Virgil held onto Roman's hands, who had his arm wrapped around his waist. As soon as they had gotten home, the prince made sure he ate and had some water. Then he brought them to his room to get some actual rest.
The borrower had just woken up from a long overdue nap. He smiled as he thought about the day.
After they told the queen everything, from how they met Thomas to Logan figuring out the cure, the queen thanked the giants and promised them a friendship. To show that it was the truth, she created a bridge for the river out of roots and branches from nearby trees.
It was probably the greatest display of magic Virgil had seen so far, since the bridge was big and the queen didn't even break a sweat. He wondered just how powerful she really was, and what she was capable of.
Virgil took a look at his hand, lightly tracing the scars on his arm with his fingers. He flexed his right hand, hating how stiff it felt. Good thing he's left handed, otherwise it would have been a pain to deal with.
Still, he could feel the scar tissue reaching up his neck and on his face when he traced it with his fingers. He wished he had a mirror so he could see how far it really reached.
Virgil tried to turn to look at the prince, but the moment he moved Roman held on tighter. The prince blinked his eyes open, half awake, making Virgil chuckle.
"Morning princey," he drawled.
Roman groaned and buried his face into Virgil's back, making the borrower laugh louder.
"You gotta let go, I need to take a bath," Virgil continued. "I haven't had one in days."
"No, I wanna cuddle," Roman whined like a toddler.
"I'm dirty!"
"I don't care, I'm okay with it."
Virgil tried to squirm his way out of Roman's grip, only to make the prince hold him tighter. "I'm not! I smell, and I feel disgusting."
"I don't wanna let go." Roman reached up and kissed the back of Virgil's neck, making the borrower's face burn bright. "I love you."
Virgil covered his face, trying to make his blush go down. "I love you too, you idiot. But you need to let go."
Roman whined, but let go. "You're so mean!"
The borrower laughed, sitting up but not yet getting out of bed. He grabbed the prince by his arms and pulled him up before placing a kiss on his nose.
"I know I'm mean, I just can't help it," Virgil teased.
Roman frowned as he blushed brightly. "Will you come back after you're done?"
"Yeah, I am your guard after all. But we shouldn't lay in bed all day, you're a prince and you have your royal duties."
"Actually, Virgil, I-I was hoping that you would take a small break from being my guard. You just went through something traumatic and you should take time to rest."
Virgil frowned, and Roman hated that his ears dipped down. "I know you're worried, especially after what happened, but I can take care of myself. I won't let anyone surprise me again."
"I know love, that's not what I'm saying. Maybe it is just me being scared for you, but we don't know how all of this has affected you mentally and I don't want anything bad to happen because of it. We can play it safe and stay inside or around other people until you're ready again, and it won't be forever, I just want to make sure you'll be alright."
Virgil held Roman's hands. "I promise you I'll be okay, there's no need for me to take a break."
The prince sighed, "Okay, I trust you. But we're still going to play it safe, because Ignis is still out there and I don't want him to try anything again. At least not while we're unprepared."
"That's fair, I do want to get a bit stronger before I face him again."
"And I want to be there if we ever do, we're partners after all. In more ways than one now."
"And I couldn't be happier." Virgil leaned forward so their foreheads were touching. "But I still need to take a bath. You probably should too, I don't know when you last took one."
"Are you saying I smell?"
"If that's what it takes for you to take a bath, then yes!" The borrower pulled away with a laugh, finally getting up and walking to the door. "I'll come find you when I'm done."
~~~
"Oh, Roman! Virgil!" Patton greeted as they two walked back into the infirmary. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Well, I need to start learning more about being a healer," Roman told him.
"Right, I keep forgetting about that. Well, before we get to that, I wanted to know how you're doing, Virgil?"
"Oh, uh, I'm doing okay I guess," the borrower answered honestly, not expecting him to be so concerned.
"That's good, so I'm guessing your arm is okay?"
Virgil moved it around again, opening and closing his hand. "It feels a bit stiff, but it's okay."
"So no phantom pains then?"
"Phantom pains?"
"Phantom pains are when it feels like the injury is still there, when it's not. It's usually for missing limbs, though there are cases when it's not for missing limbs but other injuries. The pains can feel like anything from sharp pains, to a tingly sensation, or hot or cold feelings. It can happen randomly, or be caused by things like stress, change in weather, illness, and more stuff."
"Oh, then no not really. I haven't felt anything off."
"That's good, just be sure to let us know if you do."
"I guess it's important for me to learn this stuff too," Roman commented.
"Of course, being a healer doesn't just mean treating current injuries. It also means helping people manage things that can't be healed or fixed or helping people after a treatment. There's a lot of other stuff that healers help with, but since you're a prince and future king I doubt you'll do much other than heal whatever you can. It would be hard to be a full time healer and deal with your royal duties at the same time."
"Yeah, that does sound stressful."
"Your main focus should be preparing to be king, even if you can use your magic to help others. I just figured learning more about healers would help you in the future. As Logan always says, it's better to learn useful information and never use it, than not have that information and need it."
"Isn't the quote it's better to have and not need, than need and not have?"
"Tomato to-mah-to."
"Well, I would still like to learn everything I can. What else do healers do for patients aside from heal injuries?"
"Well, I guess there are those who help people with mentally, but that's a different area than what I do."
"See! I told you it's important to take care of yourself mentally!" Roman told Virgil.
"I never disagreed with you, I just told you I was fine," Virgil explained. "But... I didn't realize there were people who helped others with that kind of stuff."
"Of course! Mental health affects people physically, and even if it didn't it's still very important! It affects people's day to day lives, and is just as important as physical health. So if you have a problem, you go to a therapist or if it's not too serious, you just take mental health breaks or talk to a friend. Speaking of which, Virgil you just went through something traumatic so if you ever need to talk to a friend, we're all ears."
"I hope you all don't say that, since you're the second person to do so," Virgil replied. "Like I told Roman, I'm fine. I know I went through something bad, but I'll be okay."
YOU ARE READING
The Borrower and the Fairy Prince
Fanfiction*Completed* Virgil has never had it easy, not since he was kicked out of his home by his own father. He's struggled to survive, and has fought for food. He sees what should have been an easy meal, some berries on a tree hanging over the river. It sh...
