Swords of Isadren (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Nineteen: Healing

The next day found Asman sitting on a cot parallel to Niallen.

The man was still unconscious, but at least his wound had been stitched up by Hutch. Asman's own deeper cuts getting the same treatment, but his were not as serious as some others.

Asman had not slept since the other night, but he could not even if he tried. He was worried that if he did so, Niallen would somehow get worse and die while he was not watching him.

Stulvon and Asman were the ones to carry him back to the fort, nearly tripping over the many dead soldiers laying in the clearing. Dahlia followed behind them with Niallen's armor and sword and Asman's own armor and black sword.

Each Guard had come in at least once to see how their leader was faring, and each time, Asman was still sitting next to him and watching to make sure he remained alive.

Hutch had said that it would not take long for Niallen to wake again, and Asman could see why as the man before him began to blink open his eyes.

"-sman?" Niallen muttered brokenly when he caught sight of said man.

Asman inhaled sharply and leaned forward, even though the cot he was sitting on only left enough room for his legs with how close it was to Niallen's.

"Yes. Yeah, I am here." Asman whispered back, hesitantly taking the mans hand in his; it should not have made his heart beat so fast, seeing as they had done it before.

"Is everyone alright?" Niallen asked quietly, fully awake and now looking around. The barrack was empty, since most of the Guard had gone to tend the wounded and care for the horses.

Asman frowned and exhaled shakily.

"Mostly. But... Hamen and Larrel." Asman squeezed lightly at Niallen's hand. "We gave them proper burials. Along with all the other soldiers that died."

Niallen shut his eyes and nodded, squeezing back at Asman's hand.

"What about the injured?" He asked and opened his eyes to look at Asman once more.

"Malon, Saraphina, and Strena were wounded, though they are recovering well. Everyone else has only minor cuts, Hutch and Elsten stitched us up."

"Hamen and Larrel, they had their swords?"

"Yes. I was- I was with Hamen, and Stulvon was with Larrel; they will be with the gods now." Asman absently rubbed his thumb against Niallen's knuckles. "Some of the soldiers were not as lucky, but I was told that the others fixed it."

"Good." Niallen sighed, his eyes moving to train on the ceiling of the barracks.

Asman remained silent and stared at Niallen unabashedly. He had been terrified when the he saw that sword go through Niallen's abdomen. Asman thought he had lost him.

Whether or not the man returned his feelings meant nothing if he was dead. Asman did not know if he could handle Niallen dying after all that had happened. Hamen and Larrel had died because they fought, and even though Asman knew they agreed to do so, it still sat unpleasantly in the back of his mind that none of this would have happened if he let Niallen do what he wanted to do in the first place.

There were fifty soldiers when they first came to the fort, and now there were only twenty. The Guard had lost two loved members and others were badly injured.

Asman had killed likely sixty men himself, more than half of them being those who wanted him to do so. The only thing he had ever killed before being with the Guard was a cow or two.

He had Death Magic that he could control, but what if later on it became harder? The voices had stopped only because he gave in to them; killing the soldiers quieted them, though Asman knew if he did not kill for a longer time they would start again.