Kapitel 26: Why am I the one to suffer like this?
"So, are we staying here for the night?" Xion asked, his gaze flicking between the about-to-set orange sun and the bustling servants unpacking supplies and preparing tents.
It was not like the modern times, where fast-moving vehicles could whisk them away to the nearest five-star hotel with air conditioning and fluffy pillows.
Ah, I miss those. Bed and bathroom...
Instead, they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees, critters, and whatever creepy-crawly monsters the forest might house.
Ray shot him a sharp look. The knight was clearly annoyed by his casual tone. "We'll stay as long as His Grace requires." Then, without waiting for his reply, the knight went away with a log of wood on his shoulders.
Xion huffed lightly as he brushed a stray leaf off his robe. 'As long as His Grace requires' sounds like code for 'get comfortable, we're going nowhere fast.'
Well, it was not like Xion had something important waiting up for him. He only needed to go to the bustling area, treat a large number of patients, and then buy a few books so he could deal with the Moon affliction.
After that, he needed to look for a peaceful place where he could live his life happily. Yup, totally nothing important.
Darius' green eyes lingered on Xion for a moment. "You will sleep in by my side."
A hush fell over the group until Ray screamed. The knight had accidentally dropped the log on his feet.
Xion blinked. "Uh, thanks, but I don't think that's necessary-"
"You are my healer," Darius interrupted, his eyes narrowing slightly. "How are you going to treat me if you are not even close by?"
Xion, "..." I suddenly miss my phone.
He was the type of person who enjoyed his private place, nonetheless, beggars can't be choosers.
"Got it. Thanks," Xion sighed helplessly. However, there was one good thing about this outcome.
The first rule for treating patients was conversation. Then came trust.
It was a thing he had picked up from his old mentor, Doctor Minato, who believed in the power of empathy. Xion had perfected the art of light-hearted chatter to put his patients at ease.
However, that came with a price. While he avoided unnecessary conversations with strangers, he had a tendency to speak without much filter when his safety was not directly threatened.
Just like right now.
"If eyes could kill, I would be six feet under the ground..." He muttered while slowly shifting behind the tent.
The night had fallen, and His Grace had long since gone into his temporary resting chambers.
It was the perfect opportunity to teach a certain disrespectful brat a proper lesson on etiquette.
With a sharp silver sword in his hand whose glare forced Xion to squint his eyes, Ray cornered the healer.
"Are you out of your bloody mind!" Ray hissed in anger. "How dare you treat his grace like some civilian? And what do you even mean sleeping in the same tent as him?"
As Ray glared, Xion couldn't help but think, Don't panic. Don't get killed.
A sword came near his chest, and Xion flinched. Sadly, his back was already touching the thick cloth. One more step, and he might be sleeping under the heap of falling tent.
"I swear, I did not say that," Xion said hesitatingly. "It was Rael-"
"How dare you call his grace by his name?! That sin is punishable by death!"
Xion gulped as the sharp edge touched his throat knot. The knight in shining armour sure was 'shining' with the aura of death.
"Hold on, dude! It wasn't me, really." Xion was a hair breath away from getting his head rolling on the ground when his savior appeared in the form of a bald Dumbledore.
"Sir Knight Captain. His Grace is calling for yah." The old man's call never felt this melodic to Xion.
Ray glared at the grey hood hiding the pretty face underneath, "If you harm his grace even a bit. I will personally chop your limbs and feed them to the Orcs."
"G-Got it," Xion wanted to raise his thumb as a signal, but thinking about the sword in Ray's hands, he did not dare to move an inch.
Slowly, almost painfully, Ray turned away. Xion slumped on the ground, his knees folded closer to his rising and falling chest.
"Are you alright, young lad- young master?" Berry sat beside the healer, patting the trembling back with gentle hands.
"Yeah, thanks."
First was Darius' offer to share a tent, and then there was Ray's sword on his neck. Xion had been saying thanks a lot today, and he did not like any of these situations!
"Sir Knight Captain is a good person. He is just worried about His Grace, you see. And he tends to get awfully strict when it includes our master."
Xion hummed lightly. He could understand that much. From Ray's perspective, the healer who suddenly gained a bit of attention from his master could not be trusted at all.
If he had any bad intentions, poor Rael might have suffered long ago. So, it was a good thing for Ray to be this attentive. But...
Why am I the one to suffer like this?!
Xion had the urge to bite something or someone. Refraining from his stupid urges, he tilted his head toward his first patient.
"How are you, old man?"
"Name is Berry. I am perfect thanks to yah." Berry grinned, showing his pearly teeth on a neat display.
However, Xion's gaze fell on the bald head gleaming under the fire crackling nearby.
I want to... smack it. No! Bad Xion!
He hastily shook his head to get rid of his bad thoughts, "So, tell me more about you guys. I barely know Your Master and Ray. Well... Other than their knack to stress me out."
Berry laughed and settled comfortably beside Xion, "Well, our group of thirty is just one part of the Archduke's full entourage. His Grace's prestige means we need plenty of people. Servants, advisors, knights, and yes, healers like you."
Xion's brows lifted. "So, this isn't the whole entourage?"
"No," Berry shook his head, his eyes looking ahead in the jungle. "The full group numbers closer to a hundred or so. We split into three smaller parties for safety during the journey. You're with the middle group. The safest position, protected from any potential attacks."
Xion sighed. Great. I'm in the "safest" group, and I still nearly got my head chopped off.
Black Box-
A silly rabbit, Xion, clutched his fury jacket. His watery blue eyes peaked at his fiance, Darius, the only heir of the most powerful seven-headed king of Snakes, famous on the campus for being ruthless.
The moment Darius took a step in his direction, the silly rabbit panicked and stepped back in haste until he was trapped between the cold wall and an even colder fiance. "Y-You are free... I will c-cancel the e-engagement-"
"But I want to marry you," Darius' venomous green eyes gleamed and a smirk crept onto his face.
Xion's long eyelashes trembled when Darius tilted his chin up.
"My baby has become so pretty," a cold thumb rubbed on his lower lip, and Xion froze.
Darius leaned down to place a gentle kiss on the blushing cheek, "I have been waiting for far too long to marry you, my adorable rabbit. Now, how can I let you cancel it?"
Darius picked the stunned rabbit up and took him to their soon-to-be new home.
Geschenke
-- Geschenk
erhalten Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein