Other Fan Fiction ❯ Seeds of Obligation ❯ Chapter Six: Recovery ( Chapter 6 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Hoshiko Saitou 
A long night is ahead as Bianca and Kylie try to become useful.
Miscellaneous: Other Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Fantasy / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.27.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 115 | Status: Completed
A long night is ahead as Bianca and Kylie try to become useful.
Miscellaneous: Other Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Fantasy / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.27.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 115 | Status: Completed
Bianca felt herself get yanked up into the trees as the horse continued to run past and she struggled in her capture’s grasp. A strangely delicate hand clamped over her mouth and a low “Shhh” sound blew in from behind her. Though she shook with fear she tried to remain still and silent. When her capture pointed toward the temple her eyes followed, but there was nothing there. “Huh?” the person spoke. “Where’d he go?”
Caroline barely heard the leaves rustle behind her before the hilt of a dagger collided with the back of her head. The blow knocked her out of the tree but she regained her bearings enough to land on the ground without hurting herself.
“Are you all right?” Martin asked Bianca. She nodded as her chest heaved in an attempt to calm her body down.
“I will admit that was the wrong way to go about protecting her,” Caroline admitted, “but bashing me in the back of the head was unnecessary.”
“I apologize,” Martin said. “I reacted without thinking.”
“I think we either killed or chased out all of them,” Baurus said from behind the group. Even though he had just reassured them no one was around they were still jumpy.
With one hand around Arcturus’ waist and another holding his arm over her shoulder, Kylie helped the wounded Blade over to where everyone else was gathering. Some were limping, some were short of breath, others were absent.
“What happened here?” Jauffre asked.
“They have a spy in the Elder Council,” Arcturus explained. “I heard them discussing it over me while I was down. They probably thought I was dead.” He made the mistake of looking at the deep wound above his hip, which only made it sting more.
“We’ll discuss this at the temple for now. It won’t be safe there for long but it’ll work temporarily.”
Martin began to take a few steps forward, but paused when he noticed something pulling on the back of his robes. When he turned around he found that Bianca was holding on to his clothes and not moving. “What are you doing?”
“What if they’re still there?” she asked in a whisper. “I just got my will to live back, like, an hour ago. I don’t wanna go back there.”
“You can’t just stand there by yourself.”
“Right, that’s why I’m holding on to you.”
“Bianca…”
“Alright,&# 8221; she relented. She let go of the handful of blue cloth and helped Kylie support Arcturus as they began the ascent to Cloud Ruler Temple.
--- --- ---
Kylie and Bianca passed out on Martin’s bed holing each other’s hands. Kylie tried to tell her friend that everything would work out so long as they waded through it together, but her own insincerity diluted the words into murky puddles of fear and insecurity.
“Jauffre, what do we do?” Martin asked. “They’ve always known I was here; Marizia figured that out when she killed those spies.”
“They know Bianca is a weak target,” Jauffre answered. “Though you are humble to admit it, you are a skilled adversary. Bianca, on the other hand, will pass out from fear in some instances. They probably believe that your death is engraved in fate, thus leaving the child as the only real threat.” He looked as Martin severely. “Do you believe that?”
“Believe what?”
“That your death is foretold by the Gods. Do you think it’s inescapable?”
“I’m not sure yet. I won’t know until this is over.”
With a sigh, Jauffre took the seat across from Martin’s piles of books. “Your father always thought there was a divine plan for everything. I do not doubt that the Nine are all-powerful, but to float through life without a sense of free-will is no way to live.”
“I already told you I don’t want to die,” Martin insisted.
“I don’t mean to intend that. I am just warning you that a man who thinks he is dragged by fate can neither be at fault for his mistakes or praised for his valor.”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind, but I would like to hear more about my father; my real father.”
“Uriel was a humble man. As I said, he thought everything was meant to happen. He had me watch over you and update him from time to time because he believed whole-heartedly that you were born for a reason. Your mother was a servant in the imperial court; a very pretty woman and very smart too. She died giving birth to you, but I was summoned to see to it that a good family took you in.”
“So my mother wasn’t my real mother either.”
“No, I’m sorry to have to tell you that now of all times.”
Martin waved his hand, dismissing the apology. “Don’t be, I asked.”
“You should rest. We’ll leave tomorrow and let the wounded Blades ride on horseback. We’ll meet to discuss our destination tomorrow morning.”
“What about Belisarius and Roliand?” Bianca asked from to doorway. Her eyes were half closed with sleep and she had her arms crossed in an attempt to keep herself warm. She missed her velvet outfit, but the Elder Council insisted she wear something more imperial and lady-like.
Jauffre looked down at the floor and sighed. “There’s nothing we can do now but remember their sacrifice.”
“You’re not going to bury them?”
“We don’t have the time.”
“Don’t have the time?” she repeated. “Make the time.” She turned to Martin and pointed at Jauffre. “They died protecting us. You tell him that they don’t deserve to rot out there.”
“We do have the time, Jauffre,” Martin pointed out.
With a hint of amusement Jauffre looked down at Bianca as she stared back at him with intensity. “Already playing the wife, are we?”
She tried to whip out a witty retort but got tongue tied by her own annoyance and instead opted to storm out of the room and slam the door on her way out.
--- --- ---
“By Talos.”
Kylie felt bad for waking him up, but just watching him sleep was both creepy and unnerving. His bare chest didn’t raise and fall very far, so he really did look dead when he slept, and the dark, crimson stain that blotted his bandages didn’t nothing to ease her fears. “I’m sorry, I know you need to rest but I wanted to thank you.”
Arcturus lifted his neck a bit and looked up at her as he blinked in an attempt to clear his cloudy vision. “Did I... do something heroic I wasn’t aware of?”
“You got hurt defending this place, didn’t you?”
He closed his eyes and let his head fall back onto the thin pillow. She noticed that his black hair was damp with sweat and wondered if he had a fever. “I appreciate your gratitude, but I don’t deserve it. Two of my comrades are dead.”
“You…” she began to say, but realized it wasn’t her place to tell him how to feel. There was nothing more irritating, in her opinion, then when people try to tell others how to mourn.
Ferrum groaned behind her and turned over stiffly on his bed. When she went to inspect him she realized no one had changed their bandages yet because anyone able-bodied was on overnight guard. She got up to find a roll of gauze before she realized she didn’t have any clean cloth or water. Determined to be helpful for once, she walked toward the door as she tried to formulate a plan in her mind. Before she could get to it, however, Bianca kicked it open from the other side. At first Kylie thought her friend was being rude and overdramatic, but she soon noticed the heavy metal cauldron Bianca was dragging behind her. “It’s been boiled, so it’s sterile.”
“Do you have bandages too?”
“You could say that.” She reached for the bottom of her dress and began tearing it into strips. There was a thin layer of lining underneath it that kept her decent, and Kylie soon followed suit until they had a pile of red and green bandages soaking in the hot water.
“You start to wrap, I’ll keep them hydrated.” She walked over to Ferrum and placed the back of her hand on his forehead. “We won’t worry about any fevers until they get really bad. If we overreact we’re just gonna mess with their immune systems.”
Kylie nodded and went about her work. She had long since become accustomed to Bianca’s bossy nature. Unless Bianca was doing something really stupid, Kylie generally trusted her friend enough to follow her lead.
No one really spoke during the entire process. A few weak “thank you”s, some coughs and groans, but no talking. It wasn’t until Jenna, the last to get her bandages redressed (it involved her being topless, so Kylie and Bianca waited until the men were asleep), laid down to finally rest for the night. Bianca had been kneeling next to her, checking her temperature and cleaning up her wounds, for over an hour by that point. As the female Blade looked up at the woman she smiled weakly. “You’re a caring woman. You’ll make a good mother.”
Caroline barely heard the leaves rustle behind her before the hilt of a dagger collided with the back of her head. The blow knocked her out of the tree but she regained her bearings enough to land on the ground without hurting herself.
“Are you all right?” Martin asked Bianca. She nodded as her chest heaved in an attempt to calm her body down.
“I will admit that was the wrong way to go about protecting her,” Caroline admitted, “but bashing me in the back of the head was unnecessary.”
“I apologize,” Martin said. “I reacted without thinking.”
“I think we either killed or chased out all of them,” Baurus said from behind the group. Even though he had just reassured them no one was around they were still jumpy.
With one hand around Arcturus’ waist and another holding his arm over her shoulder, Kylie helped the wounded Blade over to where everyone else was gathering. Some were limping, some were short of breath, others were absent.
“What happened here?” Jauffre asked.
“They have a spy in the Elder Council,” Arcturus explained. “I heard them discussing it over me while I was down. They probably thought I was dead.” He made the mistake of looking at the deep wound above his hip, which only made it sting more.
“We’ll discuss this at the temple for now. It won’t be safe there for long but it’ll work temporarily.”
Martin began to take a few steps forward, but paused when he noticed something pulling on the back of his robes. When he turned around he found that Bianca was holding on to his clothes and not moving. “What are you doing?”
“What if they’re still there?” she asked in a whisper. “I just got my will to live back, like, an hour ago. I don’t wanna go back there.”
“You can’t just stand there by yourself.”
“Right, that’s why I’m holding on to you.”
“Bianca…”
“Alright,&# 8221; she relented. She let go of the handful of blue cloth and helped Kylie support Arcturus as they began the ascent to Cloud Ruler Temple.
--- --- ---
Kylie and Bianca passed out on Martin’s bed holing each other’s hands. Kylie tried to tell her friend that everything would work out so long as they waded through it together, but her own insincerity diluted the words into murky puddles of fear and insecurity.
“Jauffre, what do we do?” Martin asked. “They’ve always known I was here; Marizia figured that out when she killed those spies.”
“They know Bianca is a weak target,” Jauffre answered. “Though you are humble to admit it, you are a skilled adversary. Bianca, on the other hand, will pass out from fear in some instances. They probably believe that your death is engraved in fate, thus leaving the child as the only real threat.” He looked as Martin severely. “Do you believe that?”
“Believe what?”
“That your death is foretold by the Gods. Do you think it’s inescapable?”
“I’m not sure yet. I won’t know until this is over.”
With a sigh, Jauffre took the seat across from Martin’s piles of books. “Your father always thought there was a divine plan for everything. I do not doubt that the Nine are all-powerful, but to float through life without a sense of free-will is no way to live.”
“I already told you I don’t want to die,” Martin insisted.
“I don’t mean to intend that. I am just warning you that a man who thinks he is dragged by fate can neither be at fault for his mistakes or praised for his valor.”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind, but I would like to hear more about my father; my real father.”
“Uriel was a humble man. As I said, he thought everything was meant to happen. He had me watch over you and update him from time to time because he believed whole-heartedly that you were born for a reason. Your mother was a servant in the imperial court; a very pretty woman and very smart too. She died giving birth to you, but I was summoned to see to it that a good family took you in.”
“So my mother wasn’t my real mother either.”
“No, I’m sorry to have to tell you that now of all times.”
Martin waved his hand, dismissing the apology. “Don’t be, I asked.”
“You should rest. We’ll leave tomorrow and let the wounded Blades ride on horseback. We’ll meet to discuss our destination tomorrow morning.”
“What about Belisarius and Roliand?” Bianca asked from to doorway. Her eyes were half closed with sleep and she had her arms crossed in an attempt to keep herself warm. She missed her velvet outfit, but the Elder Council insisted she wear something more imperial and lady-like.
Jauffre looked down at the floor and sighed. “There’s nothing we can do now but remember their sacrifice.”
“You’re not going to bury them?”
“We don’t have the time.”
“Don’t have the time?” she repeated. “Make the time.” She turned to Martin and pointed at Jauffre. “They died protecting us. You tell him that they don’t deserve to rot out there.”
“We do have the time, Jauffre,” Martin pointed out.
With a hint of amusement Jauffre looked down at Bianca as she stared back at him with intensity. “Already playing the wife, are we?”
She tried to whip out a witty retort but got tongue tied by her own annoyance and instead opted to storm out of the room and slam the door on her way out.
--- --- ---
“By Talos.”
Kylie felt bad for waking him up, but just watching him sleep was both creepy and unnerving. His bare chest didn’t raise and fall very far, so he really did look dead when he slept, and the dark, crimson stain that blotted his bandages didn’t nothing to ease her fears. “I’m sorry, I know you need to rest but I wanted to thank you.”
Arcturus lifted his neck a bit and looked up at her as he blinked in an attempt to clear his cloudy vision. “Did I... do something heroic I wasn’t aware of?”
“You got hurt defending this place, didn’t you?”
He closed his eyes and let his head fall back onto the thin pillow. She noticed that his black hair was damp with sweat and wondered if he had a fever. “I appreciate your gratitude, but I don’t deserve it. Two of my comrades are dead.”
“You…” she began to say, but realized it wasn’t her place to tell him how to feel. There was nothing more irritating, in her opinion, then when people try to tell others how to mourn.
Ferrum groaned behind her and turned over stiffly on his bed. When she went to inspect him she realized no one had changed their bandages yet because anyone able-bodied was on overnight guard. She got up to find a roll of gauze before she realized she didn’t have any clean cloth or water. Determined to be helpful for once, she walked toward the door as she tried to formulate a plan in her mind. Before she could get to it, however, Bianca kicked it open from the other side. At first Kylie thought her friend was being rude and overdramatic, but she soon noticed the heavy metal cauldron Bianca was dragging behind her. “It’s been boiled, so it’s sterile.”
“Do you have bandages too?”
“You could say that.” She reached for the bottom of her dress and began tearing it into strips. There was a thin layer of lining underneath it that kept her decent, and Kylie soon followed suit until they had a pile of red and green bandages soaking in the hot water.
“You start to wrap, I’ll keep them hydrated.” She walked over to Ferrum and placed the back of her hand on his forehead. “We won’t worry about any fevers until they get really bad. If we overreact we’re just gonna mess with their immune systems.”
Kylie nodded and went about her work. She had long since become accustomed to Bianca’s bossy nature. Unless Bianca was doing something really stupid, Kylie generally trusted her friend enough to follow her lead.
No one really spoke during the entire process. A few weak “thank you”s, some coughs and groans, but no talking. It wasn’t until Jenna, the last to get her bandages redressed (it involved her being topless, so Kylie and Bianca waited until the men were asleep), laid down to finally rest for the night. Bianca had been kneeling next to her, checking her temperature and cleaning up her wounds, for over an hour by that point. As the female Blade looked up at the woman she smiled weakly. “You’re a caring woman. You’ll make a good mother.”