The Queen in the North: Game of thrones fanfiction

Chapter sixty two, Elonar

Chapter sixty two
Thank you 4everStarkGirl or @spearofdorne on Insta for helping me ily x
Elonar

Tears were flowing quite freely by the time El burst through the door to Axel's room. The room was hot from the roaring fire on the hearth although the windows were wide open allow long frozen air and the occasional snowflake in from the cold darkness outside. Axel Umber was on a sort of camp bed, made from pillows and skins right by the fire, he lay on his back wearing only his breeches, covered in blood soaked bandages over his stomach, right shoulder and left thigh.

"Why is he on the floor?" Was the first thing Elonar said to the Maesters tending to Axel.

"Mi'lady, Garlan insisted that Axel by laid on the floor, so he is closest to the fire for warmth, so he does not contract a chill overnight." The oldest of the men said removing the bandage around Axel's stomach.

Elonar gasped seeing the open wound as the bandage was removed, blood oozed out of the deep gauge like water in a river, "is he going to be okay?" She asked stupidly.

"With any luck probably" the Maester sighed, "he might be less one arm, but I'm certain this young man would be able to cope without an arm if it saved his life"

El's eyebrows knitted together in a deep frown crossed her weary face, "your going to cut off his arm?"

"Mi'lady his arm is barely salvageable. He is also in tremendous pain and removing it would help ease his pain as well as risk of infection" the old man said.

"How much of his arm will you take?" Elonar pressed persistently.

"The whole arm" the man said simply beginning to stitch the large gauge in Axel's gut.

"Why?" El asked peering over where the man knelt over Axel as if trying not to see the obvious.

"Mi'lady" he paused, "his forearm is very badly fractured, see?" He pointed at the splintered white bone which was pushing its way out of Axel's flesh, "and as you can also she he had shot wounds in his upper arm and shoulder. Mi'lady it would be easier to just let him die, bleed out naturally.."

El was speechless by the mans last words, "I beg your pardon? Let him die?" Elonar raised her eyebrows sternly, "well if you aren't going to help me, I will either have to find someone who will or do it myself.. You are a Maester, your duty is to help people, not leave them to die"

"I didn't say I wouldn't try, mi'lady" the old man sighed, retiring into a state of almost depression, pulling at Axel's stitches gently but purposely.

Moments later after Elonar had shortly recovered from her swift outburst on the old man she asked, "Will you do it while he's sleeping?", kneeling down beside Axel.

"I will try to keep his asleep as long as possible, but it is likely that he will wake during the procedure, then when he wakes we give him more milk of the poppy, mi'lady"

"Someone go find my husband at once please" El snapped at one of the handmaids cleaning the surgical knives. El waited for what seemed like hours of watching the Maester stitching Axel's minor wounds before Garlan came in, still half dressed in only thin trousers and his shirt his undone. Surprisingly even Garlan was shocked to see Axel's condition, which had obviously worsened since Garlan had brought back "thank you, for bringing him in" El said softly.

Garlan took her hand and squeezed it, "can they save the arm?" He said not looking El, but at the old man hovering over Axel's body.

El didn't respond she only shook her head, and bit back tears sharply, she coughed to try and rid her throat of that horrid painful feeling you get when trying to hold back tears that are dying to flow freely from your eyes. "When will you do it?" Her voice was raw and coarse from the forbidden tears.

The Maester shrugged, "the sooner the better" he said bluntly, "we need to move him to the battle, so I can remove it more easily" Garlan stepped forward and helped the old man carry Axel's body over to a large wooden table.

"El you should go" Garlan said kindly, "he will wake as soon as We start cutting, you should see him in that much pain, my love"

El smiled a little,"Garlan, Axel has heard me give birth on serval occasions, and I'm sure I've heard worse" she crossed the room to stand beside Axel, she took his left hand in hers, "so I'm staying, and if it gets, too much for me I'll leave" El said stubbornly. Garlan then knew however loudly Axel was too scream or wive in pain, El would not more an inch, because of the slightly raised tone in her voice that signified her determination to get her own way.

The old man went away to get both the equipment he would need to remove Axel's arm but also more milk of the Poppy and a piece Of knotted cloth that Elonar could only assume was some sort of gag for Axel to bite down on. "Give him this" the Maester held out the milk of the poppy to Elonar, she took it and pressed the cup to Axel's chapped lips, he only stirred a little and rolled his head away.

Axel murmured something that could have only been "El" then he coughed then wheezed and then he said her name again louder and clearer, his eyes fluttered like tiny moth wings, "is that you El?" He murmured.

"Yes, it's me" she said squeezing his palm harder.

"What's happening to me? I- I, I can't feel my right arm El, what's happening!" He panicked.

"It's going to be alright, I promise, just drink this okay?" She pressed the cup to his lips again and he drained the cup dry and soon Axel was taken back into the dark serenity of sleepless sleep.

The Maester stepped forward baring a large saw, and without anymore words he stripped Axel's bandages and gently rested the serrated blade against Axel's freckle coated flesh. The Maester was right, as soon as he began to slice through the flesh like it was a piece of meat Axel awoke and begin screaming loudly. Garlan was also right, again. Axel's screams hurt El more that she could have ever imagined, she wanted to help him, to even put him out of his misery at one point.

He thrashed around violently, but his screamed subdued when El stuffed the gag as gently as she could into his rolling face. His green eyes glowing emerald in such a feral way it scared El. Instinctively obviously Axel rolled away sharply from the saw, but Garlan pulled him back hold him down forcefully, "El will you hold his head down" Garlan said a little roughly, "it's going to be over soon Axel" he said grabbed Axel's chin forcefully, "stay still because the more you move the more it hurts. Sk hold the fuck still" Garlan snapped at Axel.

Axel spat out the gag as forcefully as he could, and began to yell obscenities at El, Garlan and especially the old man halfway sawing through Axel's shoulder. El then held his sandy curls down firmly and stuffed the gag back in his still open mouth. But soon he passed out after seeing the his arm dangling by just his still from his shoulder.

The process was faster than El expected although the time taken to amputate Axel's Axel seemed to take all night. El could barely imagine how Axel was feeling, the immense pain he must been in. After the Maester was done, Garlan moved Axel to the bed where he might be slightly more comfortable. The old man retired to bed soon after cleaning his instruments leaving El and Garlan to watch over Axel.

"You need to sleep my love" Garlan said pressing his palms gently into her shoulders, "you haven't sleep in nearly three days" that was true, El thought or had it been longer than three days, she didn't quite know or care anymore. All she cared about was seeing that Axel woke up, and hopefully soon or else she would fall asleep.

She just shook her head, "I can't leave him Garlan, I was the one who made the decision to cut off the bloody arm, I have to be Here when he wakes up"

"As you wish" Garlan sighed slumping in the armchair beside Axel's bed, "if we're staying then I'll be sleeping"

"I never said anything about you staying" El yawned.

He rolled his eyes, and held out his arms inviting her to join him in the armchair which had plenty of room for them both. Elonar rested her head against Garlan's chest and let him put his arm around her, holding her body close to his. Garlan kissed her forehead lightly, "get some sleep my love, tomorrow is going to be a long day"