A Crown Of Blades(ARTK, Book 3)

Chapter 82-83

Jono 12th,3330 A.G

The simplest of tasks, and yet he weren't sure he could do it on his own. Most other males would simply piss out the window or use the chamber pot, but the leg seemed to stare at him from it's spot against the wall.

  It would take time to grow used to- that was what Giselle said. What Ysmen seemed to nod her head to, and it weren't that he didn't trust the two women- it just felt ridiculous to open a window when it were right there. Fastening the straps took some time to do on his own, but after a few curses he were confident in it's security- just not in his own.

  He gripped the side table to stand, his knuckles turning white as he did so- but that weren't the difficult part. The difficult part were convincing himself to take a step, then another- and another. The simple act of walking should never have been taken from him..... but it were.

  So here he were.

  For the time of night, there seemed to be no one awake- save for perhaps a few guards on the queen's floor with their very distinct, loud footsteps. The first common bathing chambers weren't so far; he told himself. Down one hallway, then two more and he'd be there.

  Yet there were a stabbing pain in the stump he tried to ignore, a reminder of how poor his balance were when he nearly face planted over the smallest of pebbles- a hand the only thing stopping him. Then the hand were crying out in pain and Eudo- a man who tried to avoid the action, couldn't help how the tears fell. He managed to drag himself to a wall and sit with his back against it, intent on giving himself a few moments-

  But then she were there: rounding a corner at the far end of the hall with such silence he were surprised he'd noticed at all.

  Briefly, he also thought of how she'd make a good assassin(one didn't need to be so skilled in hand to hand combat, he imagined- if they were quiet enough to sneak up on sleeping individuals)- then pushed that thought away. For she were coming right towards him, nearly stumbling herself.

  He guessed that Ysmen had told her to get a few hours of sleep, and she took that literally.

  "Shouldn't you be asleep?" She tilted her head, and Eudo were almost surprised her eyes didn't close as she did so. His only response were to look her up and down, to which she rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. I've always done this, you know. Gone through phases of sleeping way too much- then not enough. It always works out."

  Eudo raised an eyebrow as if to say he didn't believe that for a moment, then started to struggle to lift himself off the floor.

  "Wherever you're going I can help-" in a moment she were down on the floor with him, her face more visible. Even with the lack of sleep, she'd managed to grow more beautiful- her skin even harder not to stare at( in a good way). Before her he'd met only one woman with the same condition, but it were.... it didn't work quite so well with her facial features.

  Eudo decided that he'd accept her help to stand, otherwise he'd be there half an hour- and gripped her hand hard as the other slid around his back. It were easy enough to say she could help; her arm strength were higher than that of even most working women because of the precision required from her work, it were another to actually do it. Because the heavier things she had to lift while working... they were all inanimate objects.

  Eudo were a living, breathing human who she had to worry about keeping stable- for with the way they were walking, if he went down either her foot or arm would be crushed.

  They did eventually make it to the bathing chamber, and him inside to use it's privy while she awkwardly stood out in the hallway. The return trip were easier, but not by much as he still had to lean on her help quite a bit and her arm were already aching from the last time.