I wake up as the carriage comes to a halt, and my hand goes to the hilt of my sword. Nobody else seems to be concerned so I relax and take stock of my wound. The pain has faded into a dull throbbing, and only really hurts when the bolt tip grinds against my collarbone.
I notice the sound of several boots on stone. “Increase perimeter patrols,” Marion calls out.
There is a weight on the top of my head that shifts as I start to move. I untangle myself from Maya and move towards the door.
“Wait here,” I say as I open it and step out before closing it quickly behind me.
I take a look at the rooftops that have a vantage on the door of the carriage, and I don't notice anything. There is a minimum of a dozen soldiers around the wagon ready to move and I can see several others moving around as well.
Marion is standing with her back to me as she is giving out more orders. I hear the door open again and I turn as Melodiana steps out quickly followed by Aya and Sarah. They close the door again and step down to surround the front of the carriage.
Marion turns and gives us a quick once over. “Form up,” She calls out, walks over to the carriage she steps past us, and opens up the door as all of the soldiers move into a defensive formation, “This way ladies. The house isn't far, and someone support Lily we don't need her passing out on us now.”
“I-I'll do it,” Maya rapidly responds before I can deny needing help. She quickly moves to my right side and wraps our arms together and presses up against me.
“I am sorry that this happened to you,” Marion apologizes as she takes the Queens hand as she steps down.
“Nnn,” The Queen shakes her head, “I have a few rather unpopular opinions, and it wasn't the first attempt on my life either. And you provided more than enough guards to effectively protect me whilst my guards were resting.”
Morgan steps out while leading Stephanie along. We start moving towards the house and the soldiers around us move as a unit and the tension in the air could be cut with a knife.
We make it inside without any incident and the soldiers around us resume patrolling the building. I don't have anytime to examine the decorations as I spy Kagura quickly walking our direction. “Come along now,” she gently indicates to a room on her left, “I want to get a good look at everybody and to treat your injuries.”
“You should take care of Lily first,” The Queen says in a gentle but firm tone.
“I'm fi-,”
Maya interrupts me by dragging me forward. “W-will she be okay?” she almost pleads while looking to Kagura.
“Where is that argument at hmm?” Shiva actively dares me and I catch Kagura throw me a knowing glance out of the corner of her eye.
“Don't worry,” Kagura says in a reassuring tone, “I know just how stubborn she can be, but I'll take good care of her.”
“She really is a the worst isn't she,” Marion clearly teasing me by over exaggerating, “All work, no play, and she would make a purehearted maiden worry just to get her own way.”
A mass of bodies pushes me towards the room without any will of my own. “And down in the aqueducts she wouldn't even sit still long enough to catch her breath,” Melodiana sighs.
“I am most certainly not that bad,” I deny their accusations as I am shuffled through the door. We step into a small sitting room without windows and there are several seats around a small fireplace. The room is about cut in half by a decorative screen, and there is also a chandelier hanging above the screen casting light around the room.
“You really do seem to dislike being treated,” Kagura sighs as she pushes me over towards the privacy screen, “Everyone else can have a seat and get comfortable. I'll take a look over you all soon and my makata will have some food ready soon.”
The others separate and move towards the fireplace but Maya continues to hold on to my arm. “It's okay honey,” Kagura whispers in her ear, and after a minute Maya nods her head and lets go of me.
I sigh as Kagura leads me around to the other side. There is a long waist high table and a couple of chairs, and a smaller table with several things stacked on it. She steps behind me and I feel her tugging at the top of my clothes.
“Hmm, you are wearing two sets of clothing?” she questions, and she reaches around me and picks up a vial from the table and hands it to me, “and drink this.”
“The second is armor,” I nod and gasp as the cloth tugs lightly on the bolt.
“I'm sorry kata,” she pauses and sighs before stepping around in front of me. She picks up a pair of scissors and quickly cuts my shirt away from the bolt and then down my side before she pulls it off of me.
“Too bad it is a metal shaft,” I laugh dryly, as I open the vial and bring it to my lips. “It's awful,” I sputter as an incredibly bitter liquid flows into my mouth.
“It will hopefully help relieve some of your pain,” She steps around behind me and starts to loosen my armor down my back and after a minute she sighs and walks around to the front of me and starts to loosen the ribbons around my arms.
“This isn't going to be pleasant,” she apologizes as she picks up a knife and cuts the feathers off of the shaft, “And you should sit down.”
I nod my head and she hands me a small wooden rod, “Probably should numb me as much as you can.”
“I will do my best but you will probably still feel it,” Shiva says and the air feels as if it is burning as my body temperature drops.
I sit down in a chair and place the rod loosely between my teeth and nod my head. Kagura reaches around my shoulders pulls my armor apart and after a moment she quickly pulls it forward around my shoulders.
I bite back a scream and I can hear a cracking sound as the shirt slides over and wrenches at the bolt head. My vision blurs and turns white as pain lances through my arm and chest after a moment the pain subsides slightly leaving me panting for breath, and my vision returns.
I can feel a small trickle of blood run down my chest and I look down and the bolt has shifted from its previous position. “Send a maid for some clothes,” Kagura calls out as she examines the wound, “I'm going to have to feel around it.”
I nod my head again and prepare myself. I shut my eyes and a moment later I can feel her fingers gently probe at and around my shoulder. It hurts a bit but it is at a bearable level and after a few passes she pulls away.
“Bit of a burn,” she tells me and a moment later she places what feels like a rag below my wound and presses on it and then pours something over the front of my shoulder. I catch myself hissing as whatever it is runs over the wound causing it to sting and burn.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“Just a bit more,” she says apologetically, “I am going to have to cut it out and then I have to close the wound as well.”
I open my eyes back up and look at her. She has a small knife in her hand that shines in the light, and I can feel my mouth dry up as I bite down on the rod again. “I know it is unpleasant,” she says in a soothing voice, “but you should try to relax your body.”
“You've been cut and nicked plenty of times in the past,” Shiva says but I'm not sure if she is making fun of me or trying to comfort me.
“That doesn't make me like it any more,” I practically whimper as I close my eyes again.
There is a light pressure on my shoulder and I can feel the cold steel press onto my skin. The pressure increases and then moves along towards my arm and a moment later I can feel a burning pain and blood starts to flow down my chest. The pressure moves to the opposite side of the bolt and the process repeats.
There is a clattering sound and then I can feel her hand on me around the bolt and her other hand reaches up and pulls the wound open and there is an incredibly sharp pain-
...
My senses return to me after sometime and I can feel a slight pinch followed by a tugging around the wound, and a pressure on my opposite hand. I blink my eyes as I slowly look around. Kagura is putting some stitches but it doesn't really hurt.
I look to the side and Maya is sitting next to me holding my hand in both of hers. Her face is pale and she is looking down away from my shoulder.
“I hope you don't mind her seeing you half naked,” Kagura teases slightly as she watches me out of the corner of her eye.
“She has seen me fully naked,” I sigh as Kagura picks up a small pair of scissors and cuts the string. Maya perks up slightly at my voice and she squeezes my hand.
“I-I,” She stammers and her voice sounds strained.
“She came running when you screamed,” Kagura explains as she quickly wraps a bandage around my shoulder, neck, and chest, and then laughs, “But then nearly fainted at the sight of your blood.”
“I was worried,” Maya responds weakly without looking up.
“I'm okay,” I mumble as I lean back in the chair and rest my head.
“That doesn't sound very reassuring,” Shiva teases in my ear.
“I really don't feel like putting in the effort at this moment,” I whine.
“Lets get you out of the rest of you armor and into something more comfortable,” Kagura says as she continues to remove my armor. I stand up to let her take it off of my hips, and Kagura giggles tauntingly, “Oh my those are some attractive panties, plus garters and stockings. Did you maybe plan on someone seeing them?”
“Eh?” Maya squeaks, squeezes my hand, and her head quickly raises up with her gaze stopping on my butt.
“My my,” Kagura giggles again, “That certainly got someone's attention.”
“They are just normal ones,” I respond as I flop myself back down in the chair and then hiss as I jolt my shoulder, “and the stockings are part of the armor so they need the garter to stay up.”
“T-they're cute,” Maya stammers while blushing.
“They are covered in blood,” I yawn while rolling my neck and bit my lip as doing that stretches the wound.
“I'm sure she meant before,” Kagura laughs, “But you are right, so lets get them off and get you dressed.”
I nod my head and reach down to undo the buttons. Kagura then quickly unties the laces running up the back of my legs and strips them off me leaving my legs bare. I throw a quick glance and spot my boots nearby underneath the edge of the table.
“Stand back up for a moment and then sit down on the edge of the chair,” Kagura instructs. I do so and she quickly places a towel onto the chair and indicates for me to sit back down.
When I do she reaches down and I hear some water slosh, and she wrings out a rag before she starts to gently rub my legs down. The water is nice and warm on my skin and as she moves along she uses the towel to dry my legs off as well.
“Y-you're washing her?” Maya asks sounding slightly confused.
“Blood stains the scent of people in her line of work,” Kagura nods her head, “The least that I can do is make sure she doesn't go home smelling like fresh blood.”
“I don't mind that much,” I yawn again, “I need to find a new catalyst. Casting Magik is leaving me exhausted.”
“It might worry the little one if you came home covered in blood,” Shiva says and I nod my head in agreement, as she gently moves to washing my chest and abdomen, “And what you need to find is one that won't burn out after a couple of spells.”
“Put these on,” Kagura says while dropping a pile of black and white fabric into the chair behind me before she stands up and stretches, “I'm going to go check on the others.”
She gathers up my discarded armor and walks around to the other side of the room. Maya quickly reaches around me and picks up the clothes and starts to shake them out.
“Why is it a maid uniform?” I sigh.
“This is what was brought,” Maya shrugs slightly, before she turns her head and looks at me out of the corner of her eye with an expectant gaze, “But you should get dressed either way, so that you don't get any colder.”
I look at her through half-lidded eyes but she won't meet my gaze. “It wont hurt,” Shiva giggles, “And it isn't like you can go home as you are.”
I sigh and reach out and start to get dressed.
“This fits too nicely,” I complain as I pick up my boots and give them a once over. After the blood has been washed off of them as well I stand up and Maya quickly steps around in front of me and then to my side to support me.
I don't say anything to her and we walk back around to the others. “Where is Stephanie?” I ask after checking around the room, I notice several of the faces stiffen up at my question.
“She is resting,” Marion sips at her tea, “Her shock finally wore off, and she had a bit of a breakdown.”
“I see,” I nod my head and move towards the empty small couch. I sit down, and fight the urge to lay down and take a nap in front of the fire place.
“I tried to comfort her,” The Queen quietly sighs, “and let her know it wasn't her fault.”
“That she killed someone,” I take a guess and look over at the Queen who nods, “you shouldn't have.”
“I shouldn't have tried to comfort her?” She challenges me, and the rest of the room falls silent.
“No; You shouldn't have told her it was not her fault,” I sigh as I reach down and grab one of the meat rolls that Melodiana likes.
“She was shaking and on the verge of tears,” The queen argues back, “and mumbling about how she had never killed someone before.”
“And let me guess,” I sigh, “You told her that it was just her job, or that she was doing her duty, or something along those lines right?”
“And so what if I did?” She sounds more and more irritated, “I wasn't wrong in my statements.”
“That's what we would tell the new recruits that had too much of a conscience, to make them more effective monsters. 'It is okay since it is your job', or 'it was you or them and you chose to survive', doesn't matter which one or any other variation, it all is the same in the end. You just want them to get over it and get back to their next mission.”
“I-I...,” The queen stammers clearly unsure of what to say.
“Everyone handles killing differently,” I sigh again as I lean back and take another bite, I've really seen far too many firsts, “But if you want them to be mostly normal afterwards you shouldn't try to say that it is anything other than what it is. The end of a life, of hopes and dreams, plans and memories, families and lovers...” I could go on and on about the frailties of life, but there really wouldn't be much point in that.
The room stays silent as my voice trials off and I finish eating.
“I'm sorry,” The queen apologizes and lowers her head, “I was just trying to make her feel better.”
“It isn't your fault,” Marion speaks up and tells her, “It isn't something that we normally speak or even think about in polite society. But don't worry about it too much, we have plenty of people Miss Rainheart can talk with as well as soon as she is ready.”
“What should I have said in this situation?” The queen asks, “I want to be of help to people that need it.”
Several of the gazes in the room fall towards me as if they expect me to say something.
“Probably because they expect more poetic soliloquies,” Shiva whispers to me.
“Don't look towards me,” I shrug after a moment, “I don't know what to say; I am just a socially functional murderer after all.” I shake my head, change my mind, and continue, "No I do know what you should say. Thinking on it and your position, you were correct."
I take a breath and harden my gaze at her, "If you are truly going to change everything that you want... you are going to need soldiers that will be unwavering in following your orders and strike down your enemies." Everyone looks a bit shocked and I slide my boots on, loosely tie them up, and turn to Marion, “Make sure to post patrols around Maya's home.”
“I already have,” Marion nods her head and sips at her tea. I stand up and Maya is a bit slow but she stands up to follow me as well.
I look back and shake my head lightly, “You should go home and spend time with your family. They have probably already heard about the attack and are worried about you.”
She bits her lip as she looks at me and quietly asks, “Will you be okay?”
I nod my head and after a moment she nods hers as well, before she steps in and gently kisses me. “I'll at least walk you until we go separate directions,” she says while stepping beside me and intertwining our fingers.