Levy was unconscious for two days after that battle. A lot happened in that time. Villagers slowly started trickling back into the town, after catching word of the bandits being driven out. The innkeeper came back, and gave the entire group free rooms. When Lilly carried Levy in, the innkeeper looked shocked.
"What were you doing, bringing a boy like him?" He asked, shocked at Levys ghostly pallor. He probably meant no harm, but Lilly just felt all the worse.
As Levy lay there, painfully still and silent, the rest of the group tried to decide what to do. Lilly refused to call a healer, and Gajee got angry at this. Lilly was, of course, unable to explain why. It devolved into a shouting match between the two, with Sting and Rogue in the middle, looking terrified. The two younger men retreated into Levys room, watching their companion worriedly. As they listened to muffles shouts, thy saw their blue haired companion stir. Sting took it upon himself to sound the alarm.
"Levy woke up!" At this, the two larger man rushed into the room, in time to see Levy attempting to sit up, a grimace on her face as she noticed the half healed wound.
Levy drifted back to consciousness, groggy and vaguely aware of an ache in her midsection. She found herself staring at a white ceiling, and was instantly confused as to how she got there. Last she remembered, she was taken hostage by that bandit, and then passed out. Her mind was fuzzy, and she tried to sit up, shoving herself upright, before an intense throb of pain in her stomach caused her to drop down on the mattress and groan in pain. At the noise, Rogue hurried to her side.
"Levy! You're awake, we were worried!" Said Rogue. Sting took off running, shouting jubilantly, and Levy watched him quizzically.
"Probably getting Lilly and the prince," said Rogue, in response to her unasked question. The two sat in companionable silence, and Levy tentatively poked at her bound abdomen. As the rest of the group crowded in, she was quickly overwhelmed by the chatter. Sting was freaking out and being hyperactive, with Rogue nearbye. Lilly seemed happy, though he looked uncertain for some reason. Gajeel was grinning widely, and kept thumping her on the shoulder. As she fingered the bandages, something struck her. Who had done them up? They extended up to her chest, and she could tell that the wound stopped at her ribs. So either some random healer had chosen to keep her secret, or someone in this room knew. Just then, Lilly spoke up.
"Okay, you lot. Clear out, I need to check the bandages." Well that clarified it. The group of men filed out, and proceeded to make noise directly outside the door, whilst Lilly turned to face her.
"Lilly... You did these up, right?" She asked, knowing the answer. Lilly just nodded, sitting on the end of her bed. She sighed. She had barely made it past a week with her secret, goddamnit.
"Levy... You're a girl." He said plainly. She looked down and nodded, unsure how to judge his reaction. "I wrapped your wounds, and I saw those scars on your stomach. I'm not mad, not anymore. What on earth drives a girl that looks like you to signing away your identity and becoming a knight?"
Levy was surprised at his calm reaction, but hopeful that she may have gained another strong ally. This hope was dashed a bit when she heard him say, "keep in mind, I still half want to follow protocol and kick you out of the Knights after thirty lashes."
She ended up spending the next hour telling a condensed version of her story to Lilly. When she was done talking, he simply sat and stared for a moment, before speaking.
"Well shit. With a story like that, how the hell am I supposed to kick you out?" He buried his face in his hands looking frustrated. "I am going to get in so much trouble for this. Fine Levy, I'll help you out. I won't tell anyone."
As he finished his sentence, the rest of the party crashed through the door.
"Oi! Lill! You two have been in here for ages!" Crowed Gajeel. "We brought food!" At this, he threw a bundle onto the bedsheets. Levy picked it up and examined the contents, pulling out a small loaf of bread, some preserved meats, an apple, and a water skin. At the sight of the treats, she suddenly became aware of just how hungry she was, having not eaten in two days.
Soon afterwards, the group decided that they needed to move on. They had stayed in the inn for a week, to heal up and were getting too far behind schedule. She had been gradually moving more and more, and despite the continuing discomfort, she insisted that they move on. The next stint on the road would take about ten days, before the group would stay in a town again.
The morning of their departure, Levy was, again, the first one down and preparing her horse. This time though, the next two down were Sting and Rogue. Rogue looked fine, but Sting was stumbling along half asleep. Apparently Rogue had gotten him up. Next came Gajeel and Lilly. Lilly was upbeat and excited, but Gajeel was grumpy. The group had learned early on that he was not a morning person.
They all prepared their horses, chatting amiably amongst themselves. When the time came to depart, Levy was having trouble hoisting herself onto the large warhorse she had been equipped with. Attempts to get up resulted in an uncomfortable straining on the wound on her midsection. Gajeel seemed to notice this.
"Oi shrimp, having trouble there?" He said teasingly.
"Hey! I'm not a shrimp!" She said to him as he walked over to her.
"Yeah yeah," was all he said, before simply picking her up under the arms and sitting her on the horse.
"There ya go, shrimp," was all he said, walking away. Levy blushed tomato red, and was too embarrassed to even stutter out a response. Sting had watched this entire exchange and burst out laughing, and even Rogue seemed amused. Lilly had a wide grin on his face, and they set out in quite a good mood, teasing and joking with each other, riding at a relaxed pace.
A. N.: I am so sorry this took so long. Life is kinda hectic right now. This one is a little boring, sorry. Thank you guys so much for reading, and please comment, complain, question, whatever you want. They all make me happy.