"Now you let us do the worrying about our own safety. You sit right back in that bed and relax and get your rest. Dorie go get some more broth for Mr.?"
She asked, turning to me with a question in her eyes.
"Roric."
I watched a spark of recognition pass across her eyes for one moment and then it was gone and she turned to the girl and said, "Dorie get the soup for Roric, if you would please and make sure to bring some of the bread that I made this morning too."
A big man stepped into the room. He had to be over six and a half feet tall if he was an inch, but it wasn't his height that was solely impressive. The man was built like a bull with corded bunched up muscles that stretched the seams of his shirt out. His voice sounded like the rush of a blacksmith's bellows when he spoke, "My name is Eliak. This is my wife Samantha, my daughter Dorie, and my sons Elim, Jash, and Niall."
Besides the little boy I had seen before I saw two older and stalwart looking boys standing out in the hallway beyond their father.
"Eliak this is Roric." Samantha said.
When she said my name the similar look of recognition passed across his features too, as when I had told her my name, which caused me to wonder what they knew about me. Had they seen my face on a wanted poster? Were they even now thinking of collecting a reward for my head?
Eliak asked, "Your father was he called Lorn?"
I nodded my head in confirmation as I decided to trust these people a little further.
Eliak nodded in return, "I knew your father. You are welcome to stay in our home, as long as you like, Roric son of Lorn."
And with that they made their exodus from the room leaving me with the soup and bread that Dorie had brought.
They knew my father! I searched my memory, but I could not place them anywhere in it. The body's necessities took over and I started to consume the food in front of me with a passion. Eating though had the effect of making me very tired and I drifted off to sleep against my will, as my questions remained unanswered.
All I had were questions for the good people that had taken me in and cared for me. At first they were reluctant and then parts of their connection with my parents became clear.
"I knew your mother as a girl. She was one of my best friends when we were young. We lost contact with each other until we met again as newlyweds. Eliak was in the army and he was transferred to the garrison at Kingdom Pass where he was under the command of your father, who had just recently married your mother. Those were good times." Samantha finished softly.