The Battered Flame: Relaxation
Marco POV
I groaned as I shuffled back in my bed, finally able to drop the tough façade in the privacy of my own room, or at least the one assigned to me. It wouldn't have done to show weakness in front of other people, Lachlan had drilled into our heads that reputation was everything for us, and that was a major part of it. You had to seem strong, unreachable, larger than life, even when your standing topless, on your last legs, giving a report to a magical queen. But it worked. While we had to have skill to back it up, and we did, in bucket loads, it was our reputation that got us jobs and allowed us to demand the pay that we did.
I stretched stiffly, groaning as I pulled at my recently bandaged wounds across the whole left of my torso. The medic who had worked on me, the same one from the battlefield, called Kate, had decided it was necessary to go with a rather 'hands on' approach, and I couldn't say I minded the feeling of her hands roaming across my chest, even if it probably made me stay in the hospital room longer than needed. Perhaps I would give her a little visit before I left the butterfly castle, Kate certainly wasn't a slouch when it came to looks. Though it would probably be best to wait until after I was healed a bit more, I don't think I could give her a proper tumble when I could barely lift my arm above my head.
I was already quite well acquainted with women under the covers, quite a lot of women for that, a perk of being a mercenary. If you have a fairly deep pocket, a tendency to use expensive inns, and no other commitments, you are bound to fall for someone's charms at some point, be it an eager daughter, or an experienced whore. Even if the first time took a game of dares, and a lot of liquid courage. To be honest I'm slightly surprised I could remember that night, but I'm damn happy that I did, that's for sure.
My sword, 'Dragons Tooth' lay on a table beside my bed, my armour having been taken to the royal blacksmith for repair, a cost I would have to cover once I got back into fighting condition. The problem was that apparently the monsters had already sacked Swanens capital, so that means they would have taken all our gold, and all my spare clothes would be ash, unless, of course, Lachlan and Kalara got to our stuff first. But if that wasn't the case Toffee could be damn well sure that someone would be sneaking into his camp sometime soon, to take back some of our missing gold, and probably some more on top of that. Then I'll probably leave a nice little trail of dead bodies. Just to tell them that you don't fuck with the Three Flames. That'll hopefully give them the right message.
I slowly swung my legs over the edge of the bed. Who was I kidding about going to sleep. And who was I kidding about waiting to get some company for when I did. I had spent hours sleeping on that blasted field, if you count unconsciousness as sleep, so I've got plenty of energy to burn off, and walking sounded like a good start, even if it was not the intended finishing activity. I tugged on a loose fitting shirt from a wardrobe in the guest room I resided in, glad that it fit fairly well on me. Stepping into my shoes, I opened the door and began walking, if slightly painfully, down the corridors.
The rumour of who I was had spread quickly throughout the castle, so guards didn't disturb me as I walked around, and the servants stopped and gossiped as I passed. I must say, though sometimes it could be annoying, I did quite like being famous, with the adoring crowds of people after a victory, and the instant respect of everyone when you walk into a room. Well, except from some of the more stuck up nobility, but those guys tended to be stuck up pompous arses, so who gave two fucks anyway. Certainly not me that's for sure.
I found myself standing on a balcony looking out the back of the castle, overlooking training grounds full of soldiers and knights with their squires training, be it with swords or spears or bows, and if these people where anything to go by then The kingdom of Mewni had a very skilled army indeed, as appropriate for the most powerful kingdom in the dimension. Beyond this lay Mewni's sprawling capital, buildings and streets running almost as far as the eye could see, from the mansions standing tall, yet still shadowed beneath the massive castle, to the run down slums, clustering under the high city walls.
Even after all I'd seen, I found the city beautiful from here, especially with the setting sun painting the city in reds and golds. I sighed, taking in a breath of cool evening air. It was nice to have some time to properly relax, even though I knew that soon I'd have to head out and find Lachlan and Kalara. And then there was Toffee and his army of monsters to deal with. But that could wait. For now I needed to heal, I was no use to anyone until then.
With my mind on the topic of nice things I started making my way down to the infirmary. Hopefully Kate would be off of her shift soon, and luckily my bed seemed a nice fit for two people.