Justice is Swift But Vengeance is Sweeter (A Judge Frollo Fanfiction)

More Than One Side

   Nikolas paced his tent, thinking hard. He needed to be smart about this. If he got too deep and mushy then he might give something away and result in his own demise. Then again if he didn't try hard enough and was too reserved he would be wasting his time. Women were a shy creature, shy but dangerous. Treat it the wrong way or say the wrong thing it would either slip into hiding and not come out or lash wildly with sharp nails. But how could he put his plan into action? Well he could try to get some time alone with her, find out her likes and dislikes. That would work pretty sufficient for the time being, he would need to set time to the side each day for her which honestly wasn't a bad thing. Secretly he wanted to get to know this odd young woman, especially since she seemed to be Greek. It was a rare thing to find a woman of her type, he wasn't sure what type that was yet but he knew deep down there weren't many other like her. So he went out into the Court, searching for gypsy woman and taking in the surroundings as he did so. He found her in her tent, speaking to somebody. He gave a hesitant,

"Hello? Healia?" the talking paused and Healia poked her head between the two deep blue fabric flaps, giving a surprised smile.

"Oh Nikolas! Did you need something?" He looked down, suddenly embarrassed. But why was he embarrassed? Was it the fact he was going to be a friend of this woman only to extract information? She watched him expectantly, waiting for an answer, finding herself intrigued at how he grew red in the face at her question. Nikolas suddenly looked her in the eye.

"Um, well, if you weren't too busy I was wondering if I could talk to you?" She smirked.

"Did Esmeralda put you up to this?" His blush grew worse. Did she honestly think he would be here because that nosy gypsy wanted them to be a couple? Nikolas shook his head.

"No, I just wanted to talk to you; we didn't really have a chance when I first arrived or any time recently. Might I come in?" He ventured, knowing this would be a very delicate question. A man didn't just ask a woman to come into her private space and expect to get in, women valued their privacy immensely and just asking the question could be considered offensive. However she merely nodded,

"Of course, come in." He sighed in relief and parted the flap, finding to his surprise, a little gypsy boy sniffling on her cot, black hair ruffled and skin smudged with mud. Her tent was interesting honestly; there was a cot, a small box underneath it, clothes within a larger box that sat to the side and a barrel that held a few items beneath a cloth, their shape hard to define. Healia kneeled before the little boy, pulling out a rag and wiping his face of the tears. Nikolas watched curiously, what had happened to the boy? Was he alright? Healia then lifted the cuff of his torn pant leg, revealing a bad scrape oozing blood as if to answer his question. Nikolas felt a little faint at the sight of blood but Healia merely dipped the rag into a pan of water, gingerly wiping away the ruby liquid. The boy began to whimper in pain but she hushed him gently, the way a mother would a fussy child. Then she spoke. "It's okay Renart, it's just a little cut. You're going to be fine. I'm going to clean it up, then put a little ointment and bandage it up. See?" He watched her, wide eyed, as she did just as she promised, cleaning the cut, then putting a small green paste onto the cut from a silver tin and finally wrapping a clean strip of fabric around the child's leg. Then she kissed his forehead. "All better, can you walk?" The boy stood shakily and nodded, making her smile. He then hugged her tightly, letting her ruffle his hair before he grinned, showing teeth missing.

"Thank you Healia." He said slowly, as if trying to say the words around the gaps in his mouth. With a wave he glanced at Nikolas curiously before walking out, leaving them alone. As Healia cleaned up Nikolas decided to question her about the boy.

"Goodness, what happened to him? That wasn't a very small cut at all." He murmured. Healia wiped her hands and sighed.

"Renart is a sweet little boy, he really is. But he has the habit of getting into fights. He's defiant too." Nikolas shook his head; even the little ones were unruly and wild.