Classy, Controlled Chaos - The STEAM Team Adventures

🧊 Open Ocean [4/5] 🧊

King Arthur's POV:

If it weren't for Sir Whitecap somehow managing to save Tia and me in the nick of time, I wouldn't be here anymore.

Almost everyone was in the infirmary, crowded around me and volleying the knight-sorcerer questions.

I could tell he was getting overwhelmed.

"Please don't pressure him any further, everyone." I croaked, the bandages wrapped tightly around my neck preventing me from speaking much. "Let him rest, he's done his job..."

Sir Whitecap gave me an appreciative nod before briskly exiting the room, pushing past Sir Nyx, who was guarding the door.

"Wonder what that's all about." The knight mumbled, watching the cloaked figure put his hood back up.

I shook my head. "He's going something for the good of us and this kingdom, no worries..."

Tia, who was splayed out on her hospital bed beside me, let out a quiet squeak.

What Permafrost made me do was unforgivable.

She used me to hurt my apprentice.

The power in each swing was my own, but the intent was hers.

Luckily, Whitecap said he took care of her and Beluga, so I won't have to worry about it.

Even though he refused to describe how, I went with his plan and didn't want to question him further.

He saved our lives, after all.

"Arthur?" The captain groaned, sluggishly waving her whale tail at me. "Are you feeling sleepy?"

I slowly shook my head, feeling a stab of pain shoot through my neck. "Not really."

"Would you like anything, Your Majesty?" Sir Blizzard offered, walking between our beds. "And you too, Miss Aquaticlaw."

I thought about it for a moment. "May I have the time, please?"

"An hour past moonrise." The knight dipped his head. "Please, Your Highness, rest as much as you need to. I believe you'll need someone to claim your position?"

"Hmm, you're right." I mumbled, closing my eyes. "Tell Sir Nyx he'll be in charge until I heal."

Sir Blizzard gave me a slightly offended look. "Why Sir Nyx? Can't it-"

"Don't question the king's orders." His brother Snowstorm chided, gently elbowing him. "Let's go tell him."

They left, Blizzard fuming for some odd reason and Snowstorm trying to cool him down.

I turned to Tia, who was sitting up in her bed, chatting with Blanco.

"I was really scared that I had lost him," She sighed, rubbing the bandages around her neck. "You know that feeling when you lose a loved one, right? Like, it hurts."

"I can tell you've been spooked, lil' fella." The hefty knight replied, squatting down to meet her at eye level. "Tell ye' what- Ye' n' I stay here n' talk about whaddever ya need to. Mkay?"

I saw her eyes light up in the darkness. "Wait, really? You want to talk to me?"

"Of course, lil' missy." Blanco smiled, reaching up to pat her on the head, but hesitated for a moment before trying to touch her. "May I?"

Tia looked him up and down before dipping her head, giving him a subtle nod. "Yeah... Normally I only let Art- I mean, His Majesty King Arthur pet me on the head. It's a trust thing."

"Well, I'm glad ye' trust me." He mumbled, gently stroking her hair a couple times before pulling his gloved hand away. "Yer' very small, ya know that? Teeny tiny."

I chuckled weakly, "This might be slightly biased, but even though she's smaller than almost everyone else, I think she might be just as strong as you, Blanco."

The captain let out a startled squeak, glancing between me and the knight. "I- Uh- No! I am NOT as strong as Blanco! I am DEFINITELY weaker than him! I-"

Flustered and trying to compose herself, the rest of her words came out as a series of frustrated squeaks, clicks, and whistles.

I knew her mother was an orca, but I didn't know she was bilingual.

"Hey hey, calm down, Pipsqueak." I teased her. "It's fine. I'm just saying big boy Blanco over here might have met his match."

Sir Subzero then came walking over to us, stepping in between the beds. "King Arthur and Miss Aquaticlaw, you are both dismissived from the infirmary."

I blinked at him in surprise. "Pardon me?"

He cut to the chase. "Whitecap managed to bypass your little curse and administered a healing spell that saved you entirely. He somehow managed to get enough life force to connect both you and Tia, so if one of your bodies needs to be healed, the other can use their health to slowly heal you."

"That's quite the mouthful." Tia mumbled, standing up and getting off of her patient's bed. "How do you know this?"

"I have my ways." Sir Whitecap smiled, leaning in from the doorway and holding up a pair of white cloaks.

I recognized Permafrost and Beluga's uniforms. "Are they alive?"

The knight-sorcerer shook his head. "Nope. I stole their life force and sent their souls to rest. Uhh... Was I not supposed to?"

I gave him a pleased grin. "You saved us AND got rid of the enemy. Gold star for you, Whitecap."

He beamed with pride at my compliments. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"C'mon, let's go painting!" Tia squeaked, leaping over and tugging at my arm. "I wanna paint out this traumatic experience so the canvas remembers it for me."

She was surprisingly eager to leave the infirmary, that I could tell.

"Ah, wait." Sir Whitecap interrupted, casting a glance at me. "Your Majesty, I prescribe the two of you with at LEAST a week of rest. No strenuous activities or-"

"OkaythanksWhitecapIgottagonowseeyoulater BYE!" The captain squealed, practically picking me up and dragging me out of my patient bed.

I gave the bewildered sorcerer an apologetic nod before following after Tia, feeling the pain ebb away from the wound in my neck.

She was just as lively before everything went down before this entire war even started.

It was almost as if we had went back in time and saved a fragment of her childhood for her to experience.

I was just lucky to still be alive in this world.