Chapter 9: Recovery
Lyn carefully applied the vulnerary to her injured leg. She held her right thigh, hissing as the vulnerary did its work. She was glad that Nidan had shown her that little trick. She hated having to collect ugly scars. As the pain receded, she looked at her leg. The gash had closed, and the blood had stopped flowing. She rummaged through the packs, looking for a rag to wipe away the blood.
After she finished taking care of herself, Lyn sat down in a corner. She couldn't hear the sound of fighting anymore, so she assumed that they'd won. No doubt due to Nidan's quick thinking. Lyn couldn't help but think about how good Nidan would be if he actually got time to plan out an attack. Of course, given the situation with her granduncle, it would likely come to that.
She heard footsteps coming from the hallway. She looked at the same time that Natalie did, and saw Sain and Kent carrying an unconscious Nidan into the room. Lyn was about to ask what had happened, but the shell-shocked expression on the knights' faces told her to wait. They were followed shortly after by Wil, who looked just as shocked as the knights. As the knights gently laid Nidan near his belongings, Florina came into the room, trembling.
"What happened?" Lyn finally asked, as the knights were going after the vulneraries.
"It was unbelievable," Wil muttered to himself.
"I-I-I've never s-s-seen an-anyone move that fast," Florina stuttered out.
As Kent finished putting some of a vulnerary in one of his wounds, he looked directly at Lyn. "Nidan single-handedly won the battle. I don't know how he did it, but he moved with such speed and precision that I could have sworn he was a part of the Order of Swordmasters."
Lyn looked at Nidan in surprise. She knew first-hand that he was good, but as good as a Swordmaster? That was impossible, wasn't it?
"That wasn't all," Sain added, just as serious as Kent for once. "His eyes weren't normal. They were glowing. Gold. A piercing gold."
"It didn't seem natural," Wil said quietly. "It almost seemed arcane in nature. But, I didn't see any focus point."
Dorcas chose that moment to enter the room. As soon as he saw his wife, his hard demeanor melted. His face softened, and Lyn thought for a second that there was a tear in his eye. He rushed to Natalie, scooping her off the ground and embracing her fiercely.
"Natalie," he whispered, so quietly that Lyn almost missed it.
Natalie just returned the embrace, tears of joy in her eyes. Everyone just watched the happy couple, glad to be forgetting their depressing mystery.
Dorcas finally ended the embrace. He gently set his wife on the ground, helping her maintain her balance as he did. Dorcas looked at Lyn, and then indicated that he and Natalie would be stepping outside. Everyone watched them go.
Dorcas helped Natalie through the front gate. He made sure that her eyes were shut. He didn't want her to see all the bodies. He would have to ask the others to help clear them before they started stinking. The last thing he wanted was for his wife to sleep in the smell of dead, rotting flesh.
Once he reached the forest, he sat her down, following quickly.
"I'm so sorry," he began. "What I did was wrong."
Natalie looked at him, a gentle smile on her face. "No harm was done," she assured him. "I know you had my well-being in mind."
"That's no excuse," Dorcas said darkly.
"I have forgiven you," Natalie said, still holding that gentle smile. "Put it in the past."
They held each other in a warm embrace. Dorcas let his tears fall. He couldn't hold it. What he had done had shamed his wife. It was unforgiveable, but Natalie forgave him anyway. He didn't deserve a love like hers. But she saw fit to give it to him anyway. "I'm so sorry," he told her again. He had to express his remorse, even if it was impossible.
After a while, Dorcas decided to break their embrace. Natalie caught him by the cheeks and kissed him gently. He was stunned for a second, but gave into his wife's affections. Then they parted.
"I already told you," she said warmly, "all is forgiven."
"I'm going to make it up to you," Dorcas stated resolutely.
Natalie looked at him curiously. "How?"
"I'll help these people," he replied. "They protected you. It's the least I can do in return."
Natalie nodded in agreement. "That seems reasonable. It seems that we are both indebted to them."
Nidan let out a very long, very loud moan as he woke up. He felt like he'd just run from Bern to Etruria and back, twice. He literally had no energy left in him. He wondered how he was even awake at all. His body felt so dead, he almost wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. He was just sleeping, right? That's when all of his memory of the battle flooded back into his brain.
The tactician shot up extremely fast, startling everyone present. Which was the knights, Wil, Florina and Lyn. They all looked at him as if he were some other life form. What could have caused that? Then his memory of the final bits of the battle clarified. No wonder they were looking at him with guarded eyes.
"Don't everybody jump up to help me at once," he threw out, hoping to break the ice.
Everyone relaxed just a bit. Simply hearing Nidan's voice was good enough for them. They were still clearly mystified, though. Not that he could blame them; even he didn't have a firm grasp on what had just happened.
"Glad you're awake," Lyn said at last.
"And I feel like I just sprinted a thousand leagues," Nidan responded.
There was a bit of a chuckle in the room, but the tension just refused to evaporate completely. They were going to have to talk about what had happened. There was just no way around it, was there?
"What happened to you?" Kent asked, being the first to approach the subject.
"Honestly?" Nidan began, "I don't really know."
Everyone remained silent, letting the answer sink in. Kent's face became very contemplative, as if trying to properly phrase his next question.
"Can you describe what happened?" Kent asked at last.
Nidan nodded. "I was at the wall with Florina. I broke through the crack and surprised the bandits, and killed them, with Florina's help. As I was going back to the fortress I took an arrow…to my…shoulder…"
Nidan must really have been out of it, as he didn't even realize that he was still wounded. Of course, as soon as his memory caught up with him, the pain made itself known. Nidan winced at the pain, suddenly doubling over as he realized just how bad the wound was.
"Can I get a little help with this?" Nidan asked, voice strained as he grit his teeth against the pain from his shoulder.
Lyn pulled a vulnerary out of his pack, and poured a little in the wound. Nidan yelped in pain as the vulnerary did its work. Then, Lyn helped him take a drink, as he still couldn't move his arms very well. The stuff tasted nasty, but Nidan could feel his pain easing as the vulnerary hit his system.
"How did none of you notice that?" Lyn asked the knights and Wil.
"Well…," Sain stated, at a loss.
"We were preoccupied," Kent stated, a little shamed.
"I-I-I'm sorry," Florina stuttered out. "I s-saw him take the a-a-arrow, but I didn't say an-anything."
Nidan felt a pang of guilt. Florina had seen his display right after being shot at by an archer. She must be terrified. Although, she seemed to be taking it very well.
"Let's continue with the story," Wil said at last.
"Right," Nidan acknowledged. "I took the arrow and that alerted me to the archer's presence. I turned, and an arrow was flying at Florina's head. I knew I'd be too late to stop it, and something snapped. What felt like…energy flooded through me. The world slowed to a crawl around me. I could see every movement in agonizingly slow detail. I used that slowness to throw my sword, intercepting the arrow. After that I killed the archer."
Nidan stopped, trying to recall in detail what happened next. It was difficult, as he couldn't exactly describe what was going through his mind.
"Well?" Kent prodded.
"Give me a minute," Nidan shot, "I'm trying to think of how to describe this next bit." Nidan pondered what to say as everyone watched him intently. Then, he figured it out.
"I looked and saw that the crowd around the front gate had doubled. I knew I could make use of the strange power. All emotion drained from my mind. The best way I can describe it is that I became a machine. My mind was firing full-tilt, seeing every possible move and countermove. All I could see was the enemy. For a minute, I forgot everything except fighting. Then, nothing."
Kent finally backed away, seeming to mull over everything that he had just been told. In fact, everyone was trying to process what Nidan had just said.
Finally, Sain smiled, and all tension was gone.
"It would seem, my friend, that you have been blessed with a valiant gift," the knight said, returning to his usual speech.
"I'd hardly call it that," Nidan replied.
"But that's what it seems like," Wil stated from his corner. "A power like that could turn the tide of any battle."
"I'm glad you see the bright side," Nidan told the optimistic archer.
"Still, we must consider the danger," Kent stated at last, coming out of his 'thinking pose.'
"I agree," Lyn added, finally speaking.
"Me too," Nidan stated. "The state of mind I was in was dangerous. Not to mention the toll that this 'power' took on my body."
"But, this could be a serious boost for us!" Wil argued.
"No," Nidan stated firmly. "The risk is too much. Besides, I don't even know how I went into that state. And I'm definitely not trying for a repeat performance."
"'Tis such a shame to waste such tremendous power," Sain said ruefully.
"Power always has a cost," Lyn told the knight. She looked pointedly at the Mani Katti, remembering the old priest's warning.
"Then it's settled," Nidan stated. "I won't worry about what happened and just continue on like normal."
"That seems reasonable," Kent agreed.
"Now," Nidan stated, laying back down, "I need some sleep."
Lyn was quite surprised at how quickly Nidan fell asleep. But she shouldn't have been. She knew that he'd been staying up late to devise new strategies. And his… situation did seem very, very tiring. It would probably be best just to let him sleep.
"Milady," Kent called, "may I speak with you, alone?"
Lyn silently nodded and stood, following the red-clad knight outside of the fortress. They stood in silence for a moment. Lyn was content to allow Kent time to collect his thoughts. Whatever he had to say, Lyn was sure that it was important.
"What are your thoughts on the incident with Nidan?" Kent asked her.
Lyn took a deep breath. "Honestly, it doesn't change much for me."
"You did not see him," Kent replied.
"But I heard the way he spoke about it. It seemed like he scared himself. I have full confidence that this won't change anything for him. He'll probably try hard to avoid it. You remember what happened with his old strategies, right?
Kent nodded. "I do remember. That's what worries me. By all indications, Nidan was not a good man before his amnesia. I am worried that he will become that man, should his memories return."
Lyn gave an easy smile to her knight. "I appreciate your concern," Lyn told him. "But whoever Nidan was before doesn't matter. What matters is who he is now."
"Very well," Kent stated. "I'll return to the fort."
Kent went back inside, leaving Lyn to her thoughts. She looked out to the west, seeing the last of the setting sun. Night was almost there, and she'd have to prepare to sleep soon. The sunset was beautiful. The sun's light lit the clouds in such a way that they all had a fiery outline on their undersides. Lyn briefly missed the plains. The sunsets were so beautiful there. She wondered if she'd ever see the land of her birth again.
Lyn heard movement off to her left, and turned. She saw Dorcas and Natalie returning. Dorcas was covering Natalie's eyes. Lyn wondered why that was until she realized that there were still dead bodies all around the entrance. The group would have to move those before they started stinking.
As Dorcas and Natalie approached, Lyn stepped out of the way. Dorcas briefly acknowledged her, before he stepped into the fort. Lyn decided to wait outside until the sunset was done. She wanted to enjoy the outside air for a moment, before she had everyone set to the grim task of removing the bodies.
Dorcas grunted, heaving the last of the bodies into the forest for the night. The woman who had spoken to him during the battle, Lyn, had suggested that the group remove the bodies before they settled in for the night. Dorcas had quickly agreed. Along with Lyn and two men in armor, whose names Dorcas had yet to learn, he had helped clear the fortress. It was filthy work, but it needed to be done if they were going to get to sleep
He did his best to shake the blood off of his hands. He'd have to take a full bath later, but he at least wanted his hands to be clean. He looked around, seeking Lyn. He wanted to talk to her about what he and Natalie had agreed on. He wanted to offer his axe.
Dorcas saw the two knights heading back to the fortress, having dropped their last bodies in the woods before Dorcas. He gave them a nod of acknowledgement as they past, and they responded in kind. He then walked into the forest where they left, as he could see the shadow of Lyn's form.
"Lyn," Dorcas called, approaching her.
"What is it?" Lyn asked him, turning from the body she had dropped.
"I need to tell you something."
"Tell me on the way back to the fort," Lyn told him, walking towards the fort.
"I wish to offer you my axe," Dorcas stated bluntly, following her.
Lyn looked at him curiously as she walked. "What about your wife?"
"We are in agreement."
Lyn nodded in understanding. "I'll see that you are paid handsomely when my quest is done."
"That isn't necessary."
"It is, actually," Lyn said sincerely. "I know why you were working with the bandits. I'll help you if I'm able."
"That is more than I could have hoped for."
"Thank you, for offering to come with us. We are going to need all the help that we can get."
They were at the fortress entrance now. Dorcas could see the knights, archer, pegasus knight, and Natalie all preparing to turn in for the night. Lyn stopped, and looked Dorcas in the eye.
"I'll have Nidan work out the logistics with you in the morning," Lyn said. "In the meantime, get some sleep. I think that we all need it."
It was still dark when Nidan woke up. He would have yawned, but he could hear the steady breathing of everyone else's sleep. He wondered briefly how long he had been asleep. It had to have been awhile, as it was just before sundown when he had passed out. He felt rested, though, so he decided to get up.
Nidan quietly gathered his cloak and swords. He carefully stepped over the sleeping forms between him and the fortress hallway. He quickly hurried to the field, intending to do some blade exercises once he got to the field around the fort.
The pre-dawn chill was in the air, and Nidan quickly donned his cloak. He could see the skies to the east brightening, meaning that they'd be moving out in a few hours. That was perfectly fine with him. He unsheathed his swords, feeling their familiar weight in his hands. He took a practice swing, making sure that his muscle memory hadn't suffered from his mysterious episode. The place where the arrow had hit him protested a bit, but everything seemed fine.
Nidan went through the most complex sequences of sword maneuvers that he knew. He swung the blades in tandem, making sure that he could keep the movements synchronous, but still combat viable. He then flowed into a series of alternating sword strikes. He retracted from that and began going through defensive maneuvers and counter-attacks. Before long, he had worked up quite a sweat. He could feel the morning dew that had collected on his boots from the grass.
"Impressive swordsmanship," a stoic voice said from behind him.
Nidan whipped around, startled by the voice. He'd never heard that voice before, and his eyes went wide when he saw who owned it. Standing before him was the man from Natalie's sketch. This was Dorcas.
"You're Dorcas, right?" the tactician asked.
"Yes."
"What a coincidence, running into you here," Nidan stated. "Your wife's looking for you."
"We settled that yesterday."
Nidan reeled for a moment. Yesterday? How much did I miss? When did we run into Natalie's husband?
"I'm sorry," Nidan stated, "but yesterday was a bit of a blur. Can you inform me how you ran into us?"
"Lyn spoke with me on the battlefield."
"Ah."
There was a moment of silence as Nidan processed what had just happened. Apparently, Lyn had talked to Dorcas yesterday. I really miss things when I'm passed out, huh? Just another reason for Nidan to avoid using that weird power.
"Lyn wanted me to speak with you about the logistics of my joining your group."
Nidan had to think for a moment. Dorcas's joining of the group meant that they'd need to acquire more food. They'd also need more supplies for weapons repair. Nidan took a look at the axe slung to Dorcas's back. From what little he could see, the axe was nearly over the hill. It might last a couple of battles, but nothing more than that. But, Nidan was sure that they could manage. All they had to do was get out of the mountains.
"You're welcome to stay with us," Nidan said at last.
"But, Lyn told me-" Dorcas started.
"I'll work out the logistics. For now, I'm just glad to have another man on the team. We're going to need you."
Dorcas thought for a moment. Then he stated, "You're more than a band of traveling mercenaries, aren't you?"
Nidan smiled at the gruff man. "You're smarter than you look, you know that?"
Silence.
"You're right," Nidan said. "We do have a specific objective. Lyn is the heir to a marquess's title in Lycia. But, due to complications, she didn't know that until recently. She doesn't want the title, but she wants to meet her last living family. That's why we're going to Caelin."
"Why would you need a fighting troupe?" Dorcas questioned.
"Lyn's granduncle sees her as an obstacle. We'll probably have to fight off his assassins."
Dorcas remained silent for a moment.
"Have you told this to the entire group?"
Crap, Nidan thought. "It's now on my to-do list."
"Good enough for me." Dorcas turned to leave.
"What about your wife?"
"She's in agreement with me on this," Dorcas said over his shoulder. "I'll help her return to our village, which isn't far, and then I'll return to join you."
"All right," came Nidan's reply.
A/N: I really need to get it together with this update schedule, especially since I've decided that this is the only story I'm going to be working on for the foreseeable future. Anyway, I got to wrap up some loose ends with this chapter. I'm expecting to write one or two more filler chapters before I get into the game's next chapter. As always, please leave a review.
P.S. The new cover art is by my little sister. She wanted credit for her work, and I'm happy to give it, but I won't give her real name, just like I won't give mine.
