Mabel’s heart tightens and she rushes over to see if the Creature is still alive. She lets out a breath when he lets out a grunt as she turns him over, “Hey,” She shakes him awake gently and feels unexpected tears welling up in her eyes, “Wake up we need to get you home.” She feels him shivering and his eyes slowly open, Now a dull gray against black, “Can you get up?” He nods and leans against her as she carried him all the way home.

Mabel preps a warm bath once they are back. He doesn’t fight against her care, barely registering what’s going on, and by the time he realizes what’s happened he’s in his bed under every blanket, she could find in the house. Including her own. At his bedside, there is a vase of burning lavender, like the one he gave her when she first came. I wonder where she learned the spell. He tries to get back up but then realizes he’s too sore. He falls asleep again, too weak to go to check up on her.

In the living room, Mabel is poorly sewing a patch into one of his blankets to try to distract herself. Images of the Creature flowing through her mind. He wasn’t particularly scary looking like the townspeople would describe him. He was absolutely different. With dark blue skin that shone like a starry night when he was by fire and odd rocks or crystals sticking out of various places on his body. Including his face. His face isn’t that bad either. Her face quickly became warm and pulled the covers over her head, afraid he’d walk out and hear her thoughts. Maybe I should read something.

When the Creature wakes up the next morning he finds her on the couch asleep mid-read in nothing but an old knitted blanket she brought from her old home. Was she staying up for me? He notices one of his blankets on the floor. Recently patched with colorful pieces of fabric, Did she do this? He placed a hand on her shoulder and thought about waking her. Instead, he placed the blanket over her. She had earned her rest for the day.

Mabel woke up an hour later to a prepped meal and the Creature reading one of her books on the couch beside her, “Hello,” She mumbles.

He flinches and looks at her in surprise. He looks back to the book and mumbles like a child caught doing something bad, “I- um, well-” He couldn’t see it but she smiled, amused, “I just found your book and… Are you feeling ok?” she nods and sits herself up.

“I should ask you that. You were the one passed out in a river.” She curled up into a ball and watched the dying fire, “Will you be ok the rest of the week?” He nodded and set the book down gently.

“Why did you come to find me?”

“I was worried something happened.”

“You could have run back home.”

She shook her head, “I don’t break promises.” He smiled, “Especially enchanted ones.”

“Fair,” The Creature stood and went to the kitchen to make a mug of milk and honey for her. Mabel had so many questions for him. Where was he from? What kind of Creature was he? Why did the Villagers fear him? Well, that she could answer on her own. But she settled on a simple one after the night he had.