Chap 2

Will lived in a world of Pain. His back and shoulders were pain, his head was pain, the air was pain, his mind was pain: everything he'd ever known seemed to shatter. Before he'd been relatively sure of his safety, despite the circumstances; even in the midst of their enslavement, he'd subconsciously felt that nothing would hurt him, that nothing would change him; Halt would find them, and they'd all be fine.

That dream shattered. Halt had not come, and here he was, sunk lower than low.

Halt, you failed me. You said you never would. You said you would always find me. You lied.

The thought was vile to his mind. Halt was his mentor. Halt didn't just fail. But in his despair and confusion, the acid thought ran riot; a hatred that went against everything he was, everything he loved, coursed through him. It was pure torture. Slagor could never have hoped to make such an impression with his little scheme.

Halt lied. He won't come, he abandoned you. He took your father's life, now yours.

"No! No, he didn't!" He said blurrily to himself. Beside him, Evanlyn's presence was like a vague shadow.

"Will, I'm sorry, they won't give me any clean water to wash your back. I'm so sorry, but this will hurt a lot."

She tore off a strip of her thick underskirt, and soaked it in the briny seawater. As carefully as possible, she sponged Will's back, only dabbing, and not rubbing, so that the skin wouldn't tear any more. The stinging water made Will cry out, and grip the blanket tightly. The sight tore at Evanlyn's heart; she hadn't known Will long, but she'd come to know a brave, resourceful boy who never gave in. Here was that boy, reduced to a whining, bloodied mess.

"Will, I'm so sorry. I'm such a pig, I should've listened when you warned me."

The fresh pain pulled Will out of his semi-delirium, and he pondered what she said. She was right in a way; if she'd listened to him, they might not have been caught. Might. But there had still been that chance. Exhausted, mentally and bodily, as he was, he had no energy to tell her otherwise to her statement. He didn't have it in him just then. She interpreted his silence as agreement. Even though she'd just said it herself, the realization crushed her.

Some help I've been. He's too dang good! Why does he have to play hero so much?

She saw his cloak, where the Skandians had dropped it, and ran to get it. When she arrived to it, a sudden gust of wind blew it away. Muttering some un-ladylike words, she pursued. Just as she leapt upon it triumphantly, two large boots came into view. Nervously, she followed the boots up to the meaty face of Jrengar. He was holding something in his hand.

"Here lass. Ye'll be needing bandages for the boy. And a shirt."

So saying, he handed her a long wrap of cloth, and a clean shirt. It looked a bit big, but far too small for any Skandian. She supposed it was a random find among their raid stores. As Erak had said when he found the dress she was wearing, "you never know what you might find below deck."

Coldly, she stood and crossed her arms.

"And why the sudden kindness, now that you've beaten him within an inch of consciousness?"

Jrengar shrugged.

"Slagor doesn't want Erak to know, so clean 'im up and we'll send ye on yer way."

Despite her fear of the man, Evanlyn bristled indignantly.

"Oh, doesn't want Erak to know, does he? What makes you think we won't tell him?"

"Sorry to say, it wasn't my idea ye know, but Slagor says to tell the boy that if Erak finds out about this, he'll be dealing ye the same as the boy got."

Evanlyn's blood ran cold.

"I-I see." Wordlessly, she took the bandages and shirt, and went back to Will.

"Will, I-I have something to tell you."

She fiddled nervously. Why am I so weak? I shouldn't tell him. Let them beat me!

"Jrengar, h-he said Slagor will have me beaten the same as you if Erak finds out. I don't care! We should tell him."

Will groaned. He wanted to tell Erak, so Slagor would be punished, so he would pay for this pain! He didn't need another burden. But once again, his conscience forbade it.

Why do you have to nag me? Why me? Why is this happening to me?

He didn't dare trust his voice at that moment, so he stayed silent.

You began this, might as well finish.

"We won't tell him; but I doubt if he won't find out anyway. This black eye is a dead giveaway. Now can I have my cloak? It's freezing!"

"Yes, but let me bandage you up first. The cloak will just rub on it."

Nodding, Will sat up painfully. Facing his back to her, he removed what was left of his shirt so that she could wrap the bandage around him. He leaned his elbows on his knees, the slightest movement causing him to wince as the flesh tore. As gently as possible, Evanlyn wound the cloth around his chest and back, tucking it smoothly and tightly. Will grimaced and hissed between his teeth as the rough cloth made contact with his raw skin.

"As bad as it is now, it'll be terrible in the morning, when it's all stiffened up. I don't know how I'll sleep."

Abruptly, Evanlyn said:

"Why did you do it?"

Taken aback, Will glanced at her over his shoulder. She was studiously avoiding his eyes, keeping her own on his toned back, torn as it was. Blushing, Will remembered that he was shirtless, and faced back to the front.

"I didn't want to. Believe me, I really didn't want to. It was all I could do to make myself say no."

"But why? Why did you have to say no? Even after I interrupted and told you to just do it."

Will grinned wryly.

"You're not princess here Evanlyn."

Any other time, she would've smacked him. Pausing for a moment, Will continued.

"I knew that you wouldn't be half as hurt if I hit you as I am from them hitting me; but, I imagined what Halt would think, what my father would think. I'm sure they would understand, but, nonetheless, there would be a silent, unsaid disappointment. They wouldn't blame me, but it would still be there. I-I remembered a certain day after the incident with the Kalkara."

He told her briefly about it, a little reluctantly. It was rather personal, after all.

"I wanted to live up to that ideal."

Evanlyn shook her head, not understanding.

"You're not a hero; you're a boy! Why can't you act like one?"

"I know I'm nothing of a hero, but I have to give all that I can. That is what makes heroes what they are; being selfless."
Finally, she thought she understood, a little.

I'm going to remember that. I'll try to live up to a hero's standards. I won't be selfish ever again!

Wordlessly, She finished wrapping him up, and handed him the shirt. Turning away, she gave him some privacy.

"Alright, you can turn around. Now can I have my cloak?"

She faced back to him, and impulsively hugged him. When he gasped slightly, she remembered his lacerated back. She flushed red.

"S-sorry Will."

"S'all right." Me muttered.

Girls. I'll never understand them.

"And Will?"

Shrugging the cloak on gingerly, Will looked up.

"Thanks."

A/N There's chap 2! Sorry for the awkward bits, but I wanted to be realistic. Funny thing, when I first wrote the sentence: "She was studiously avoiding his eyes, keeping her own on his toned back, torn as it was.", I accidentally wrote: "She was studiously avoiding his eyes, keeping her own on his toned back, ripped as it was." Then I read it and was like- "oh...".XD

I won't write about whether or not Erak finds out, so let's just say he noticed the black eye, confronts Slagor, who tells him Will tripped on his run, and a rock bruised him. Erak doesn't believe it, but unless he has Skandian witnesses against Slagor, he can't take a slave's word over a Skirl and have him punished. So, he says nothing to Will about it. But, I'll add, if he had seen Will's back, it would've been to Gorlog with the stupid law and Erak would've dealt with it himself.;) Finally, done rambling. Surprised if anyone reads this all.:P Now for an epilogue... And R&R!