Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Restoration ❯ Reassurance ( Chapter 9 )

"Where's Ryo?" Lee asked as D placed a damp rag on his forehead. He had awoken some time after Ryo left and D was hesitant to tell him the truth. He knew how worried Lee got about Ryo and he knew Lee shouldn't worry about Ryo when he was injured. The energy spent worrying could be put to better use. D glanced away and Lee laid a hand on D's arm. D glanced at him and sighed. He was going to have to tell him.

"He went to get help. Try to rest Lee. You've got a fever," D said.

"How was he?"

"His arm is broken. I just hope he got to the ocean safely. He was in extreme pain."

"I feel guilty for it."

"Why? You didn't do anything. There was no way for you to know that it would take more than an arrow to kill that thing."

"It's just that he got over a trauma and now he's injured again. My poor baby."

"Lee calm down. This isn't helping your injuries at all."

"I just don't want him affected by all this."

"His main concern is you right now. Now get some rest. You need to get better."

Lee sighed as he closed his eyes. Why did life have to be filled with so many pitfalls? He felt the damp rag against his forehead and sighed as he heard the distant sound of hooves. He hoped that Ryo had made it safely to the ocean. He hoped that he would get out of this situation alive. He didn't want to die before Ryo's time ended. There was still so much that he wanted to do with his beloved.

"Hello again D," Raling said as he got off of Nightwing.

"So he made it there. Good. How was he?" D asked as another demon got off a separate horse.

"Unconscious when he arrived. He owns a faithful horse. How is Lee? I've brought the doctor."

"He has a fever. I've sent Ikara for a fresh bucket of water. He's also upset that Ryo left him."

"Where's the water?" the doctor asked as he bent to examine Lee.

"Hurry up Ikara. We've got some assistance," D said as Ikara appeared with the bucket.

"Sorry. I tripped and had to get more," Ikara said as he set the bucket next to Lee.

"It appears that his nervous system has been damaged," the doctor commented as he examined the wound.

"That's bad, isn't it?"

"I believe that he can come out of this with minor scars. We need to get him more into a shelter but he can't be moved."

"Will he be able to walk again?" D asked and the doctor gazed at him.

"Eventually, if all goes well. I'm administering a shot that should help ease the pain."

"My men should be returning from the castle soon. Perhaps you can meet them halfway and bring them here so that we can build a shelter for Lee," Raling said and D nodded his head.

"Stay here Ikara and help the doctor with whatever he may need," D said as he climbed onto his horse.

*****

Ryo sat up, baring his fangs in pain. He gazed around the room with darkened eyes, his mind clouded by his injury. He stood up and searched the room. He slowly sat back down, dejected at the remembrance that Lee was not with him. He watched Ord walk into the room and growled softly in pain. Ord took a step back, not wanting to be near Ryo just in case anything should happen. He had learned at an early age not to approach wild animals in pain and although Ryo was not a wild animal, he certainly was acting like one.

"Do you need anything my lord?" he asked as Ryo watched him with dilated eyes.

"Do you have anything to drink? I hate not being able to do things for myself," Ryo muttered as he tried not to move his arm.

"What would you like? We have some alcohol. That might ease the pain somewhat."

"Fine. Get a large glass. Why hasn't anyone come back yet? I hope he's all right."

"You will find about him soon enough."

"I want to know now, damn it!"

Ryo's sight became hazy as pain shot up his arm like a thousand volts of electricity. He damned himself for becoming so angry as he tried to regulate his breathing. Having a broken arm was not something that he dealt with on a regular basis and he had momentarily forgotten his injury and slammed his right hand down on the table. The action caused his threshold level of pain to break and he struggled to retain his level of awareness, which was rapidly slipping.

"Can you hear me my lord?" Ord asked as he touched Ryo's left hand. He sighed and gently pushed Ryo back onto the couch. He hoped that Raling was faring better than he was.

***

"Where's D?" Lee asked as the doctor continued to examine him.

"He went to fetch my men," Raling replied and Lee gazed up at him.

"How's Ryo? Tell me he's all right."

"He was alert enough to order me to take the doctor straight to you."

"He didn't get looked at?"

"He said that he could take care of himself. You were his main concern."

"I hope he's okay. He gets so stubborn at times. He must need me."

"Stay calm. Your agitation is not helping your condition at all. How's your eyesight? Can you follow my finger?" the doctor asked and Lee looked at him.

"Which one?" he asked.

"These are not good signs. Raling, I'm going to have to send you back for my large medical bag. You'll find it on the second shelf of my workroom."

"I'm on my way," Raling said as he mounted Nightwing.

"Please make haste."

***


"What are you doing back here? How is he?" Ord asked as Raling walked into the house.

"Not good. How is his highness?" Raling asked as he walked past Ord into the bedroom.

"Unconscious. He slammed his fist down on the table and passed out. He hasn't awakened since then."

"How long ago was that?"

"A couple of hours. He's definitely got the temper legends speak of."

"If Shorel was anything like Ryo, I feel sorry for anyone that opposed him. Please stay with him. I've got to get the doctor's bag. I don't have time to waste. Take my spare blanket and cover him with it. I'm taking this one back to Lee."

Ord watched Raling rush out of the house then walked into the bedroom. He took a woolen blanket from the closet and unfolded it. He walked back into the living room and placed the blanket over Ryo. He then walked back into the bedroom and took one of the pillows from the bed. He stepped into the living room and gently lifted Ryo's head and slipped the pillow underneath. He stepped back and gazed at the unconscious prince. Was this a premonition of things to come? Perhaps things would have been better had Levin stayed in power. His mind flashed back to the forest and how destroyed it had been and shuddered. Any life had to be better than the one Levin had been trying to install.

***

"I've come back with your bag and a blanket," Raling said as he climbed off of Nightwing. The horse took a few concerned steps forward and gazed upon Lee. Lee glanced up into its dark brown eyes and slowly smiled. Even the horse was concerned about his condition. He noticed Raling and blinked his eyes as he tried to focus. Surely his lover was faring much better than he.

"Ryo…?" he began to ask, his voice trailing off as the doctor administered some anesthetic to him.

"His highness has become unconscious. Ord informed me that he slammed his injured arm on the table in anger and fell unconscious. He's been that way for at least two hours," Raling said and the doctor sighed.

"This is one of the times that I wish I were twins," he said as he wrapped a bandage around Lee's head.

"It's too bad that the roads were destroyed. We could travel to the human village and fetch a doctor," Raling said.

"Is the village far?" Ikara asked and Raling looked at him.

"It's at least fifty miles to the west but the traveling time will be twice as long since the roads have been destroyed."

"I'll go. I'm not helping anyone here. Just give me approximate directions and I'll leave straight away."

"Can you handle the task?"

"I know I'm not the most competent person in the world but I'm going to try. Sitting here doing nothing isn't accomplishing anything."

"He's the best bet we have. I'm going to need you to keep going back to the village to check on the status of his highness. Another physician here would help things immensely," the doctor said and Raling nodded his head.

"Very well. Here are the directions. Be careful," Raling said as he wrote the directions on a small piece of paper. Ikara took the paper, looked at it for a moment then looked at Raling.

"Erm...I can't read this," he said as the doctor took the paper from him.

"Here, let me translate it into something you can read. We use our own script out of habit. There. Is that better?" he asked as he handed the paper back to Ikara. Ikara nodded his head and mounted Eveningsong.

"I'll return as soon as I can," he said and rode off.

*****

D returned early the next morning with Raling's men. He went to the stream and speared a couple of fish then cooked them over the campfire. He cut the meat into bite-sized pieces as Raling instructed his men on the building of the shelter. Some had gone back to the village to fetch tools but the majority of them were working hard to clear the area of debris.

"Wake up Lee. I've brought you some food," D said as he knelt beside Lee. Lee opened his eyes and tried to focus on D.

"How…?" he started to ask when D placed a piece of fish inside his mouth.

"Some of Raling's men just went back to the village. We'll receive news of his condition soon."

"The forest was never this dangerous when I was younger."

"Evil spreads like a plague. It teems mercilessly in the right conditions. Do you feel and better?"

"My head hurts."

"It should. That animal had a lot of power in its paws."

"What happened to Ikara?" Lee asked as D picked up another piece of fish with his claws.

"He went to the human village for another doctor," D replied as the entire camp seemed to break out with rustling and hammering noises.

"Oh. There's a lot of noise this morning."

"They're making a shelter for you. You can't be moved in your condition. Eat some more. You need it."

"I hope Ryo's eating."
***

Ryo stood in the doorway, staring at the ocean. He wondered if his ancestors had such a difficult time ascending the throne. He watched as some horses rode into the village and hailed one of the riders. The rider dismounted and bowed low. Ryo watched the other riders follow suit and sighed. He wanted to hear news, not be disturbed with pleasantries.

"What's going on out there?" Ryo asked.

"We are building a shelter for your mate, your highness," the rider replied and Ryo looked at him carefully.

"Is he doing any better?"

"I don't know your highness. The doctor would not allow us to go near."

Ryo resisted the urge to smack his dominant hand against the door frame in anger. He said nothing as he walked back into the house and sat down. Stupid doctor. Did he not realize the extreme danger Lee was in? Perhaps, he thought as he slouched down in the couch. Perhaps this was a sign. Was it possible that they were not supposed to be together? But no. No. That was ridiculous. But if they were supposed to be together, then why was all of this happening? He idly flexed his wings then winced in pain that the action was bringing to his arm and angrily bared his teeth as he stood up. He circled the coffee table a few times then gazed out the window. He hated to be forced to stay sedentary. Kingdoms were not run by kings that sat around in chairs. Kingdoms were run by kings that did things.

"Would you care for some food, my lord?" Ord asked as he walked into the room.

"Yeah. I need to get my mind on something else," Ryo said as Ord walked out of the room. Ryo's eyes narrowed as his tail twitched angrily. Nothing would be accomplished if he sat around doing nothing. Lee certainly wouldn't get better if he didn't know if Ryo was alive or not. Ryo sat down on a stool and wrapped his wings around his body. He then stood up. He had made a decision. He was going back. They needed each other. He gazed into the kitchen where Ord was busy preparing a meal for Ryo. He walked towards the front door and opened it, being careful not to hit his injured arm on anything.

"Where are you going, your highness?" Ord asked as he walked out of the kitchen.

"I'm going back," Ryo replied.

"Your highness, I can't allow you to do that."

"From what I've been told, he's in bad shape. He needs me now more than ever."

"You're in no condition to travel the distance. I cannot let you run the risk of injuring yourself further."

"He can't move. I can. If he's conscious, then he's concerned about me. He's not going to get better if he's worried about me."

"My lord, if you are so bent on going back then allow me to take you there. I can hitch my horse up to a wagon and you can be pulled there."

"Very well. We can take some fresh supplies back to them."

"That's a good idea. Please wait here while I get a wagon prepared."

Ryo reluctantly sat down on the couch and watched Ord walk out of the house. The demon had a point. It wasn't in his best judgment to push himself beyond his limitations. He had to keep his future in perspective. He couldn't run a kingdom if he pushed himself beyond the breaking point but he refused to run a kingdom without Lee.