Loyal Servant (Crossmare) (Rewrite)

Worth the Pain

Cross clenched his jaw as the bandage tightened further around his arm. He tried to keep such displays of pain to a minimum, but with this healer that could prove challenging. She knew him well, and for it her honey sweet gentleness had faded over his past hundred trips to the infirmary. He just tried his best to ignore the sting. He wasn't finished with Dust, and this little healer best let him be on his way shortly.

"You could have thrown your weapon and then maybe... Step clear of the swinging sword," Zoie complained, pulling the bandage fast one last time. The soft brown rabbit then snapped the excess fabric clean off with her sharp teeth.

"I wasn't thinking about the sword," He argued, leaning back against the wall while she then moved to tend to his hand. She stepped off to the side with a little hop, taking one of her flat jars off the nearby shelf. She gave him a deadpan stare as she made her way back over.

"No, you weren't. Your attention was solely on Nightmare. I think half the kingdom's got that one jotted down by now," She told him, twisting the jar's lid off to reveal a semi-clear green gel. He winced when she started to apply it to his singed bones. "You should take a break, Cross. Even you need time to recover," She told him, continuing to smear the gel.

The pain agitated him, causing his next sentence to come off a tad bit snappy. "I can't take a break. Especially not after what happened today. Imagine that for a second. I take a break and then there's no one there to protect the king from a literal back stabbing," He pointed out, having to look down on the monster just half his size. Zoie rolled her eyes and placed her hands to her hips. At least she hadn't given him the look.

He knew she could have. She could have used that evil yet evidently adorable little face of hers to force his cooperation. She knew it would work on him. She knew it would work on Nightmare even. That's how you knew it was impossibly powerful. She'd droop her ears, widen her eyes and twitch her pink little nose until she got her way. It was a near one hundred percent success rate, but today she seemed to have the mercy to spare him from its clutch.

"Alright, tough guy," She said, hurrying back over to her ridiculously unorganized shelves. It took a heafy hop up for her to reach a certain bottle. She returned to him, clicking the lid open and handing it over as if that child's safety lock would have stumped him. The faith she had in him technically never wavered. Yet unfortunately that faith meter was always set to zero. So there wasn't exactly much he could do to shake it up. "These should help you with all that nasty pain you're trying your best to hide," She explained.

He hummed, pouring a pair of pills into his palm before hastily tossing them into his mouth. They left a bitter aftertaste but he held off on complaining. He just swallowed them down and stood right up. "Thanks," He offered on his way out the door.

"You better come running right back if any of that pain gets worse!" She called after him.

"I can handle the pain," He objected, raising a hand to wave her off.

Zoie gave a small huff. "Okay but can you handle death by infection? Because that's what you're gonna get if you don't come back!" She warned rather dramatically. Still in the back of his mind he knew he best be cautious. Zoie didn't ever straight up lie, no matter how much she exaggerated something. He didn't respond however, heading off towards his chambers.

He slipped into the hallway leading to his room, but upon reaching out for his door, a sort of foreboding sensation stopped him in his tracks. Nightmare. He glanced up as the candles that lined his chamber's hall snuffed themselves out without so much as a flicker. He heard the slick movements of the king's tendrils before he turned. His eyes adjusted to the dark well enough to see that Nightmare was indeed standing in the doorway a fair distance back, watching him closely. "How is your arm?" He asked plainly.

It sort of took Cross off guard. "It will heal like all wounds do, my lord," He answered.

Nightmare was silent for a few long seconds, his tendrils' movements unusually slow. When he finally spoke, he did so rather quietly. Cross had to strain his hearing in order to capture every soft word. "When you threw away your weapon today..." He began, his eye narrowing. For a moment Cross feared he was in trouble for something, but Nightmare's tone never turned harsh. "You did more than I ever expected you to do," He admitted. He tilted his head slightly. "Tell me... Why?" He asked.

Cross blinked at him. Why? "I couldn't stand back and watch while some lowly Sans stuck a knife in your chest," He told him. He quickly added on "My lord" just to keep things from feeling too far from formal. It was already strange for Nightmare to seek him out in his chambers for a question so seemingly trivial.

Nightmare gave a low hum. "Would you like a break?" He asked, perhaps as some attempt to thank him. If so, he didn't double down on it. Instead he pointed at the numerous layers of bandages that Zoie had used. "Your movements might be slowed. I could always find a replacement to keep me guarded while you rest for a day or two," He told him.

Cross appreciated his attempt, but he gave a shake of his head. "No, I'd rather do it myself. I don't like the idea of a replacement," He said, putting complete emphasis on the word he disliked the most. "I always fulfill my duties," He insisted.

Nightmare flicked a tendril unexpectedly quick. That served as a sure warning sign for his displeasure. "You will take a break," He insisted. Cross furrowed his brow, which he hadn't meant to cast the king's way. He didn't seem to take the stare too personally. "Surely you'll listen when I tell you not to be a blithering fool and instead rest?" He asked.

Cross let out a long breath. "Very well," He gave in. "At the end of the day, I'll always follow your command."

Nightmare eased, and a toothy grin stretched his fangs. He chuckled softly for a moment. "You know, Cross. You really are my only true company in this hellish realm of mine," He admitted. That made Cross's thoughts stumble. Never before had Nightmare said something so openly... Friendly. As if he were trying to bond. It left Cross unsure of what to say, though hel too wished to express his own gratitude. Nightmare gave a playful scoff. "Oh, come now. You just can't be one big wall of seriousness," He said.

Cross gave a faint smile. "You're insane, my lord," He told him. That wasn't a jab. It was a compliment, and Nightmare clearly understood it as such. His tendrils coiled and he nearly bellowed with a proper laugh.

"Rest now," Nightmare insisted before he vanished into the shadows. Cross stood in the silence for a moment, basking in the energy Nightmare had left in his wake. Most would find it uncomfortable, but Cross couldn't help but smile at the familiar presence. Before long the remininets of his energy faded away. When it did, the lights returned.

He walked off, deeper into his own quarters.