Knight of Kandor

Kara- Healing

An odd noise reaches my ears. I realize it was a moan escaping my own lips. A face comes into view over me. I try and blink away the blurriness. A more than ecstatic smile appears under glinting eyes. Winn is much closer than comfortable.

"Winn?"

"Kal! You're awake!" His voice pierces into my skull and I wince away.

"Shhhh... Head hurts. What happened?"

"You stopped an assassination attempt but you were stabbed in the process. You lost a lot of blood." A deep voice says behind Winn.

"John." I breathe out as panic fills my chest.

"Relax, John has known for awhile. We pulled you out of Queen-in-waiting's room before she found out." Winn says when he sees my eyes grow wide. I stare down at my hands.

"How? When?"

"I always had my suspicions, but I saw you bathing once on accident."

"Are you going to report me?" I ask, still not looking up at the boy who I had watched become a man. 

"Never. Kal, you taught me better than any man could. I see the goodness in you that is absent in so many others. You are family to me. Mine burned much like yours so you are all I have now." I look at up the man. He towers over me but squats next to Winn. Tears blur my vision again but I swallow them back.

"Thank you, John. You are my family too."

"Hey, third-wheeling over here." Winn chimes in. I laugh.

"You too Winn." I struggle into a sitting position. Pain throbs across my side.

"Lena?" I ask.

"Worried sick in the next room. We kept the truth from her, but barely. She has demanded to see you once an hour for the entire night." Winn says.

"Okay. Give me a heavier tunic. And some water, please. My mouth tastes like dirt." Winn laughs and hands my the water skin. John pulls out a heavy blue tunic from the closet along with an extra blanket. He tosses the tunic to Winn and spreads the blanket over me. Winn helps me pull the tunic over my head. The bandages around my torso are tight and constrict on my chest as I move.

"How did you stop the bleeding?" I ask Winn.

"Comfrey Poultice. Luckily I have been studying that book you gave me." I laugh.

"Yeah, good thing. You're the only doctor I can see." Winn laughs.

"Guess we have our only little team of three then. The inner circle." Winn gets a wistful look. I roll my eyes.

"Should I go get the Queen-in-waiting?" John asks. My open emotion must have weirded him out. He looked uncomfortable. 

"Yes John, please. Winn, drag the chest over here so she can sit." Winn nods and John exists. Winn huffs and puffs as he pushes the heavy chest into position.

"We need to work on your upper body strength." I tease. He collapses hard on top of it.

"Not...Funny. Books... I deal...with books." he pants out. 

I laugh but a knock on the door makes me school my face. Winn takes a deep breath and stands. He crosses to the door and opens it, stepping out of the way with a small bow to his Queen-in-waiting. Worry creases Lena's normally passive face. When she sees me sitting up relief floods over it.

"Kal! You're awake." She rushes to my side. Her hands look like they are unsure what to do so she sits and I grasp her hand. 

I hear the door click shut and look to see that Winn left us alone. I look back into the green eyes that sparkle with unshed tears. I squeeze her hand trying to comfort her. She lets at a bark of a laugh.