“I’m used to being treated as not a person.”, Markus mumbled, keeping his focus on Oliver as best as he could. He did like to try and guess what someone looked like with what he could see.
“I don’t… I don’t want to bother you so much.”, he muttered and sighed softly. “No one knows who I am… I wouldn’t be any more in danger than… anyone..”. Not that he knew a lot about being a citizen and danger, especially in another kingdom, but still. He was nothing more but a moneyless person.
“Is there a reason you’re helping me?..”, he asked then, curious. He could imagine there’d be a reward for finding him, but who would’ve helped someone trapped in a water barrel on a ship, obviously being transported somewhere secretly? He would imagine most would’ve been scared to even attempt helping him.
“…and? You’re still sick. You need to be safe and definitely not alone.”, Oliver insisted. It was something that was ingrained into him. If anyone was sick, they needed to be protected by anyone who was able to. It didn’t matter of they were in peaceful territory. To him, ’ peaceful territory ’ only existed before he’d entered it’s borders. His younger brother used to get sick often when he was too young to stray from their camp. “I don’t care what you’re used to.”
He went silent at his question. The truth wasn’t likely something that Markus would want to hear. “I thought you would need it. And you’re here now, so… I’m not just going to leave you.”
Markus decided not to argue with Oliver. Nor think too much about it, since that was just tiring. There was a lot he had to think about in his daily life, so he’d rather stop worrying about trivial things like this.
“I don’t really believe you’re just… helping me out of the good of your heart..”, Markus mumbled. People were bad, he was always told. He was too kind, too forgiving, too naive. But he liked being nice, and he wanted everyone to live well. But he knew not everyone trusted he didn’t have anything evil either. Markus had never met anyone who was kind just for the sake of kindness either.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want..”, he shifted a little. If Oliver didn’t want to tell him, then he wouldn’t force him to.
emptynarration 