Chapter XI – Return to Work
When Y'Fran arrived back at the hospital she spent most of her time day-dreaming about Alstar, even the other healers had noticed she was in a world of her own. "Healer Orho your mind has been elsewhere since you arrived this afternoon, tell me, is something bothering you child?" Asked one of the hospitals matrons "Oh, me? Yes.. I mean no, I'm quite fine, thank you for your concern" Y'Fran replied ready to further her explanation if questioned. "Of course, well if you could be present in the world of the living then, rather than away with the sylphs, that would be wonderful" "Of course matron" The older Hyur lady walked away to attend more urgent matters that the matrons dealt with. "Hey Y'Fran!" The voice was recognised instantly "Uh, oh hey D'Lorau" The younger female Miqo'te ran towards her mentor with arms out-stretched "How was your trip?" Y'Fran felt the other Miqo'tes arms wrap around her "Yes, yes Lorau, it was very.. What are you doing?" questioned the older Miqo'te as the younger sniffed at her top. "Y'Fran, a scent hangs heavy on you" "What do you mean? This is a hospital after all" "No, this is a healthy scent, not one of a dying man, but one of a strong, very much alive man" "Lorau.." "Y'Fran.. You.. You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend!" The girl's voice echoed through the hospital, nurse, patient and healer alike all turned their heads to look for the origin of the noise, then within a moment everyone was back to work. "Lorau do you have to shout" "Of course, I can't believe you didn't tell me, your own student" "Lorau, I don't even know what's going on, everything happened so quickly.." "Spill the beans kitten" A new voice spoke out, too deep to be a Miqo'te, Y'Fran turned to see a female Highlander leaning against the wall "Come on Y'Fran, I knew a hottie like you wouldn't stay single for long, I must say it's a shame for someone as beautiful as yourself to be off the market, as it were, but anyway.. I will not hold any bitterness towards your mate, as long as you tell me the whole story" "Okay Rubie, I'll tell you once we finish" "'Kay, well I'll see you then kitten" Y'Fran let out a sigh as the woman walked away, then continued with the tasks at hand. "So are you going to show me how to put people to sleep today?" "Lorau, I've told you, I'm not going to teach you Repose until I think you are ready, now let us return to practising Esuna" "But Y'Fran.." "No buts Lorau, it looks like the next group of patients have arrived" "It's uncommon to see such a large group mid afternoon, most attacks within the city happened throughout the night I thought" "Yes Lorau, meaning that the victims would arrive at first dawn, well I hope you've been practising your spells, it seems like most of them are soldiers" The group indeed consisted mostly of soldiers back from missions all bloody and battered, most likely men and women returned home from the north, where battles still raged against the Garleans. Amongst the wounded were two young boys, nurses quickly herded the new arrivals into the main hall where they would be sorted into severity of injuries. Y'Fran and D'Lorau looked over the two boys only to find a few scrapes and bruises. "Where did you get this cuts boys?" Questioned Y'Fran, "Nowhere" Answered the older looking boy. "Well nowhere must be full of sharp pointy things then eh?" "Y'Fran, there doesn't seem to be any real wounds on this one, just a few scrapes, I can fix them but this one seems rather absent" "What do you mean?" "Well he seems broken somehow.." The older boy grit his teeth before shouting out "And so would you if you'd just seen your family butchered! Now leave my brother alone!" "Repose" whispered Y'Fran, the boy suddenly fell to the ground asleep, she then walked over to the second child and whispered the word again. "Lorau, if you could bring that one, I would have them rest, they both seem very shaken, and in no fit state to be unsupervised" "O.. Of course Y'Fran" D'Lorau quickly lifted the younger boy and then lay him on the bed next to his brother. The two Miqo'tes then returned to the main hall to help with the soldiers, leaving a nurse to look after the boys.
Later that afternoon while the hospital was busy treating the men and women that had arrived earlier, around sixteen heavily armed kings-men came trough the doors. "I'm sorry but as you can see we are very busy, therefore none of our patients will be taking visitors until later this evening.. Now unless your dying of something please leave" The receptionist spoke to the men. "Okay, split up, kill any that you find, or anyone that gets in the way" "Wait!.. What in the seven hells are you doing!? This is a hospital put your weapons away!" "Ah, I am the Second Interrogator of the king's honour, I hereby condemn any and all Monks of the fist of Rhalgr to death by my or my men's hands, anyone attempting to stop us carrying out our task will be struck down, in the name of the king you will allow me and my men to check over everyone in this building" "What!?" "It is believed that monks that fled a temple were spotted entering the city, as most of them would be wounded, we have been sent to each of the hospitals to do sweeps on all patients.. King's orders" The armoured men examined the hospital and each of it's patients carefully, looking for any signs of the fist. The men unsheathed their swords as they walked around, two of them stopped at the bed of the boys, raising their blades. Before they could send their swords through the two children some of the wounded soldiers stood up and drew their swords from their packs. The kings men stood at the boys beds ready to plunge their blades into the covers, before a moments notice four of the wounded men attacked their brothers-in-arms, "Enough blood has been spilt, and now you would slaughter children!" "In the name of the twelve I will strike you down" "If another drop of blood is to be spilt, it is to be yours kingsman" The wounded men's shouts could be heard throughout the hospital as more and more got out of their beds to attack the murderous soldiers. The men shouted that enough of the monk's blood had been spilt, that enough children had died and that the king will bring forth the anger of Rhalgr himself. "The king of ruin.." One man said as he rose from his bed ".. You shall not harm those boys while I still breath" Another spoke. The wounded men began to attack the armed soldiers, catching them momentarily off-guard. The armoured men quickly came to their senses and turned their attention to the wounded attackers. The better equipped soldiers quickly dispatched the 'traitors'. "Anyone else wanting to get in the way?" Spoke the leader "No.. Good.. Now any losses?" "Got a few scratches in my armour, but we lost three men, should we wrap it up sir?" "Yes get it over with" The men returned to their work searching. Nurses screamed as the two boys awoke to blades in their chests, their lives cut short, by a mad man's order. The armed soldiers left as quickly as they had come, leaving behind about twenty bodies, two of which only half the size of the others. The two Miqo'tes arrived just as the nurses were beginning to clear up the mess left in the soldier's wake. Y'Fran couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the bodies "What happened here matron?" the pair questioned. The matron told them everything that she had seen, the pair looking at each other shocked. "But.. They were just boys.. Even if they were monks.. They're just children!" Screamed Y'Fran "Yes, well what's done is done healer Orho, there is nothing that we can do about it now, only put their bodies to rest and hope that their souls return to Rhalgr" "Y'Fran.. I thought we protected our own people.. The fist was an Ala Mhigan religion.. I don't understand why.." "Come now D'Lorau.. We can morn their deaths later, the matron is right.. If it was by the king's orders there is nothing we can do" Y'Fran tried to comfort her apprentice as they wrapped one of the boy's bodies in burial cloth.
Yes yes, I realise this update is late.. Sorry about that everyone!.. But to make it up to you all I'll try and upload an extra chapter this week.
Well this chapter was a little depressing to write with the two young lives cut short and all, bringing some of the battle home. It is also the introduction of two new characters; D'Lorau and Rubie. With Y'Fran being so skilled in healing magic I believed it would only be right to have her as a teacher, therefore I thought it would be fitting that she'd be paired with another Miqo'te. D'Lorau is timid, warmhearted, and an all around cutie-pie. As for Rubie, well I've put her in for comic value, she's a flirtatious, crude and somewhat provocative kind of girl, a bit of a love/hate kind of person. After their quick introductions it's back to the upsetting part, I wanted to show that the king would go to any length to keep himself in power, even the murder of children isn't too much for the mad king of ruin. I was going to have D'Lorau break down, but opted not to, because there's been enough sadness in this chapter without seeing a Miqo'te cry. But Y'Fran will have her show of weakness in a later chapter, but she will have someone to comfort her.. (Well I'm sure you can guess who).
Well as always I hope you liked reading this chapter, again I must apologise for it being late, life has a way of catching up to you..
Have a beautiful day everyone,
01L