Athenian Arrow

Chapter XXXI

Andreas stood outside the tent for a few moments, still trying to comprehend everything his father was planning. He hadn't realized he was staring off into nothingness for quite a while until the other hoplites exited the tent. It seemed as though his father had wrapped up the meeting, Andreas thought. As the soldiers were walking out, one Spartan soldier saw Andreas standing near the tent and tried to catch his attention by waving out to him as he approached the son of the one whom he serves.

The motion of the hoplite waving his hands in the air catches Andreas' line of vision. He signals to the soldier with a nod to show that he sees him. The hoplite then tries to make his way through the other hoplites as they crowded around when exiting. He manages to squeeze through and finally enter Andreas' space. "Andreas," the high-ranking soldier starts. "I see you spend your time with Themis quite often. Do you perhaps know where they are currently? Your father is summoning them."

"I'll go looking for Themis, you go with the others. There are far more important matters you need to take care of. Thank you for letting me know," Andreas says with a smile while patting the man on his shoulder before leaving to go find the doctor.

Andreas tries the medical tent first. If Themis were to be anywhere, they would be there. Andreas hoped Themis was on duty, otherwise, he would try their private tent next. Andreas entered the tent and scanned the area. Wounded soldiers were lying in beds, some bloody, others screaming in pain, and the quiet ones who were just trying to rest so they could heal quicker. There were even healthy soldiers who tried to comfort the wounded whenever they could. One soldier was holding the hand of another who was wounded as he tried comforting the other. That act right there made Andreas wish he could hold Alexi's hand so openly to support his love through the pain and suffering that war causes. 

Suddenly, stark white hair in the distance catches the Spartan's attention. Andreas moves towards the back of the tent calmly but on a mission once he finds who he is looking for. Once he reaches the doctor who runs the whole tent, he gets a closer look at what exactly the doctor is attending to. Themis is attending a hoplite who got slashed near his ribs with a sword and is trying to stop the bleeding by putting pressure on it with a cloth. Both of their hands are currently preoccupied but Andreas decided to speak nonetheless. "My father is summoning you, Themis."

The familiar voice makes Themis raise their head and turn in the direction of where it is coming from. They look behind them to see Andreas standing there with his hands behind his back. They look back down to the hoplites' side to make sure the cloth isn't getting any redder. "As you can see, I am quite busy at the moment. I will grant his command once my people have been taken care of."

Andreas was not going to settle with that answer. He crouched down to whisper in Themis' ear while still having his hands behind his back. "My father will beat you if you do not listen to his command. If he can strike at his one and only child, he can harm the best doctor in all of Sparta as well." Andreas created a few inches of space so Themis could turn to look at him. He looked at Themis in a way that asked if Themis understood.

Themis sighed in defeat knowing Andreas was right. They called to one of the assisting nurses nearby who wasn't preoccupied at the moment. As soon as they called him over, he immediately joined Themis in a hurry to help with whatever Themis needed. His actions showed Andreas his respect for them as well as how Themis has a lot of control under this tent.

"I need you to hold the cloth and apply pressure," Themis started explaining once he joined them. "When it seems as though the bleeding has stopped, collect some cobwebs in the medical kits and apply them to his wound to clog it."

The nurse nodded and placed his hands on the cloth where the wound was so Themis could free their hands. "Very well then, let us go," Themis said to Andreas. The tone of their voice let Andreas know that they were ready.