King John took a seat beside Alrid at Evander's bedside. His heavy armor making it a less than graceful activity and it clanked as he sat.
"How are you fairing, my friend?" he gestured to Evander's injury, "How is your head feeling?"
Evander gingerly reached up and his hand found that his head had been wrapped snuggly with bandages. He winced, "I definitely have been better but it's bearable, still hurts like hell though." Evander said softly trying not to strain his head.
"You took quite the hit, father," his son chimed in, "I thought I had lost you there for a while."
"I assure you, you don't have to tell me, I can surely feel it," the three of them chuckled softly. The moment felt like a nice reprieve from the ever-encroaching chaos that surrounded them.
King John spoke again after the laughter died away, "I do not believe this assault was by mere happen chance, this was coordinated. They had targets," it was becoming apparent in his voice that he was starting to worry. "Somehow Varamont knows what we are doing. He is somehow getting information from someone within our walls. There is a traitor in our ranks. As painful as it is for me to admit it. I could not fathom any of my brothers betraying us."
Alrid spoke for his father this time, "Do you have any idea of whom it might be?"
King John leaned back slowly in his chair, his fingers laced together in his lap and thought for a long while before answering. "Sadly, there is one I fear it could be but I would need confirmation before we confront him. And who is to say he is the only one? I fear we may be facing more than him."
King John continued, "But before we explore that avenue of thinking we better get to helping with the damage outside. There are people who need tending to." Evander had now realized that he was not the only injured survivor in the infirmary.
Practically every bed had a body in it. Men, women, and even children were bandaged up from acidic burns and rogue debris. Some were far more injured than others. Evander felt for them.
Doctors were moving with a calm demeanor like they had already dealt with the initial chaos from the assault. Evander luckily seemed to have slept through the entire ordeal.
"What do you need from me, my friend?" Evander asked with a grunt as he swung his legs out from under his blanket and off the edge of the bed.
King John started at Evander to lay back down, "Slow down, my friend, you just had a major head injury. You are not ready to be doing manual labor. I need you to rest."
"Well I can not just sit here while our people need me," Evander retorted with a bit more aggression than he had meant to. Everything that had happened was subconsciously putting him on edge. With a regretful sigh he spoke again, "I'm sorry. I did not mean to...snap."
King John placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gazed into his eyes with not a single hint of anger but an overwhelming understanding, "Think nothing of it, my friend. This war is getting to us all." King John smiled, "I know you wish to help and I can not stop you. But you need to take of yourself first before you can help anyone. Promise me you will give your self a few more hours rest. Then if you are feeling up for it, come and join us."
Evander nodded reluctantly because he knew the king was only looking out for him. And with Evander's stubbornness, someone had to make him see reason. The king was right after all, a stone block to the head is not something to take lightly.
***
After the few hours Evander had promised King John, he was restless and ready to get to work. He swung his legs over the bed again, his head throbbed along with the tempo of his heart. It was not enough to put him back down but it was enough to notice. He hope that exertion would not make the throbbing worse.
He slipped on his boots without too much trouble, Alrid had thoughtfully taken them off for him a day ago. Two days ago? He realized he had no idea how long it had been since the assault. He had to find out.
Evander slowly made his way out of the infirmary on the west end of the castle. It was a fairly sized building close to the keep and far enough away from the castle walls.
He pushed open the infirmary door and dragged his fatigued body into the chilly winter air. He ran his gaze across the pathways and homes, if you could call destroyed buildings homes, and the busy people moving about. They moved bed angrily about the castle grounds, all of their hard work had been for naut.
I have to find King John, he thought to himself. He willed his body to move one leg and then to lift the other but it suddenly became almost impossible to do just that. His vision began to blur and the world spun around him. Shit, was the last thought he had before his face met the cold soil and he was out again.
***
King John turned the corner of a home towards the infirmary to find a very unconscious Evander laying face down just outside the infirmary door. He had not gotten far. The door had not been able to close since his legs were sitting firmly in front of them.
King John quickly ran over to his sleeping friend and knelt beside him. He gently lifted Evander's right arm over his head and held onto Evander's waist with his left arm.
Slowly, he stood, careful not to cause anymore damage to Evander's already taxes brain. "Evan, can you hear me?" King John spoke in almost a shout. He was answered with a labored groan from his friend.
King John placed Evander back into the bed he had been in that morning. He removed Evander's boots and set them under the bed and off to the side. He then leaned over Evander's face to check his bandages and if he had suffered anymore injury.
Relieved that there was no signs of further injury, he redressed Evander's bandages and stood up straight again, towering over him. With a sigh he chuckled, "You are as stubborn as an ox, I tell you."
The king searched around the infirmary for a moment until he found a specific wet nurse. There had been a small handful of them moving about the room from patient to patient.
"Ms. Delilah," he called out to one of them and a short, red-haired lady with a friendly face briskly walked over to her King.
She approached King John, "Yes, my King? How may I be of service?" She clasped her hands together in front of herself. One hand laying over top of the other. Her eyes were gentle and caring as she spoke. Her voice reminded him of a calm ocean in the midst of all the chaos.
"Would you kindly look after Evander? He is as stubborn as a mule, please ensure that he does not leave until I come to see him. I just found him unconscious outside." King John ordered politely but with a tone that portrayed the importance of it.
"Of course, my King. He will be well looked after." Ms. Delilah said with a polite and shallow bow.
"Thank you very much, Ms. Delilah. I and Evander greatly appreciate your care." The king then turned and walked from the infirmary back out to help his people.
Alrid had been shoveling small rubble from the remains of a home into a wheelbarrow when King John approached him, "I just found out Evan laying face down outside the infirmary, out cold. Seems he tried to make it out here on his own and didn't get very far." He shook his head slightly in a humorous way, "That man is something else."
Alrid continued to shovel as he spoke, "He only wants to help things get back to normal."
"I think I can safely speak for all of us when I say, so do I," the king sighed with the thought of how vastly different things were already becoming and the fear of how they would turn out.
By this point, the king had removed hit armor and had only been wearing thick leather and wool. He had dawned his winter cape which was made of very thick wool and the top of it wrapped partially around his front shoulders.
He grabbed one of the shovels that had the head imbedded in the cold earth. He may be the king but he would never make his people do something that he would not do himself. That just was not the way he ran his kingdom.
***
Evander slept for nearly three more days before he awoke again. He found himself laying in the same bed he had been in the first time he woke up. "Oh, I am so happy to finally see you awake!" Ms. Delilah practically yelled at him as she approached. "You have been asleep for so very long and you must be absolutely starving. I will get you something to eat." She came and went so quickly, Evander had no time to respond but she was right. He was starving.
Evander leaned his head back and tried to ignore the painful migraine that had begun forming in the front of his head since he opened his eyes.
Thankfully Ms. Delilah returned a short while later with a small banquet for him. She rolled in a cart with all sorts of food from mutton to freshly cooked eggs. A tall pint of cold well water perched next to it all.
Evander's stomach screamed at him from the mere sight of it. His mouth watered fiercely and he all but forgot of his migraine. His brain would be merciful and he would feast himself into a coma.
Evander are as much of the available food as he could stomach for the better part of an hour. He polished off the water and Ms. Delilah placed another pint beside his bed. "Thank you, Ms. Delilah. You have saved me from myself. I desperately needed that, my head was ready to kill me."
"Speaking of, how is your head, Master Drayton?" she asked, her face one of pure worry.
"Surprisingly I am feeling worlds better," he reached up to where he took the stone block and was reminded of that day, "Just this nasty bump is left now."
"I am glad to hear it. Shall I send for the king?"
"Actually, I think I am well enough to go to him myself," Evander said as he attempted to lift the covers and sit up.
Ms. Delilah moved swiftly to stop him, "I am terribly sorry, Master Drayton, but the king has instructed me to ensure you remained here until he came to see you." Her voice was stern but at the same time she felt odd telling him what to do. He was above her in the hierarchy as it was.
Not feeling up for arguing and knowing she was only relating a message, Evander passively agreed and laid back down. "On second thought, I think I will get some more sleep. I am not quite feeling up for more talk of our crumbling world right now."
"Of course," Ms. Delilah said as she took hold of the now almost barren food cart and brought back to the kitchen.
Evander laid down and shut his eyes once more. Sleep did not take long to claim him and he left the reality of his life for the time being.
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