Her Soldier, His Warrior

In Plain Sight [Part 2]

"Viren, I think something is up with Soren." Harrow states to his friend one morning after the council meeting was adjourned. "For these past three days he's been...distracted."

"Distracted how?" Viren asks as he follows the king to the window that overlooked one of the courtyards. "Normally he is distracted by some things, but I don't think he's ever been distracted while on duty."

"Well for one, he's been asking me what sort of books I would recommend reading for entertainment, and I know he's not as big as a reader as his sister. And he's been in and out of the library with an armload of books, and he's always visiting the infirmary." Harrow responds before snapping his fingers. "Ah! It must be a girl!"

"You think my son has been acting a bit out of character because of a girl in the infirmary?" Viren says with a confused look. "I think Anya is too old for him."

"She's like an aunt to him, what made you think it was Anya?"

"She's the only woman I am aware of who works in the infirmary, unless she has gotten a new assistant who's caught my son's eye. But I haven't seen any new staff in the castle who work in the infirmary, so maybe it's a patient."

"Seems more likely." Harrow says with a shrug. "Why don't you talk to him about it, maybe give him a hand if he's having trouble figuring out a way to ask her if she'd like to court him."

"Knowing my son, he'd probably do things his way even if he asks me for advice on courting." Viren sighs and shakes his head. "Though we shouldn't jump to conclusions about this, we don't even know if he's acting like this because of a girl."

"He could be and we don't even know it." Harrow suggests with a shrug. "But if that's the case, don't scare her off, you know how intimidating you can be. Where are you going?"

Viren stops, already on his way towards the door. "To go pay a visit to the infirmary, see at least who this distraction is."

While he really couldn't care less about who his son hung out with or had an interest in, Viren couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling he had gotten with his conversation with Harrow. It was rather strange that Soren all of a sudden had gained an interest in reading recommendations and frequently visiting the infirmary, and as far as he was concerned it wasn't anyone he knew or could deem as harmless.

"Anya, are you here?" The mage calls as he knocks on the closed door of the infirmary. He can hear the muffled and panicked yelp of the doctor, along with an unfamiliar voice before the door creaked slightly open.

"Oh! Lord Viren, what brings you here?" Anya asks from the crack of the door. "Did you need some headache medicine, or did Claudia or her brother injure themselves again with something?"

"No, not this time I'm afraid. May I come in?"

"C-come in? Ah, I have a patient trying to rest right now, I don't think that'd be a good idea."

"I'll be in and out, and there is someone I need to see."

It was rather strange to see the doctor act so shifty like this, as if she was hiding something - or someone - in the infirmary.

"Of course, come in." Anya finally admits before opening the door so Viren could slip in past her.

The infirmary seemed relatively empty, all the cots stripped bare except for the mattress with a cover and a folded blanket sitting at the foot of each one and a small basin under them as well. Viren frowns as his eyes wander to the back of the infirmary where a curtain stood, recalling that there were more than just four beds in the room. He marched forward and grabbed the curtain, yanking it back and earning him some startled screams.

Laying on the bed with her foot propped up and being bandaged was a girl he had never seen before, a startled and scared expression on her face as she gripped the blanket laying over her legs. Much to his surprise, both of Harrow's sons were sitting on stools next to the bed while Soren sat at the foot of the bed, holding the girl's foot and still holding a bandage roll that was being wrapped around it.

"Soren, aren't you supposed to be on duty right now?" Viren asks as the teens and child relax.

"I'm on break actually." His son responds and holds up the bandage roll. "I'm just helping miss grouch fix her bandages, her ankle seems to be doing better."

"It's actually Enya, but Soren insists on calling her that other name because she refused to give him her actual name when he found her." Callum explains politely. "I think it's just to mess with her."

"I see. And why are you two here?" Viren says before pointing at the large book in Ezran's hands. "Shouldn't you two be in your lessons?"

"I was released early from mine." Ezran explains. "Callum too, we're just here to read to Enya and keep her company because Soren is away a lot."

"Shouldn't Anya be the one wrapping her foot and ankle up?"

"Soren insists on doing it and being the one to care for her because he found her in the woods."

"I tell him he doesn't have to, but he keeps insisting." The girl, Enya, says with a roll of her eyes. "It's starting to get a bit annoying at this point, and Anya even tells him she can handle it herself."

"Hey you haven't tried kicking me in the face today, you don't find me as annoying as you did on week one." Soren laughs as he finished bandaging her foot and tied it off. "I say that's a new record for us!"

"And that explains the forming bruise Claudia mentioned having to heal the other day." Viren mutters and Soren's eyes light up.

"Hey maybe Claudia can fix your ankle, and then you don't have to wait another few weeks before you're healed!"

"Oh no no no no! I am not going to let someone touch me with that tainted magic!" Enya exclaims and yanks her foot away from Soren. "I refuse to let some poor magical creature stolen from Xadia be killed just to fix my injury! In fact, I'd rather have the slow process healing than use some twisted shortcut that will do more harm than good!"

Viren frowns, but says nothing. He had heard in the past of other people's dislike for dark magic, calling it unnatural and evil, but this was the first time he heard someone say something like this. Not many people even knew that dark magic was fueled by using certain parts of Xadian creatures and plants, though some who knew wouldn't refer to them as "stolen from Xadia".

"Very well, no dark magic to fix your injury. I can't go wasting precious resources on strangers like this." The mage finally says before looking to his son and the princes. "You best get back to your post soon. And you boys best get back to your lessons, let her rest."

"But we don't have lessons for the rest of the day." Ezran points out. "And Enya doesn't seem to mind our company."

"You three are more tolerable than Soren." Enya states and Soren laughs. "No really, they are. As well as Bait."

"Speaking of which, where is he?" Viren asks. It seemed very unusual that the creature, who was always tucked under Ezran's arm or being held in his arms, was nowhere to be seen. At least until they hear a muffled croak and a familiar grumpy face poked out from under the blanket.

"Bait likes her." Soren says with a laugh and the glow toad turns orange. "Aww isn't that his happy color?"

"It is!" Ezran agrees.

"Alright I think that's enough visitors for today, Enya needs her rest and you boys need to leave." Anya says loudly from behind Viren, startling him. "All of you, and that includes you as well lord Viren. And Bait as well."

"I'll come by later to check your foot, let me know if you change your mind about wanting my sister to heal you with magic." Soren says, giving Enya's bandaged foot a pat. "Also why are you even here dad?"

"Harrow was getting concerned because you had been spending too much time here, and acting a bit off." Viren responds as they walk to the door of the infirmary. "While I'm glad that you've been trying to help someone, do keep in mind not to be distracted while on duty. Last thing we need is someone hurting our king because you were daydreaming about that girl."

"I don't daydream about her." Soren mutters under his breath as they leave.