Chapter 13: In The Woods
Artemis only got about an hours worth of sleep before he finally gave up. He showered and changed clothes and headed back to the room where the king had temporarily set up command. He passed Juliet on the way, who opened her mouth to ask why he wasn't sleeping, but one look at his face and she thought better of it. Even she knew there were some times you just don't irritate Artemis.
When he arrived in the room, Wendell was still gone, and Wolf, Tony and a few others weren't there as well. Virginia seemed to be in charge of things and after he asked her, she was more than happy to put him to work. He needed something to keep his mind occupied and was grateful when Virginia didn't ask any questions.
The rest of the morning and afternoon passed rather uneventfully. Wendell returned early afternoon and Tony a bit after that as Virginia had made him get some sleep as well. Holly had remained in her room the rest of the day, only coming out that evening. Everyone knew something was up between her and Artemis but no one had the courage to ask.
Artemis was in a bad mood and spoke very little. Holly, when she did show herself, was unusually quiet and kept glancing at Artemis.
That evening, Butler arrived in the village along with Orion and the General. While Wendell spoke with the General, Juliet, Artemis, Mulch, Rodney and a hesitant Holly greeted Butler. Juliet was first, hugging her brother tightly before punching him on the arm hard.
"What was that for?" Butler asked, rubbing his sore arm. She had hit him on an already sore spot from the battle he partook in the day before.
"That was for making me worry! Have you got any idea what it's like wondering if you were okay? You don't always have to play the hero you know." She said, crossing her arms.
Butler chuckled. "If you insist."
Artemis walked up next and smiled, while shaking his head. "I'm going to have to agree with Juliet this time, old friend. If you are going to pull stunts like that, at least wait until we are somewhere that word can travel faster and not hours after the event."
Butler smiled and pulled the young genius into a one-armed hug while Artemis made a grunt of protest. "Good to see you too Artemis."
Mulch came up next, munching on a sandwich. "Welcome back big guy."
Butler nodded his greeting. "Mulch. Rodney." Rodney nodded back, not wanting to intrude on the moment. Mulch glanced over at Artemis and a sly grin suddenly appeared on the kleptomaniac's face.
"Hey, Butler, remind me later. I got some stories to tell you about our little Arty here. You missed a few things while you were gone."
Artemis narrowed his eyes at Mulch, wondering just what he planned on telling Butler. Butler meanwhile, had noticed that Holly was hanging back. Artemis also saw her, gave her a glare and left after telling Butler he'd see him later. Butler watched, confused and looked to Juliet and Mulch but both of them just shrugged, equally confused. Holly gave Butler a small smile.
"Good to have you back Butler." She said before leaving as well.
"Okay, what did I miss?" Butler asked looking between his sister and the two dwarves. It was almost unnerving to see the former LEP captain so quiet and submissive. Not at all like the normally outgoing and fiery tempered elf he was used to.
"We don't know. They avoided each other this morning and something else must have happened when they left to go get some sleep because after that Artemis was in a mood and has been avoiding Holly at all costs." Juliet said. "I've never seen Holly so quiet or upset before." She added.
Butler frowned but any further conversation on the matter was put to an end as Wendell came over to thank him and Orion, who had also walked over, for their help.
"Once this whole mess is over with, I'll be sure to award you both with metals at the least."
"Your Majesty, that won't be necessary. We were merely doing what was right. My wolves and I are in your debt and we know the people of that village and they have always been kind to us. We weren't going to stand by while they were attacked." Orion stated.
Wendell smiled. "Precisely why you and your wolves will be honored. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to speak more with my General." He walked away and Tony stepped up.
"It's better to just go with it. He can be stubborn sometimes."
Later that night, Butler walked outside and looked around. He spotted his charge sitting on a bench a little ways away and made his way over there. Artemis didn't glance over at all when he sat down, nor acknowledge his presence at all, but Butler had no doubt he knew he was there. The two merely sat in companionable silence, one lost in his own thoughts, the other thinking of a way to approach a certain subject.
"Nice night." Butler said. Artemis looked over to him amused.
"I suppose. Now that we have that out of the way…What did you really come out here for?"
Butler sighed and leaned back. "What makes you think I didn't come out here just to sit and relax?"
"Yes, it is possible. But is it true?"
Butler gave a guilty smile. "No, it's not. At least not this time."
Artemis nodded. "I figured as much." He had a pretty good idea of what Butler wanted to talk about but would let him bring it up. Instead he fell silent again.
"So, what's wrong?" Butler asked bluntly.
"What makes you think there's anything wrong?" Artemis asked, stalling.
"Artemis, I've known you all your life and probably know you the best out of everyone. There's very little you can hide from me."
Artemis didn't reply right away. Butler did know him too well and it annoyed him greatly. He preferred to keep what he was going through to himself but Butler wouldn't let him go without talking some.
"I'm perfectly alright Butler. I'm just a bit confused and irritated."
"Irritated at someone or irritated because you are confused?"
Artemis glared at him but then sighed. "A bit of both actually."
Butler nodded. "Does this have anything to do with Holly?" Artemis didn't' answer and Butler took that as a 'yes.' "What are you confused about exactly?"
"I'd rather not talk about it right now." Artemis said firmly and Butler relented. He had to bite back a grin. His suspicions were right then. Artemis was beginning to care for Holly and as more than just a friend. He wasn't all that surprised. The two were just too stubborn to admit any feelings they might have for each other. It would explain Artemis's mood. He wasn't used to these kinds of feelings and once he realized what was causing them, he was going to deny it and be put in a bad mood.
They sat in silence for awhile after that, until Butler eventually bid Artemis goodnight and retreated back to the inn. Juliet was waiting in the lobby and ran over when she saw him.
"So?"
Butler smirked. "I was right. Now it's your turn."
Juliet scowled at him and stalked out of the room. She wanted more details than that. She walked to Holly's room and knocked. A minute later, Holly opened the door. She gave a small smile.
"Hey Juliet."
"Hi Holly. Mind if I come in?"
Holly looked a bit confused and suspicious at why she was there but allowed the young women to come in.
"So what's wrong?" Juliet asked, taking a seat in a chair. She never had been one to beat around the bush.
"Nothing's wrong. What makes you say that?"
Juliet raised her eyebrows. "I'm not buying it. We're friends Holly, you can talk to me about anything."
Holly plopped down onto her bed. "I might have said some things I didn't mean to Artemis. We got into another fight and I lost my temper. I've never seen him look that hurt or get that…cold before."
"Artemis can be infuriating some times." Juliet agreed.
"Yes, he can, but what I said was uncalled for. He has every right to be angry at me right now. That's what makes this so much harder."
"What exactly did you say to him?" Juliet asked, confused as to what could possible have made Holly that regretful. Holly shook her head and Juliet knew she didn't want to say. "Don't worry about it. Artemis won't stay mad for long. Just give him some time to cool off."
Holly sent her a grateful smile. Juliet changed the subject and the two spent some time just talking about anything that came to mind.
Wendell announced the next morning that they would abandon the rest of the courtesy trip through the Fourth Kingdom and head straight to the Second Kingdom. They were to leave that very morning.
Artemis knew that Wendell was becoming more and more stressed and worried with the whole war. He wanted to end it and so far it seemed the only way was to go to this meeting. For that to happen, Artemis needed to come up with a plan that would put them at an advantage and not a disadvantage as they currently were. So, they were leaving sooner to give Artemis more time.
Artemis was beginning to feel the pressure that had been placed upon him. It was up to him to put an end to a five year war that up until a week ago, he never had a part of. It was now up to him to save the king of the Fourth Kingdom, who he had also only met a week ago. But Artemis wasn't too worried. He had been in worse situations before and his brain had never let him down. He had full confidence that he could come up with another worthy plan.
Everyone met up in the lobby once they had their belongings packed and ready. Once they were all there, Wendell thanked the innkeeper and they left for the stables. Holly had tried more than once, since their argument, to apologize to Artemis, but it had been no use. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he avoided her and only spoke when needed. He wasn't going to stoop so low as to be completely childish and ignore her completely. He was more professional than that.
But eventually, Holly gave up trying to apologize. She definitely wasn't one to beg and if he wouldn't listen to her then that was his problem. If he wanted to play that game and ignore her, she could too. She was fed up with it all.
They reached the stables and Holly suddenly remembered that she would have to share a horse with Artemis. Artemis also seemed to remember as he had walked over to Wendell.
"They wouldn't, by any chance, have an extra horse, would they?"
"I'm sorry. I tried to arrange it earlier but it seems you're stuck sharing the horse again."
Artemis's eyebrows raised. "There are absolutely no spare horses here?"
"Well, there were but apparently this is the village that my guards had come to earlier to purchase more horses for us earlier. They haven't managed to get a hold of any more yet." Wendell gave Artemis and Holly sympathetic looks.
Artemis sighed and nodded. Everyone else was already mounting their horses, or in Mulch and Rodney's cases, their ponies, so Artemis and Holly made their way over to where their horse was already saddled and waiting.
"After you," Artemis said curtly, gesturing for Holly to mount first. She said nothing but complied. Once she was up, Artemis climbed up behind her. This time, Holly had no intention of leaning back, choosing instead to sit as straight or forward as she possibly could.
They made good progress that day. Ten more soldiers had been added to their group, an order from Wendell's council. Wendell was not pleased at all but hadn't felt like arguing. The soldiers kept their group surrounded as a defensive maneuver despite the fact that Artemis highly doubted Wendell would be attacked. The leader of the Rebels would not risk scaring Wendell off and would keep a tight leash on his men now.
They had been on the road for a few hours and Holly was bored to say the least. On top of that, her back and her behind were starting to ache. Artemis was deep in conversation with Wolf and Tony and hadn't paid any attention to her as she rubbed her aching back.
Sighing, she focused her attention on studying the guards around her, needing something to do. Most of the men looked to be in their twenties and thirties. They were all dressed in the Fourth Kingdom solider uniform, which was a navy blue and white. They seemed to be well trained and acted maturely. Some of them talked while others remained silent and alert.
Her gaze traveled over all of them, eventually resting on a young man who looked to be Artemis's age. He was riding right next to her and was currently taking a sip from his canteen. He wasn't that bad looking in Holly's opinion. He had blonde hair that hung loosely everywhere. He was well built and muscular but not bulky.
Feeling her gaze, he glanced over at her. "Uh…Hi?"
Holly blushed a little, embarrassed at having been caught staring. "Hey." She replied. She wasn't aware of Artemis leaving his conversation with Tony and Wolf to watch the two.
"I'm William." He introduced himself, smirking slightly when seeing her reddened cheeks. He held out his hand.
"Holly," she said, shaking his hand.
"I haven't seen you around before. Are you from the Fourth Kingdom?" He asked curiously.
Holly thought quickly. She wasn't sure how much the people of the Nine Kingdoms knew about her world. She needed to be cautious even if she felt she could trust this man. "No, I'm from the First Kingdom. We're just visiting right now."
Artemis mentally congratulated Holly in coming up with something so fast. William seemed to buy it.
"I've never been there but I have an aunt and uncle who live there. What's it like with Queen Cinderella?"
Holly cursed herself silently. "Er, great but personally, now that I'm here, I think I prefer the Fourth Kingdom."
William looked pleasantly surprised. Meanwhile, Tony, Wolf and Virginia were also eavesdropping and they each bit back a chuckle. Wolf and Virginia knew better then anyone that Artemis and Holly were harboring hidden feelings for each other and were curious to see how Artemis handled Holly talking with some stranger. Tony was just listening for lack of anything better to do.
"So, William," Holly started, wanting to change the subject before she was asked any further questions that she couldn't answer, "how long have you been a soldier?"
"About five years now. As soon as I turned sixteen. But enough about me, I want to know more about you. A beautiful lady such as yourself must have a husband or guys lined up waiting." He gave her a charming smile and quickly glanced over at Artemis. Holly saw his glance.
"No, I'm single."
William's smile broadened. Artemis narrowed his eyes at him, hating the guy already even though not a word had been spoken between them yet. Virginia saw Artemis tense and his glare at the guard and had to quickly turn to hide her grin. Wolf bent over to whisper in her ear.
"Artemis looks ready to attack that William guy."
"Yeah, I know. Should we help?"
Wolf glanced over at Artemis and Holly. "I'm not sure. They need to figure it all out for themselves I think."
"Well, that doesn't mean we can't push them along. Besides, that's not what I meant. I meant should we help William? I'm worried for his safety right now."
Wolf chuckled. "Good point." He turned to his father-in-law. "Tone!" He hissed.
"What?"
Wolf whispered something to him and Tony looked confused but nodded. He moved his horse near William's.
"Hey, can you go ask that General guy how long until we stop for the night?"
William's face fell, but said, "Yes, sir."
Artemis relaxed some but still glared at his retreating form. Tony returned to next to Wolf and Virginia's horse. "Now would you explain to me why I needed to do that?"
"Nope," Wolf said simply. Tony glared at him.
Holly was also a bit disappointed. William had been the only person she had talked to so far. With a start, she realized that Artemis's arms, which had remained stiff and not touching her while holding the veins, were now not only resting against her, but almost protectively. Or was it possessively? She still sat straight, not daring to hope that he might be beginning to go back to normal.
Bored once again, Holly tried to entertain thoughts of what the situation was back in Haven. Things shouldn't be all that bad. Maybe she had been overreacting before. The only thing Holly would need to worry about was avoiding arrest. At least she hoped it was all she needed to worry about.
Artemis had resumed talking with Wolf and Tony so Virginia decided to start a conversation with Holly as she wasn't interested in the corruption in the Fifth Kingdom's government.
"So, I saw you talking to that soldier." Virginia said casually, but she couldn't help but smirk.
"William? Yeah, he was nice." Holly said vaguely.
"He's not bad to look at either." Virginia said, still trying to find out Holly's thoughts. Behind her, Wolf gave an indignant huff. "Nothing compared to my Wolf though."
Wolf smirked and kissed Virginia on the neck. Holly smiled at the sight of the two of them, but inside, she was almost envious. She was three times older than them, and while she had had boyfriends, she had never had what they did. She had yet to find love. She wasn't too worried. She was still young after all, but that thought didn't dispel the small part of her that was longing to find someone to love and who loved her back; who would do anything for her like Wolf would very clearly do anything for Virginia.
Tony and Artemis had also been watching, both wearing expressions of annoyance. "Come on you two, that gets old after the first couple of years. Can't you wait until I'm not around?" Tony asked, irritably.
"Sorry Tone." Wolf said but looked anything but apologetic. Tony snorted.
"Anyway Wolf, what were you saying?"
After a moment's thought, Wolf picked the conversation up again. "Ah yes, before I was thrown in prison, I had been in the Fifth Kingdom. Somehow, even though Old King Cole is so greedy and all his citizens have to donate gifts monthly, the Kingdom itself is rather peaceful. The citizens don't complain that much about their King and are relatively laid back."
"From what I've learned so far, the Kingdom is pretty well run."
Holly turned back to Virginia while the guys went back to discussing politics. "Wolf was in prison?"
"Yeah, he was in there for sheep worring. He had been there for around six years I think he said, until my mother let him out to chase Wendell. After that, Wendell pardoned him."
"Ah, okay."
They went on talking, Virginia sharing more details of her previous adventures. Holly couldn't say she completely believed all the fairy tale stuff, but she definitely believed more now then she had days before. William came back to report to Tony that they would be stopping within an hour or so. He saw Holly deep in conversation with Virginia and frowned in disappointment. Artemis sent him a glare and William got the point, falling back so he was no longer near them.
Later that evening, as they all sat around a fire talking and eating, Holly got up saying she was going for a short walk. Rodney offered to go with her as it would be getting pretty dark but Holly declined.
"I jus need some alone time to think. Thanks anyway."
Rodney shrugged and went back to eating. Artemis watched her leave, telling himself not to worry, that she'd be back soon.
But a half hour passed and she still wasn't back. It was now dark and Artemis could no longer hold back his worry. He had been sitting, trying to listen to the conversation everyone had been having but hadn't been able to concentrate anyway.
Excusing himself, he got up and left in the direction he had seen Holly go in. There was no trail and in the darkness, it was impossible to look for some sort of tracks that she may have left behind, so Artemis had to rely on instinct to tell him where to go. Normally, he would have realized how stupid and careless he was being by not paying attention to what direction he was going in but now he was too distracted.
He walked on for a good ten minutes, only jumping once when an owl decided to grace him with it's hooting. He sent it a glare that would have melted ice and scolded himself for being so jumpy.
He would occasionally call out Holly's name but refrained from doing so too loudly. He was, after all, unsure of what kinds of creatures dwelled in these woods and the last thing he wanted to do was call unwanted attention to himself. Eventually, he heard a noise off to the right, near a small clearing. He had just opened his mouth to call out 'Holly' again when he saw a dark shape swing around and hit him.
Holly had originally gone into the woods for a short walk to clear her head. She was so into her thoughts that by the time she cared to look she had found she had no clue where she was. Heading back in the direction she thought she came from, she realized she didn't recognize any of the landmarks.
"Some LEP officer I am. Well, ex-LEP officer anyway. Still, I'm supposed to be able to navigate better than this." She muttered to herself. It was getting darker and she could no longer deny that she was lost. Instead of making it worse, she found a small clearing and sat down, hoping that someone would come looking for her.
After a few minutes, there was the sound of a twig snapping nearby. Instinct taking over, she grabbed a rather large stick and stood up against a tree. Whatever it was, it was now basically upon her and so she stepped out from behind the tree and swung the stick full force. She heard a sharp intake of breath followed by a string of curses in a strained voice. Holly squinted her eyes.
"Artemis?"
"No, it's the Big Bad Wolf," came her answer, the voice still strained although sarcastic. She rushed forward, dropping her stick. The moon, which was ¾ full, was coming out, vanishing some of the darkness. She could now see Artemis doubled over from having his breath knocked from him, one arm wrapped around his stomach and his other arm he was using to hold onto the tree to keep himself up.
Holly took the latter arm and let him lean on her as she led him over to the log she had been sitting on. Once he was seated, she asked, "Are you okay?"
His face, she noticed, held a mixture of relief, pain and also anger. At her question, he raised an eyebrow. "Wonderful. In fact, I was just wondering what I had done to deserve getting hit this time."
Holly winced slightly. "I didn't know it was you. I was afraid it was some animal or something. What were you doing out here anyway?"
"I was looking for you! You disappeared off into the woods and didn't come back. What was I supposed to do?"
Holly looked at him in surprise. "You were worried about me?"
Artemis started, having not intended to reveal so much. Oh well. No use crying over spilt milk as the saying went. He wasn't in the mood to deny it either. He merely skirted around the question.
"Why exactly, did you go off by yourself? I'm assuming you got lost?"
Holly sighed and nodded. "I just needed to clear my head and I guess I wasn't paying attention to where I was going because the next thing I knew, I couldn't remember what direction I came from." Holly hated admitting that she had messed up, especially to Fowl. But Artemis didn't make fun of her as she had suspected. He merely nodded and fell silent. Holly felt her guilt go up another notch. Artemis had come after her even though he was still mad at her. She knew now was as good a time as any to apologize and she quickly gathered her courage.
"Artemis," she started, not wanting to meet his gaze but knowing she needed to. She waited until he was paying attention before continuing. "I know you're still mad at me-you have every right to be-and I want you to know that I never meant what I said. I wasn't thinking when I said it. Yeah, you can be insufferable and malicious sometimes-"
"Malicious? Now really-"
"But I've never regretted my decisions as far as helping you or saving your parents or Butler. I would do it again. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry and I understand if you still won't forgive me." Holly had spoken quietly the whole time, just loud enough for him to hear her. As soon as she finished she dropped her gaze, not able to bear his scrutinizing look.
Artemis sat there, still watching her as he considered her apology. He had known all along that she had never meant it. He knew her better then that. More than she probably figured. But he had still been hurt and angry nonetheless, since she had said it in the first place. It had mainly been his own stubbornness that had kept him so distant from her and that was mostly because he had found it incredibly hard to stay mad at her.
Surprised, he realized that he had forgiven her already. When, he wasn't sure. But he had. Now he no longer felt like carrying on the charade. He eventually sighed.
"I forgive you," he said simply.
Holly looked up, completely surprised. Watching her, Artemis saw how much the last few days had weighed on her. She looked very much relieved and her whole body seemed to relax as if a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She also looked exhausted. "Thank you." She said softly and he nodded.
They both fell silent for awhile until Holly asked, "You wouldn't, by any chance, remember the way back would you?" Holly was amused to see Artemis actually look embarrassed and sheepish. He mumbled something. "What was that?"
Artemis glared at her. "No I don't. I was a bit preoccupied." He snapped. Holly bit back the urge to snap back for not paying attention. She was hardly one to complain. Besides, he had come after her and they had just gotten back on good terms. No need to ruin it already.
"Okay, well, the others should get worried and come look for us eventually. It might be wise to stay in one spot for now." Holly suggested and Artemis agreed. Not that he could get around easily anyway. He was still in pain from the blow Holly had dealt to him minutes before.
A few minutes later, Holly found it was quickly getting colder. Artemis glanced over to see her shiver and wrap her arms around herself. He frowned.
"Why didn't you bring a cloak or coat?"
"I didn't expect to be out this long. Besides, I don't see you with one."
"I'm also not cold."
She glared at him before turning away. Artemis watched her shiver again and resisted growling in frustration. His right arm, was still wrapped around him stomach and ribs which were aching constantly, so as carefully has he could, biting back a hiss of pain, he got up and sat next to her and put his left arm around her, pulling her close to him.
Holly looked at him, taken aback, but didn't protest as she immediately felt warmer. She was beginning to think that this Mud Man would never cease to surprise her. He had definitely changed a lot over the years and for the better in her opinion.
He rubbed his hand up and down her arm so the part of her that was not against him also stayed warm and she felt herself relax completely. At the moment, she found herself almost hoping that the others would take their time in finding them.
So when her sensitive ears heard movement nearby she almost groaned. But as she listened more, she realized that it wasn't a human. Artemis felt her tense.
"What is it?"
She shushed him and gestured for him to listen. He did so and was barely able to make out the sounds of something approaching. Whatever it was, it obviously moved with the grace of someone or something that knew the woods well, as they barely made a sound and the footsteps were confident. Artemis subconsciously tightened his grip on Holly, pulling her even closer to him.
"Hello? Who's there?" Holly called out.
Artemis scowled at her. "Any particular reason why you didn't do that last time instead of hitting me with a blasted log?"
"It was just a stick. And I already apologized for that. I didn't know it was you. I don't want to make the same mistake again."
"Ah…well, we can continue this later." Artemis said, as he spotted a pair of yellow eyes watching them. Holly followed his gaze.
"Hello?" She asked cautiously.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" A rough voice, belonging to the same owner as the yellow eyes, demanded.
"I believe our business is our own." Artemis's face and tone were both even, giving nothing about what he was feeling or thinking away. The figure stepped into the clearing, revealing a large gray and black wolf. The wolf growled but didn't have a chance to speak as another voice interrupted.
"Rowan, leave them alone. They haven't done anything." It was a female wolf that had appeared next to the other wolf. Rowan glared at the new wolf.
"That we know of. Who knows what they had planned."
Holly decided to speak up in their defense. "Actually, we've been traveling with our companions who are near the road. We went for a walk and lost our way. My name's Holly and this is Artemis."
The two wolves studied them for a moment until the female spoke. "Pleasure meeting you. I'm Julia and this is Rowan." She looked at Artemis. "You're hurt." It wasn't a question but Artemis gave a small nod anyway.
"A minor injury." He said simply and Holly rolled her eyes. Not to be conceited, but as hard as she had swung that stick, he'd be extremely lucky if he hadn't broken any ribs. Trust Artemis to reveal as little about himself as possible so as not to show weakness. Truthfully, she had forgotten all about the fact that he could be injured. First with her apologizing and then with him wrapping his arm around her…it had slipped her mind as he hadn't mentioned anything. If she hadn't known him so well, she would have missed the flicker of pain on his face every time he took a deeper breath than normal. A broken rib most likely. She'd heal him first chance she got.
She focused her attention back to the wolves as Julia started talking again.
"Our village is only a minute from here. There's a lady there who could probably help you. You're both more than welcome to stay the night in the village. The woods isn't the safest place. You're companions are welcome too."
Holly was about to decline but Artemis spoke first. "That would be most excellent. Thank you."
The wolf nodded while Holly shot a questioning look to her companion. He mouthed 'later' to her and she frowned but nodded.
"Rowan can go get your companions. You said they were by the road?" They nodded and Rowan grudgingly took off. "Don't worry about him. We just arrived here a few months ago from the Second Kingdom. He's having a hard time adjusting to the changes between here and there. Especially trusting humans."
"That's quite alright. From what I know of the Second Kingdom, he has every right to act as he does." Artemis told the wolf.
"Just because he has the right does not mean he should exercise it. His attitude could eventually get him into trouble."
"Point taken," Artemis relented. They looked as though they were going to carry on the conversation but Holly wanted to get going.
"Come on Artemis, let's get you up."
He scowled at her and would have insisted that he could do it himself except that the second he tried to get up, a sharp pain shot through him. "Remind me not to never come after you again." He said, his teeth clenched together. Holly looked at him apologetically.
"I'll heal you at the village where I can get a look at it and where you can lay down." She promised and carefully helped him up. He kept his one arm around Holly's waist still, both to keep her close (he would deny this part to the very last if asked), and also so she could help give him support to stay up.
Julia stared at them curiously before leading them away. She kept a slow pace so Artemis could keep up. As it was, he and Holly were still a few yards behind the wolf.
"So why are we going here again?" Holly muttered, carefully shifting Artemis's arm a little so she could better hold him up properly.
"Curiosity mostly."
"Curiosity killed the cat, you know."
Artemis gave a small chuckle but stopped as it sent another wave of pain over him. Minutes later, they arrived at the village. Even though it was dark, people were still out and on their way home from the looks of things. Artemis and Holly watched in wonder as they noticed the village contained not only humans, but wolves and half wolves as well. Kids ran around with wolves cubs while adults visited each other. At the border of the woods and village there were a few caves for the wolves who preferred that over the small houses. Artemis watched, amazed, as one man transformed into a wolf right in front of Holly and him.
Julia hadn't noticed their reactions and was still walking, so Holly and Artemis broke out of their reveries and followed her. They stopped outside a little house and Julia turned to them.
"Sarah, our village healer, lives here. She had to go to a family that lives a little ways from here but should be back in a few hours."
"That's fine. Thank you. I can heal him actually. I just need a place where he can lie down to rest afterwards." Holly informed her.
The she wolf nodded. "This house is always open to those who need it. I believe Sarah has cots in the back of the house for injured. You can use those. Your companions should be here soon. Let me know if you need anything."
"Thank you for everything." Holly said sincerely and Julia nodded once more before leaving. "That could have passed as an invitation right? I mean she told us to go in." Holly asked Artemis. He went to nod but the pain was now getting worse and it took all he had not to cry out. "Alright, it'll have to do."
She helped Artemis into the house and after a minute of exploration, discovered the back room where there were a few rows of cots. Holly helped him sit on one and immediately missed his arm that had been wrapped around her.
"Okay, I need to see where you're hurt, so take off your shirt."
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "You certainly are demanding. Couldn't I at least get a please?" He asked, amusement shining through the pain.
"Fowl, just take off your shirt!"
"Well, since you're so eager…"
Holly rolled her eyes and watched as he attempted to pull the shirt off. Instead, all he managed was more pain as the movement made it worse. "You could ask for help," Holly pointed out. Artemis glared at her.
"I don't need it."
But after another minute the pain had doubled and he couldn't help but gasp. He was vaguely aware of Holly coming over and carefully removing the shirt for him. He heard her gasp and opened his eyes slightly.
His ribs were badly bruised and at least two were broken. Holly felt her guilt get even stronger as she saw that his usually flawless skin was now black and blue. She gently forced him to lie down and watched as he unknowingly clenched his hands into fists.
"Okay, this will hurt a bit at first," she warned. He gave a small nod, showing he understood. She put her hands on the darkest areas, ignoring Artemis's wince and muttered, "Heal."
She watched as the blue sparks rushed from her fingertips and began clearing the bruises. She felt and heard the two ribs fall back into place. A minute later, she removed her hand and turned to see Artemis was paler than normal and panting slightly. She spotted a pile of blankets on a nearby bed and grabbed one, carefully covering Artemis up. She frowned when she saw that his hands were still clenched. She cautiously sat down next to him on the bed and took hold of one of his hands, allowing him to squeeze hers.
"Does it still hurt?"
"Not much. Now I'm just exhausted, for the most part." He murmured. Holly nodded. She had known that he would be and that was why she had waited to heal him somewhere he could rest afterward. She herself was a bit tired after the healing but planned on staying awake at least until the others got there.
Holly looked back down to see that Artemis was no longer as pale and was nearly asleep. She was surprised at the difference. When he was awake, he always had thought lines across his forehead and his face never seemed to relax. Now, as he drifted off to sleep, the thought lines remained although not as deep and his face relaxed. It made a tremendous difference.
He shifted a little, trying to get more comfortable. Without really thinking, Holly ran her hand through his hair a few times and watched as, after his eyes flickered open in surprise, he relaxed completely and even leaned into her touch. Holly was amused to see him, when she paused for a moment, frown and squeeze her hand as if to tell her not to stop. She smiled a little and continued.
Briefly, she wondered if he had ever been comforted before. She doubted it. Knowing him, he usually wouldn't allow it. She pushed away questions of why he was allowing it now and why she was doing so.
The sound of a door opening brought her out of her pensive state. She listened as whoever it was walked down the hall towards her, until reaching the door, revealing a lady possibly in her fifties.
"Oh, hello dear." she said quietly when seeing Artemis asleep. Holly nodded her head in greeting, not wanting to wake him. "Julia wanted me to come and check on you. She said your friend was hurt. How is he doing?"
"Much better, he's just resting now."
"Good, good. You can go ahead and make yourself comfortable. Can I get you a cup of tea?"
"That would be great. Thank you."
The woman went over to a small center that Holly assumed was like a smaller kitchen and set about getting tea. A few minutes later, she brought a cup over to Holly, who thanked her again.
"Oh, not a problem dear. My name is Nessie by the way."
"I'm Holly."
"Pleasure meeting you, Holly. I should get back home. I told my husband that I'd only be a minute. I'm right next door if you need anything." Nessie told her before leaving Holly once again to her thoughts.
By the time she finished her tea, she was even more exhausted. Not knowing when the others would get there, she gave up trying to wait up and after setting down her cup, she stretched out on the bed, her hand still linked with Artemis's and promptly fell asleep.
"Do you think they have cameras here?"
"No, they don't have any kind of technology at all."
"Too bad. This would have made perfect blackmail."
"Yeah it would."
Artemis slowly became aware of the talking going on near him. He groaned softly. He was extremely comfortable at the moment and just wanted to sleep. The conversation stopped suddenly, making Artemis curious and suspicious. He cracked open one eye and immediately shut it again as something hairy was looking down at him.
"No offense Mulch, but your face is not the first thing I want to see when I wake up. It's rather horrifying actually." He muttered. Mulch crossed his arms and looked insulted. Rodney chuckled.
"Hey Diggums, don't feel too bad. I'd pick Holly over you too, so don't take it personally."
Artemis frowned, confused. What were they talking about? It was then that he noticed the slight pressure on his right arm. He opened his eyes again and looked down, fearing what he was about to find. He was greeted by the top of an auburn head which after further investigation, turned out to be a sleeping Holly.
His eyes widened in surprise and he turned a bit red, causing the two dwarves to burst out laughing. He gave them a murderous glare but they ignored him.
"So how long has this been going on?" Rodney asked innocently.
"Yeah, and why didn't you tell us?" Mulch asked, still smirking.
"I didn't tell you because nothing was going on." He growled quietly. He didn't want to wake Holly just yet. He was curious to know how they had wound up in their current position. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep to Holly stroking his hair. He tried to fight the oncoming blush again. He was appalled as the memory of allowing himself to pet like a blasted dog came back to him. He blamed it on the fact that he had been too tired to resist, but deep down, he knew that he had liked it and purposely not resisted. He fought back a shudder.
Holly must have fallen asleep shortly after because he knew for a fact that she wouldn't have done so when the others were here. Wanting to just forget the entire thing, he tried to get up only to have Holly cuddle closer to him. His eyes widened again as she unconsciously curled her body against his.
If he hadn't been panicking, he might have noticed how nice and right it felt.
"A little help, please?" Artemis asked, struggling to scoot away without waking Holly.
"Nah, you two look plenty comfortable. Besides, I'm pooped. I think I'll turn in for the night." Mulch smirked and left to find an empty bed. Artemis glared daggers at his back before turning to Rodney.
"Hey, don't look at me. I don't know what good I would be. It's not like I'm strong enough to move her, and I wouldn't want to wake her up yet anyway. If she sees the position you two are in, she'll be embarrassed, which means she'll try to play it off by being in a bad mood." Rodney said wisely.
"She's going to wake up anyway. It's just a matter of when." Artemis hissed, still keeping his voice down. He attempted to cautiously move again but Holly's head now rested on his shoulder. Artemis sighed, realizing it was no use. He looked around to see that Butler was asleep nearby as was Juliet who was a few beds over. Mulch had hopped up onto a cot and was making himself comfortable. Wolf and Virginia were also asleep, curled up on a bed near the back of the room. Rodney left and picked out a bed for himself, leaving Artemis trapped.
Wendell's voice carried over from the door and Artemis looked over to see him arguing with a middle aged woman that Artemis guessed was Sarah.
"I'm perfectly fine sleeping in here."
"Your Majesty, with all due respect, I won't allow that." She said firmly.
Artemis watched, surprised and more than a little interested that someone would speak to Wendell that way and not be part of his little family. He glanced back at Wendell to see his reaction.
"You won't allow me? I fail to see how you plan on removing me from my current spot." As he said this, he sat down on the nearest cot. He gave a smirk and Artemis was reminded of a spoiled child. Tony was standing there, watching the two and shaking his head.
"Wendell, stop being a baby and just take that room already. She said she already prepared it for you. You're not going to make her go through all that for nothing are you?" Tony asked pointedly. Wendell glared at him and it was Sarah's turn to smirk.
"Your Majesty, I've known you since you were but a small child. Don't think I don't have embarrassing stories to tell about you." Sarah said, smirking even wider. If looks could kill, Sarah would have been dead ten times over with the look Wendell was giving her.
"You would blackmail me?"
"Yes," Sarah said simply. Artemis bit back a chuckle. No wonder she spoke to him that way. She had known Wendell most of his life. Wendell grudgingly got up and followed her out and could be heard muttering, "Insufferable woman."
Tony chuckled and climbed into a bed and within minutes was snoring. Sarah returned a minute later and blew out most of the candles so the room was mostly dark. Artemis sighed again and found his eyes were struggling to remain open. Giving up the struggle, he fell back to sleep, his arm around Holly protectively.
AN: Here's the newest chapter. I managed to get it up sooner then all my previous ones. Thank you for all the reviews once again and please keep them coming. I'm hoping to get more than my Missing Fairies story and that one has the same amount of chapters as this one as of right now. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up within two weeks. Thanks again.