The Duke of Tremont

Chapter 29

Author’s note: Much thanks to Sterling Dragonfly for her wonderful editing! Thanks to Doll for help with the incantation.

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Mel practically threw herself off her horse to get to Justin and Craig. After quickly assessing the two, she turned to Justin first, seeing that Michael and Ben seemed to be doing all the right things for Craig.

“Brian, I need you to move back a bit so I can see.” Brian’s hands stayed pressed around the blade of the dagger that was still lodged in Justin’s back. “Brian, please!” Mel almost yelled in her anxiousness.

Jonathan gently took his brother’s hands away and Brian only put up a mild struggle as he watched Mel swoop in to examine the wound. He slumped back into Jonathan’s arms, shaking with fear and his own pain.

Finally, Mel looked up and her expression said it all. “I think it’s hit an artery. We have to pull it, but he’s going to bleed to death.”

“No,” moaned Brian.

“Mel, isn’t there anything else we can do?” asked the king as he tried to soothe his brother, who had leaned his forehead down to Justin’s soft hair, speaking soft words into his lover’s ear.

Mel shook her head and a tear trickled down her cheek. “I’m sorry, but I can’t think of anything else.”

Brian had moved his hands to either side of Justin’s head, sliding his right one gently underneath the side that faced the ground. He stared intently at his lover for a long moment and then spoke to Mel. “Do it!” he spoke. “Pull it out now!”

“But…” Mel began.

“Just do it! Trust me,” Brian interrupted through gritted teeth.

Mel nodded, pulling a large, square bandage out of her pack and moved her hand to the hilt of the ornate dagger. “Someone needs to apply as much pressure to the wound as they can as soon as it comes out,” she directed.

Brian moved one of his hands from Justin’s head. “I’ll do it.”

“I don’t think it should be you.” Mel looked him in the eye.

He stared back in grim determination. “I said I’ll do it.”

Mel knew better than to argue. “Okay, I’ll pull it on three. One, two, three!”

Mel yanked on the dagger and Brian’s hand moved quickly to the wound, the other one remained firmly on Justin‘s head. The healer yelped in surprise when Brian moved suddenly and sliced his own palm along the blade of the bloody weapon that she still held.

“What are you doing?” Jonathan cried, when instead of pressing against Justin’s wound with the dressing pad Mel had brought, Brian had merely pressed his bloody palm to the hole in Justin’s back. The dark red of Justin’s arterial blood rushed out, quickly covering Brian’s hand and the ground underneath them.

Brian shook off Mel and Jonathan as they tried to intervene. He ignored both of their pleas and began chanting over his lover:

“I invoke my own healing strength to fall upon my beloved.

Inner weave inner lock let the bleeding stop.

Mend his body mend his spirit bring him back to me.

So mote it be”

A small crowd of onlookers had gathered round. Bishop Vic had placed himself near Justin’s head, having been ready to give the boy last rites. Timothy and Hunter huddled together, observing the scene with unashamed tears in their eyes. Even Ben and Michael, who had done all they knew how for Earl Craig, watched the prince and his lover anxiously.

Finally, after repeating the incantation three times, Brian stopped chanting and pulled his bloody hand away from Justin’s wound. To all of their amazement, it was no longer bleeding. In fact, there was no wound at all.

“Oh My God…” Mel began to speak, but cut off when Justin took in a deep breath of air and opened his eyes.

He sputtered for a few moments, looking around wildly as Mel and Brian helped him to turn over. His eyes lit on his lover. “Brian? What happened?” he asked weakly.

“Claire stabbed you in the back,” Brian answered just as weakly. “I had to do something…” his voice trailed off and he began to slump forward.

“My Lord!” Justin called frantically as he sat up, trying to catch Brian’s limp body.

Jonathan reached over to help and soon, Mel finished a quick examination of Brian. “I think he simply passed out,” she said reassuringly to Justin with a small smile. “He is a bit battered and bruised, but I think he will be fine.”

Justin could only nod tearfully as he gently brushed Brian’s hair back behind his ear. Justin wavered, feeling his own exhaustion from the heated battle and losing so much blood. Bishop Vic reached out to support him.

“Justin!” came a weak cry from where Ben and Michael were still keeping vigil over Earl Craig.

Justin lifted his weary head. “Father?” He turned to see Craig’s body lying on the ground. Unable to stand, he swiftly crawled the few feet to his father’s side. He was horrified to see an arrow still protruding from his father’s stomach. “Oh God. Father!” he exclaimed as he looked desperately to Ben, Michael and Mel, who had also made her way over once she knew Brian was out of danger.

Mel examined Craig, much as she had his son and silently cursed when she could only come to the same conclusion. Most likely, the arrow had done too much damage and Craig would not survive. She slowly raised her eyes to Justin and shook her head a bit.

“No!” Justin cried in agony. “Brian said he helped me. He said I was stabbed, yet I feel no wound. Could he not help my father as well?”

Mel shook her head. “It’s true, Justin, that Brian healed you, but I believe it was only because of the connection you share that he was able to use his gifts that way.”

“There must be something,” he cried angrily.

Craig’s eyes opened. “Justin, stop,” he pleaded weakly. “There is nothing anyone can do for me now. I knew…” He coughed a bit and a trickle of blood foamed from his lips. “I knew that my life was forfeit from the beginning.”

Justin leaned down to his father. “I don’t want to lose you,” he pleaded.

“I know, son,” Craig replied, “but I am not strong enough to stay. I’m glad I could help save your Brian though. He is a good man. Is he…is he all right.”

“He will be.” Justin nodded. “Thank you, Father.”

Craig coughed again and struggled a bit for breath before speaking. “Justin, I have to tell you that I’m sorry…so…sorry for the way I…”

Justin placed a gentle finger to his father’s lips. “Shh, do not waste our last moments together. It is forgotten. I’m sorry I disappointed you so.” The tears were flowing freely down Justin’s cheeks.

“Never.” Craig shook his head. “You could never disappoint me…so proud of…you…son. Take…care…of Mol…” More blood poured from Craig’s stilled lips and the life left his eyes as he took his last breath.

“Noooo,” moaned Justin. “Father! Noooo!” Weeping as if his heart were broken, he laid his head on his father’s broad chest.

It was just a short time until his sobs subsided and Mel realized that the young man was no longer awake. “They need their beds,” she sighed heavily, gesturing to Justin and Brian.

Jonathan nodded, signaling one of his aides.

“I must see to the other wounded,” Mel spoke again and lifted her pack as she mounted her horse and headed back to the battlefield.

Stretchers were brought and the two lovers were gently carried back to their tent, leaving the grisly scene of death and destruction behind.

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Sunlight streamed through the window, waking Justin from his sound slumber. It was one of the drawbacks to having his room on this side of the manor. The view of the lake was beautiful, but the morning sun shone right in. He wondered why his bed curtains were not drawn.

He sat up quickly. His room. He was in his old bedchamber at Lakeview Manor. He did not remember how he got here. He heard a soft moan next to him and his heart leapt to see Brian in the bed beside him.

Tears sprung to his eyes as he gently traced the cuts and bruises on Brian’s face, causing all of the horrifying memories to flood back to his brain. Suddenly hazel eyes were staring up at him and he found himself smiling down at his lover. “I am sorry, My Lord. I did not mean to wake you.”

“Tis all right, Sunshine. I am just happy to see you alive and whole.”

“Thanks to you, I hear.” Justin brushed a lock of hair off Brian’s forehead. “How do you feel?”

Brian tried to shift a bit and grimaced in pain. “As if I have been tortured by a lunatic.” He smiled a bit, but it did not reach his eyes. “Where are we?”

“We are in my rooms at Lakeview Manor,” answered Justin. “I’m not sure how we got here or how long we have been asleep.”

“Your old bed, hmmm?” Brian said with a sly smile. It quickly faltered though and a veil of pain fell over his eyes. “Justin, I have to tell you what happen…”

Justin placed a finger to his lips. “I know, Brian. I felt all of it and I know.”

“I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse,” Brian replied softly, a tear escaping down his cheek.

“We will get through this together, My Lord. I love you and I will help you however I can.”

Brian simply nodded and pulled Justin’s forehead down to his own. They stayed like that for a moment, just gazing into each other’s eyes. Brian felt his fear, guilt and uncertainty all already begin to recede.

The door opened and Mel came in with a kettle full of water and her healing bag. “Good, you are both awake,” she observed as she moved to put the kettle over the fire and began to spread the contents of her bag on the table. “How are you both feeling today?”

“That depends,” answered Brian innocently.

“Depends on what?” asked Mel.

“On whether you are going to make me drink one of your foul potions.”

“You were sorely wounded and you will need all the help you can get to heal. Of course I am making you a draught.”

Justin smirked at his lover. “Sorry about that, Love.”

Mel glanced sharply at the young man. “Oh, don’t worry, Justin, I have one for you, too.”

Justin looked horrified. “Why me? I thought you said Brian healed me.”

“He did, but you lost a lot of blood. You need something to help you get your strength back.”

Justin slumped back against the headboard and Brian gently patted his knee in sympathy. “Mel?” he questioned quietly.

Mel looked up from the herb she had been grinding with her mortar. “Yes?”

“How did I…I mean…how did I do that with Justin? It’s like it was not even me. I have no idea how I saved him.”

She noticed how Justin scooted closer to Brian’s side as she thought about her answer. “Well, I cannot say for certain, because I have never seen such a thing done before. I think it has to do with your gifts and your strong empathic tie with Justin. Did you even realize that you were chanting an incantation over him?”

Brian looked surprised. “No. I remember cutting myself with the knife and laying my hand over his wound. The next thing I remember is seeing that he was okay and then I think I passed out. How could I chant an incantation? I don’t even know any. That is your area of expertise. How long ago was that anyway? How long have we been asleep?”

“The battle was the day before yesterday. We all came to Lakeview yesterday to rest and recover, since it was closer than Lofton.” Mel smiled at him and then tried to answer his original question. “I don’t think we’ll ever really know how you did it, Brian. The important thing is that you did, and Justin is safe. I fear we will just have to resign ourselves to the fact that we really are not meant to understand faerie magic.”

Justin leaned down and kissed Brian gently on the forehead. “Thank you,” he whispered softly as his face lit up in a bright smile.

Brian smiled back and was about to speak when Mel called out to Justin while she added something into her kettle. “Oh Justin, I am supposed to tell you that Bishop Vic wants you to call for him when you feel ready and he will help to make the arrangements for your parents’ burials.

“Oh, uh, thank you. I will,” Justin answered in a small voice.

Brian sat up painfully and grabbed onto Justin’s arm. “Wait. What does she mean by parents?”

“My father died, Brian. Sapperstein shot him with an arrow.”

Brian nodded and looked distant for a moment. “Yes, I think I remember that. I am so sorry, Justin. He was a good man. He told me he was sorry for what he had done to you.” Brian’s voice broke as he ran a soothing hand up Justin’s arm.”

“He…he told me too…right before,” Justin paused a moment and sniffed. “He said you were a good man, too. He saved your life, Brian, and I will always be grateful to him for that.”

“As will I,” replied Brian as he pulled the younger man’s head to his chest in a comforting manner.

Mel listened to the conversation, but politely kept her back turned, pretending to busy herself with her kettle. Once she felt she given them enough privacy, she turned back to her table and put the finishing touches in their mugs. “Here we go,” she said cheerfully as she handed each of them a cup. “Drink up and then I shall have to change the bandages on your back, Brian.”

“Well, that sounds like fun,” the other man groused.

“Now don’t be crabby with me. I expect you to be a good patient for at least four or five more days.”

“I cannot lie in this bed for five days!” Brian exclaimed indignantly. “There are things to do. I must help Jonathan.”

“The king can come to you if he needs you. I expect it will take Justin at least that long to recuperate fully as well,” she answered with a twinkle in her eye.

Brian stopped his tirade and thought fully about spending days in bed with his lover. “Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place? Do you think you can stand me in your bed for so long?” he asked, looking to Justin.

“I think I shall manage, My Lord,” Justin laughed in reply.

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