Deserter

ONE

{Chapter Triggers: near drowning, mentions of blood, mention of dead bodies, mention of a snake and tattoo, mention of assassinations, mistreatment of an unconscious individual. Those are all I can think of/figure out from reading through the chapter, I apologize if I missed any and feel free to inform me.}

"I'm here, I'm here!" Patton burst out into the courtyard, hauling his medical kit with him.

"Ah, Patton, I was just about to send Roman to find you." Logan nodded, straightening his spectacles.

"Is he breathing? Have you checked his heartbeat? Do you see any injuries?"

Logan exhaled slowly. The healer was quite a quick talker, especially when he was presented with an urgent matter. He supposed it was necessary for him, so that he could get a grasp on the situation, but it could be quite maddening to the strategist.

"We've only just pulled him out." He explained. "Roman is organizing a group of soldiers to patrol the moat and see if there are any more bodies."

Patton barely spared a glance up at the knight, who stood a few paces away barking orders to a small troop of impeccably dressed men.

Logan's lip curled slightly at the sight of them, as it always did when he spotted the dress uniforms. They were ever so unnecessary in his eyes.

"He's still breathing." Patton announced, sounding relieved. "And his pulse seems fairly steady... I don't see any blood around him, but I'm going go check for injuries regardless."

Logan turned his attention away from the two men on the ground as Roman returned to them. "It is highly unlikely that your men find another body."

Roman shrugged, glancing at Patton. "It never hurts to check, does it?"

"No, that is a fair point... whether or not he wakes, we will have to tell King Thomas."

"I've sent Remington to speak with him." Roman waved the comment off.

"That does not even remotely ease my concerns. You know how easily that boy is distracted."

"He shall be fine, you really must stop worrying so much, Logan-"

Patton gasped loudly. Roman and Logan whirled to look at him, wondering what he had found.

The heavy black over-shirt that the unconscious man was wearing had been pulled off of him, revealing a thin undershirt with no sleeves. Patton was hurriedly pressing a pad of fabric used to soak up blood against his forearm.

At first glance it seemed that he had only found an injury on the man's arm, but Logan had trained himself for years to notice the smallest of details. Given where the pad was being held on the man's arm and the thickness of the material, they should be able to see blood already.

"Patton, what did you find?" He asked slowly, allowing the healer the opportunity to tell the truth.

"Just a cut- he must have hit his arm on something when he fell in." Patton said quickly.

Logan crossed his arms. "Patton, the bank of the moat is entirely clean. We purposely keep it that way to make sure that no handholds are provided for potential invaders. There is nothing for him to hit his arm on."

He could see in the other man's eyes that he knew he'd been caught. Patton exhaled slowly, still keeping the fabric where it was.

"You've got to promise to let me help him," He said quietly.

"Show me what you found." Logan countered, stepping over to the body so he could see better.

"Logan, promise."

"I want to see what's on his arm."

Patton's eyes flashed defiantly, a rare expression for him, and Logan glanced at Roman. The knight strode around their focus and grabbed Patton under the arms. He squirmed angrily, trying to get away, but Roman was stronger, and soon Patton was forced to let go of the pad of fabric.

Logan leaned over and plucked it up easily, baring the man's arm for all three of them to see.

Roman gasped, affronted. "Patton, how could you?"

"It doesn't change the fact that he is unconscious and most likely in pain, let me tend to him!" Patton writhed, trying to wrench himself free of Roman's grasp.

Logan stared down at the mark with disgust. He rarely ever saw tattoos like that, and usually they were on corpses when he did. The sight of the snake curling in on itself and eating its own tail always set alight a flame of irritation in his chest, bordering on full fury.

This man on the ground in front of them was part of the elite group that was currently trying to assassinate the king.

Tricksters, they called themselves. There were fourteen in total, at the moment. To his knowledge anyway, but they were always recruiting. Who even knew how many they were now.

Probably the unconscious man, Logan thought to himself, shaking his head a little at his own incompetence.

"Roman, have him locked up in one of the isolated cells," he ordered flatly, ignoring Patton's cry of protest. "If he wakes he is not to be spoken to, at all. Keep at least two guards on him at all times, and make sure they are faithful to that. I want to know when he's conscious."

Roman grunted dutifully and let go of Patton, going to pick up the man and carry him to a cell.

The healer scrambled to his feet. "Logan, please! You have to let me help him."

"I have no obligation to do such a thing." Logan crossed his arms, meeting Patton's eyes calmly. "This very well may have been a plot, and until we have a confession from him or we can confirm otherwise, he is a prisoner."

"That does nothing to change the fact that he is injured and I can help!" Patton insisted, gathering his scattered medical kit quickly. "Logan, see reason."

"This is reason. And if you choose not to listen to it I will personally inform his guards that you are not to make contact with him in any way."

He ignored the upset expression that crossed the healer's face. Yes, Patton's job was to heal, and he had enough love for the whole world, but this was a Trickster they were talking about, and Logan was not taking any chances. King Thomas was young and he needed to be protected, for both his safety and the morale of the country.

"I will go make sure that Remington has informed King Thomas of this incident, and provide him with further information. Remember what I said, Patton."

He swept off without waiting for Patton's answer.

{It's very hard to keep characters who only represent one trait confined to that one trait when they are brought into real-world situations, but I will try to keep them to their Sanders Sides personalities

I have an updating schedule right now that is set to one chapter every two weeks. I have them pre-written right now, but this is to ensure that I still have enough material if my workload for class gets to the point where I cannot write. I am not going to update/change plot points as new Sanders Sides videos come out}