Forbidden Chains

by rainjewel

*Complete * This is my very first shot at writing, so please take it easy!! ^.^ This was a large project for me, but the chapters are thankfully short, though some are pretty long! Anyways, it's a very interesting tale about the wonderous Chid zar Freid.

7. First Aide

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

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"Allen stop! I see the dragon!" said Akaro. Her whole being lurched as Sherazade came to a stop. She was clutched firmly in the mecha's blue hand, her body dangling among the trees.

"I think the dragon's dead, Akaro," Allen's voice came out with a slight tremor in it. Nothing like his usual soothing tone. Sherazade took an enormous leap above the treetops and landed on the cliff.

"Careful!" Akaro warned. The cliff's very unstable. She clutched Sherazade's colossal hands. She wasn't feeling very good after that leap.

"Sorry," said Allen. Akaro looked down at the dragon, which was only a few meters away from the giant guymelef. That doesn't look very good at all. I hope Chid's all right. Akaro felt herself move downward and she saw the ground coming up very fast. She held her breath as Sherazade lowered her to the ground. Her feet brushed the ground and the mecha's hand gently slipped away. She looked at her feet. She was barefoot as usual, and now her feet were soaked in bright red dragon blood. She felt her stomach heave. There's no time for me to get sick now she thought to herself.

"Chid!" she cried out. She heard Allen hopping out of the guymelef. "Allen! Go down to the other end of the cliff! See if he hid or something! I'll search this side!" she looked back at him. His face was white as chalk.

"No, let me search this area. You shouldn't see these things," he said. He took a few steps towards her, and then stopped. He looked at his boots and saw the dragon's blood on them. Akaro saw his face go a shade paler.

"Allen, I'm not going to argue with you. I'm already ankle deep in blood, and the Good Jeture help me, I'm searching this area right now!" she started walking towards the elephantine carcass. "You can help search the same area, or you can cover more ground. It's your choice," she said, throwing her voice over her shoulder. She heard Allen's retreating footsteps and felt better.

Akaro drew close to the dragon, when she stepped on something sharp and hard. She lifted up her foot, and saw a large piece of a sword. She saw the symbol of Freid. It was Chid's. She picked up the blade, and looked at the dragon. She realized that there were other pieces lying around the giant lizard's head. She saw Chid's dagger imbedded in one of the beast's eyes.

"Oh no," she breathed. She frantically ran around the entire carcass, looking for any trace of the Prince. There was none. She came back around to the dragon's head. "There's nothing, nothing at all," she said. She noticed a large strip of black leather in the dragon's opened mouth. It was the same fabric as Chid's pants. Akaro felt the tears rise in her eyes. her body felt numb, and she took a few steps backwards, backing up into a large pine tree, she sat down, feeling the sticky blood against her back and on her legs. I'm so sorry Chid. I failed you. I should have stayed! Akaro shuddered and took a deep breath through her nose. Her highly sophisticated nose caught the scent of human blood. Chid's blood. She was sitting in it.

Akaro let her arms fall down by her sides; the blood clung to her limbs like millions of liquid spider webs. Here Chid, I'll absorb what's left of you, she thought bitterly. She opened her eyes and looked to her left. This is what Chid saw right before that damn dragon got him. She looked to her right. She noticed a pool of blood that was coming from behind the tree. That's impossible, she thought. She blinked and looked again. It was still there. Akaro scrambled to her feet and darted behind the tree. There, lying in the arms of the tree's roots, was a bloody, battered Chid. Akaro ran quickly to his side. She rolled him over onto his back and placed a hand on the Prince's neck, feeling for a pulse. She had almost given up hope when she felt a slight, steady tremor.

"Akaro!" called a man's voice. It was Allen. "Akaro, I've found Lorallee! She's unconscious and her head's bleeding, but she looks fine," The voice sounded very close.

"Allen, I'm behind the tree. It's the one in front of the Dragon. Chid's here! He's barely alive! We need to move fast! Hurry!" Akaro yelled. She heard Allen running to towards the tree. Who's Lorallee? she thought. She saw a flash of blonde hair, and knew Allen had arrived. She looked up at him. In his arms was a young girl of 8 rotations or so, with a long flowing white dress and long raven-colored hair.

"Oh Holy Jeture! He looks awful. Akaro, I'm going to go get Sherazade to transport them back to the castle. I can be quicker if I don't have to take you. I'll send Gadeth to get you. He's one of my men. He'll take you back to the castle," Allen said. He took the girl and flung her over his shoulder, then bent down to pick up Chid. Akaro moved out of the way.

"Don't bother with this...Gadeth. I'll follow you. I'm faster then you think," she said. Allen now had Chid in his arms and was walking towards the guymelef.

"Fine, I don't care. I'm not going to argue with an insolent woman," he said. He placed the two limp forms on the ground and got into Sherazade. The big mecha moved and grabbed Chid and the girl in its huge hands. You jerk, thought Akaro. She then turned and bounded into the woods, leaping from tree limb to tree limb towards Fanelia.

Akaro was almost to the castle when she heard and felt Sherazade come in. Her adrenaline had pushed her far faster then she ever thought she could go. Chid's name kept running through her mind. She heard Allen call for his Sergeant, Gadeth. She burst through the trees and ran to the side of the palace just in time to see Allen and a tall black-haired man disappear through a side door. Akaro ran to the door and opened it. She dashed through the door and listened for a moment to see if she could pick up the sound of the men's voices. She heard Allen call for Serena down the hall. She quickly sprinted down the corridor and saw Allen and Gadeth walking very rapidly down the hallway.

"Hello...Allen...I'm here," she said. She was out of breath. The man whose name she assumed was Gadeth stopped to look back at her. He was carrying the girl in the white dress. His gray eyes registered alarm.

"Are you alright ma'am?" he asked. "Boss, I think this girl's hurt," he said.

"Gadeth, that's Akaro, she found Chid. Keep walking! Serena! Where are you! I need you, fast!" shouted Allen, throwing a look of recognition at Akaro. Gadeth took another look at Akaro and kept walking. Akaro hurried on, she knew she looked a fright. She was as bloody as Chid was.

"Shail! Shail, come here!" said Allen. Akaro looked over Allen's left shoulder. A tall, pale boy with floppy black hair was standing in the halls. He looked to be at least 18. His blue-violet eyes displayed his shock at the bloody scene.

"What's wrong? Lorallee! Chid! What happened?" he rushed over to Allen's side.

"Never mind what happened, go get Serena, there's been a very bad accident—" Allen's words were cut off by Serena's arrival.

"What accident? Chid! Lorallee! Quick, Shail, get these two into your room, and go call your mother and father. You, Akaro, run to the kitchen and get some alcohol, oh never mind, you don't know where that is. Gadeth, you go, here give me Lorallee. Go get the strongest alcohol you can find, bandages, a splint, etc. You know what I need, go!" Serena shouted. Gadeth hesitated for a second, then gently placed the young girl in Serena's arms. Akaro was stunned. She didn't think that Serena could hold the girl, even though she was but a child. Serena was a very tiny woman. The boy named Shail opened up a room a few feet away from the bloody party.

"Here, put them in my room. I'm going to go get my parents," he shouted. He quickly ran down the end of the hall and disappeared. Allen laid Chid down on the bed and checked his pulse.

"He's still with us," he said. He picked up Lorallee from his sister's arms and put her on the couch that was sitting by the far wall. Serena quickly took off the Prince's boots and what was left of his pants. Allen made a grunt of disapproval, jerking his head at Akaro, who was blindly staring at Chid's broken body.

"Don't worry brother, I'm sure she's not going to notice," said Serena. "Akaro, if your going to be in here, start helping."

Akaro went straight into a state of automatic motion. She quickly removed Chid's gloves and vest. When his left glove came off, she saw a small nub of bone protruding from the skin. Akaro ran into the bathroom that was adjoined to the room. She quickly poured lukewarm water over a towel and splashed water on her face, then came back out. I will not break. I will not break. I will not break, she chanted to herself. She began mopping the dried blood that covered the Prince's face, chest, and good arm. She didn't dare touch his broken arm, nor did she dare go any lower. Chid let out of a grunt of pain when she mopped up the blood on his temple. I will not break...

"Chid, you stupid boy. You went and hit your head again," said Akaro. She didn't know how much longer she could take Chid's pain. Don't break. Tears started raining down her cheeks.

"Maybe you should go over and help Allen with Lorallee," said Serena. Akaro could see he had ripped one of his puffy sleeves and had wrapped it around the girl's head. Serena had even used the bottom of her gown to tie around Chid's gaping leg wound.

"No, there's no work to be done over there," said Akaro. She pulled herself together. "I'll be fine. I can handle this." She wiped her eyes.

"Boss! I've got some stuff," Gadeth burst into the room, closely followed by a shorter, lean man with a large amount of floppy black hair. He had thickly lashed brown eyes, and sported a small goatee. Shail followed him in.

"Where is she?" asked the man in a deep voice. He looked to where Allen was standing. The man moved with one fluid motion and was leaning over the bed.

"Van, she'll be all right. It's a simple bump to the head. She'll probably wake up very soon and be just fine," mumbled Serena. "Gadeth, bring those supplies over here."

So that's the King of Fanelia thought Akaro. That must be his daughter. Shail's his son. How in the world is that possible? Akaro dismissed the thought. There was more important things to do.

Allen slowly rose and went over to Chid's side, standing behind Akaro. His face was very pale. He placed a hand on the bedpost and leaned his weight against it.

"How did this happen?" the man asked. His deep brown eyes never left his daughter's face.

"A dragon attacked us," Akaro slowly turned her head to look at the King him. He didn't seem to hear. I will not break. I will not break.

"Where's Hitomi?" asked Allen. His eyes were glazed with pain. He took Akaro's rag from her hands. "Go tell Van what happened," he whispered in her ear.

"She's not here. Her mother is dying. She's on...she's on...well, you know," said Van, his eyes darted to Akaro, who had risen to talk to the King. She raised her eyebrows. She knew he meant the Mystic Moon.

"Don't worry, you can trust her. My son trusts her..." Allen said. He broke off. He kneeled by the bedside and mopped Chid's face.

"Well, there will be plenty of discussion about all this later," said Serena. She stood up, but kept her hands on Chid's leg wound, "His wounds are clean, so now I can properly examine him. Gadeth, you've done surgery before, correct?"

"Yes," said the big man, nodding his head. His gray eyes were large with alarm but determined.

"Well, surgery won't be the call of the day, I hope. Everyone, clear out. Van, you take Lorallee down to her own room. With some bed rest she'll be fine. Shail, I want you to stay and keep pressure on this wound. Allen, you go to Freid and inform Mahad that Chid is with us, and he needs to come immediately to Fanelia. I know Millerna and Eries are there, bring them-"

"Serena, I've already missed most of my son's life. I'm not leaving him in his greatest hour of need," Allen said. He looked up from his bloody rag.

"I know, but I don't want you in this room. Go Allen—inform Mahad. Don't fight with me brother, you're wasting vital time," Serena warned. "Akaro, you go clean yourself up. You look like you've been through hell. After you get cleaned, I want you back in here. Go people! Move!"

Allen placed a gentle kiss on Chid's forehead, gathered himself up, and fluidly moved out the door. Van gently picked up Lorallee and walked out the door. Gadeth disappeared into the bathroom to wash his hands. Shail knelt beside Chid and placed his hands on Chid's leg wound. Although the leg was bound, it was bleeding again. Shail took off his black shirt and held it over the wound. He turned to look at her. She was still standing in the middle of the room. I will not break. I will not break. She hadn't moved from when she had gone to talk to Van.

"He'll make it, you know. He's one stubborn individual," he said simply to her, then turned his head and went back to his duties. Gadeth walked back into the room. Serena walked into the bathroom and washed her hands. She came back out and started preparing the supplies. Akaro was still standing. Her arms hung limply at her sides. I will not break. I will not break. I will not break! Gadeth went over to her.

"Um, Miss...don't worry Miss. Serena learned from Chid's Aunt Millerna. She's knows practically everything about medicine," said Gadeth. He was facing her. She couldn't hear him. I will not break. I will not break. I will not break. I will not break. She didn't even lift her vision to look at him. She stared directly at his chest. Finally, his words reached her ears.

"You think?" she asked. Her voice squeaked. A few tears leaked out, leaving silver streams among her blood-spotted face. She looked towards the boy in the bed. Serena was leaning over him, dressed in scrubs. Akaro felt her knees start to give out. I will not break! She stumbled. She felt Gadeth grab her arm.

"Steady there. It's okay," he said. He put a hesitant, comforting arm around her, still holding her arm.

"No, it's not okay. If it was okay, Chid wouldn't be lying in that bed," Akaro said. She drew herself up. Gadeth released her. "I'm going to go wash up now. I'm sorry. I guess I'm not good at this stuff," she said as she walked into the bathroom.

"Not yet," Gadeth mumbled, as he went to change into scrubs. "Not yet, but you will be."

Akaro looked at herself in the mirror as she washed her arms. Her face was splotched with Chid's blood. I will not break. Her body was completely covered in its ruby sheen from her elbows down. She quickly washed her face, then changed into the scrubs that Serena had left for her. She came back out from the bathroom.

"Good, I'm glad you're here," Serena said. Chid let out a low moan. "Akaro, I want you to take this cloth and hold it over his nose. He's starting to wake up. This will put him back out because it contains anesthetic. Here."

Akaro took the cloth gingerly and placed it on Chid's nose. He moaned again, but soon he was quiet and breathing shallowly but steadily. Akaro felt a cool, numbing effect take over her too as her body slipped into another automatic state.

"Shail, don't move, but be ready to hold him. Gadeth, hold this arm straight. Akaro, please hold this splint for a second. I'm going to pop the bone back into place. In case he moves, you two be ready to hold him. Okay, now on the count of three, I'll realign the bone. 1-2-3!" Serena said.

Akaro grimly shut her eyes and heard an awful sound of bones popping. Chid's body tensed, but he didn't move. Akaro handed Serena the splint. The woman placed it on Chid's arm and Gadeth stepped in and bound it tightly with some bandages.

"What will we do about this wound? I think the blood flow is stopping," said Shail. He hadn't moved from his vigil over Chid's leg. His hands were covered in drying blood, and some had been smeared across his naked stomach.

"Let's have a look," said Serena. Shail removed his hands. " It does look like the bleeding has stopped," Serena said. Akaro looked at Chid's face. His breath was coming in shallower and shallower breaths. She felt for a pulse. There was hardly any movement.

"Serena, Serena! His hardly breathing!" said Akaro. She looked up. Her eyes were wide with alarm.

"I know," Serena said softly. "The bleeding might have stopped, but he lost too much blood. He needs a transfusion, and they're very risky, since they've only been around for a few rotations. You have to match blood types too, and neither Allen nor I match his blood type. We need to know if Millerna or Eries has his blood type. Its AB-, the rarest form around. The only other person that I know that has it is...well...is Van," Serena said.

"Then why don't you use Van's blood?" Akaro practically screamed.

"Because his blood's Draconian, just like mine and Lorallee's," whispered Shail. He looked at Akaro with curious blue-violet eyes. She knew that he was looking at her for a reaction. She didn't care.

"Oh. I didn't know that. What do we do now?" Akaro asked. She looked at Chid's eyes. They were glazed and his pupil's were huge. He's not going to last!

"We use my blood," said Van. He walked into the room. Gadeth looked up from his bandaging. Serena looked at him blankly. Akaro felt like running over and hugging him.

"You can't be serious," said Serena. "We have no idea what your blood will do, Van! It could kill him!"

"I know that. I also know that even if Millerna or Eries has the same blood type, there's no way they are going to get here in time. What do we have to lose?" Van looked at her coolly. "Lorallee's awake, and she said that this young boy saved her life. I'm going to repay him with his."

"Fine then," said Serena, "Sit down. We have to move fast. He needs at least three pints of blood. Van, you can't handle giving that much," said Serena.

"Serena, we'll use my blood too. I know my blood type. It's AB+, but as long as he only gets it once, he'll survive," Shail said. Serena looked at him in surprise, then went to a small bag that Gadeth had carried into the room. She brought out a pump that had two long needles on the ends, attached by long tubes.

"This of course are only experimental, but we have nothing else. Here Van, I'll do you and then I'll take Shail's blood, then come back to you? Is that all right?" Van nodded.

Serena placed one needle in Van's arm. The King was squeezing the top of his arm, making a vein bulge through his tawny skin. Akaro took the other end of the needle and looked at Gadeth questioningly.

Gadeth caught her look and smiled at the arm he was bandaging. He looked up at the Serena and took the other needle that she was holding.

"Here you go darlin'. I know how it works. Let me explain it to ya," he said. "Here, Shail, make this boys veins show!" said Gadeth. Shail placed his blood-soaked hands on Chid's upper arms. Akaro winced as a blue vein appeared in Chid's golden arm.

"I just place it in there, don't I?" she asked, but she already knew the answer.

"Hold on, I'm going to help you," said Gadeth. He placed his hands over the top of hers and guided the needle into Chid's skin. "Here, just keep your hands on this girl," he said, removing his hands. He walked over to the pump.

"Go ahead Gadeth," said Serena, who was holding the needle on Van's arm. The King was staring at the boy on the bed.

Gadeth slowly let Van's blood into the pump. Van didn't even flinch. Akaro saw the garnet-colored liquid fill the bag. Akaro took in a deep breath and turned to Shail. He looked at her and smiled, then bent down to take Chid's pulse. Akaro tried to smile back, but she didn't succeed very well. She turned back and looked at the pump. It was almost full with Van's blood. She took in a deep breath to calm her heart.

"Serena!" Shail's voice echoed across the room, "He has no pulse!" Akaro felt her heart stop.