Clash of Captains

Chapter 6

Devyn winced as Rhona smeared a pale pink salve across the wound in her side. She had only just awoken a mere quarter of an hour ago, and her friend had immediately been there with their medicine kit in hand. Devyn gritted her teeth to stifle a groan of pain as her wound gave a sharp twinge upon reacting to the medicine.

"Hush, will you? It's going to help it heal quickly. You want to be prepared for battle at all times, don't you?" While Devyn sheepishly settled down, she heard Rhona mutter to another healer about her being insane for constantly throwing herself into the middle of a fight. She opened her mouth to argue before shutting it. Rhona knew her better than anyone; their description of her wasn't wildly incorrect.

Devyn shifted her position on the rough cot beneath her. This was the first time she had gotten seriously injured in battle. And while she was extremely lucky that it had looked worse than it actually was -- Rhona had said the blade had pierced just deep enough to draw blood, and not deep enough to puncture muscle or any vital organs -- she was still embarrassed at being injured in the first place. She had let down her guard; she had gotten distracted. And I won't let myself do that again. I underestimated that girl once, and now I know better than that.

"Hm," Rhona hummed thoughtfully as they wrapped the wound in a slim cloth soaked in a pain-relieving solution and covered it with a thick bandage. The bitter smell of the medicine made Devyn's nostrils tingle unpleasantly.

"What?" Devyn mumbled warily as Rhona trailed off instead of actually saying anything. When they glanced up through their wire-framed spectacles, a bit confused as to what she was asking about, Devyn rolled her eyes. "You made a 'hm' sound. I assumed you'd thought of something, or wanted to say something to me."

They chuckled, a characteristically soft chirping that always made Devyn laugh. As they finished tying the bandage and stepped away, Rhona swept their deep brown hair into a bun, displaying the undercut underneath. "Devs, are you ever going to stop being so paranoid?"

"I- I'm not paranoid," she replied, feeling the sudden need to defend herself. "I just wanted to know what you were thinking about."

"I'm thinking that you must have been acting pretty dumb out there to get yourself such an obvious injury."

Despite her friend's teasing tone, a spindle of dread winded its way down Devyn's spine. Her gaze hardened. "I just wasn't thinking properly, okay? That's not something for a healer like yourself to worry about."

Rhona's forehead wrinkled and a frown spread across their lips. "Ah, right, I didn't mean- I just wanted to-" They took a breath, shut their eyes for a moment, and finally turned their hazel-eyed gaze to Devyn. Their stare was gentle and firm at the same time, and Devyn felt guilty for snapping at them. "I just... I'm your friend, Devyn. I just want to look out for you."

"I know," she breathed with a sigh, collapsing onto her back on the cot. Her injured gave a strange buzz as she fell back, but the pain itself had dissipated. "I appreciate it. It's just that I'm not quite used to being seen as weak. I'm worried it's not a good look on me." She smirked, managing a laugh that was only partly forced.

Rhona shrugged, and their smile popped back onto their face. They set a hand gently on top of Devyn's shoulder as she sat up. "You always look good. But, yeah, you probably look best when you aren't unconscious and gushing blood everywhere." Their laugh was back in an instant and Devyn felt herself relax a bit as she joined in. Her shoulders sank, some of their tension releasing, and she felt as if they were kids again. They had both been a little over twelve years old when the war began five years prior, barely out of their adolescence and still not quite understanding the gravity of the situation they had been forced into.