Far from home

Slightly worried and a bit annoyed, the Healer knelt down next to the bed in the corner of the room. Only three of them had fed that night, so he hadn’t been that busy patching up the bitewounds. Unfortunately, Minerva had not taken his advice of taking it easy on the young man laying in the bed. Again. Apollo would almost give up and not tell her to be calm anymore, but he knew it would get way worse if he didn’t. Where it was his duty to heal, he also knew it was his purpose to reassure the young man. He was quite upset. Just like all the others that ended up in front of the Warrior when she got hungry.

Finally the villager had fallen asleep. So now, he could focus on the more pleasant things in life. Like painting. Yes, that sounded like the ideal way to have some rest himself. Sadly, someone had other plans for him that night. He could smell it even before he heard the knock on his door and the familiar voice calling his name. The Healer suppressed a deep sigh. When he opened the door, Mercury was standing right outside of it, his face all bloody and messed up. ”Brother”, He greeted him, fairly neutral. ”I wish I could say I was happy to see you, but you are hurt again”, He continued. The other seemed to never come visit him just for fun.

Every time Mercury came knocking at his door, he had gotten himself in trouble. Of course he would never deny the other his help, but he wished he would be more careful. After all the times he had gotten himself hurt, Apollo expected for him to learn from his mistakes and be more careful. He didn’t mind that he got out there to explore. They all had their little things to keep themselves occupied and he would never tell the other what to do and what not to do. The Healer watched as his Brother acted as if nothing was going on at all. But he knew better.

”Why don’t you come inside first so I can take a look at your face”, He said, his voice a lot more friendly now. It was still his duty to take care of him. One that he took very seriously. He closed the door behind Mercury, taking him to his private room instead of the common one where he treated the villagers. He pointed at his bed, while taking a chair for himself. He inspected the wounds for a second. ”This was not a cat now, was it?” He asked, while his fingertips touched the skin carefully. Nothing a little magic couldn’t fix though.

It always made him a bit sad to see Mercury hurt. He knew the younger Commander had been through a lot of pain in his life. He deserved better. The Healer had promised the Mother personally to take care of his younger brother. Keeping him safe was hard, the other seemed to attract trouble like a magnet. At least he could stop the suffering afterwards though. A task he would do with devotion for the rest of eternity. All while Mercury wasn’t aware of anything though. He was not ought to know about his pledge to Ceres.

While he was inspecting the wound, Mercury was blabbing on. As usual. When he was done talking, he met his gaze for a second. ”No, you’re wrong. You should come to me every time. I can help and I always will”, He told him, finally showing him a gentle smile. ”Now, don’t move”, He instructed him, while he placed his hand on the scratch closest to his eye. He could feel the warm sensation in his hands when his magic started working. When it was done, he moved on to the next cut, until his face looked perfectly fine again.

Out of all the Guardians, Mercury was his most frequent visitor. Aside from their training sessions, he didn’t have a lot of trouble with the others. When there was no war coming, they also didn’t train as much. So that meant he only had to take care of the villagers, and his little Brother. If they had to believe Minerva, war was always coming though. Sometimes it was annoying, but the Healer knew it was also important they had the Warrior among their ranks. She kept them ready, or at least alert. A perfect balance in their Command, just like the Mother wanted.

Eventually his face was all fixed up again. He started rambling about how next time he would be more careful. Then he added there wouldn’t be a next time. Apollo pulled up his brow, knowing the other had made that promise a thousand times before and would break it a thousand times again. Not even on purpose, at least not always. ”Did you want to ask me anything else?” He asked, remembering he wanted another favour of him tonight.

Lately he had noticed how much Mercury was talking again. He knew it was a coping mechanism. Hide his feelings behind a smile and lots and lots of rants. Because almost all of the Guardians got tired of him in that way. They didn’t notice what was really going on. What the young one really wanted to tell them. But the Healer knew about his past. The Mother had warned him. By talking so much, he tried to prevent them from asking questions. Annoy them to the point where they would not care anymore. It worked on most of them. But not on him.

''No, not really, it was just this, I don't want to bother you or anything..'' He started going again. Apollo went quiet for just a second, choosing his words carefully. ”You know it is my purpose to heal, Mercury”, He said, stressing the word in a way the other would know what he meant. Hopefully. He didn’t want to push it any further though. It was an invite. An invite to talk, if he wanted to.

His comment made the other go quiet. The Healer watched as he obviously struggled with himself, doubting if he would speak up or not. He gave him as much time as he needed. With matters like this there was no use in putting pressure on him. If he didn’t want to talk, that would be fine too. He could just feel an aching in his heart when he watched the young one hurt. Mentally, not physically. This he couldn’t fix with his magic. It would take much more effort. But he would try, that was for sure.

There it was. Quiet and uncertain. A soft sigh was audible from his side as he placed his hand upon Mercury’s knee. ”Unfortunately, I too have my limits”, He replied. How painful it was. Seeing his Brother and Sisters struggle with their mental health and him being unable to cure. Was he even worthy to be the Commander of Health? ”That doesn’t mean I won’t try”, He continued. The Mother wouldn’t want him to give up. Wouldn’t want them to give up. ”So what’s bothering you?” He asked, patiently waiting for the other to get his thoughts together and respond.

The only person who could truly make everyone happy, was the Mother. Her presence alone could calm all the demons haunting her Children. Not only the ones that tormented Minerva. They all had their demons to fight, some just more physical than others. He knew about those haunting Mercury too, and he wished he could keep him safe as well. He wished he could help them all, though he had his limits. He honestly told the other he would try his best, but he didn’t make any promises. He encouraged him to tell him what was bothering him, while giving him all the time to think about how he wanted to put it.

It took him a while, but eventually he came to a conclusion. ''I feel like a disappointment.'' Apollo dropped his gaze for a second. This would be harder than just using his magic to heal a superficial wound. So he had to be careful. This conversation could make or break the other Commander. ”Who do you feel holds you accountable for your actions and decisions?” He decided to ask. To who did he feel like he was a disappointment? Apollo had learned to be his own judge, and not let the criticism of others cloud his mind. He was older though, so it might be just his experience. Hopefully he could teach Mercury to do the same.