Accidentally Falling | Narnia

23 | mending

When they got back to Cair Paravel, Susan tried very hard not to get mad at the healers who were bustling around her in her bedchambers. Sure, she felt really grateful for their care but the way that they were treating her, it was as if she was dying with that gash on her arm.

"Are you feeling alright, My Lady?" one of the healers, a lady who looked around Susan's age, asked her while applying a funny-smelling ointment on her wound.

Susan winced. She wasn't sure if it was because of the sudden jolt of pain up her arm or of the horrible smell. "I'm fine--"

"You don't feel lightheaded, do you, My Lady?" the lady continued, looking straight into Susan's blue eyes.

"No, I don't--"

"Are you hurt someplace else?"

"Really," Susan interrupted, etching a forced yet friendly smile on her face. She was starting to wonder if this was how Edmund and Lucy felt everytime she fussed over them whenever they got hurt. "I'm fine, um--" she trailed off, realizing that she didn't know the healer's name.

"Nella, Milady," the healer supplied with a smile.

"--Nella."

"Maple, a bandage please." Nella called over her shoulder. Immediately, one of the healers who had been putting the used cottons from Susan's bedside table to a little bin came over to them and gave Nella a roll of bandage. She looked like Nella's sister.

"Listen," Susan started. "Do you know where Pe-- King Peter is?"

"I'm afraid not, My Lady," Nella answered, tying the bandage carefully around Susan's arm. "I haven't seen His Majesty ever since you got back to the castle.

For a few heartbeats, Susan forgot about the healers around her while she worried over Peter.

This was the second time that the King of Narnia saved her life and she was starting to hate him for always being there for her and risking his life in the process. Of course, the first time was different. It had been almost a coincidence that they were both in that clearing. But this time, he rode from Cair Paravel to that forest just to come to her rescue.

And she hadn't even the chance to thank him. After they were separated by the swarm of healers when they got back to Cair hours ago, she didn't saw him again. She didn't even know how badly he was hurt. And that cut on his arm--

Stupid, Susan thought miserably. You're so stupid, Susan Pevensie. You should not have gone to that forest. You should have listened.

"King Peter," the third healer, a girl of about Lucy's age, spoke behind Susan, interrupting her train of thoughts. "Is in his bedchambers, My Lady. I saw him disappear inside with Perdian and Asher."

Good. Susan shot the girl a grateful smile. "Thank you."

She had to see him.

She had to see if he was alright.

She just had to.

***

"It's just a small scratch, honestly!" Peter exclaimed in exasperation as Perdian, one of the most skilled healers in Cair and Peter's friend, held up his arm to inspect the gash. "I don't see what's all the fuss is about."

"We have to clean the wound," Perdian replied calmly while dabbing the gash on Peter's arm with an ointment. "You don't want to get the wound infected, do you, Your Majesty?"

Peter grimaced at the number of ointments, cottons, bandages and a lot of other things around him he couldn't name but guessed that they were related to bandaging.

Being a King of Narnia and one who always went to wars, Peter was not a stranger to bruises and wounds. Once, when he and Caspian raided one of the Witch's minions hideouts, he got a terrible slash at his shoulders (no thanks to a Minotaur) that he almost thought he was going to be armless. Luckily, Perdian proved to be a very competent healer and managed to heal the said slash. Ever since then, he was one of Peter's closest friends.

So he knew for a fact that Peter, even though he loves to be healed, hates the healing process. Honestly, why couldn't a wound heal itself minutes after it appears?

"It's not even bothering m-- Ouch!" Peter winced. "That hurts, Perdian."

"I thought it wasn't bothering you, Your Majesty," Perdian answered while bandaging the King's arm, an amused smile fought its way to his lips.

"It wasn't until you-- OW!" Peter cried, leaning away from the red-haired healer who was dabbing the bruise on his face with a wet cloth. "That's a bruise there, Asher! Take it easy!"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," Asher said, trying not to grin in amusement at his King.

"It's alright," Peter replied, wrinkling his nose at the smell of the ointment Perdian was still dutifully applying on his wound. "Just be gentle the next time-- and I told you that hurts, Perdian!"

"I see you got him under control," a voice spoke by the door.

Peter, Perdian, and Asher turned to look who the speaker was and saw Susan leaning at the doorframe, with her arms, the left one wrapped in a bandage, crossed on her chest and a small smirk on her face.

Peter suddenly felt conscious with the very thin white tunic that he was wearing.

"Su-- OW!" he glared at the red-haired healer who winced at his sudden outburst. "Asher."

"Forgive me, Your Majesty,"

Out of the corner of his eye, Peter saw Susan smiling.

When he fixed his gaze on her again, she was staring at a point on his right cheek, a frown slowly making its way on her forehead. He wondered if he had dirt on his face.

Oh, right, Peter realized. My bruise.

"It's alright, Asher," Susan spoke again, making her way to the side of Peter's bed and gently taking the cloth from Asher's hands and placed it in the bowl filled with cold water. Peter could see the red-haired healer blushing when Susan smiled at him. "I'll take care of this. And I'll do the bandaging too, Perdian."

Peter, despite feeling relieved to see Susan up and alright after a few hours of not hearing from her after they got back to Cair, silently wished for Perdian to disagree. And he felt stupid because he didn't even know why.

"Er-- as you wish, Lady Susan," Perdian bowed his head to her direction. He turned to leave, Perdian following behind him. But before they could disappear to the hallway, Perdian turned back to look at the raven-haired Daughter of Eve, a playful smile on his face. "But a word of warning, My Lady. His Majesty hates to be taken care of."

Susan laughed. "Noted, Master Perdian."

Peter rolled his eyes.