Satyr Boyfriend: Hael 2 (special preview)

Hael allows himself to heal while at the monastery. He also begins to show himself more, and come out of his shell. He’s especially close to the kids, seeming to feel freer with them than the other monks there. He often talks to the children, works amongst them. The better he feels, the more he does too. He would sit in the garden and clean up the produce the children brought to him. Then he started digging in the soil with them. He enjoyed being on their level, but sometimes it was hard due to the wound on his back.

It took some time, but eventually you were able to converse with him regularly. It wasn’t that Hael was shy or scary. More like he was just closed off. His presence was tentative, but you were used to that with new children. They were closed off and you had to earn their trust before they started to open up. You just put that same mindset to Hael.

He sat with you at lunch one day, he didn’t talk much, but he was there beside you. After a while he began speaking up more, but never much about himself. He asked about the monastery and how it operated. He chatted about the weather and what he felt it might do that day. He listened more than anything, seeming to enjoy the stories he heard around himself. Sometimes, he would catch you alone in the library where the fire was warmest. He was like a moth that way, always finding the warmest spot to hover around.

“Did you ever find your family?” He asked one day, out of the blue.

Your focus on the page faded and you sighed. “I did, but they buried,” you answered. “My village was destroyed by the slavers. So I came here with the other children of my village you saved.”

Hael’s eyes became distant and sad. His ears tilted slightly and he turned his gaze away from the fire. “I’m so sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” You smiled from your seat. “It wasn’t your fault, and you saved many children that day.”

He grumbles something under his breath as he sits erect. “I know what it is like though. To be taken away and then have nothing to go back to.”

You remained silent so he could talk. This was the first he had ever spoken of himself. You even held your breath so you didn’t make a sound.

“I was a young man though, you were still a child yourself. And you stayed here,” he said with a cross look. “Was it because you feared you had nowhere else to go?”

You're disappointed he isn’t talking about himself anymore, but you try to answer his question. “I stayed here because I felt I belonged here and could make things better. Maybe I was afraid at first, but the more I prayed on it, the more I felt my purpose. I worked hard and I was able to make this place into something welcoming.”

“I cannot deny that the children are happy,” he murmurs. “And they speak so highly of you. I am surprised you are not a saint.”

You stand up from the table and approach Hael where he is sitting. “If anyone deserves to be a saint here, it is you.”

He closes his eyes and folds his arms around himself. “No. I don’t.”

You sit in the armchair beside him and look into the fire. “I suppose you will want to go to where Clercourt was soon. You seem to be doing better with your injury.”

Hael slowly moves his arms back down. “I told you it was nothing, but yes, it does feel better now.”

“I’ll start preparing for it then. It’ll take a couple of days to get there mind you. I hope you can stand the long trip.” You feel excited to be going alone with him.

Hael nods. “I’ll be fine. I’ve survived longer journeys with twice the pain.”

“Twice the-” You give him a long, hard stare. “Are you in pain right now? If so, you have to tell me.”

Hael’s face melts into shock, having given something away. He quickly shakes his head. “Turn of phrase. That’s all.”

“Does it hurt?” You urge him to speak. “If so, I need to look at it! It’s been a while since you last let me change the bandages.” You stand up and over him in his chair. “Please, let me see it so I can take care of you.”