Chapter 05 – Providing Support
Capital Town, Melromarc, Raphtalia's World
5 Zinat, Springtime
Eiku was generally a very mild-mannered individual. It was the afternoon following the king's banquet celebration that had been held to honour the Four Cardinal Heroes' defeat of the recent Wave, and Eiku was furious. Truthfully, he had been furious ever since he had run all the way to the palace courtyard and seen for himself the travesty of a duel.
"Eiku!" Ryuu had exclaimed in a panic as he barged into the barrack's dorm room the night before, still in full armour, where Eiku and some of the other knights had been getting ready for bed. "Come outside! I need to tell you something!"
Eiku had followed Ryuu down the stairs and out into the night. When Ryuu had hurriedly told him what he had seen and heard – that the Shield Hero and Spear Hero were to duel in the palace courtyard – Eiku had not hesitated to turn and run full tilt through the city towards the palace.
He had arrived in time to push himself to the front of the crowd. He had stood there panting to catch his breath and had seen the Shield Hero leap to the side and bring his shield up just in time to block an attack from the Spear Hero that would have hit Eiku and the two ladies standing beside him instead. He had watched wide-eyed as the Shield Hero had counted blow after blow from the Spear hero. Sir Iwatani had stood firm beneath the assault and had never faltered. Even as blood ran down the side of his head and saturated the collar of his armour and clothing.
Eiku had seen the Shield Hero move repeatedly to block attacks that would have killed someone in the audience. Awe, pride, and admiration had burned hotly in Eiku's chest as he watched his brave soulmate fight so valiantly. Then, when victory was imminent, a magic attack had come out of nowhere and Sir Iwatani had swiftly been defeated.
Eiku had stood there, too stunned for several long seconds to do anything else but see where the attack had come from and watch the following farce unfold. Righteous anger as he heard the verdict of the duel rose in him and had quickly overwhelmed all reason. Eiku liked to believe that he would have spoken out against the blatant injustice even without the anger running through his veins, but he could not be sure. The reality was he was lucky the king had not ordered Eiku thrown in the dungeons to rot.
He had finally found his voice and yelled out, "The Spear Hero's party cheated!" His statement and following protests had been ignored and the knights attending the banquet that night – most of them corrupt individuals answering to Knight-Captain Ishida – had dragged him from the courtyard and to the healer's room. When the healer had finally let him go, Eiku had hurried back to the courtyard to find it vacant.
Eiku slashed viciously downwards with his sword and it swished through the air to cleanly hit the training dummy with a satisfying thunk. Eiku had been in the training yard for three candle marks and the fury he felt on his soulmate's behalf was still managing to keep him going. Normally on his days off he would be training his magic or working on his knitting while he chatted with his friends. Today, he had been too furious to focus on any of those activities and had gone to the knight's training ring to beat upon defenceless practice dummies with his sword.
As he pulled his sword free from the wooden dummy's side, gentle footsteps approached from behind and Kazane's voice greeted him. "Still here, I see."
Eiku grunted in acknowledgment and swung his sword again.
"Ryuu filled us in on what happened," Kazane's gentle voice said.
"Good," Eiku grunted as he took another swing. "Saves me having to explain."
"Not really. He didn't see the duel itself."
Eiku paused in his assault on the dummy and turned to face Kazane. Her short, sangria red hair was pulled back from her face with flower clips and her green eyes looked at him softly and without judgement. She was still wearing her mage robes so she must have come to find him as soon as she got out of her morning magic classes. "Sir Iwatani was amazing, Kazane. He was remarkable and wonderful and oh so brave and perfect. He won that duel!" Eiku spun back around and hacked viciously at the training dummy. "He won!" he said, his voice ringing with fury. "Only, guess what? The princess cheated and knocked him to the ground with magic and the Spear Hero hit him with lighting!"
Eiku swung with a yell and this time the sword didn't stick in the wood. Rather, it cut the dummy in half and Eiku stood, panting as he looked down in mild surprise at the dummy's torso on the ground.
"All right," Kazane said mildly. She reached out and touched his shoulder. "I think that's enough training for today. It's lunchtime. Let's go eat and you can fill us in. Starting from the beginning."
Eiku took a few deep breaths and nodded. He sheathed his sword and all at once could feel how sore his arms were. "Yes, that does sound like a good idea." He bent down and picked up the wooden torso and carried it to the equipment shed. "I've never managed to cut one in half before," he told Kazane who walked with him.
"I'm sure the others do it all the time," Kazane quipped. "If Commander Sazama tries to charge you for it, let us know. I'm sure one of us can fix it for you."
Eiku chuckled and with a start, realized he did not feel so angry anymore. "Thank you for coming to get me, Kazane," Eiku said as the two of them left the training area and headed out into the city to track down some food to bring back to the barracks. "I'm beginning to realize just how hungry I am."
"You better be," Kazane said. "You've been cutting up unarmed victims all morning."
Eiku snorted with startled laughter. "You make me sound like a murderer. Or like the Crown's torturer." He had never met said torturer or heard anything about him or her, but he knew the kingdom must have one.
Kazane laughed along with him and nudged his shoulder. "Next time try talking to one of your friends instead, all right?"
Eiku reached out and gently took her hand. "I promise to try."
They walked the rest of the way to the market district in companionable silence and Eiku only released Kazane's hand when he needed it to pay and carry their purchases. On the way back to the barracks Kazane broke the silence to ask, "Do you ever wonder what it would have been like had the two of us been soulmates?"
"I used to. Back when I had the biggest crush on you, I used to wish you were my soulmate. Then when you turned me down when I confessed my feelings for you and we remained friends, I realized that I loved you even more than before." Eiku turned his head to smile at her. "I'm glad we aren't soulmates. I am happy and satisfied with simply being your friend."
Kazane smiled back and then looked away to regard the passing buildings. "My soulbond is cold. I know whomever it is connected to is out there somewhere but they are very far away. I turned you down but I would still sometimes wish that my bond was with you. Now though? I too am happy that we were never destined for each other." She looked back at him and her eyes shone with sincerity. "The Shield Hero needs you more than I ever will. I'm glad you can be there for him should he let you."
Eiku flushed and looked down as he smiled shyly. "Me too, Kazane."
They reached the barracks and let themselves in. "Anyone here?" Eiku called out as he placed the acquired food on the table before the fireplace. The logs in it were blackened and some coals in the bottom still had an orange glow. He approached the fireplace and added a fresh log and poked at the coals as loud footsteps stomped swiftly down the stairs.
"You managed to drag him here. Good job, Kazane!" Obito said.
Eiku looked over to see Obito, Ryuu and Reki standing at the bottom of the steps. They had all changed into their off-duty clothes and were looking hungrily at the food on the table. Eiku gestured at the food with the fire poker and turned back to finish stoking the fire back to life. "Help yourselves," he said. "I got enough for us all to share."
He heard them approach the table and the sound of chairs being moved and resituated filled the room. "Ohh! Bean buns!" Reki happily exclaimed.
"You have to share those," Obito told him.
Satisfied with the quality of the fire's flames, Eiku turned and joined his friends at the table. He took a selection of greens, a bean bun and a sandwich and sat down. He took a bite of his sandwich and groaned. "I didn't fully realize how hungry I am."
Obito snickered. "From the sounds you are making, that must be one delicious sandwich."
Eiku kicked Obito's leg under the table in retaliation, making Obito laugh.
"You all know what I did this morning," Eiku said between bites. "What did you all do this morning?"
The next quarter candle mark passed with Eiku's four friends telling him about their day. Kazane and Reki spoke about their morning magic lessons. Obito had had early morning drills. Ryuu, like Eiku, had also had the morning off. He had spent it darning socks and whittling. When they had all finished eating they discarded the trash and put away the leftovers. Then they arranged the chairs in a half-circle in front of the fireplace. When they were all seated, the mood in the room turned serious despite the pleasant crackling of the fire.
"Eiku, do you mind telling us what happened last night?" Kazane gently asked.
Eiku looked around at the serious expressions on his friends' faces. His brown eyes settled on Ryuu who looked back at him with his dark blue ones. "Actually, how about you start, Ryuu? What happened before you came and got me?"
Ryuu ran one hand through his dark grey hair and nodded. "Sure. The others already know the details but I don't mind telling the story again. As you know, I was stationed in the palace last night for guard duty. I was in the hall outside, at the far end, not in the ballroom itself. The night thus far had been uneventful. Not many people start problems in the palace, after all. Then the door to the ballroom opened and a knight stepped into the hall and called for reinforcements.
"I entered the ballroom and could immediately hear the sound of clashing weapons. The music had stopped and all of the guests were standing around, watching whatever was causing the commotion. I had to maneuver around them to reach the disturbance and when I could finally see what was going on, I saw the Shield Hero being attacked on all sides by knights. He was simply blocking, not attacking back, as he tried to get his companion and himself to the exit. He might have made it too if the reckless Bow Hero had not shot him in the head with an arrow."
Eiku's eyes widened and he clenched his fists. That certainly explained the bloody wound on his soulmate's head.
Ryuu continued. "When the Shield Hero faltered, the knights were quick to capture and tie up his companion. He did not last long after that and they quickly had him restrained as well. The king ordered that the Shield Hero be taken to the courtyard for his duel with the Spear Hero. I had missed the beginning of the event, but with the Shield Hero's reputation, I knew that whatever was going on had to be a setup of some kind. While the knights were distracted with dragging the Shield Hero's unconscious body away, and everyone else set out to follow them, I slipped away and ran to get you, Eiku."
"Thank you for running all that way to get me," Eiku said when Ryuu stopped talking. He huffed and shook his head. "I can't believe you abandoned your post to do that."
Ryuu grinned. "Ishida found out and gave me a tongue lashing early this morning. Commander Sazama stepped in and covered for me."
"Do you think Sazama knows what is going on?" Reki asked in his typical soft voice.
Ryuu shrugged. "Maybe. He's sharp and pays attention. He's definitely on the Shield Hero's side and therefore is someone we can all trust."
Obito fixed his black eyes on Eiku. "Your turn."
Eiku nodded and began to speak. "Ryuu showed up here just as I was getting ready for bed. When he told me what was going on, I ran all the way to the palace in my nightclothes and with bare feet. I didn't even notice I wasn't wearing shoes until the healer pointed it out. Oh, right, that's later. Anyway, I got there just in time for the Shield Hero to save my life."
Eiku's eyes glowed with pride as he recounted the duel between the Shield and Spear Heroes. He described how Sir Iwatani had blocked all of the attacks that would have hurt one of the bystanders. How, despite being injured before the fight, he still managed to get the Spear Hero on the ground and almost contained before being attacked in the back with magic.
His eyes darkened as he told them about the Spear Hero's next attacks that had bordered on intent to kill, not just immobilize. "The Spear Hero stabbed Sir Iwatani in the sides and then immediately struck him with lightning until he collapsed, twitching on the ground. The king proclaimed the Spear Hero the victor and I spoke out. I accused the Spear Hero's party of cheating. I said that everyone there had seen the princess attack the Shield Hero with magic. No one else spoke up to back me up. The king said that I was 'obviously confused' and ordered me removed and sent to the healer to have my head and vision checked."
Eiku scowled down at his feet. "They dragged me away and the healer fused over my cut and bleeding feet so long that by the time I escaped, the courtyard was empty."
Obito whistled. "All right, that was very brave and incredibly foolish at the same time."
"He's right. You're lucky the king didn't have you arrested," Kazane agreed.
"I have already thought about that and been grateful," Eiku said with a slight scowl.
"He likely didn't recognize you," Ryuu said. "You must have looked like a kid to him in your long, white nightshirt. Especially if your face was flushed and your hair mussed from running."
"It certainly would have looked bad for the king to throw a young waif such as yourself into the dungeons," Kazane said with a smirk.
"Whatever his reasoning, I am grateful. I only wish I had been able to help more," Eiku said, his voice laced with regret.
Reki reached out and placed his smaller hand on Eiku's nearest clenched fist. "You simply speaking up for him likely did wonders," he softly assured.
Eiku took a breath and relaxed his hands and gripped Reki's gently. "Really?" he asked, seeking reassurance.
Obito reached out and nudged Eiku's foot with his own and Eiku took a second to marvel at how outspoken his friend had been recently in small groups. "Really," Obito reassured. "With the way everyone stands by and lets the Crown get away with their treatment of him, how often do you think someone has stood up for him? Other than his companion, that is?"
Eiku looked around at his friend's supportive faces and smiled as he let his anger and disappointment go. They were correct. Eiku may not be able to fight all of his soulmate's battles for him, but he could certainly be there as a strong support foundation.
"Remember," Kazane cautioned, "you need to be there for him when he needs you. You can't do that if you are rotting in the castle's oubliette." She paused as they all shuddered at the thought of that particular prison. "You providing verbal and moral support will help out a lot until you are in a position to do more."
Eiku did his best to commit that sentiment to heart. "Thanks, everyone."
"So… now that this dreary conversation is over, let's move on to something more fun," Ryuu suggested.
Eiku looked over at him. "What do you have in mind?" he asked as he let go of Reki's hand.
Ryuu smiled brightly and his dark blue eyes sparkled with excitement. "You need to start making your courting gifts. We have the rest of the afternoon off. How about I teach you how to whittle?"
"Ohhh! That's right!" Kazane exclaimed as she clasped her hands together. "I can teach you a song. Or help you write a love poem."
"Slow down," Eiku protested with a laugh. "He may want a platonic bond. Jumping straight into courting gifts is like putting the cart before the filolial."
"Friendship gifts then," Kazane easily said. "Who doesn't like getting gifts?"
Just like that, the serious mood broke and lightened as his friends all began to chime in with suggestions. Eiku laughed brightly and let himself get pulled into their excitement. He could certainly use a distraction and spending time with his friends while making gifts, was the perfect distraction.
BREAK
Three-quarters of a candle mark passed quickly after that. Eiku and his friends had set up a crafting area of sorts on the ground and were all working together to teach Eiku various skills. Eiku looked down at the piece of wood he was attempting to carve and studied it critically. It was…. developing. He looked down at the carved fox Ryuu had set on the ground, and shook his head fondly. His own attempt looked nothing like the model. If he kept practicing, maybe he would be able to produce something of note in a month's time.
He was not at all discouraged by his first attempt at wood carving. Especially because his first attempt at chandling had gone much better. Reki had calmly taught him how to make beeswax candles and Eiku had managed to finish three. They were short, stubby, and not at all smooth, but they would still burn and produce a sweet, honey smell.
The plan for the rest of the afternoon – after he finished his 'fox' carving – was to work on poetry with Kazane and then bead making with Obito. Obito had gone out and managed to find some spring roses in bloom and had returned with several petals for them to work with.
"This is so exciting," Kazane said, perhaps for the sixth time. "We really should have shared our crating skills long ago. I am having so much fun!"
Eiku looked over and watched as Kazane set another sheet of handmade paper to the side to dry. She had already managed to make eight sheets. Reki was sitting beside her and watching intently.
"These should dry in time for us to use later, Eiku. Next time, I am teaching you how to make your own. Then I am going to teach both you and Reki how to marble them."
"Only if you let me teach you how to knit," Eiku said as he looked back down at his carving and went back to working on the peak of one 'ear'.
Just then the door opened and they all startled at the sound and looked up together. Standing in the doorway was Commander Sazama. His form was backlit with afternoon light that turned the edges of his brown hair a golden colour. He looked down at them with his steel-coloured eyes and quickly noticed that they were all productively engaged. He stepped into the room and gently pushed the door closed behind him before sitting on one of the chairs. "What's all this?" he asked.
Eiku looked up and smiled at Sazama. His eyes met his commander's, easily bypassing the man's scar due to months of familiarity with the sight. "Good afternoon, Commander," he greeted. He held up his 'fox' carving. "Ryuu is teaching me how to whittle."
"We're having a craft day, Sir," Kazane explained as she held up one of the paper sheets she had made. "I'm teaching Reki how to make paper. Obito is going to teach us all how to make rose beads later too."
Sazama looked at Eiku's little carving and the sheets of paper and other crafting medium spread out across the floor and various surfaces and raised one eyebrow. "Impressive work."
Eiku beamed at the praise and Obito pretended to shade his eyes. "Too bright, Eiku. Tone that smile down."
Eiku laughed and looked back towards his commander and noticed the very slight tenseness to the man's shoulders and the pinched lines at the corners of his mouth. "What's the matter, Sir?" he asked.
Commander Sazama looked at all of them and they each looked intently at him in turn. He did not bother to draw the news out. "The Shield Hero is gravely ill." Eiku felt all of the blood drain from his face and suddenly felt faint with worry. Sazama immediately noticed Eiku's extreme reaction and his gaze fixated on him. "The Shield's companion was sent to find me. She asked me to send a healer I trusted with her and I thought of the two of you." He pointed to both Eiku and Reki. "I know you two are still training, but there aren't many people in this city that I can trust with the Holy Shield Hero's life."
Eiku swallowed and forced the panic aside enough to speak. "We can be trusted, Sir." His friends all nodded in agreement.
Sazama looked at all of them gravely. "I know. I do not know the entire situation surrounding the illness so the five of you are to go with the Shield's companion and provide support. First though," he said and his eyes bore into Eiku's own, "you are going to tell me why the thought of Sir Iwatani's ailment has you looking as if someone just drowned your entire batch of puppies."
Eiku did not need to look around the room to know all of his friends were looking at him in quiet support. Instead, he kept his eyes on Commander Sazama's eyes and considered everything he knew about the man. Commander Sazama was brave and fair. For the most part, he listened to all sides of a story before acting. He had initially believed the lies that the king and princess had spread about the Shield Hero, but had changed his opinion on the day of the last Wave. Now, as Ryuu had stated earlier, Commander Sazama was firmly on the Shield Hero's side and could be trusted. Eiku trusted his friend's opinion and thus, decided to trust in Commander Sazama too.
"The Holy Shield Hero, Sir Iwatani, is my soulmate, Commander," he revealed.
Sazama took a long few seconds to process that before speaking. "All right. I must say that that is the last explanation I expected." His sharp, intelligent gaze looked around at the crafting materials with new understanding. "Courting gifts?"
Eiku nodded shyly. He felt immensely relieved that Commander Sazama had taken the news so well. "Or simply friendship gifts. Kazane is going to help me write a poem and my mom is knitting him a hat."
Sazama nodded and stood from the chair to kneel in front of Eiku and placed one hand on his shoulder. "You take care of that young man, you hear?" Eiku nodded, his brown eyes wide. "Good. Sir Iwatani has been through a lot. Your actions towards him will either make or break him. Are you up to the responsibility?"
Eiku nodded and his expression filled with passionate conviction. "I am."
"Then he is a very lucky man indeed," Sazama said. He stood and gestured for the five of them to stand. "Go on now. Takara, take tomorrow off too to spend time with Sir Iwatani and get to know him if he will let you."
Eiku quickly got to his feet to stand with his friends. "Thank you, Sir," Eiku said in surprise.
Sazama smiled slightly at him and gestured to the door. The five teens hastily opened the door and exited the barracks to find Raphtalia standing impatiently outside.
She turned to them and his crimson eyes reflected her worry while her brown tail and ears twitched with impatience. "Finally! Come on, I'll take you to him."
She set off on a fast pace through the city. Reki, being the shortest of them all, had to jog to keep up. Raphtalia did not slow or shorten her pace. Indeed, she barely even looked back to make sure they were still following her as they wove around people crowding the busy streets. It did not take long for them to reach a shop with a sign displaying two crossed swords behind a shield above the door to what Eiku recognized as the local blacksmith's shop. Raphtalia did not break stride as she reached the door, pulled it open, and quickly disappeared inside.
Eiku and his friends entered the shop and barely looked around the interior, or at the displays of fine armour and sharpened swords, as they made their way to the back. The blacksmith, a man with wide shoulders, bare, scarred arms, and a welcoming face, stood behind the shop's counter. He sized them up as they stopped before him and Raphtalia.
"You the ones sent by Knight Commander Sazama?" he asked.
"Yes, Sir," Eiku answered politely.
"Very good." He looked them over. "Not all of you will be able to fit into the room. I suggest only sending those of you that can heal. Raphtalia will show you the way. Why did Sazama send so many of you?"
"He did not know what to expect, Sir. He sent all of us as a precaution," Ryuu answered.
The blacksmith nodded. "Understood."
Eiku turned to his friends. "Reki and I will go in first and evaluate the Shield Hero's condition. If we need support, one of us will return to the rest of you. That is if any of you have any skills to help someone who has been injured?"
"I know how to make potions and poultices," Obito answered. "Not high-grade stuff, but something may be better than nothing. Just let me know if you need me to make anything."
Eiku nodded in acknowledgement. "Kazane? Ryuu?"
Kazane shook her head while Ryuu said, "I know how to identify various herbs should we need to go out and get any from the market."
Again Eiku nodded in acknowledgement and turned to Reki. "Let's go."
The two of them followed Raphtalia through a door in the back of the shop and up the stairs to the second floor, then down a hall to a closed door. Raphtalia opened it and they entered a room with a small night table upon which a bowl of water was placed. There was a simple wooden dresser against one wall and a single window was set into the wall across from the door. Beside the night table was an occupied bed.
Reki and Eiku approached the bed while Raphtalia stayed by the door. The Shield Hero was lying under a blue duvet. His black hair fanned out across the white pillow and his face was pinched with pain even in sleep. A damp cloth was folded and laid out across his forehead. Eiku reached out and removed it and set it on the side table. He then set the back of his hand against Sir Iwatani's forehead and frowned at how warm it felt.
He turned back to look at Raphtalia. "What are his symptoms? Did he complain of any pain?"
"He told me this morning that he had a concussion from last night's attack to the head. He said his symptoms should go away in a day or two. He told me he was experiencing the following to certain degrees: dizziness, nausea, photophobia, slurred speech, blurred vision, and migraines." Raphtalia looked at the Shield Hero's covered form. "After lunch, we started to wander the city in search of something. His answer of 'forgiveness' when I asked what we were combing the streets for, did not make any sense. Then he said he needed to rest for a bit and we made it here just in time for him to collapse." She looked at both Eiku and Reki. "Will he be all right?"
Eiku looked to Reki. "That does match some concussion symptoms but Ryuu did not say anything about Sir Iwatani falling and hitting his head. Nor did I see such a thing happen last night."
Reki tugged on one of his dark purple locks of hair and shifted with agitated worry. "It's not a concussion. I think he was poisoned."
Eiku threw his hands up in the air and hissed, "You mean that fopdoodle Bow Hero used a poison arrow?"
"He must have. A potent one too. I think anyone else would have died already," Reki replied. "I can heal. I've been working a lot on healing spells lately. I'm not great with curing poisons yet, though. You?"
Eiku wrung his hands. "I can handle some poisons. I don't think any of the spells I know will be strong enough for this."
Reki squared his shoulders and his shyness disappeared as he focused his mind on the medical emergency. "Then we have Obito create antidotes. We send Kazane and Ryuu out to get the ingredients he needs. In the meantime, you and I will cast all of the anti-poison and healing magic we know. After that, it will be up to the Shield Hero's constitution to fight off the rest of the poison's effects."
Eiku looked over to the Shield Hero with pained eyes and Reki reached out to place a hand on Eiku's own. "He has us to help him fight. We will make sure he gets over this. In the worst-case scenario, we go and get my healing master. I don't think it will come to that though."
Eiku looked back to Reki and swallowed. "All right, you start casting. I'll send Raphtalia to give the others their orders."
Reki turned and placed his hands on Iwatani's head. "I am going to be exhausted tomorrow," he said and began to chant.
Eiku turned to Raphtalia. "Did you hear all that?"
She nodded. "Yes. I will let the others know. Save him."
Eiku looked at her with resolute determination. "We will."
~*~End of Chapter 05~*~