The Last of Arrows

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"Why'd you do that?" Jako asked as a nurse began patching up his neck. My eyes lazily glanced at him. I sat in chair across from him with my arms folded across my chest.

"Do what?" I asked. Jako winced as the nurse touched his slightly scratched neck. I tried not to roll my eyes. There have been greater wounds than that. He barely had a scratch. The nurse patted his neck gently. "Alright all done. Go home, get washed up." She suggested as she stood up.

I nodded at her. She smiled at the both of us before walking away. "I meant, why did you defend me?" He asked once she was gone. I toyed with my dagger. "I did not defend you. It was my fault for letting you take over my kids." I said.

My fingers trembled as I twirled my dagger. My fault.

Jako shook his head stubbornly. "No it wasn't. We both know it was mine. Yet you chose to defend me." He said. I sighed, annoyed. "Alright. I might have done it for your benefit as well. Happy?" I snapped. Jako leaned back in his chair. His strong hands fiddled with a loose string.

"But why? That's what I'm wondering. We're suppose to hate each other." He said. I looked up at him. "And we do. It's just when I saw you... you looked so... disappointed. And I knew your dad doesn't count on you much. So I said, why not? We're all humans and make mistakes." I told him.

Jako shifted in his chair, not meeting my eyes. "Thank you, Zaila." He said quietly. It was the first time he addressed me by my name. I opened my mouth to answer when a person came rushing in. I looked over and shot out of my chair as I noticed who it was.

Esmeralda was hunched over the arms of a nurse. Her shirt was stained as well as part of her pants. I walked over to where they were taking her. "What happened?" I asked, forgetting about Jako. The nurse placed Esmeralda on the edge of the bed, scurrying to another part of the tent.

Esmeralda hugged her stomach, her hair rustled around. "Esmeralda, what happened?" I asked. She looked up at me. She squirmed on the bed. "Nothing serious," she said in a strained voice. "Just some illness. I think it's something going around." I frowned.

Just as the nurse came back with a bucket, Esmeralda opened her mouth and puked on the bucket. Some blobs of it splattered out. I quickly moved out of the way.

I looked at the nurse expectantly as she set Esmeralda settled down. Esmeralda laid on the bed on her back, with the bucket cradled in her arms. "What's wrong with her?" I asked. The nurse shrugged. "She just came at me puking and hollering." She told me.

I sat at the foot of the small bed. The nurse stood over Esmeralda, taking her temperature and checking her pulse. She frowned in confusion. "Everything is normal. I'm not sure what's wrong..." the nurse said.

The nurse began to rain Esmeralda with questions. My friend nodded and shook her head at the questions. The nurse took the bucket and announced she was going to empty it. She walked off, fighting off a smile. I shot up from the bed and followed her. "You know something you're not telling us." I said.

The nurse looked at me over her shoulder, causing her blonde curls to fall out from her cap. "Mhmm?" She asked innocently. I frowned. "Tell me what's wrong with her." I demanded. The nurse grinned at me sweetly.

"There's nothin' wrong with her, pumpkin." She said. I placed my fists on my hips. "Then what?" I prompted. The nurse blushed.

"She's pregnant."

. . .

Esmeralda stayed the rest of the day in bed, always getting cared for by the nurses. I swallowed hard as I continued to stare at her. Her eyes moved under her eyelids as she slightly shifted. She hadn't puked in hours, which was a good sign.