To Have and To Hold
Prompt 012: Ear
His ear was bleeding.
After getting her arm healed Veronica had made her way to Balthazar, who was dropped over the large trunk of the Hummer, eyes covered with the whatever Horvath had casted on him and utterly still. She never thought she'll see that day she missed seeing Balthazar moving his fingers like crazy. Veronica literally ordered Dave and the other children to get into the car and drive home, mutedly they obeyed, and Marie lowered the seats so she could lay Balthazar more comfortably and sit beside him. Veronica pulled Balthazar towards her, resting him over her lap and cuddling his head against her chest, cleaning the dirt of his cheeks and lips. She dropped a kiss over his lips and sniffled quietly, wondering what horrors Horvath must have put him in.
That was when she noticed his ear was bleeding.
She ripped the already damaged sleeve of her dress, and pulled out the canteen. Marie helped her wet the material and she started cleaning the blood, to see if he would need any healing beyond what was already obvious. He'd scratched his ear, apparently while scratching it, and other parts of his body as well; his arms and chest, and specially his left hand. The ear seemed to have been scratched a lot, probably while sleeping, but the rest were done intentionally as if trying to sooth an itch that never stopped. As Dave drove the car to cross the wall that lead back to New York; Veronica leaned to kiss his forehead and felt him shiver, a groan leaving him.
He shivered again, and then fell quiet. Whatever it was that he was seeing, and now without his ring… Veronica feared for more than just his physical injuries.
"Ok, we're here." Announced Dave stopping the car; they had to disguise Balthazar as a table to carry him upstairs without anyone crying the police or an ambulance. Then Marie cleaned the blood trail he'd left, while Veronica helped Dave settle Balthazar over the bed, and then pull the canteen out. "So what now?"
"We must destroy the material over his eyes, so Balthazar can look at the real world."
"And the purified water can do that?"
"It'll help." Said Veronica, finding a large towel to begin her work.
"It'll help? Just help?"
"It's purified water, it won't dissolve the griffyn's blood in the … spell but it will help." Veronica made her way around the bed to sit beside Balthazar, wetting the towel and started to clean her husband's face. Balthazar breathed deeply, as if groaning and tried to move, but couldn't. Veronica moved the damp cloth over the thick material covering Balthazar's eyes and her heart ached when he groaned, when he moved to cower away, and even when he tried to cast a spell and failed.
It wasn't until a little later, when Dave took canteen and cloth from her hands that Veronica realized she was crying. Her tears were bitter, dropping over Balthazar's skin and apparently burning him, because Dave was forced to cast another paralyzing spell to keep his master from shaking or pulling away. Becky helped the woman up, as Dave took her place and continued cleaning his master's eyes. The younger woman took Veronica to the living room, from where Veronica could see Marie standing in the kitchen with a tall stranger. The man frowned as Veronica was sat down on the couch, and Becky held her.
"I've seen him in pain before, but never because of me. Never because of the ones who loved him." Said Veronica, holding Becky tightly. "Once, after the Battle of Camlaan, he was injured badly, and brought to Merlin. Most of his bones were broken, and he could barely be moved without showing pain. I healed him back then, but … this time this is much worse."
Becky soothed her, as best as she could, listening.
In the kitchen Marie took a peek out to the living room only to be pulled back towards the man.
"You young lady are in serious troubles, how dare you leave your training to come holidaying to New York…!"
"I wasn't holidaying! I was looking for Eriam."
"Your sister chose her path, child, sad as it is you must understand it." Marie nodded and the man turned to peek at the living room. "Who are these people?"
"Oh, just the Blakes. They arrived today from England."
"Blakes." Her master stared at her for a second, face void of emotion. "Blake; as in Balthazar Blake?"
Marie's eyes just opened her smile showing her white teeth. Her master paled and then walked towards the living room. "Oh my dear Lord! You are helping the Prime Merlinian!" He cried in amazement upon setting eyes over Veronica. For a moment he was quiet, studying the crying woman, as several tendrils of emotion were apparently pulled inside him. Marie was about to say something but Balthazar chose that particular moment to release a howl of pain making the stranger hurry towards the room, Veronica hurried after him, trying to stop him because she was not sure of his real intentions. In the room they saw Dave trying to clean Balthazar's face. The stranger frowned and hurried to Dave, who was apologizing to Balthazar as he cleaned the disgusting goo, and took the canteen from him. "What is this?"
"Purified water." To check the veracity of Dave's words the man smelled the canteen and nodded, he then studied Balthazar's situation and realized what spell the man was under.
"This won't serve to clean the spell alone. Marie!"
"Yes master!" Cried the child, appearing at the door.
"Find me some vinegar. And a big bowl!"
"Sure thing." And the hurried to the kitchen, while the man took off his coat.
"Vinegar?" Asked Dave, looking up at the stranger.
"It dissolves the gryffin's blood faster." He knelt beside the other master, and Dave frowned at him, the man smiled and offered his hand to shake. "Jonas Howler, sorcerer of the 473 degree. Marie's master." Dave nodded, taking the man's hand, and then frowned at him. "I know what I'm doing."
"Vinegar, master." The girl announced the item, handing him bowl and bottle. Jonas took the bowl, emptied the purified water and vinegar and drenched the dirty cloth; the glob covering he cloth dissolved and left the material clean. Jonas squeezed the excess wetness of the cloth, and then covered Balthazar's eyes with it. Balthazar cried out, as if acid was burning, and called for Veronica.
Again and again, Veronica's name was the only thing escaping his lips. His wife hurried to the bed, taking his paralyzed hand into her and kissing it. Jonas told Dave to find another cloth and wet it, and the apprentice followed the instructions. "I'm going to clean one eye you get your cloth over his other eye and clean it at the same time. Understood?"
"Yes, alright." Dave dropped the cloth over Balthazar's eyes; the master was arching to escape their grip and both Jonas and Dave started to rub the glob off his eyes. Moving their cloths down, towards his cheek, down, down…
Balthazar thought everything hurt. Veronica's name was the only thing that soothed him, and he would kill for one of her kisses. The demons were pulling down at his eye lids and then…
His eyes opened, and he could see Dave over him, Veronica beside him and a stranger cleaning a cloth beside his bed. He was home. He gasped for several moments, as the tall stranger moved to stand and pulling Marie with him out the room.
"Balthazar?" Grasping tightly the hand holding his, Balthazar turned to look at the woman that had become his wife, and gasped. "Balthazar, your ear is bleeding."
He frowned not understanding what she'd said and looking up at his left hand and seeing his wedding band drenched in his blood. "What did I do?" He asked, in a raspy voice.
"Nothing." Answered Veronica, while tears slipped down her cheeks. Balthazar groaned "You are safe now." He turned to hide away from Veronica, yet his hand never released hers. Dave put his hand over his master's shoulder, and turned to look at Becky who would have loved to voice her concern, but didn't.