Ascendant

CHAPTER NINE: LYRICS AND MELODIES

[GEM]

As soon as Moira went down, Uriah's expression grew with concern and he ran forward as Hadvar bent down to check on her, her body slumping down and nearly landing in her own bloody vomit before the blond Viking caught her.

Uriah dropped down on his knees when her got there and took her arm. "A cloth!" he demanded.

The Viking that was sparring with her tossed one to him.

He caught it and wiped her nose and mouth that were covered in blood, checking her vitals to make sure she was alright. He didn't bother asking what happened because he knew what was wrong, watching her get worse and worse until her neglectful behavior finally caught up with her.

At this point they had attracted the attention of several Vikings in the area who peered over to see what was going on, including Ikatere who was right behind his rider.

"Do you want me to get Gothi?" Hadvar asked, referring to their island physician.

[GEM]

"No," Uriah replied, shaking his head. "Stay and train the others, I can take her. I've practiced medicine all over the north. She needs sleep and warmth. And then food and water in small amounts when she awakens," but glancing down at the blood, that worried him. He hoped it was merely a trauma injury she had suffered from being kicked in the gut several times during training and not a stomach ulcer or some other growth. But he scooped her up in his arms and was surprised at how light she was. This made him more concerned and he began carrying her to Astrid's...

Once there, he laid her down on the bed that she and her brother had been sleeping in downstairs and started a fire. He then knelt down and took a warm rag to wash the dirt and remaining blood from her delicate and sickly pale face, her eyes slightly sunken in now as well as dark circles around them. He hated it. She looked halfway in the grave and that gave him a twisted feeling in his stomach to see.

He checked her ankles to see if they were swollen and they weren't bad so he was relieved. Next he gently pulled up the fabric of her tunic to check injuries to her midsection. There he saw some purple bruises cradling her nearly visible ribcage, her skin white like a sheet around them and void of nutrients. He gently touched the area to see if any ribs had been cracked  or broken and they seemed alright. He was glad she hadn't punctured a lung at least. That would have been nearly impossible to cure without a miracle.

[GEM]

Pulling her tunic back over her, he also added another layer by placing a wool blanket over her cold form, trying to get her warm despite the Icelandic temperatures.

Looking back at her sleeping face, he felt so badly for her, knowing she had been through more than most people suffer. First emotionally. Now physically as well. If he could take her pains onto his own shoulders instead, he would in an instant.

His hand trailed down to her own idly and he shut his eyes, speaking a quiet prayer for her healing as well as saying thank you to the fact that nothing was terminally wrong with her like he had feared for a small moment when watching her collapse.

After a long moment as he sat with his back against her bed, talking to God as well as thinking, the door interrupted the quiet sounds of the fire crackling and Astrid came in with a worried look on her face, her hair tangled from dragon flying as several strands were pulled from her braid. She rushed over to them as she asked, "What—" she spotted Moira and changed to a whisper, "what happened?"

He stood up and faced her. "Nothing serious. She had just been neglecting taking care of herself. But I'll watch her in case there are any more signs of sickness. She'll need someone standing by for a couple of days."