Throughout this war, I have felt sick. I have felt sick for days that it has made me forget what it feels like to be well. I lived, and my brother lived, but looking at his unconscious figure makes me question how much pain must go alongside survival. As well as who did this and for how long.
I have come to terms that Laurance will not wake up soon, and I have begun to panic more than when I stumbled upon this sight. I've rested his head against my lap as I try to think of what to do. He's too heavy for me to carry, but I don't wish to leave him here on his own in this condition.
For now, I'm sitting here with him until he comes on his own.
I've been running my hands through his hair and looking around his face for any battle wounds. His exposed body appears to be intact, but the bump on his head concerns me. I haven't been able to wrap my head around who could do this.
My attention is brought back to reality when I hear a shriek from Aphmau, and soon Katelyn is running down the hill alongside her.
"What happened to him?" She questions, getting down to our level and immediately pulling him off of me. I hold my words within myself and swallow them for prevention. I understand that he is her guard, but he is my brother. Taking his head off my lap and onto hers in such a hurry was unnecessary and infuriating.
"I don't know," I respond, breaking my gaze from my brother for the first time in what feels like hours. "I went to look for him earlier, but I found him like this."
"And you didn't think to help him?"
Her words anger me. "He's too heavy for me to carry, and I refused to leave him here on his own like this. I did what I could."
Katelyn walks closer to us and examines the forming bump on his head before humming and insisting we bring him somewhere else in the meantime. "Bickering is useless in a time like this. It's wise to bring him somewhere to properly rest. There's three of us. Alex, if you would, please support his other side, and we'll carry him together."
I nod my head, slowly standing up. I stumble a bit, feeling my foot fast asleep, before trying my best to help lift Laurance. He's taller than me, but Katelyn is too. It's thankfully not too long of a distance from the guard's household, so we'll be just fine until then.
°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°
"He's coming to! Laurance, please don't leave me."
Laurance's eyes slowly open with a grunt of pain. Relief floods me as I stand in the background, feeling of less importance. Aphmau has claimed her position next to his bed for when his eyes would open again. She felt the room was getting too crowded.
I can't help but lean my weight against the door frame beside me with my arms crossed. Kandi stands beside me, in a form of comfort, but I can't help but feel overlooked in the situation.
I want nothing but the best for my brother, or for him to feel well, but the feeling of being excluded in my brother's health continues to irk me.
Laurance's voice pierces through the upper floor when he exclaims Garroth's name. This causes Kandi to visibly stiffen beside me. While she becomes tense, the returning feeling of bile coming up my throat returns.
A search party is conducted. When we begin to leave the gates, Dante and I are stopped. "Wait! Wait. Dante. Dante, I need you to stay back and protect the village. Please, we all can't go. I'm trusting you." She turns to me, and my stomach drops again. "Alex, it's far too many people. I want you to stay behind and continue to help those who are hurt."
I scoff. "You may be my lord, but this is one order I'm not following."
She looks at me in disbelief, like I wasn't capable of telling her no. Like as a lord, "no" wasn't an answer. I leave her there, stunned, when I walk away. She doesn't utter a word to me when she begins to walk again.
By the time I make it by the others, they're huddled together in a line. I glance up through a window of their head, stopping short in my tracks.
It isn't very long before there's an argument and Laurance nearly loses his cool. My eyes widen when my ears begin to properly work, and I can finally understand what's being said.
Never in my life did I expect to see Laurance and Garroth clashing swords from opposing sides. And never in my life have I heard Garroth speak so poorly of Kandi, claiming she was never there when he needed her most these past few days. When, in truth, she's been there and more. If Cadenza wasn't around and trying to manage to get him to eat, Kandi was sitting outside his room begging for him to open up. And when she didn't, I tried.
"Then show them exactly what you are."
There's a groan, and I watch as Laurance is pushed off onto the floor. "Laurance!" I exclaim, but an arm is held out to prevent me from moving any further. Despite this all, I'm not afraid of Garroth.
I'm disappointed.
Soon, it moves too fast, and I'm somewhere I've never seen before. Somewhere grand and white.
