Rudolph and Isadora, Part 10

Isadora smiled at the embarrassed young man.
     "Well, thank you, Quin. I'm sorry to have imposed upon you for however long I was here. I'll just be on my-- aaah!" She had tried to get out of the bed, but her legs had given way under her.
     "You'll just be on your bed, you mean. At least until you recover a bit. How long were you in that forest?"
    She propped herself up against the pillows. "A few days, I suppose. I lost track of time after a while. Is that dinner over there?" She gestured to the far corner of the room, where a covered pot was steaming gently.
     "It will be soon. I took it off the fire a bit early since you seemed to be getting better and I knew you'd be hungry when you woke. I wanted to make sure you got it when it was hot."
     Isadora realized that she was ravenous. "Thank you. If you don't mind, dinner would be wonderful."
     "Sure. So, why were you in the forest anyway?" From in front of the fire, Quin glanced back at the pale, thin girl in his sister's bed. "Where do you come from?"
     "I'm Pr--... I'm Isadora. I'm trying to rescue... a friend."
     "Aha! A rescue mission!" Quin chuckled. "Who is this friend whose rescuer needed rescuing?"
     Isadora blushed. "I.... suppose I'm not much of a rescuer, am I?" Her face fell.
     Quin recognized that he'd overestimated her resilience. "I'm sure you'll be great once you're back on you feet. Here, dinner's ready. It's vegetable soup," he added, answering her unasked question. She wouldn't have cared what it was, as long as it alleviated her growing hunger. He took the pot from the low flames and ladled some soup into a rough bowl. He sat on the edge of her bed. "Careful, it's hot."
     She thankfully grabbed the bowl and began hastily spooning soup into her mouth. A few days in the woods and I lose all the manners I've ever learned. Oh well, it's not like Rudolph and I would be eating with silver spoons and silk napkins. She realized that even if she recovered, she had no idea which direction to set off in to find Rudolph anymore. Her thoughts soon darkened.