A Trench Coat

It had been several days, perhaps a week, since Faewyn had last seen Dalindo. He was still in the clinic, sleeping every time she had gone to check on him. She wished that she could rest so easily. Faewyn knew eventually that she would be able to speak with him again and she would try her best to remain patient until that day comes.

In the meantime, she tried to keep herself busy. She had worked long and hard to save enough coin and was able to get a hold of a couple of gathering permits. One for the forest and another, most importantly, for the beach. Faewyn risked it and unlawfully gathered oyster shells and other such things from the beach before then. She didn’t like to break the law, but she didn’t have any choice in the matter. Now though, she can rest a little easier. When the rangers do decide to wander onto the beach and ask for her permit, she would gladly show it to them.

Faewyn stood alone in her room at the boarding house, staring blankly at the wardrobe that sat in the corner. The furniture piece was tall and crafted from a dark wood. It was lightly scratched and were left with dent marks from the constant use by other people that had stayed in this room before she came along. She had not used it very much and had often kept the wardrobe closed. She did, however, use it for one purpose.

She slowly pulled the doors of the wardrobe open and looked inside. All that was stored within it was a long, floor-length trench coat. It was made of a sturdy, black leather and it hung a few inches below where the wearer’s ankle would be. It had buckles in the front that fastened together and a large hood was attached.

It was Dalindo’s coat. It looked lost and alone and that was exactly how she had felt at that moment.

She hesitated before she reached inside and gently pulled the trench coat off of its hanger and held it safely within her arms. She continued to hold it there to her breast, as if she were a child that was clung to a security blanket. Faewyn fondly remembered all the times where she had seen Dalindo when he was wearing it. Even with the hood up, she could still recognize him by the shape of his body and by the sight of the trench coat itself. It represented his independence, his ruggedness, and of his mystery.

Flashes of a memory swept Faewyn, of herself running to Dalindo as he opened his arms out to her. He held his coat open once, so that she could be wrapped within it as he embraced her. She could still feel his arms holding her.

Faewyn didn’t want to be apart from Dalindo any longer. He may still be recovering in the clinic and may not be fully responsive to her, but at least she could keep a hold of his belongings that he had left behind since the duel.

She held the coat out in front of her, studying it more fully before she made her decision of what she wanted to do with it. She then carefully pushed one of her arms through the sleeve and then proceeded to insert the other through its twin. Her slender hands slowly peeked out from beneath the edges of the sleeves and the collar draped snugly around her long neck. Faewyn enveloped herself within the coat, letting out a deep breath as it weighed down upon her shoulders. The inside of it felt very soft, almost like wool, and it still held Dalindo’s scent. The scent of a man that she thought she would never come to love.

Faewyn decided then that she would not take off the coat again, not until Dalindo was recovered enough to ask for it back. She didn’t know how he would feel about her wearing it, but she didn’t care. It made her feel warm and protected, as if he was still holding her.

With that, she reached up and pulled the trench coat’s large hood over her head, letting it mask her face in shadow. She gathered her backpacks and then swiftly exited the room, proceeding to live another day.

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