The Warden | A For Honor Fanfiction

A Final Calm

A Final Calm
I think one of the most confusing things someone can experience in their life is to be both too cold and too hot at the same time. Working to block off the entryways into the fortress helped to provide such a feeling. I still recoiled at every freezing gust that rocked my body, still shivered against the irritating and bitter cold that wracked my face. Yet at the same time, everything under my wool cap was so humid and damp that I could have entered a sauna and seen no change. And that wasn't even mentioning the bizarre mix of chills and heat I was feeling in my chest. Still, the fact that I was able to feel anything at all was enough for me, and actually feeling heat at all was a nice change of pace considering my previous circumstances.

At the very least, nature itself had decided to cut us something of a break, for what that was worth. The dense tree line was completely littered with dead and decaying branches and sticks, half of which seemed frozen solid. Heck, some of the things were larger than my forearm, and came up to my thighs when placed across the path. I'd like to see Blackstone try getting across that with giant rams weighing them down. Then again, I suppose I wasn't exactly the tallest person out there. Still, every little bit counts, right? At least, that's what I told myself as I piled another armful of thick, heavy branches beside my previous five or six.

The rest of the gathered party mostly consisted of knights and rangers, with the Rangers collecting and melting snow while the legion went about moving more and more debris across our surroundings. Chief among them being Berrat and Stone, each directing their respective groups. Berrat commanded the Rangers as though he were completing a puzzle, his hand to his chin as he looked over every piece of the surrounding land. Stone, on the other hand, saw fit to yell at the other members of his legion as though he were a foreman at a lumber mill, one who may or may not have woken up on the wrong side of the bed. To absolutely no one's surprise, the grand elder had decided not to show up, despite none of his other rangers being around. More notable, however, was Liam's absence.

When I left him, he did seem genuinely better. The swelling was completely gone from his stab wound, and the seemingly never ending shivers had finally stopped. Still, even in his sleep he almost looked fragile, so much of him was curled up close to himself, as if trying to preserve or protect himself. Seeing him so vulnerable tore at my heart worse than anything I'd ever seen travelling on the road. So, despite my frustration and embarrassment at the, shall we say, "suggestions" from the other two men last night, I did lie next to him that night. I set down another branch I'd been inspecting as I thought back to that night...

I couldn't stand to see him shivering any more, whimpering so much... Was he having another nightmare? I carefully took his shoulder and shook while calling his name, not hard and not loud,  just enough to hopefully wake him. Sure enough, his eyes slowly opened and he started breathing heavily. He looked around  for a moment like he wasn't sure where he was, and he only seemed to relax when his eyes fell on me. I smiled softly and rubbed his arm as his breathing slowed, relief practically pouring out of him.

"Liam? Are you okay?" I asked, still rubbing his arm gently.

"I am... forgive me. I didn't mean to wake you." He replied. At this point I wondered if his good nature had any limits. The man had a hole in the side of stomach and was just suffering from a nightmare, and he apologized to me? After I was the one who woke him up, no less? He was too good of a man, I thought. He didn't deserve any of this.

I don't know if it was him still shivering, or the idea of him having another nightmare, but I couldn't bear the thought of him going back to sleep, not alone, at least. In the back of my mind, I could hear Berrat's words from only an hour prior. I had to admit, even with Stone's teasing, I didn't hate the idea. It scared the absolute crap out of me, but I didn't hate it. I knew trusted Liam enough not to try anything, so if it would give him peace of mind... maybe...