Athea's POV

I woke up to the smell of something cooking. I felt a warm blanket lying over me and when I opened my eyes, I saw that I was sleeping on a pile of soft wool rugs in the cave Dareem brought me to yesterday. I remembered that Granny had helped me inside and had me sit on these rugs. I must have fallen asleep. I looked around until I saw Granny kneeling in front of a small cooking fire stirring something in a small pot sitting in the flames. She looked back at me and smiled.

"You're awake. Good thing too. Breakfast is ready."

She ladled some of the pots contents into a wooden bowl and brought it over to me. I took it and saw that it was oat meal seasoned with honey. At the smell of the food, I realized how hungry I was. I practically inhaled the food and it was gone in seconds. Granny stared wide eyed and then she started laughing.

"Ha ha. You must have been starving if you ate that fast. But that's enough for now. Anymore and you'll make yourself sick" she said, reaching for the bowl in my hands.

I nodded in understanding and gave it back to her. Granny handed me a warm bread roll and sat down next to me to eat her helping. She looked me over as I nibbled on the bread and hummed thoughtfully.

"We need to get you cleaned up," she said to me, reaching over and pulling a twig out of my hair, "You are absolutely filthy. Fortunately, I have a friend in the next town that has a bath we can use. We can get you cleaned up and get you some proper clothes."

I gave her a small smile, not wanting to seem ungrateful. I was terrified of going to see new people. I knew that she meant well, but humans scared me more than anything. You can never tell if they'll hurt you or not. Granny finished eating and she packed away her cooking tools after rinsing them in the spring that flowed inside the cave. She pulled out a cloak from her wagon and handed it to me.

"Here, Athea. Put this on and then I'll get you into the wagon. I just need to pack a few things."

As I pulled the cloak around my shoulders, Granny folded the blanket I was using and put it under the wagon seat. She doused the fire and grabbed a few boxes stored at the back of the cave. She put them into the wagon and went outside to retrieve her horse. When she came back, she hitched her horse to the wagon, her hands flying expertly over the harness. When the last strap of the harness was fastened, she patted the horse's neck.

"Thank you, my old friend," she whispered to the horse, who in turn nuzzled her cheek.

She came over to me and gently helped me to my feet. I whimpered slightly, partly from putting weight onto my feet and partly from being touched. Granny walked me to the wagon and helped me into the back. I sat down and brought my legs up to my chest, leaning against the back of the seat. Granny then climbed into the driver's seat and clucked to her horse. The wagon lurched forward and we were on our way. We traveled quietly, the only sound coming from the wagon's wheels rolling on the ground and the horse's hooves thumping with each step it took.

We traveled for a few hours, Granny humming quietly along the way. When the sun reached the highest point in the sky, Granny pulled the wagon off the road. She turned in her seat to look down at me and smiled.

"How are you doing, love? Holding up OK?" she asked me.

I nodded. She pointed to a medium sized box next to me.

"In there is a bread roll and a thing of cheese. Can you pull them out for me?"

I nodded and opened up the box and saw the bread and cheese she mentioned. I pulled them out and handed them to her. She smiled and she cut a slice of cheese and bread and then handed them to me. I smiled and took a bite out of them. I looked around the stuff that Granny had in her wagon. I saw a small box that had beautiful flower vines painted on the lid. I picked it up and opened it up. Inside, there was a beautifully carved wooden flute lying on a satin cloth. I picked it up and ran my fingers over the glossy wood. My fingers fit the holes perfectly. Granny turned around and saw what I was doing.

"That flute was originally carved for a friend of my family," she told me, "She didn't want it, though. I was going to sell it, but you can have it if you want it."

I nodded and put the flute back into its box. We finished our food and started off again. It was a few hours before we reached a small town. I slouched down in the wagon when I saw the people walking around. Granny drove through the town until she reached a medium sized cottage. She pulled the reins and her horse slowed to a stop. The door to the cottage opened and a middle aged man came out. He smiled when he saw Granny.

"Josie! How nice of you to stop by," he said cheerfully.

"Good day, Martin. It's been a while," Granny said with a smile.

She climbed off the wagon and gave the man a hug.

"What brings you by?" the man, Martin, asked.

Granny laughed, "Can't I just stop by to visit and old friend? Actually, I have a new friend who is in desperate need of a bath and new cloths. May we use yours?"

Martin looked over at me, his eyes curious, but kind. He looked me over and he nodded to Granny.

"Of course, Josie. Where did you find her?"

"She was outside the cave I use to store things when I'm in this part of the country," Granny told him, "That brown dragon brought her there."

"I see," he said with a nod, "Get her inside and cleaned. I'll have Mary prepare supper."

"Thank you, Martin."

Granny came over to the wagon and motioned for me to get out. I crawled over to her and let her lift me out of the wagon. I was glad for the boots she gave me. They were padded in the sole and it was comfortable for my feet. She guided me into the house as Martin held the door open for us. I hid behind Granny as we walked by him, hiding my face. When we were inside, Martin shut the door and led us through the house until we reached another door.

"Here's the bath, Josie. I'll ask Katlyn if she has anything that might fit your friend," he said as we went in.

"Again, thank you Martin. Can you have one of your stable hands unhitch my horse and give her some water?" Granny asked.

He smiled, "Of course."

With that, he left leaving us alone. Granny guided me to a large tub. It was empty but when she turned a handle, water came pouring out of a pipe and into the tub. She then turned to me and helped me with my cloak and my remains of clothing. She had me sit on a stool as she pulled off my boots and unwrapped my bandaged feet. Once they were off, she got me into the tub. The water was surprisingly warm, hot even. It felt good. It must have shown on my face because Granny chuckled.

"The water that is filling the tub comes from an underground hot spring in the hills behind the house," she explained.

She grabbed a cloth and got it wet in the water and then started scrubbing my back. I heard her breath catch as she saw my many scars and wounds, but she didn't say anything. She picked up a small bucket and scooped up some water from the tub and poured it over my head. Then she handed me a wide toothed comb. It felt like it was made of tortoise shell.

"Comb out your hair, Athea. Get as many of those mats out as you can and then we can scrub the dirt out," Granny instructed.

I did as I was told as Granny continued on my back. I winced as I combed through the knots. Clumps of hair came off in my hands as I worked and I dropped them onto the ground to clean up later. Every so often, Granny would pour more water on my head, making it easier for me to comb through. With every pour, the water in the tub got dirtier and dirtier. After a few minutes, there was a knock on the bathroom door. I ducked down into the water as Granny walked over to it and opened it. A young woman, no older than 20 was standing there with a pile of folded cloths in her arms.

"My father asked me to find you some clothes. He said you have a friend that may fit some of my older cloths," she said, her voice polite.

Granny smiled at her, "Thank you, Katlyn. Please, come in. You might be able to help us clean her up."

Katlyn walked in and her eyes widened when she saw me. She placed the clothes on the stool and walked over to me. I cowered away from her and she looked at me with pity in her eyes.

"What happened to you?" she asked me.

"I'm afraid she doesn't talk, Katlyn," Granny told her, "She might be a runaway slave. It could explain why she's like that but I honestly don't know."

"From where, though?" Katlyn asked, "Slavery is outlawed in Jorda."

Granny shrugged, "Only the gods know. Fortunately for her, I have no intention of letting her go back."

Katlyn looked at Granny, "Does she have a name at least?"

"I call her Athea, since her eyes are the same color as the flower. She responds to it."

"Okay, Athea," Katlyn said with a smile, "I'm Katlyn. I'll help you with your hair."

She reached for the comb in my hand and gently started working on the knots. After a while, my hair was free of any tangle, but it still had dirt and grime in it. Katlyn went over to a shelf and took down a bottle. She came back over and poured some of the contents into her hand and then started working it into my hair. It smelled good, like lavender. I reached up and touched it. It felt like bubbles.

"It's soap, Athea. It'll make your hair and skin clean and make you smell nice," Granny explained as she got some clean water from the pipe.

Some of the bubbles fell into my eyes and it stung, making my eyes water. I whimpered and started crying, trying to get them out of my eyes. I felt either Granny or Katlyn trying to stop me from falling under the water, but their hands just made me panic more. Suddenly, I heard a familiar chittering sound and a small green fire lizard flew into the room through the open window.

Calm yourself, friend, she pleaded with me, You'll hurt yourself.

It landed on the edge of the tub and chittered at me. I looked at her and instantly felt calm. I reached over and rubbed her neck, right behind her head. Granny and Katlyn stared wide eyed as the fire lizard hummed gratefully then flew off again. I sat calmly as I watched her go. Granny and Katlyn looked at each other.

"What just happened?" Katlyn asked.

Granny shrugged, "I don't know."

They rinsed me off and then got me out of the tub. Granny wrapped a towel around me and dried me off as Katlyn emptied the tub of the filthy water. They picked out the clothes that would most likely fit me best and then got me dressed. When they finished, I was wearing a pine green sundress that fell to my ankles. Granny had wrapped my feet up again and got my leather boots on. Katlyn handed me a brush and told me to brush my hair out until it dries. I did and it didn't take long. Now that my hair wasn't a matted mess, I realized how long it was. It fell past my waist like dark copper silk. It even felt like silk. Katlyn and Granny's eyes got wide when they saw me.

"By the gods," Granny whispered, "You're beautiful, Athea."

She gently brushed some stands of hair out of my face and looked me over. I swear she looked awestruck. So did Katlyn.

"I don't even recognize her," Katlyn said with a shake of her head, "Who could have let all this beauty go to waste?"

I just looked between her and Granny, completely confused. I gave them a questioning look and Granny just led me to the looking glass hanging on the wall. The girl staring back at me was beautiful, her skin pale and fair, her dark copper hair long and glossy that fell in gentle waves down her back, and her eyes were the color of the ocean. The only flaw this girl had was that she was very thin. Her cheeks were hollow and her eyes were slightly sunken in. Her pine green dress hung loosely on her frame; it would have fit this girl perfectly if she wasn't so thin. Then it hit me; the girl in the looking glass was me. I stared at myself in awe. I hadn't seen my reflection since I was a child. I had to make sure it was really me so I poked my cheek and the girl in the mirror did the same.

My jaw dropped and I looked back at Granny and Katlyn. They were laughing a little but they didn't sound teasing.

"She doesn't think it's her," Katlyn said with a smile.

Granny nodded in agreement. She picked up my cloak and draped it over her arm and led me out the door while Katlyn picked up the rest of the clothes she brought. I followed slowly, wincing every now and again from my injuries. Martin looked over at us from where he was crouching by a fire place and his eyes widened when he saw me.

"Is this the same girl you arrived with, Josie?" he asked as he stared at me.

Granny smiled, "Yes, she is the same girl, Martin, just much cleaner."

The way he was staring at me scared me. I whimpered and hid behind Granny's back, out of his view. Men were never kind when they stared like that. Martin looked to Granny, confused.

"Did I do something to upset her, Josie?" he asked, sounding hurt.

Granny sighed, "She has scars all over her body, Martin," Granny told him, "She was most likely beaten by men judging from how large some of them are. She's just scared and only time and kindness will help her heal."

I couldn't see him, but I heard him say, "I see. Then let's get some food in her and give her the love and care she needs. Her being with you will definitely help, Josie. You're kindness personified."