'We need to clean that up, or you'll get an infection,' Ines said.
She had inspected his wounds a million times and each time she had felt more worry crawling up inside her. Most of his injuries were superficial, but the one he had on his abdomen was deeper and she feared for an infection. If they didn't take care of it, it could get ugly.
'Peter, I'm okay,' he tried to convince her. 'It's just a scratch.'
Ines scoffed at his words. His face had lost is colour, while his body gave away the weak state he was in. It didn't look like it was just a scratch.
'Why do you always have to act like a hero?' she sighed, touching his face.
Matthew winced from another excruciating pang, and Ines watched him suffer without knowing what to do. She desperately tried to think of something that would relieve him, but her mind was panicking. Seeing him in so much pain was unbearable; her heart was torn apart every time his face contorted in agony. She had to act, and fast.
'Hey. Hey!' Ines called to the guard. 'We need your help.'
'I'm not buying it,' he said coldly.
'Please. My friend is wounded. We just need alcohol and some bandages. Please. I won't tell anybody.'
The guard's eyes glided to Matthew in skepticism, and Ines hoped he would show some compassion for his sake.
'We are soldiers too. Look. We are bats,' she pointed at her armour.
The man didn't speak. He just silently turned his back at them and walked away. Ines remained staring in dismay at the empty space where the soldier was standing.
'I did everything I could. I'm sorry,' she apologised to Matthew, disappointment written on her face.
'It's okay,' he gave her a weak smile. 'It's not your fault.'
They sat together inside the tiny cell they had been thrown in. The evening sun was coming through the small window from above, its gold beams glowing rainbow hues onto the walls. The army had probably been notified for their arrest and tomorrow they would surely be coming for them.
Ines brought her palm to Matthew's cheek, and his temperature, she realised, had risen alarmingly. He lightly nudged him to wake him up, but in spite of her multiple attempts to rouse him, his eyes wouldn't open. Cold sweat ran down her neck. She didn't want anything to happen to him because of her stupid recklessness; he was too dear to her.
Light footsteps were suddenly heard near their cell, and Ines quickly turned around to see who it was. She was a bit surprised to see the guard who was keeping watch of them just a few minutes earlier approach the prison bars, his hands holding something.
'Take it,' he said and gave her a bandage and a small bottle.
Ines immediately grabbed those two precious items; she was too anxious to control her urgency. 'Thank you,' she told him with a grateful expression.
Although she was self-conscious about what she was about to do, Ines put her shyness aside and removed Matthew's shirt, ignoring her trembling hands. Then, she got to work. With gentle movements she cleaned the wound, careful not to make it worse, and afterwards she wrapped the dressing around his abdomen.
Even if the wound healed nicely, it would leave a scar, one of the many marks he had on his body. Ines smoothed his hair back off his face and sighed sadly. That man and his kind soul had won her heart over. She kept falling in love with him and each time it was harder than the last. Every time her feelings for him got deeper, more complete, and she couldn't fight them anymore.
'Don't desert me, Matthew,' she whispered to him, silent tears rolling down her face, 'I love you.'
The was nothing else she could do but pray for him.
. . . . .
'Hey,' she felt someone nudge her.
She slowly opened her eyes. The bright sunlight filled her vision and she had to let her eyes adjust. She looked around her in a daze. They were in a cell, that much she understood, but she had no idea why they were there.
'What?' she murmured, her voice hoarse.
She glanced at Matthew and saw his tired face, the bandage around his abdomen, and everything came back to her. Her jaw dropped in shock.
'Why are we still here?' she asked him.
'Because we are locked in a cell? And have no way to break out?'
'No, I mean why they haven't taken us already.'
'I don't know,' Matthew shrugged his shoulders.
'Are you alright?' she touched his wound to inspect it closer.
It was better than the day before, any infection it might have resulted was prevented by the antiseptic properties of the alcohol. Although he was far from healed, the worst had passed, and Ines was happy to see that her most basic healing skills had worked.
She smiled in content and silently peered at him through her lashes. Matthew's burning gaze was making her squirm in awkwardness, his weird expression was another mystery she had to solve. He stared at her like she was the answer to all his questions, and it was too intense for her.
As he kept piercing her with his gaze, he took a tiny vial that contained a grey liquid out of his boot. 'Would that help?' he flashed her a devilish smile.
Ines was taken aback by his farsightedness. The soldiers had confiscated his bag, destroying all his elvish belongings afterwards, and she hadn't expected him to have hidden something in his shoe. He always kept her on her toes.
'What does it do?' she eagerly asked him.
'It lets out poisonous gas. It's not lethal, but it can be quite painful.'
'Then, I'd better get the keys.'
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A/N: tHaNk YoU fOr ReAdInG! Help them find their way out by leaving stars. Until the next chapter!
Phrase of chapter: omnis cum in tenebris praesertim vita laboret / life is one long struggle in the dark - Lucretius