Say No To This

@ sun spirit

Aerith was surprised when he sounded concerned about her injuries, and although it seemed he was being genuine, it still wouldn't surprise her if he was just being very convincing. "No.. But it's fine. I don't mind, it never hurts that bad." She said with a little shrug, although she frowned when he mentioned being around people you cared about when you were injured, looking away as he made the comment about not being one of those people. She mumbled something indistinctive, something along the lines of "yeah, sure, right, whatever," clearing her throat a bit awkwardly, obviously trying to think of something to say. After all of the recent attention from the nobility, as well as his avoidance of her, she didn't really know what to say to him anymore, feeling like whatever she could say to him wouldn't end well, and would only make things worse.

Somewhat luckily, she was saved when a young noble rode up along the other side of her, although unluckily it was so he could flirt. "Lady Aerith, I hope the Baron here isn't boring you on such an exciting day. If you're unsatisfied with his company, perhaps I could accompany you?" The young man grinned, glancing over at Nyrel before looking at Aerith.

---

Elwin chuckled a little, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before nodding. "It's alright, I'm glad that you didn't wait. It just makes this time more special." He said as he picked at their lunch, smiling at her before looking around the garden, admiring the beautiful garden and weather. "You picked the perfect day for it, too. Who should we tell first? I don't want to tell the Council first, that's not any good. Maybe Aerith? I feel bad about lying to her all this time.. Especially after everything that she's been through the past week."

@ katahdin

As Aerith admitted she wasn't pretending to feel the pain, Nyrel frowned, the expression only deepening when she dismissed it. He made a mental note to talk to Ceren, probably vaguely since he didn't feel like being questioned, and maybe she would give him something that he could pass along to Aerith. Perhaps it would help ease last week's avoidance.

Unfortunately, their conversation was interrupted then, as a young elf joined them. Nyrel recognized him as the son of the Duke of Briar Glen, a small territory with historically ambitious lords. He and Nyrel were about the same age, as were most sons of lords. And though Nyrel didn't like this one thinking he could just send him packing, he knew better than to act rashly. "I wouldn't call myself boring, but Aerith," he put a little emphasis on her name, hoping the newcomer would note how he was on a first-name basis with her, "If you'd rather mingle with someone else, I'll leave. I'm sure I can find some mingling to do, myself." He gave her a knowing smile, sure that she would translate "mingling" to "kissing ass".

---

Ceren grinned at him. "Good. I wanted this to be special. That's why I asked you to this picnic." It was the truth. She'd picked the gardens because it felt nice outside and the area with the roses because they were blooming this time of year. She reached for a sandwich and started to eat it, looking at him when he asked who they should tell first. The past month had been kept a close secret from everyone except the Council that she was sure that everyone would be surprised when they found out. "Definitely Aerith," she agreed immediately. "We're best friends, and even if we weren't, I wouldn't someone else to know first and she accidentally find out from someone other than us. I just hope she forgives us for hiding everything from her."

@ sun spirit

Aerith looked at the young Duke in surprise, frowning a bit at his offer to ditch Nyrel and join him. While she was upset at Nyrel, she wasn't sure she could stand this other man's company for long, seeming like the kind of guy who only wanted her attention for his own reasons. Not that Nyrel wasn't that way. She was just fonder of him. She looked over at Nyrel when he spoke, relief flashing in her eyes as she gave him a small smile, picking up on the subtle meaning in his comment.

She turned back to the Duke, offering him a polite smile. "I'm quite content, thank you Duke. But you're more than welcome to ride with us if you'd like." She offered, which earned a very polite smile from the Duke, although when Aerith turned her attention away from him he glared daggers at Nyrel, obviously not pleased at how close the two were. "Very well, Lady Aerith.."

---

Elwin nodded in agreement, taking a few bites from his sandwich in between bites of fruit. "I think she'll be upset. She always is about one thing or another. But I think in the end she'll be happy for us, and that's all that matters." He smiled, giving her hand a squeeze. "But I'm sure she'll find a way to make our life hell." He laughed. "I'll inform the Council after we tell Aerith, although we shouldn't wait too long, as they'll just be upset if we try to keep it from them, and Aerith has a hard time keeping secrets once she knows something."

@ katahdin

Unsure of whether she would want him to leave or not, Nyrel was mildly surprised when Aerith denied the young noble's request and instead invited him to join the two of them. While he would've backed off if she'd wanted it though, some of part of him felt more than a bit victorious, especially at the dirty look he was given. Apparently he was in the way of what Fenian wanted. There was one more thing he had to say though--an innocent correction. "It seems Lord Fenian is too humble to tell you himself, Aerith," Nyrel started gently, "But he isn't quite a Duke yet. That's his father's title. There are plenty of nobles who start feeling insulted when you get their titles wrong, so I thought you might like to know, in case you get in a conversation with Duke Deldrach later today." Throughout all of this, Nyrel didn't look at Fenian once.

---

Ceren smiled a bit, imagining the sort of things Aerith might decide to do to get back at her and Elwin for keeping secrets. Especially considering that they were now engaged--something Ceren was trying to completely wrap her mind around. It was just fast and unbelievable, especially with how young she was. It was extremely rare for anyone her age to marry. "We'll have to promise that we'll never keep anything from her again, I'm sure. She might even try to insist we name our first child after her," she joked. "We should probably tell them the same day we tell Aerith, and after that, I'm sure the news will spread around the castle within a day." Ceren took another bite of apple, trying not to think about how nobles were sure to suddenly become interested in her and try to play their games like Nyrel and how she doubted she could just hide from them in the infirmary.

@ sun spirit

Aerith looked over at Nyrel as he corrected her while Fenian continued to glare daggers, looking more and more pissed as he corrected him, the young woman nodding a little as she listened before looking back over at Fenian. "My mistake, Sir. I apologize." She said rather simply before turning back to Nyrel. "So, what have you been up to in the last week? Anything exciting?" She asked curiously, much to Lord Fenian's disappointment.

---

Elwin chuckled a little at the thought, knowing that Ceren was right about Aerith insisting they name a child after her, although he realized that that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. As they talked he ate as much as he could of his lunch, but he soon realized that he had lost his appetite, too happy to be eating. Instead he busied himself with doting her with affection, wrapping his arms around her and pressing kisses to her forehead and cheek as they chatted. "I'm very happy you're going to be my wife. The Council will want to rush the wedding, but I'll make sure you have the perfect wedding."

@ katahdin

The way Aerith hardly gave Fenian the time of day, beyond a short apology for getting his title wrong, and immediately went back to talking to Nyrel was satisfying somehow. It wasn't that he felt particularly badly towards Fenian, though the lordling certainly wasn't his favorite person, but there was something about Aerith preferring his company that pleased him. "Meetings, paperwork, socializing... the usual," he responded, just short of calling it all drudgery. "By the way, I was wondering if you could come by my room sometime soon. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong, but I swear the orchid you gave me is starting to wilt."

---

When Elwin abandoned lunch to pull her into his arms, she gave him a questioning look. "Are you full already?" He hadn't eaten much, but he didn't reach for anything else as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. Then she thought of something. Ceren pulled away to pick up the container of grapes that he'd eaten from, then settled back in his arms and almost shyly held up a grape, offering to feed it to him. "Elwin, it could be the two of us at temple with only Aerith there to witness it, wearing her armor and me in my healer clothes, and I'd still be happy," she assured him as she looked up at him, reaching up to push some hair out of his eyes as her other hand continued to hold the grapes in her lap. Actually, she'd probably enjoy that more than she would a huge, royal wedding, which was what was sure to happen, but she didn't say that; it was about them being together.

@ sun spirit

Aerith scrunched her nose up as she tried to suppress her smile, knowing that he wasn't saying as much as he wanted to. Lord Fenian was just starting to ask her something when Nyrel asked her to stop by his room, looking back at him as her eyes lit up, nodding. "Of course. I'm sure it's fine, maybe just a bit over or under watered, but I'd be happy to take a look at it." Her smile was bright, a big contrast to Lord Fenian's glare, obviously upset that Nyrel kept getting in his way.

---

Elwin beamed, shaking his head a bit. "I'm too happy to eat." He pressed a kiss to her cheek, chuckling a little when she described the very simple wedding, smiling down at her as he pulled her closer. "That doesn't sound that bad, you know... Maybe we could do that first? Before a big fancy royal wedding? Something private, just us... What do you say?" He asked, looking down at her as he took one of the grapes she had offered him.

@ katahdin

Nyrel honestly hadn't meant to cut off Fenian, but was he terribly sorry that he had? Not particularly. Still, since greeting Aerith, Fenian had hardly gotten two words of conversation in, and he hadn't given up yet. It was possible he planned on sticking around until he got the conversation he sought. Even so, Nyrel continued to simply talk to Aerith, smiling with a nod as Aerith agreed to come look at the orchid. "Thank you. I'd feel horrible if I somehow managed to kill it, and I'd rather be told it's fine than let it die. As finnicky as it is, it's frankly amazing that you've managed to keep three alive and thriving."

---

A light blush overtook Ceren's cheeks. Too happy to eat--and she'd been worried that he might've changed his mind. After he took the grape she offered him, she put one in her own mouth as well. When he suggested a private wedding though, she blinked up at him in surprise. She'd only mentioned it to let him know that she'd be happy with any kind of wedding, but he looked serious about it. "Is that--is that what you want?" she asked, and noticing that he'd finished his grape, offered another. He'd said he didn't want to eat anymore, but she was mothering on the best of days, and he needed to eat--though she doubted that he noticed what she was doing.

@ sun spirit

Aerith smiled a little, blushing a bit at his compliment, much to Fenian's infatuation. Not only was this nobody Baron keeping him from talking to Aerith, they were obviously close, and what's more was that Aerith was obviously infatuated with him Before Aerith could say anything Fenian loudly cleared his throat, gaining her attention. "Baron, was the rumor I heard about you and the Duchess of Debella true? I heard that you both hit it off quite well, I even heard her brother the Duke was quite upset when he heard that you spent the evening with her." Even if the rumor wasn't true, he hoped that it would ruin Nyrel in Aerith's eyes, not that he himself was more honorable. Aerith frowned a bit as she listened to Fenian speak, glancing over at Nyrel for a moment before looking ahead, attempting to push the nervous feeling in her gut down and instead focus on the hunt ahead of them.

---

"Of course I'm serious, Ceren. But it's not just about what I want. This marriage isn't just my decision. Of course, it was my decision to ask you to marry me, but this marriage is the two of us, it's both of us. It's not just about what I want, you have as much of a say in this as I do." He reassured her, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her lips. "No matter what anyone else wants, the Council, your brother, Aerith, if neither of us want to do it, we don't have to. I assure you."

@ katahdin

The question was so obviously meant to sabotage him and ruin his image in Aerith's eyes that Nyrel's first instinct was to roll his eyes. As it was, it was an instinct he barely contained as he regarded Fenian coolly. "I'm afraid the Duchess constructed that rumor herself. She pursued me, and when I refused her, she and her brother conspired together to tarnish my reputation with that rumor." His eyes moved to Aerith, who had her gaze fixed determinedly ahead of her. "Aerith, I'm sure you remember her. She was at the ball a month ago and rudely interrupted our conversation." She'd called Aerith a freak, and from what he heard, she'd had burns on the back of her legs from the firecrackers Aerith set off later that night.

---

Ceren ducked her head sheepishly. "I just... don't want you to do something just because I'd like it better," she admitted. "I have to get used to being in the castle again, being around the nobility and not just around other healers. I know we're going to be watched and judged and others are going to try to interfere, and it can't just be the two of us." She finally looked up at him with a little smile. "Marrying you means making changes, and I can accept that. Even if it means I can't sleep in the infirmary anymore and have to find someone else to stay there overnight instead." The last was said lightly.

@ sun spirit

A million thoughts were running through Aerith's head as she thought about Fenian's words, upset at the thought of him with someone else, even though he wasn't hers, and never would be. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she was barely listening to what Nyrel was saying, and certainly didn't notice the dirty looks Fenian and he were giving each other. When Nyrel said her name she snapped out of it, turning to look at him as he asked if she remembered the Duchess, shoulders relaxing a bit as she realized that the rumor wasn't true, smiling a little as she remembered setting the firecrackers on her. "Oh... Yes, I do think I remember her.." She murmured, her attention being drawn away from their little fussing as she noticed the nobles ahead beginning to get into a commotion, someone obviously having spotted something to hunt, and they were all attempting to determine what the next mood would be.

---

Elwin smiled a bit as he listened to her, nodding a little. "Alright. That's fair, I suppose. But you shouldn't give up your entire life for me, and I shouldn't expect you to change everything. If you still want to sleep in the infirmary sometimes, that's more than fine with me, as long as you wouldn't mind me there with you." He smiled sheepishly, giving her hands a squeeze. "I want it to be just the two of us as much as possible, though. What everyone else doesn't matter in the end, it's our marriage. I'd give up the thrown for you, Ceren."

@ katahdin

It didn't escape Nyrel's notice that Aerith visibly relaxed after he pointed out who the duchess was to her, and he was glad that the memory had the desired effect. Part of him worried that maybe it would be a bad memory, with how rude she'd been, but by the faint smile Aerith carried, he knew he'd defused the rumor. At least in her eyes. He wouldn't put it past Fenian to be so heavy-handed as to bring up every nasty rumor ever circulated about him though, a handful of which were actually true. If that was this case, this was sure to be a long day. Thankfully, the conversation was cut short as some of the men in the front started to make a commotion, and an idea occurred to him at the same moment. Aerith would never act like him or Fenian, so maybe she could be helped in a different way... He leaned in towards her. "You know, there's a hunt this time every year, but half of the men here are completely hopeless at it. With the noise they're making now, I'm sure they'll end up scaring off anything within miles. We could probably use your expertise, if we want to catch anything today," he murmured to her, too quietly for Fenian on her other side to hear.

---

Ceren laughed softly, trying to imagine Elwin sleeping in a cot with her, and smiled at him. "El, the beds are all made for one person, there's only one in my office, and I promise it's not as comfortable as you're used to. I'm not sure you'd want to be there with me." She wrapped her arms around his torso and rested her head against his chest. "And I'm not giving up my life. I'm still a healer, and I'll still probably spend an infuriating amount of time in the infirmary. There's just... other things I'll have to do too." He startled her when he mentioned giving up the throne though, and she picked her head up to give him a wide-eyed stare. "Don't ever think about it," she told him sternly, after a moment of shock. "I can handle anything your being King means for us. The kingdom needs you."

@ sun spirit

Aerith had already begun to take note of everything she thought important; where in the forest were they, could she see any tracks, could she hear anything that could give her a clue as to what might animal might be around for them to hunt. She blinked in surprise when Nyrel leaned toward her, turning to look at him with a little frown as she listened to his suggestion, the gears visibly turning in her head as she tried to decide what to do. "I don't want to seem bossy, though.. They like to be in charge, and I don't think they'd like it if I started telling them what to do.." She murmured softly as she looked at the nobles ahead of them before looking back at Nyrel with a little smile. "It's a little funny to watch them make fools of themselves, anyway.." She giggled to herself

---

Elwin chuckled a little as she explained the sleeping situation in the infirmary, shrugging a little. "I'm sure a cot can be brought in. And comfort doesn't matter to me, I'd sleep on the floor if I had to." He smiled down at her as she wrapped her arms around his torso, running his fingers through her hair. "You'll be a Queen too. And I think you'll excel at both." He leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her lips, frowning when she told him rather sternly to not give up the throne, shaking his head a little. "I don't plan on it currently.. But if I were ever in a situation where I had to choose between you and the crown, I would choose you. Every time." He murmured softly, pressing another kiss to her lips as he tugged her closer.

@ katahdin

Nyrel had to admit she had a point; they wouldn’t take kindly to her if she marched up front and tried to tell them what to do. Individually talking to each of them to give them pointers might not either, really. He thought he had an idea for that though, even if it was briefly put off as she admitted to finding it funny to watch them struggle. “Maybe just a bit,” he smiled at her. Then, “What if I take your lead? Fenian over there seems determined to stay glued to your side, so he’ll probably join us, and between wanting to talk to you and seeing how well we’re doing, I’m sure plenty of the others will want your advice in no time.” He raised an eyebrow as he finished, making it a question.

---

Ceren shook her head at him with a smile. “I’m not letting you sleep on the floor.” If she ever needed to stay in the infirmary overnight and he insisted on being there too, they’d make it work. Warmth flooded her heart when he said that she would be a good queen, and in answer, she sat up, pressing a kiss to his lips. “Thank you for believing in me.” She didn’t think he realized how much it meant to her that he did and was always supportive of whatever she did. “And I’d choose you, even if you were a baker or a stableboy,” she responded softly. “Because I love you for you, not your title.” Their food had been completely forgotten by this point, the grapes having tumbled unnoticed onto the blanket, and they sat so close, Ceren was nearly in Elwin’s lap as they talked and kissed in turns. If anyone happened upon them, there would be no pretense of a picnic between friends.

@ sun spirit

Aerith hummed a little in thought as she listened to his suggestion, glancing over at Fenian briefly when Nyrel mentioned him before turning back to him. "I bet he would try to stick his head up a boars ass if I told him to.." She tried to hide her smile at the thought, knowing that she shouldn't be making fun of the nobility, but couldn't help it. "But that doesn't sound like a bad idea. We're close to that place where I almost got that boar a few months ago.. Maybe I'll have a second chance at getting it." She said, looking over at Fenian momentarily before urging her horse away from him and around the large group of nobles who had stopped to fuss over something or another, heading in the direction where she suspected she might find a boar or two.

---

Elwin smiled down at her, happily returning her kisses and keeping her pulled close, enjoying her company and conversation after a very long week. However, as it got later into the afternoon he sighed reluctantly, looking down at her. "I suppose we should be getting back.. I'm sure the infirmary is in ruins without you." He said teasingly, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek before helping her to clean up their picnic, knowing he had to get back to his paperwork too, even if he didn't want to.

@ katahdin

Nyrel wouldn’t argue with her if Aerith wanted to pick on Fenian a bit, especially not after he’d fed her rumors to upset her and ruin her image of him. In fact, he’d enjoy seeing Fenian’s nose getting tweaked a bit, and so he said nothing in response to her suggestion, though he smiled, well-aware that the lordling lurked nearby and would love to know what they were talking about. “You’d certainly impress everyone here if you did,” he told her, but she seemed to already have made up her mind because she steered her horse around the milling group as they discussed the next step to take. Nyrel followed her, per the plan, asking, “What can I do to help?” And as they drifted farther from the others, Fenian joined as well, apparently determined not to miss his opportunity.

---

Everything was so peaceful that Ceren was sad to get up, unsure when they’d have time to do something like this again, but Elwin’s teasing made her chuckle. “Absolutely,” she agreed with a smile as they stood, “and the Council is completely listless without you there to tell them what to do.” Together they put away the remnants of their lunch, more leftover than there should’ve been, and folded the blanket and put it all back in the basket she’d brought. “I know we just had lunch,” she started as she looked up at him, “but tonight’s my night off if you aren’t busy. By which I mean I was accused of working too hard this past week and since Aerith is out of the infirmary, I’ve been kicked out tonight and told to relax.” She smiled as she told him this. Since her rocky start at the castle months ago, she’d started building a rapport with the healers, and though she was deferred to as the boss in medical matters, almost everyone was old enough to be her parent, if not her grandparent, and occasionally they stepped in on behalf of her health. If she didn’t willingly leave after dinner, she knew from experience that they would call Aerith to come retrieve her.

@ sun spirit

Aerith led Nyrel and Fenian away from the main group, stopping after a while and hopping off her horse to check some tracks she had come across before looking back at them. "The horses will only scare them off, we have to continue on foot." She instructed, grabbing her bow and arrows from her horse before setting off further into the woods, carefully following the tracks left behind by the boar she was after. Fenian of course was more than willing to follow, wanting to prove himself to Aerith, although he was rather incompetent and loud as he trudged along through the bushes behind Aerith.

After a short time she came to a stop behind some bushes, crouching down behind them while she peered through the branches, frowning a little in thought. On the other side in a small clearing there was a rather large boar grazing, and before she could say anything, Fenian, wanting to impress Aerith and show how good of a shot he was, stood and proceeded to shoot at the boar, although in reality Fenian was a terrible shot, and only succeeded in pissing off the animal, which proceeded to charge toward the bush, and the small group of hunters. Aerith had turned to cuss out Fenian for being an idiot, but once he saw the boar charging he turned and ran, leaving Aerith the one to suffer the boar's attack.

By the time the boar ran off when the other nobles had rode over because of the commotion and Fenian's screams, Aerith was curled up on the ground, clutching her ribs and stomach, where the boar had gored her a few times before trampling her a bit. She attempted to sit up as the nobles came over to check on her, but collapsed back onto the ground with a weak groan. So much for her staying out of the infirmary.

---

Elwin happily helped her clean up the picnic, standing and offering her a hand to help her up, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek as he smiled down at her at her offer to see each other later. "Of course. Maybe we could have dinner with Aerith, and tell her about the marriage. I'm sure that she'll feel better about us lying to her if we feed her her favorite foods, especially those honey tarts she loves." He grinned a little, leaning down to press a loving kiss to her lips. "But after dinner, we could do whatever you'd like. Just us." He smiled, excited to finish his work quickly so that he could have the evening off with her, having wanted to spend more time with her than he had recently.

@ katahdin

Nyrel wasn't very good at hunting. It wasn't something his father had ever done with him or even something that he'd found fun the few times he'd been with others. He did have common sense though and knew how to listen to others, and so even he knew that stomping through the forest was a bad idea. He didn't have the sort of experience it took to be completely silent and know just where to place his steps, but he was lightfooted and careful enough not to make a ton of noise as he followed Aerith and Fenian. He stayed back, following her lead, and crouched when she did, careful not to get into the space of either of his companions lest he accidentally get stuck with an arrow or elbowed. Before he could ask Aerith what she wanted them to do, however, Fenian stood and shot at the boar.

Everything happened so quickly. Aerith had turned to berate Fenian, who ran, and Nyrel's warning and lunge to get her out of the way came too slow. The boar had already driven its tusks into her. Seeing that happen, it felt almost as if his blood froze, and as the boar turned to attack her again, it hit an invisible wall. Ceren wasn't the only gifted member of the Stonewater family, though her magic was much stronger. While she'd developed a gift for healing, however, he'd inherited his father's air magic, which he used now to prevent the boar from attacking Aerith again and to suck the air from its lungs. He was trembling, struggling to keep the wall up and prevent air from reaching the boar at the same, when it finally collapsed, and he was able to release his magic.

Nyrel dropped to the ground beside Aerith moments before the others came to help, the boar now lying lifeless yards away without an injury to explain its death. He took off his shirt and tied it around her waist, over as much of the wound as he could cover, and barked at someone to bring him his horse. She needed to see a healer now. Someone offered to help, and after Nyrel got into the saddle, a couple of the nobles hoisted up Aerith, and together they positioned her on the horse in front of him. Then he took off towards the castle, and upon entering the stables, called for guards to help him get Aerith to the infirmary.

---

As Elwin agreed to her offer, Ceren grinned, unable to disguise her happiness that he would have time tonight, and nodded eagerly to his suggestion of dinner and then some time alone. "That sounds perfect," she said, pushing up on her tip-toes to give him a kiss. "I'll see you tonight," she added, giving his hand one last squeeze, before they went their separate ways, him back to paperwork and her back to the infirmary.

It was a quiet afternoon, and Ceren practically glowed with happiness as she moved around, helping attend to the little things that needed doing and helping the two patients that came in. However, that peace ended as a couple of guards carried in a pale Aerith, groaning in pain and dripping blood from a wound in her stomach. Even more shocking was the blond elf that followed, eyes blazing, blood on his hands and smeared across his bare torso.

Ceren's bubbly mood popped in an instant. She didn't ask what happened, just asked someone to get Elwin, someone to check on Nyrel though he didn't appear harmed, and went to Aerith's side herself, and removed the blood-soaked shirt tied around her friend's stomach. Having lost so much blood recently from a previous attack, Aerith wasn't recovered nearly enough to take a wound like this, and as soon as Ceren's touched her, she sent her healing magic in. There were bruises, cracked ribs, internal bleeding, and punctured organs, but the most dangerous thing was the blood loss because of what Aerith had lost just a week ago.

The first thing Ceren did was repair the punctures and skin to stop the blood loss, a draining enough procedure all on its own. She kept pushing though, repairing the damaged organs and broken ribs. By the time she'd magically glued the last piece of bone back to where it needed to be, she was dizzy. Aside from bruises, she'd fixed everything in Aerith for fear that anything less could result in something going wrong. The reason healers used a mixture of magic and herbs was largely because they didn't have enough magic to completely fix every little wound. Anyone else in the room might've been able to patch up Aerith's organs and fix the worst of the bleeding, but her ribs would've had to have been bound, and she'd still have a gaping wound that would need a poultice and bandages. The fact that Ceren had done everything was nothing short of extraordinary, although only Taliesin's guiding hand on her shoulder, lowering her into a chair, kept her from stumbling when she did finally step away from Aerith.

@ sun spirit

Aerith groaned and winced as Nyrel rolled her over and tied his shirt around her wound, looking up at him with hazy eyes as he leaned over her, calling for help. She felt incredibly dizzy and lightheaded from the blood loss, and in her daze couldn't help but smile weakly up at him, weakly raising her hand to rest against his chest, as if she were trying to reassure him that she'd be alright, before her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness, her hand dropping to the ground next to her, leaving a bloody and smeared print on his chest.

She groaned and whimpered as she was brought back to the castle and carried to the infirmary, barely conscious as she was placed under Ceren's care. Although, as she was healed the pained look on her face slowly disappeared, but she remained quiet pale from the blood loss.

Elwin left his paperwork as soon as he heard what had happened to Aerith, rushing to the infirmary and arriving shortly after Ceren finished healing her, frowning worriedly as he saw the state of his friend, as well as how drained his fiancee looked.

"Ceren. Is she alright? Will she be alright? What happened?" He asked worriedly as he walked over to her, giving Aerith's hand a gentle squeeze before turning back to Ceren, although he frowned when he noticed Nyrel there as well, covered in blood and looking rather disheveled. "Lord Nyrel? What are you doing here? Were you injured as well?"

@ katahdin

The intense look in Nyrel's eyes didn't let up until Aerith was healed, and although she was still pale, she looked noticeably better. Before he could get close to her though, having been standing back as his sister healed her, Elwin arrived and was at her side. Still, Nyrel couldn't bring himself to leave, wanting to stay right there until she woke up and could tell him herself that she was okay and didn't need him hovering. His reaction over this... there was no doubt in his mind that he cared about her, more than just a passing fancy, and he wanted her in his life.

When the king asked after him, he found both Elwin and Ceren looking at him, his sister now looking a little pale herself. "I'm not hurt. It's Aerith's blood on me. She and I were both out on the annual hunt, and she decided she wanted a second shot at a boar she'd attempted to kill already. I was with her, as was lord Fenian, who angered the boar by shooting at it and missing by ten feet. He, of course, ran, while Aerith was cursing him, and before I could do anything, the boar had attacked her. It won't be a problem anymore though, because I killed it."

Despite Nyrel having calmed down, Ceren could still see something intense in his eyes that worried her, though the way he'd saved Aerith made her want to hug him. She stayed in her seat though, her head still feeling a little fuzzy, and nodded instead. "Thank you for bringing her back so quickly. Wrapping your shirt around her stomach and getting her here so quickly saved her life," she said, then looked to Elwin. "She's fine now. She's going to be tired for a few weeks from the blood loss, but I'll make her something to help her regenerate it faster. I'm keeping her here for a few days, through the worst of it, but aside from some bruises, everything else is healed."

Nyrel was frowning at her. "You don't look okay now though. Didn't you treat her boar wound last time?"

It was Taliesin, who brought Ceren a cup of tea, who replied. "That was in Lady Aerith's thigh, and Ceren didn't heal it completely. She fixed the worst of it and the broken wrist Lady Aerith came in with as well. She used herbs so the rest could mend itself naturally. Lady Aerith only left the infirmary after an extended stay this morning though, after losing a lot of blood, so it couldn't be allowed to bleed anymore. No one else in this castle could've completely healed injuries that extensive. It takes too much energy. It'll be a couple of days before she can heal anyone else."

Ceren flushed as she took a sip of her tea, but she didn't argue beyond a quiet, "I'll be fine tomorrow," that earned her a stern look from the older elf.