Wherever I Am

Chapter 10 - Part 1

"You're going to look quite debonair with that scar, Stefan," I joked. Stitching the long gash along the side of his head the evening before hadn't been pleasant for him. No anesthesia and the stitches were huge compared to back home. A plastic surgeon would probably have put a hundred in. Instead, the seamstress used maybe twenty, including the ones to close up the top of his ear.

He grinned at me.

"I'm envious," Adrian said with a laugh. "The girls go wild for men with scars."

Stefan's grin softened.

"You'll understand in a few years," Adrian continued, brushing Stefan's hair lightly while resting his weight on a wooden staff one of the servants had handed him earlier.

"Sir Filip," I said. "Get these two to our rooms and into baths and fresh clothes." Ellie had done this with her maids-in-waiting, so I figured I should do the same.

"Lord Kevin," Adrian said. "I haven't seen my baggage or Stefan's."

I looked at Filip, who nodded, and I went to where the other injured men were being cared for.

"You will let me come in and see them." It was Ellie, of course. In fresh clothes with her scarf, or actually a shawl, worn again like a sash.

"Maid," a confused man in Boian's livery said. "This is no place for a young woman like yourself."

"I saw and helped treat these men yesterday after the battle. I can damn well see them now." She sounded almost in tears.

"Let her through, and myself as well," I said, and he looked at me, his head shaking slightly. "This is Maid Elexus of the Realm, and I'm her brother, Lord Kevin."

He jumped back quickly, paling as he bowed. "Forgive me, Milord and Maid Elexus."

"You're forgiven," Ellie snapped as she marched in. I followed quickly behind.

There were six full beds now. Ellie stopped, and I almost bumped into her. Half of those lying in beds seemed asleep while the other three stared at us.

Ellie moved quickly to the closest, kneeling to be eye-to-eye with him. "How are you?"

The man was forty-ish and spent a moment finding his words while I knelt next to Ellie. I'm sure this wasn't done, so we were breaking precedent again.

"It's a thigh wound, Maid Elexus, but it will heal. Nothing worse than Lord Boian's, I'm sure. He walked miles with one, but they won't let me even stand."

Ellie took his hand, still dirty from the battle, and kissed it. "I'm sure they'll let you walk once they think you're able."

I hoped they'd at least washed the area of the wound. It looked like he was wearing something other than yesterday's clothes, so maybe.

"I saw you shoot those wolf beasts, Maid Elexus. You saved us."

Ellie patted his hand and shook her head. "I only did what all of us should have been doing. Can you shoot?"

"I was taught years ago but hadn't in years."

"They took the bows away and left you with only spears?"

"It took too long to teach us the bow properly, they said. The spear we could learn quickly."

Ellie looked at me. There was a lot of truth to that, though Boian said Lauretti ordered archery training.

"It does take a while, that's for sure," she said. "I started as a child...actually, we both did, and I shot competitively the last few years."

"Competitively, Maid Elexus?"

"Competing against others, shooting at targets. I've hunted deer, but this last week...yesterday...it was...." she dropped her head, and the man nodded sadly.

I reached over to Ellie, then patted the man lightly on his shoulder. "We're adding bow back to everyone's training. You can help train those since you've learned before."

"Milord," he replied. "Since we didn't need them, they shipped most of the bows and arrows back to Baemardis."

I wasn't sure what to say, and he saw it on my face.

"I'll talk to Lord Boian. We'll get them back."

I turned Ellie to the next of the wounded, and we conversed with him and the other one who was awake. My numb mind rolled over the other reasons the bows might have been returned—something else to discuss with the Primor of Suata.