A - Report (Edited)
Kota was focused on the small female beside him, even though he looked out across the vast ocean.
When he had first heard about her, and the part she played in Brandon's injury – he like his brothers had been furious and concerned for their friend. Brandon was a vital part to the Toma family and to see such a strong male gravely injured was indescribable.
Then when Sir Blackbourne had tasked him with finding out more about the part she played in her family's atrocious crimes, he had almost been tempted to refuse. Kota had been disgruntled with the idea of talking to her, and every instinct screamed at him to decline the task.
But as family lead, it was his duty to take tasks that others couldn't.
And with that in mind, he had agreed.
So, imagine his surprise when he found himself in the prisoners' quarters, hearing a female's terrified screams. All concerns about the task ahead flew from his mind as he sprinted towards the noise.
The sight of the small, blonde female rocking on her cot had been the furthest image from his mind. Kota had frozen in shock when he first caught a glimpse of her deeply saddened green eyes. Her eyes were tones of the forest, encircled by rings of copper. It was the kind of earthy green that renews the forest after a cold, cruel winter.
It was the despair and pain hidden within their beautiful depths that called to something inside of him, and he has been a slave to the urge.
But his shock and concern deepened upon the realisation that this was the female Sir Blackbourne had told him about.
How could such a desolate and delicate creature be guilty of the crimes that shackled her to their ships prison?
Kota knew in that moment that something wasn't right, and he would be sure to figure it out before they destroyed something that couldn't be fixed.
But first, he had to get her to trust him, so he could gain the truth from her pouty pink lips. Blushing at the thought, Kota had stepped forward and asked if she was okay. The first word to leave her mouth had once more frozen him to his spot.
Her voice was just as delicate and alluring as the rest of her, even scared and hesitant as it were. Kota had found himself distracted by the way the sun hit the golden strands of her long hair, alighting her with a glow so radiant that his breath had caught.
To draw himself from the embarrassing tightening of his pants, he had recited the words of Sir Blackbourne, before hastily making his departure – sure he had been incorrect in his assumption that this female was the one Sir Blackbourne spoke of.
Knowing Healer Green had visited her, he made his way towards the males quarters, and found him huddled over a pile of parchment, his shaggy hair is disarray as if he had run his hands through the strands too many times.
"Healer Green." He greeted as he stepped inside and took a seat beside the male, who lifted his head as he dropped beside him.
"What's wrong Kota, is everyone okay?" Healer Green looked tired, the dark rings under his eyes standing out against his pale and drawn face.
"Everyone is well, though I am concerned about you. Have you been getting enough rest?" He chuckled dryly as he ran a hand down his face, which deepened Kota's concern for him.
"Rest comes hard nowadays Kota, but I will try and take a short nap later. Now, what has put that worried look in your eyes?" Sighing, Kota dropped his face into his hands, unsure how to broach his feelings of the female locked away in the cells.
Lifting his head, he met the eyes of the Healer who now looked worried as he turned to face him.
"The female in the cell's, the one Sir Blackbourne said had harmed Brandon and participated in the imprisonment of the others – what are your thoughts on her?" Healer Green looked troubled for a moment, before he sighed and leant forward to address his question.
"To be honest Kota, I am unsure what to think. When I visited her, she was not what I had been expecting." Pausing, he ran a hand through his already dishevelled hair, before continuing. "She refused my offer to check her injuries, and I fear she is sick. She is a puzzle I am unable to work out, and I worry that we have made a mistake somewhere."
Hearing his own concerns reflected back at him, only strengthened his belief that something was wrong, and this worried him. Kota had always listened to his gut instincts, and right now it was screaming at him that this female – Sang - was innocent.
After expressing his own thoughts, Kota had decided to seek out Sir Blackbourne before returning to Sang, knowing he needed a clear mind for the task he had been given.
"Kota." He paused on his way out of the door, and turned back to Healer Green, who was watching him with an unsettled expression. "Be gentle with her." Nodding, he turned and took his leave.
On his way to find Sir Blackbourne, he stopped at the kitchen and found Nathan inside, busy working at the fire.
"Nathan, can you take some food down for Sang – she has yet to eat." Nathan turned and looked at him, his face dark and haunted at the mention of the female's name, and Kota paused at his look. "Are you okay Nate?" At his question, Nathan's expression cleared, and he smiled tightly at Kota.
"I'll take something down to her in a moment." Knowing Nathan was dismissing him, unwilling to talk about whatever was bothering him, Kota decided to continue on his way.
Knocking on Sir Blackbourne's door, he waited for the male to call him inside before stepping in and closing the door behind him.
Blackbourne was sitting behind his large desk, face drawn as he scanned the parchment in front of him. Kota took a seat in one of the three leather chairs and waited for Sir Blackbourne to finish his task. Once he had set his quill back in its case, he lifted his head and graced him with a questioning look, his cool grey eyes hidden behind his black spectacles – similar to his own.
"How can I help you Sir Lee?" Leaning back in his chair, he folded his hands in his lap and waited for Kota to gather his thoughts.
"I am concerned Sir, the female down in the cells you tasked me to is not what I had expected. I worry a mistake has been made with her imprisonment." Deciding to go straight to the concern at hand, Kota leaned forward in his chair and waited.
The only sign that Sir Blackbourne had heard him was the small furrow in his dark brows, otherwise his expression remained neutral.
"I see, and what has brought you to that conclusion?"
Kota cleared his throat, knowing he was probably going to sound ridiculous with his next statement, but he owed the female no less if she was indeed – innocent.
"Her eyes Sir, they are haunted and filled with pain, that is not the eyes of someone who takes pleasure in hurting others. My gut tells me something isn't right about all of this, and I think we need to delve deeper to find out the truth." Lifting a hand, he ran it through his hair, frustrating filling him at the thought of someone suffering needlessly.
Her eyes brought forth a pain Kota longed to move past, and a history he wanted nothing more than to forget. He had realised that her pain called to his own, and he recognised a kindred soul when he saw one.
It was a recognition that had saved many lives, including that of their brothers.
Sir Blackbourne sighed and removed his glasses to clean them before putting them back on.
"Okay Sir Lee, although this goes against my better judgement, I very well understand by now to listen to your gut instincts. If you are concerned we have made a mistake, then I will give you the opportunity to investigate further. But first, before you go questioning the free males and putting them through more pain then is necessary, speak with the female and gather what information you can.
"If she indeed expresses her innocence, then I grant you the means to question the others. However," Pausing, Sir Blackbourne leaned forward in his seat, ensuring he had Kota's full attention. "If she does not express innocence or you are given overwhelming evidence that she is guilty, you will withdraw from pursuing this any further. Am I clear?"
"Yes Sir." Nodding, Sir Blackbourne effectively dismissed him, and he left the room feeling somewhat lighter, now he had a clear focus in mind for investigating this female's potential innocence.
Kota started his task with reviewing the notes with the detailed account of what transpired from the time they had approached the house. Time had flown past, reading and re-reading the same parchments, but so far all he had managed was to give himself a headache and find nothing that would aid him in proving Sang's innocence.
Deciding to leave the notes for the moment, he had returned to the cells to take Sang outside.
What had followed, continued to leave a bitter taste in his mouth.
Seeing those shackles and having to remove them, only to find the skin beneath red and sore, had left a sickly feeling in the pit of Kota's stomach. But the worse part had been when he had seen her standing to her full height wearing clothes that barely clung to her petite body.
The more time he had spent with her, the more his resolve hardened that they have made a mistake.
The final nail in the coffin had been her reaction to being outside, and Kota had known without a doubt that his gut feeling was right.
He had decided then and there that she would not be returning to the cells.
He was shocked back into the present when a whispered plea drew his attention. Turning around his eyes widened, and he rushed forward to catch the falling female as she collapsed.
His heart thudded in fear as she lay limp in his arms, her already pale face drawn and sickly looking. He noticed absentmindedly as he lifted her up that her skin was clammy, and her pulse was weak. His fear jumped as he raced from the deck, and towards Healer Green office.
Others stopped and stared as he raced passed them, the female dangling limply from his tight grip. Kota barely spared the others a glance, even as his brothers called out in concern. His only focus was the tiny female in his arms.
As he reached the Healers door, he didn't bother knocking and slammed inside. Healer Green jumped to his feet from his slouch in his chair and took one look at Sang before gesturing to the empty cot in the corner of his office.
"Place her here." Doing as he was told, Kota gently laid Sang on the cot and stepped away as the Healer took his place at her side.
Concern filled Sean as he looked at the deathly female in front of him, and he hesitated for a split moment when he saw the pale tone of her face and the sweat lining her brow. When he had last seen her, he had been concerned she was carrying a sickness – but he had not been prepared for the depth of her illness.
Pushing forward, he carried out some checks, including checking her eyes and temperature. His concern deepened as he realised, she was brewing an infection.
"Kota, I need you to grab my bag from my room and bring it here, quickly." Kota nodded and shot out of the room at the Healer's strict demand.
Sean looked down at the pale female and pushed her matted hair out of her face. Pausing as his hand hit a lump, he leaned down and moved her hair to the side. Frowning when he saw a sizeable lump near the base of her skull, he felt around the lump and was relieved to see the skin hadn't broken, which meant she had another wound on her body that was probably infected.
Knowing it was under her clothes, he hated the idea of cutting the items away and leaving her vulnerable whilst unconscious.
But his duty as a Healer demanded no less to treat his patient.
Kota returned a few minutes later and handed him his bag silently. Sean dug through the bag and pulled out a few tubes of pastes, a bottle of green liquid and a pair of scissors.
Heading to the small basin beside the bed, he started washing his hands.
"Lock the door Kota, so no one barges in whilst we are treating her, and then wash your hands. I need you to focus on her breathing and tell me if anything changes."
"Yes Sir." Kota did as he was asked and moved to post himself near Sang's head.
"None of that Sir rubbish Kota, save that for Owen." Smiling, he picked up a pair of scissors and decided to cut the skirt away first. "Right, Kota – I am going to need to cut away Lady Sang's clothes, because I believe she has an open wound that has become infected and needs treating, so please keep your eyes averted until she is suitably covered.." Kota nodded, and Sean began cutting away at the thin material, making sure to keep her private's covered unless absolutely necessary with the top of the skirt.
For the rest of his life, Sean will never forget the horror he felt at the sight that greeted him when he removed Sang's skirt.
Scars of all shapes and sizes decorated her pale skin like a macabre image, bruises – old and new mottled her thighs, disappearing under her tunic. Nausea bubbled and Sean wanted to be sick as the sight before him burned into his mind – forever to haunt his dreams.
His gasp had obviously drawn Kota's attention, and he heard gagging. He knew Kota had also seen what he had and was throwing up in a waste basket. Swallowing against the urge to copy him, Sean's hands shook as he started cutting away at her top, whilst making sure to keep her breasts covered. Fear gripped his heart in a vice like grip and a deep sadness filled his chest as he saw the scars that littered her stomach and chest, disappearing under the remaining material covering her.
The same image as her legs had been carved into the rest of her body and he wanted to weep at the pain this female must have suffered.
Sean barely heard the scissors hit the floor as he stumbled backwards, the gruesome pattern of her skin threatened to send him to his knees.
He was barely able to grab the waste basket the Kota had dropped to the floor before he too was emptying the contents of his stomach. Groaning at the bitter taste in his mouth, he sat back on his haunches and wiped his mouth.
"Kota, I need you to get Owen and bring him here, do not tell him anything and do not stop to talk to anyone. Go!" Sean didn't wait for Kota to leave the room before climbing to his feet.
Hardening himself, he slipped into Healer mode and searched her body for wounds. He noticed she had half healed lashes on her left side, but they appeared clean – however he still applied a paste to the healing skin just encase.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.
"Oh Sang, I am going to do everything in my power to make sure you never feel another ounce of pain in your life. What you must have suffered." Sean whispered, tears threatening to fall as he looked at the sickly female with barely any fat or muscle on her skeletal frame.
Bracing himself, Sean gently turned Sang onto her side and the urge to throw up returned. Her back was a criss-cross decoration of long, deep scars – most which were raised and jagged, meaning the wounds hadn't been properly treated – if at all.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Sean finally found the infected wounds. Two long lines ran down the bottom of her back, just above her tail bone – they were scabbed and appeared to be in the process of healing, but they were red, sore and the scabs were dark in colour. Sean knew that without treatment, Sang would die from the infection.
Grabbing a pillow, Sean gently laid Sang against it – so he had both hands free to tend to her back. Picking up the paste and a clear solution with a cloth from his bag, he begun the process of cleaning the wounds, which included removing the scabs. He then applied a thick layer of paste and washed his hands again.
Picking up some wraps from his bag, he wrapped her wounds and hoped that now they were clean, she could fight the infection.
Turning Sang back onto her back, he picked up the green fluid and tipped Sang's head back. Pouring some of the remedy into her mouth, he worked the muscles of her throat – forcing her to swallow the concoction.
Only once Sang had been properly covered with wraps so her modesty could be maintained, did he grab a blanket and lay it over her body. Cleaning his supplies and returning them to his bag, he slumped back in his chair.
Sean allowed the tears to pour down his face as he grieved for the poor female who must have suffered an indescribable amount of pain.
No one deserved the torture she must have endured, even the vilest of creatures were treated kinder than she had been.
It was inhumane, and the fact the wounds were only in places that could be easily hidden told him a truth that made him sick.
What have they done?
Sean was beside himself with the thought of what he and his brothers had done to her, and he knew when she awoke, they owed her a lot of grovelling.
He could only hope that one day she forgave them.
As the thought whispered through his mind, the door opened and a desolate Kota walked in, followed closely behind by a concerned Owen.
"What's the meaning of this Sean?" Owen demanded before his eyes landed on the unconscious female lying on the cot.
"Words can't express the truth Owen; this is something you need to see for yourself." Sean climbed to his feet and gestured for Owen to walk towards the cot. When Owen was stood staring down at the young female, Sean took a deep breath before removing the blanket.
Watching his friends face, he saw the shock followed closely by horror, disgust, sorrow and lastly guilt. Sean had known his friend for a long time, and he knew what the male must have been feeling as he saw the scars, wraps and bruises marring the female's flesh.
Owen couldn't believe his eyes as he stared down at the young female who he had demanded be locked away in a cell, because of her crimes.
Not once had the strict, cold leader questioned his judgement before – always believing he had done his best to protect the vulnerable and his family.
Now, Owen questioned every decision he had ever made, and pain squeezed his heart as he struggled to breathe through the guilt and regret that beat at him.
"What have I done?" He whispered, unable to comprehend how he had made such a colossal mistake.
"No Owen, what have we done." Owen cast a look to his left and saw Sean standing beside him, his eyes firmly focused on his best friend as he lay a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Owen felt a presence on his other side and saw Kota staring down at the unconscious female.
"We will fix it." Kota swore, and Owen nodded as he forced him emotions down and locked them away, deep inside.
"Yes, we will." He swore, silently promising the female to atone for his sins towards her.
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A/N:
Three updates in three days. I'm on a roll!
Thanks for all your support and continuous comments votes. I love you all ♥️♥️♥️