Sorry this one was so late, guys. Today was the first day of school for me so I've been busy.

None of them were expecting to get ambushed at the camp. And none of them were expecting the Kingdom army to be so strong. They were unprepared for the attack but somehow managed to push through the first wave of soldiers.

But then more came.

And more.

Ferdinand sighed, slashing through another soldier. More than anything else, he was tired. His body ached and his muscle burned with pain, but he kept slashing atop his horse, looking to see if he could see the soldiers clearing up. He growled, turning to the closest person near him, which happened to be Dorothea. "There does not seem to be an end to them. They just keep coming."

"Well, I'm all out of healing spells. You?"

"I have a few left, but I cannot keep healing everyone who gets a scratch or a bruise. What about Linhardt?"

"Poor thing is beside himself. I think Caspar is taking care of him. But it looks like you're our resident healer for now. I bet now you don't regret going through all those faith lessons."

Ferdinand chuckled, slashing at another soldier. "It does seem that it has come in handy. But no more small talk. I would rather not lose my life right now."

"Very well."

The two continued to fight for hours before the field around them cleared. Ferdinand's hair had fallen out of the ponytail he had placed it in before they were ambushed, his orange locks clinging to his face with sweat and blood. His fingers tingled from his overuse of both Nosferatu and Thunder. He looked at Dorothea, who looked about ready to pass out. He dismounted, placing one arm across her back to steady her. "Are you alright?"

"I just overused my magic. I'll be fine, Ferdie. You should go survey the area. It seems like everyone else is still fighting."

"Are you sure I should-"

"Go, Ferdie. I can handle myself."

"Alright. I'll be right back, Thea."

"Go on, hero."

With that, the ginger ran off on his horse, clutching her reins with shaky hands. He rode past Bernadetta, who was sitting on the back of Petra's wyvern, firing at soldiers.

He knew he should've been looking for more of their soldiers, but he couldn't help it. There was one person in particular he was looking for.

He rode up to Edelgard, who said that she had been separated from Hubert in the midst of battle. That alone sent him into a frenzy. He rode off, looking for the man that he loved

He found him not long after, surrounded by enemy soldiers, barely standing on his feet. Ferdinand rode up to them all, slashing at them with his lance, splashing blood across his armor. But he didn't care. He dismounted from Lila, running up to Hubert. The two embraced, each covered in blood and breathing heavily. Hubert brushed some of Ferdinand's hair from his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Fine. You?" He scanned Hubert for any injuries. He frowned. He had cuts and bruises littering his body and he could feel the man shaking in his arms. "Do I need to heal you?"

"Don't waste your strength-"

"Being in your arms is giving me more than enough strength to keep fighting." Without asking again, he sent one quick healing spell down Hubert's body, mending all the cuts and bruises. "See? Now you are all better."

"And you? Are you injured?"

"No, I am alright. Dorothea and I managed to handle the soldiers in our area. We should probably survey the camp to make sure that the Kingdom soldiers did not take any-"

"Ferdie, move!"

Ferdinand felt his feet leave the ground as he was shoved to the floor, hitting the blood-stained grass with a thud. He groaned, but not before hearing a scream of pain.

The world around him slowed.

Hubert's body dropped to the ground, an arrow sticking out from his chest. Ferdinand turned, striking the tree with one final Thunder spell, watching as the sniper hit the ground. Pain flared up his right arm but he didn't care.

Hubert had taken an arrow from him.

Hubert could have…

"Hubert!" Ferdinand ran over to his fallen lover, slipping in mud and blood. He cradled the taller man in his arms, watching as he slowly opened his eyes. "Hubert, stay with me! I'll heal you-"

"Don't waste your breath, my sun. Can't you see the arrow pierced my chest? I-"

"You're not dying on me!" He unbuttoned his overcoat before pulling out the arrow. He tried to ignore Hubert's pained hiss as the metal was pulled out. The ginger then proceeded to use a healing spell, his hands shaking from fatigue.

"Ferdinand, dear, you're exhausted. You've used too much of your strength-"

"Shut up! I'm not going to sit here while you die on me. As long as I have magic left, I'll use it on you."

"You're pale, darling." He reached up to brush the hair that fell over Ferdinand's shoulder. "You've used too much magic. You'll make yourself sick."

He wrapped his coat around Hubert, tying it tight before lifting him up. "This is the best I can do for now. Let's get you back to camp and see what we can do."

It was a messy heal, but Hubert already felt some of his strength returning. "You think you can ride a horse in your state?"

"How else are we to get back to camp? Lila is a strong girl. She'll do her job." After some struggling, Ferdinand managed to get them both on Lila. He snapped the reins and she set out on a trot, careful not to jostle her rider and her extra guest.

Halfway through, they met up with Petra. She landed her wyvern next to them. "Ferdinand, Hubert! What has happened to you two?"

"Petra, thank goodness. Hubert needs immediate attention. Can you take him back to camp?"

"And you?"

"What about me?"

"You like you are ready to be passing out?"

"I will be fine. It is Hubert I am worried about."

Petra sighed, pulling Hubert onto her wyvern. "Very well, but be returning soon."

"I will, Petra. Thank you." He watched the two of them fly off before he motioned for Lila to start again. His vision went spotty as he gripped the reins tighter. He felt like the world around him was spinning. He laid his head down on Lila's mane. "That's it, girl. Just a little…farther."

He felt himself fall from his horse as the world went black.

When he woke up, he instantly recognized his surroundings. He was back at Garreg Mach. He groaned, sitting up and looking around. He was back in the infirmary. The longer he listened, he realized that he could hear humming. He tried to move out of the bed, but he was overcome by a wave of dizziness.

He groaned again. "Professor Manuela?"

The humming instantly stopped. She pulled the curtain back. "It's about time you woke up, Ferdinand."

"How long have I been out?"

"Almost three days. Petra had to carry you back here. You used up too much magical energy."

"Three days?!" He groaned, holding his head due to his incoming headache. "I have to go talk to Edelgard-"

"You and Hubert…as soon as the two of you woke up, he started going on about Edelgard."

"Hubert! Is he okay?"

"And then he got all concerned about you…"

"Please tell me he survived, Manuela!"

"The arrow nearly punctured his lung. Had it been any further to the left, he would've died on the spot. And if you didn't heal him, he might've bled to death. There are moments when it becomes hard for him to breathe, but he's fine other than that."

"Where is he?"

"In his room. He was insistent that he be placed there as he recovered. Something about not wanting to fall behind on work."

"Can I see him?"

"You need to recover, Ferdinand-"

"Manuela, please. I will rest once I know he is okay."

The brunette sighed. "The two of you will be the death of me. You're lucky that I'm a fan of young love."

The ginger stood, holding onto the bed to support himself. "Thank you, Manuela! I promise that I will rest afterward."

Hubert wasn't expecting a knock on his door. Most of the Imperial Army was eating dinner, so he was hoping to have a few moments of peace before either Bernadetta or Edelgard came to visit him, but it appeared that he was wrong. He sighed. "Come in." What he wasn't expecting was to see ginger hair in his peripheral vision. He looked up from his book. "Ferdinand? What are you doing up? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Hello to you too, Hubie. How are you feeling?"

"Manuela managed to heal me up just fine. I experience shortness of breath every now and again. She said it should go away once I get some of my strength back. And you?"

Ferdinand walked over to Hubert's bed, sitting at the edge of the bed. "I just need some rest. I am more concerned about you. An arrow pierced your chest…" He grabbed his lover's hand, bringing it to his lips. "You could have died, Hubie."

"I know. But…rather it be me than you." He pulled the younger man closer, discarding his book to the side.

"But I have armor. You do not. I could have taken the arrow and I would have survived. You had a chance of dying and…I could not live without you."

"And neither could I." He pulled Ferdinand to his chest, moving the covers so that they were both underneath them. He kissed the top of his head, running his fingers through his hair. "Now, you should relax."

Ferdinand hummed, moving his head to rest on Hubert's shoulder. "What are you reading?"

"Just some novel to pass the time."

"It must be good if it has you so relaxed." He yawned. "Read it to me?"

"Of course."

Hubert opened his book again, reading about three chapters before he looked back at Ferdinand, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He smiled, placing the book aside and moving them both to lay in his bed and blowing out the candle. He pulled the sheets up to his shoulder, wrapping his arms around Ferdinand. Half asleep, the ginger moved to snuggle against Hubert's chest, mumbling something incoherent in his sleep.

The black-haired man laughed. "Sleep well, my sun. We'll both get our strength back soon." Before he knew it, Hubert fell asleep in the arms of his love.

We're halfway through! This week has been really fun and it only gets better from here. Stay tuned for tomorrow (it's probably my favorite one).
See you guys l8tr!