on anyone. His mental state has become more fragile and unreachable since that day. He always wakes up crying and shaking uncontrollably, as if he were naked and lying out in the snow. If only there was a light that could bring him just a little bit of warmth; I know he'd be just fine.*
*Plate drops*
"Emily, what happened? Why did you drop the plate?"
*Emily quickly bends down, her hands trembling as she picks up the broken pieces. She avoids eye contact, her face flushed with embarrassment.*
"Ah, could I be in any more pain!?" *Mataski winces as he tries to sit up, his body still sore from his injuries.*
*Maria walks over, offering a reassuring smile as she gently pats Emily's shoulder.*
"Oh my! You scared me. No wonder Emily dropped the plate." *Maria glances back at Mataski with a warm smile.* "If you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have noticed that you were awake."
"Well, you weren't looking in my direction, so it's fine. If I wasn't looking at someone, how would I know that they were looking at me unless someone told me?" *Mataski's voice is hoarse, but there's a hint of wry humor in his tone.*
*Maria chuckles softly, nodding in agreement.* "That's a fair point." *She then takes a step closer, her expression softening as she introduces herself.* "Um, forgive me, where are my manners? My name is Maria Windfield, and this young lady right here is my daughter, Emily. She's been helping me take care of you all this time."
"Thank you." *Mataski's gaze shifts to Emily, who still hasn't looked up. He tries to offer a grateful smile, but his face shows the strain of his ordeal.* "So, how long have you and Emily been taking care of me?"
"Hmm, let's see here... We just got back from a house visit a few towns back, and it took us about five days total to complete that trip. With the winter festival five days away, I'd say it's been around two weeks."
*Mataski's eyes widen slightly in surprise.* "Two weeks?" *His voice is barely a whisper as he tries to process the information.*
*Maria nods, her tone gentle as she continues.* "We found you in the woods. You were badly beaten, and I estimated that you were unconscious for about a day. And if I'm being honest, you were quite lucky because the only reason we found you was that Emily said she saw something shiny between the fallen cherry blossom flowers. She was right; they were these beautiful earrings that only swordsmen from back in the olden days wore." *Maria's voice softens even more as she adds,* "But before I could pick them up, I tripped, and there you were."
*Emily finally glances up at Mataski, her eyes meeting his for a brief moment before she quickly looks away, a shy smile tugging at the corners of her lips.*
"It was the first time I've ever had to bring a patient home with me. I usually do house visits, but if I hadn't, you would have died there alone, and that, to me, is a fate no one should have to bear."
---
"I see. Once again, I am grateful for your help, but it's time I get going."
"And where do you think you're going? You have no business walking around just yet, and don't tell me that you're not in any pain because I can see it on your face. Two weeks of rest is what it sounds like: rest. You must take it easy for at least three more weeks before you can go anywhere."
"Look now, miss, I appreciate you wanting to make sure that I'm all in good shape, but I'll be fine. I'm not made of glass, you know. In fact, I'll walk around so you'll see that I'm fine."
*When Mataski stood up to show Maria that he was perfectly fine, every inch of his body crumbled, and he kneeled on the floor in immense pain. This fool of a man is too headstrong for his own good.*
"Ah!" *yelled Mataski.*
"Now that you've foolishly tried to prove a point and failed, I think that you would listen to me now and get yourself back in that bed right now before I must do it myself."
"No, no need. If you touch me now, I think I might break into little pieces. Fine, I'll obey your orders, but once I'm all better, I'll be taking my leave, Doctor." *Mataski gives up on his idea of leaving so soon and crawls back into bed.*
"Good. Now, Emily, would you go play outside? I heard Kai calling your name earlier."
"Did he? Okay, I'm going now, Mother." *Emily had this look of surprise when her mother said that Kai was calling her name. She couldn't stop smiling, and she also seemed excited.*
*Door closes*
"Now that Emily's gone, I need you to tell me who you are and why you were left for dead in the woods." *Driven by pure fear, Maria held her surgical knife at the throat of Mataski, but her hands couldn't stop shaking.* "It is the least you can do since I'm the one taking care of you, in my house, might I add. You're a stranger to me and my Emily. If you're a thief or a murderer, I need to know now before you—"
"Look, lady, I'm not a thief, and I wouldn't call myself a murderer, but I have taken lives before. Some I'm proud of, and some I'm not. To be frank, I was lucky to be found, not that I wanted to be. I was exiled from my country, the only place that I called home. I have nothing; I am nothing to no one."
"What country were you from?"
"Mamosa. My king is—"
"There's no need; everyone knows who that vile man is. Your king is no king to me, and I'm one of the few who are glad not to have to serve that man."
"Can you remove the blade from my neck now? It's getting kind of uncomfortable. Please."
"I'll remove it, but only after you tell me your name. Spit it out; what do they call you?"
"I once was a man called by many names: the Black Sheep, the Reaper, the King's Sword, and the name my parents gave me—Mataski Tenji. I served as one of the war commanders for the kingdom of Mamosa's army. But now, I'm just a man. No family, no friends, no love, no life, alright? I don't want to hurt you or your daughter, but if you still don't believe me and wish to kill me, then go right ahead. There's nothing for me to live for anyways."
*Slap*
"You ungrateful man. God gave you life, didn't He? And He definitely didn't want you to die just yet because He gave you a second chance, so shut up and stop talking like an old man who's graven by a sickness that cannot be cured. Just because you were exiled from your home doesn't mean that you can't find another one. A home is where the people you love are. And in this life of ours, love comes in many forms, so even if you have no one to love you now, you will again. I trust that you won't hurt me or Emily, but if you so much as try, I will kill you."
*Maria slowly removes the blade away from Mataski's neck and looks at him with a concerned yet relieved look.*
"Thank you. While I'm here, whatever help you need, I'll be of assistance. I can't lay down here the entire day. I'm a man, for God's sake."
"I have to make some medicine for a few people in the village, but I haven't gathered enough herbs yet. If you want, you can help me pick out the ones I need when I go for my herbal run."
"Well, that's better than nothing. I'll be waiting outside. We can go now."
"Now?"
"Yes, now."
"Alright then, we'll go now." said Maria
---