All The King's Men

All The King's Men-Chapter Twelve

"Put him here." Amelia laid a blanket over the ground in the middle of her tent, and stood back while soldiers laid Lucas body in the center. "Megan, I need clean rags, and lots of water." She opened the bag the Baroness had sent to her, and pulled out a pair of scissors, along with sewing materials. She knelt on the blanket next to Lucas, and laid out the sewing supplies, and the packages of herbs that were also in the bag. 

Megan came in with a bucket of water. She opened a trunk and pulled a stack of clean white cloths out. She sat them next to Amelia and stepped back.

"Thank you, Meg," Amelia glanced up and noticed the maid had turned as white as a sheet. "are you well?" 

Megan swallowed, "There is a lot of blood, your highness." 

Amelia chuckled softly, she forgot that some people did not handle the sight of blood well. "You may go." 

Megan curtsied and rushed from the room. 

Amelia stared down at Lucas' prone body before her. Where do I begin? she wondered. He was covered from head to toe in dirt, most likely from the road. Mud and blood matted his hair. His face was bright red, and Amelia was unsure whether is was just from the sun, or if he had a fever. He had a cut on his forehead, that had bleed down his cheek. The blood was now dried, and smeared. 

Amelia's gaze moved to his chest, which rose and fell with his shallow breathing. Blood had turned the white material of his hauberk red. There was a slice on the upper left shoulder. His hands were also cut up, with several deep cuts on his palms. 

Though his breeches were covered with dirt, and blood, there did not appear to be any cuts on his legs. His feet were bare, and his feet were covered in blood and dust.  

Amelia sniffled, and wiped her nose with a clothe. "Oh, Luke, what happened?" She looked at the supplies next to her, and then back at his closed eyes. "Where do I start?" She looked around the empty tent. "I do not know what to do. I wish Eloise were here. She would know." 

She sat back on her heels, and stared down at him. "What do I do?" She looked towards the tent entrance, there were no healers in the village, she had already inquired. Everyone was sure Lucas was already dead, or dying, and had tried to convince her to let him go. 

She rubbed her hands on her skirt, then picked up a clean clothe and dipped it into the bucket of water. It was cold, and she winced. "MEGAN." She called. 

Megan peeked her head through the tent entrance. "Aye, your highness." 

"I need hot water."

Megan nodded, and disappeared. 

Amelia took a deep breath, and searched her mind for what to do. "I guess I should wash the blood, and remove your clothes, so I can at least see what wounds you have." 

Agnes entered the tent, and sat a bucket of water next to Amelia. "Do you need assistance, your highness?" 

"Does the blood make you sick?" Amelia asked. 

Agnes shook her head, "Nay, I helped my mother many times." 

Amelia's gaze shot to the maids. "Helped your mother care for wounds? I thought the Baroness was the healer in the castle."  

"Father is always burning, or hurting himself in some way, as are my brothers. My mother stitches their wounds all the time." 

Amelia looked down at Lucas, then back at the servant. "I do not know what to do." She whispered, "I know how to do it, but not what to do first." 

Agnes knelt on the other side of Lucas. "I remember, once, when John out of a tree into a bramble bush, Mother said she would fix the easy ones first. That way, those could begin to heal, while she worked on the other ones."