On my knees

It had been a while since the Healer had travelled down the mountain to Mother’s Heart. He couldn’t really remember the last time. Luckily he sure knew where to find it. These mountains had no secrets for him. Whatever happened, the Guardians knew, as it was their job. It was also his duty to support the current Commander of Vanaheim. That’s why he was making his way to the Heart in the early hours of the morning. Word had gotten to him that she was hurt, badly. So naturally, he had to react appropriately. Apollo was carrying his bow on his back, along with a quiver of arrows on his side. On his other side, he had strapped a sword. Around his chest there was one more belt with a smaller blade. His face was painted white. He was here for business and he wouldn’t accept a no for an answer.

Perhaps it was the weapons, or how he carried himself, or how he had spoken to the guards. Either way, he was brought to the throne room. A small hallway brought him to the room the Commander was resting in. With a firm knock on it he announced his presence, after which he waited for the sign he could enter. To his surprise, and at the same time not really, the cursed one was in there too. Minerva had had the honour of meeting him at the Temple. The Healer pulled up a brow. ”Get lost, cursed one”, He said, an impatient hiss. When the young one made his way past him, he stared at him until the door was shut again.

After that, he turned towards the woman on the bed. The male bowed to her respectfully. ”Commander”, He greeted her. ”I have heard you were wounded badly in battle. The Mother blessed you with victory and once more She will show her trust in you”, He continued. ”I am here to heal you, so you can lead your people as is fit for a Commander chosen by Her”, He announced. He didn’t quite ask her. As said, he wouldn’t accept a no for an answer.

The Grounders needed a strong leader. It wasn’t the first time he had come down to heal certain Commanders that had been wounded so badly they were at risk of losing their rank. It didn’t happen often though. But for her, it was too soon. They hadn’t checked her chosen Second yet, and they had to make sure her successor would be fit to command. That’s why he was here this morning. He wouldn’t stay for too long. He would probably be out by the time the sun started rising. Because he didn’t expect, or tolerate, any protest. Not from the young vampire that bolted out the door as soon as he hissed at him. The other was probably too impressed by his appearance. It was so obvious he was an outsider. No one else would be scared by his war paint.

Not from the Commander herself either. She sighed after his words. “Why do I feel like you won’t take no for an answer?” Her words brought a faint smile to his lips. ”Because I won’t”, He said with a nod. The Healer stepped closer, pulling away the many furs that were covering her. Immediately he could feel the heat radiating off her side. It was wrapped in bandages. His trained eye could see it was a proper, thorough job. But it had to go in order for him to do his. So he pulled the smaller knife out of the belt around his chest. ”I will cut the bandages”, He informed her, before she thought he was here to harm her.

With a few slices, the cloth was gone, revealing the wound to him. It was bad. Burned with a heated blade. Barbaric. Amateurish. Apollo sheathed his knife again. ”This will take some time”, He mentioned, before gently putting his hands on both sides of the wound. Working from the outside to the center, making sure that all layers of her skin were properly healing. It took patience and focus, so for the time being, he kept his pale blue eyes on what he was doing without saying a word.

With wounds like this one, it was important to pay attention to the depth of the wound as well. He could see why they had decided to scorch it. He guessed whatever weapon had caused this, had hit some important veins, causing heavy bleeding. With no time to sew it shut, and no healer like him available, it was the most logical way to stop it before it got so bad she would die. It would take him some time to fix it thoroughly. Healing the top layer wouldn’t be sufficient enough. When he put his hands on her skin, he noticed how her body tensed up. His cold touch mixed with the heat of the burn was probably not the most pleasant.

Now he could kind of feel the damage that had been done on the inside too. It wasn’t as bad as it looked on the outside. Good. “Your touch is cold,” She said. The Healer turned his gaze towards her for a second, before looking back at the wound. ”Are you surprised? You have a second degree burn on your side”, He replied without twitching a muscle. Probably not the answer she was waiting to hear. It was pretty clear to him she had been hanging out with the cursed one for a while. He could almost read her mind at this point. Yet, he was blessed by the Mother, not cursed like that friend of hers.

Where Mercury was known as the Trickster, he sure knew a few ways to work his way around tough questions. He wasn’t one to communicate a lot with Grounders or Outsiders. He rarely left their village. Besides, the Healer didn’t like lying. Telling half truths or giving limited information was his way of avoiding sharing too much. She didn’t buy it. But she didn’t have to. ”My answer is final”, He only replied. She could doubt, guess and ask all she wanted. Some secrets were not to be shared with Grounders, not even with their Commander.

The questions kept coming. It took a while before he answered them both, as he had to stay focused on his magic. ”I’m sure I already shared my reasons. I am a healer. I heal people who are hurt. You are clearly hurt”, He replied, summing it up as if he was explaining it to a child. Still respectfully though. ”And I’m as close to Her as you are”, He then replied to her other question, the same calm tone in his voice. Another truth. With the Mother sleeping in her hiding place, her exact location was equally as close or equally as far to him as it was to her at this moment.

”We have dwelled these mountains for centuries. Long before your people were gifted these grounds. Nothing happens without us knowing”, He said, his words as vague and cryptic as ever. He could be referring to the tribe as a whole, not himself and his fellow Guardians personally. He didn’t exactly tell her how they knew. They could have been spying on the village, for all she knew. ”I am not speaking for her. I am just fulfilling my duty to Her people, and so are you. She put the same trust in me. She would have the same faith in anyone who needs it to fulfill their purpose, as long as we have faith in Her”, He replied to her other question. ”Or are you trying to say you don’t?” He asked her, with a certain edge in his tone now. In the meantime he finished up the wound on her side, inspecting his work. He hummed softly to himself, satisfied with the results. Then he moved on to her arm.

The Healer unwrapped the bandage this time, revealing a similar wound as the one on her side, but not that severe. ”I will heal the burn, but the cut will be yours to deal with. Learn your lessons”, He said, fixing her with his pale eyes as he spoke. ”Let the scar be a reminder to be more careful next time”, He continued. She shouldn’t expect him to run down his mountain every few weeks because she got herself into trouble.