Trying to stand, he felt another pain in his chest, and he reached out to steady himself against the frame of the bed. Doubled over, he took a deep breath, resolving to stand upright as soon as he could. He held his breath and forced himself up, releasing an audible groan as his back straightened. The action had pulled on his wounds, and he felt a fresh wave of agony.

A strange wooden box, his height, sat against the wall and he stumbled his way over to it. There were two doors on the front, and he pulled them open, unsure of what to expect. Inside, clothes hung on a pole that stretched from side to side. He rummaged through them only to discover they were all dresses. It appeared his benefactor was a woman! Athgar tried again to recall what had happened to him, but it remained jumbled in his mind.

A noise at the door drew his attention, and he turned, his mind racing with fear. The knob rotated, and then the door swung into the room to reveal a young woman, elegantly dressed in a blue outfit, the skirts reaching almost to the floor, with impossibly expensive-looking shoes poking out beneath. The most striking feature, however, was her face, a pale complexion framed by black hair, which had been braided into a convoluted style.

"You're up," she said, her voice tinged with some sort of accent he couldn't identify.

"I am," he said, defensively. "Who are you? How did I get here? What do you want?"

She raised her hand to forestall him. "I know you have questions, but I think you should sit down first."

"I'm not going anywhere till you answer me," he said defiantly.

"You're bleeding," she said, moving towards him.

He backed up, finding himself pressed against the foot of the bed. His hand sought his bandages, and he felt the dampness as blood soaked through.

"Let's get you back to bed," she soothed, "and then I'll explain everything." She reached out, lightly grasping his arm and guiding him around to the side of the bed.

He surrendered himself, climbing in, and lay down while she covered him with the blanket.

"Shortly, someone will be coming to take a look at you," she said.

"A healer?" he asked.

"Yes, a Brother of Saint Mathew."

"Whose brother?" he asked.

"A Holy Brother, of the Order of Saint Mathew," she said in surprise. "How can you not be familiar with the Church?"

"I'm a Therengian," he said stubbornly.

"I don't know what that is," she said, "but perhaps we're getting off on the wrong foot. Let me introduce myself, my name is Natalia St-" She cut herself off suddenly, then continued after pausing, "Well, you can just call me Natalia. What's your name?"

"Athgar," he said, "I'm a Therengian."

"So you just said," she replied. "Now what is a Therengian? I'm afraid I'm not from around here."