"He's not awake yet?" Lyndis asked as she walked into the tent.
Hector looked up, and shook his head."Still sleeping. Do you want an account of what happened, just like everyone else has?"
"No, I heard what happened from Matthew, and I think I've gotten it straight." Lyndis tapped her head, and sat down beside Hector. "You think he's really awake, and just doesn't want us to know?" She asked after a moment of thought.
"I doubt it." Hector shook his head. "He's never put anyone through any unnecessary anxiety when he could help it."
"He's certainly different from someone else I know." Lyndis muttered under her breath.
Hector rolled his eyes at her, too tired to be baited into a fight. "That's nice."
Lyndis frowned. "You alright Hector, you seem preoccupied."
Hector nodded, thinking of the scars he had found, now hidden under a blanket. "Just worrying."
"I've not known you to worry about much." Lyndis observed. "But I suppose it had to do with Eliwood, right?"
Hector nodded. "That's right."
"Don't worry, he'll be fine." Lyndis smiled, and stood up. "I have to run, I promised to spar with Sain, and Kent." With a wave the Sacean disappeared from the tent. Hector looked at the red head lying on the bed across from him, wishing his recovery were the only thing he was worried about. What had pushed the normally cheerful boy to hurt himself, or, Hector frowned at the new thought, was Eliwood not the one hurting himself? Hector shook his head, discarding the thought. No one in the camp seemed capable of that, but he had never thought Eliwood was capable of doing what it seemed he had.
Hector looked hard at the peaceful, sleeping face, and willed him to wake up.
I woke abruptly from my dream, and found myself staring at the ceiling of a tent. I shivered, realizing I wasn't wearing my tunic. I thought, casting my memory back to find out why I was lying in bed. The ambush....
Wondering faintly who had found me I rolled over, feeling only stiff, and muddled in thought. I stepped gingerly out of bed, and grabbed a clean tunic which had been folded, and lain by my bed. I saw my knife lying on the blood stained tunic, and I slipped it into my sleeve. I began to think up a story to explain what I had been doing out alone without my sword.
"So, you're finally up." A tired voice spoke from behind me. I jumped, my heart leaping wildly into my throat.
"And nervous." Hector walked into the tent, bringing with him a waft of cold air. I turned, and smiled, almost happy to see him for some reason, but why should I be happy to see him? I felt empty, and cold.
"All things considered, I think you would be as well." I reasoned happily, trying to shirk my feelings and put my mask more plainly in place.
"I would be, but I want to ask you some questions." Hector said, and he become very serious. "What were you doing out alone without your sword?"
That was the question I'd been waiting for. "I wanted to go for a walk, and I forgot about my sword." I grinned sheepishly. "I'll try to be more careful next time."
Hector sighed, and ran hand through his short hair. "You do that, or next time you'll end up worse then you did."
"How bad did I end up this time?" I asked curiously. I couldn't help but think I hadn't convinced him that was all I'd been doing.
"You nearly died, and you should be glad I came by that way." Hector was still serious. It as a big deal to him. I wondered if would have been better if he hadn't found me. If I had died. But did I really want to die? Was I ready to go that far? Was everything that bad? I thought of the many times I had considered it, and knew my answer. It was only a as far away as the edge of a knife.
"Eliwood." The tone in Hector's voice made my stomach lurch, and I nearly recoiled from his hand as he put it on my shoulder. "While they were fixing you up I noticed some scars on your arm...." I blinked at him innocently, and looked blank for a moment before false recognition dawned on my face. My inside were churning, my mind was racing.
"Oh, those well," I felt my face flush a little in anger, hoping Hector would think of it as embarrassment. "They're pretty old actually." Hector seemed to relax a little.
"How old?" He asked.
"A few years." I said absently, as if I was over it. "Nothing recent." I assured him with another smile. Hector shook his head, and I tried to duck around him and get away. When had he started caring? Why was he concerned about some scars I had? Hector grabbed me by the arm, and I pulled against his arm at first, then stopped. He had something he was going to say, and he wasn't going to let me go till he said it. There was no way I could break his hold on my arm.
"No, there not that old. You didn't have them when we were back in Cealin." Hector seemed hurt. "What've you been doing to yourself Eliwood?" I recoiled from him, surprised, dreading, and my head began to spin again. I looked up, and glared at him from under my bangs. He stepped back, surprised.
"What's it to you?" I asked bitterly, letting the hate I always felt slide into my voice, and then I smiled cheerily. Hector loosened his hold on my arm, and I yanked it from his hold. I turned quickly, and walked towards the tent entrance.
"Eliwood, wait!" Hector commanded, but I ignored him. I pushed out into the snow, and made my way quickly. I ran away from Hector, not wanting to stay around him. I finally stopped, wincing as my lung protested sharply against so much use while it was still weak.
I clenched my hands, and waited for him to come running, realizing I wanted him to come after me. I blinked, startled by the new thought. But he wouldn't, he never did. I suppressed the new thoughts with hate, and walked stiffly on.
"Lord Eliwood." It was Serra. She came hurrying through the snow, her face full of concern. "Should you really be up? You have bene through an awful ordeal." She looked at me, checking me for signs of weakness.
"I feel fine now, juts a little stiff." I smiled at her. "Thank you for asking."
"Anytime, I should go find Brother Lucius, and tell him your up." She winked, and trotted off, whistling to herself. I turned, and started back on my way. The snow was just past my ankles.
"Eliwood." Lyndis came jogging quickly up, her cheeks bright from cold. "Good to see you up, I was wondering if you ever would."
"I'm up now."
"Hector was worried about you. Does he know you're up?" She asked, leaning her hand on her knees. She had obviously been doing something else before coming to greet me. It took more then a short jog to get the Sacean out of breath.
I thought bitterly of our short confrontation, and nodded. " I did."
"Lady Lyndis! We're done!" Sain called from a small patch of ground that had been cleared for a sparring ring. "You're up against Kent now!"
"Coming!" Lyndis called to Sain. "See you later Eliwood."
"See you." Lyndis trotted back to the sparring ring, ready for the mock fight. I smiled and walked away. I found myself wandering around camp, being greeted by several concerned people, but I didn't see Hector. I walked into my tent, and scanned the empty place. I walked over to the water basin in the corner, and splashed the cold water on my face, half hoping to wake myself from the night mare I seemed to be in. I didn't want to see Hector again, I didn't want to 'talk to him', I just wanted to be left alone. Didn't I? I was confused. I sat down, my head rested on my knees, and I thought. I couldn't sort out how I felt, and soon the confused emotions threatened to over whelm me. I reached into my sleeve almost automatically, and drew the knife from my sleeve.
I rolled up my sleeve, and placed the cold metal on my skin. The troubling thoughts still rolled around in my head, but as the blade bit into my skin it seemed less confusing. All the emotions were replaced by pain, much realer, and easier then the emotions were. I had to avoid Hector, I didn't want to talk, and he wouldn't care if we did. He wouldn't care at all. Solidified in my thinking again I slipped the knife away, and pressed a cloth to my arm to slow the bleeding.
Hector walked alone on thought. He had stopped trying to follow Eliwood, thinking about what his friend had done. He had rarely seen Eliwood look at anyone like that, and never had he been knowingly on the receiving end of such a glare. It had been worse then looking into the eyes of your worst enemy, and more thought provoking. Hector had ruled out abuse, and was dwelling on the darker, and perhaps less believable answer. From the reaction he got from Eliwood they weren't scars from battle. He walked past Lyndis sparring with Kent, and thought about pulling her aside to talk with her. Hector almost called to her, but stopped. He wanted to talk to Eliwood first.
Hector walked into the tent, and found it empty. There was no sign Eliwood had been there, except, Hector cringed, a red streak across his bed sheets. Hector ran his fingers over the streak, and found it still wet. He hadn't been gone long. Hector considered going after Eliwood, but at the moment he also needed to think. He thought back to the glare Eliwood had given him, and decided the more urgent thing was to find Eliwood before he did something drastic. Then again, the red-head had been pretty drastic already. Hector shoved his way out into the snow intent on finding his elusive prey. Hector was surprised to see Lucius, and Lowen walking up, Lowen looking anxious, and Lucius calm.
"Lord Hector, have you seen Lord Eliwood? I don't think he should be up yet." Lucius spoke with a slight touch of concern in his voice.
"I was just going to find him actually." Hector told them. "Lowen, would you mind helping us find him?"
"N-no sir, Lord Hector!" Lowen was always nervous around the Lords.
"Thank you Sir Lowen. If you find him just bring him back to the Medical tent, and I'll make sure he's alright." Lucius gave a small bow before trotting off.
"You heard him, see you Lowen." Hector started off quickly, hoping to find Eliwood before anyone else. The others wouldn't now why Eliwood had the scars, and they wouldn't be to worried about them. Feeling suddenly anxious Hector collared Matthew into the search, and hurried on his way.
A/N:-.- Short once again, and not very progressive. Thank you all reviewers! I'm glad people like it. Eliwood's not though...... I've had this written for a while, but I've been to lazy to edit it completely. I don't know if it's completely error proof now, but we'll see. Jaa ne.