The Princess and the Blade

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi stood with his hands on Tenara's limp shoulders. It took him a long time to register Felicity's presence behind him. He looked over his shoulder at his teacher, wearing a lifeless expression. "Thank you for checking on her. Please tell Laurius that the princess is done for today. Also, I believe it best to cancel tonight's lesson. I apologize for changing our plans when you so kindly offered your time."

The words were polite, but his eyes were like empty pits.

[Emora Deen]

Felicity swallowed and came in, resting her hand on his shoulder. She gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll tell him,” she said, her hand lingering on him a moment longer. “It is good that he has you to watch out for his future wife. Laurius can be steadfast in his search of knowledge. Sometimes he forgets that the people around him are just that—people.”

Felicity glanced at Tenara and then gave Havitharon one more pat before turning for the door. “If you change your mind about the lesson, I’ll be in the library. I tend to stay up far too late reading and… I think I could help you feel...” Her cheeks darkened, and she cleared her throat. “I’ll go yell at Lauri.”

She was gone then, leaving Havitharon and Tenara alone in the greenhouse room.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi nodded, registering her words without caring about them. He turned to Tenara and began the slow process of cleaning her up. He took his time, his thoroughness painstaking as he washed the blood, sweat, and tears from her exhausted body.

This was it. The thing Tenele had been trying to warn him about. Despite his best efforts, the sword was bringing nothing but disaster and pain upon her life. How many times in the past week had he seen her cry, or watched her suffer? Were these really just voluntary experiments?

It was a half hour later when he emerged from the office with Tenara dressed and bundled securely in his arms. He entered the main hall of the study, since there was no choice but to go through it to get Tenara back to the guests' quarters. He surveyed the room to see if its owner was still present.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius was scribbling in his book, making lists of items he needed to collect to help send Arken on their way. He looked up at them, his gaze resting on Tenara a moment before meeting Havitharon’s. “I heard Dr. Crofford quit,” he said. “He was expensive, and talented, and you should have heeded his advice.”

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi stopped in his path and turned a cold gaze on Laurius. Without a word, he walked to the sofa and lay Tenara's body down with care before turning back to him. He crossed the room to Laurius's desk and slammed his hands down on the papers the man was working on, looming over him.

"Do not dare get high and mighty with me. Do you think so little of everyone around you that you don't see the need to inform someone before drugging them? You decided that was what you wanted to do and just went ahead. You're happy with anything if you get what you want in the end? You trust that doctor enough to treat her, unconscious, without no one at her side to guard her? Knowing who she is? Do you even care how she felt when she was knocked out and kidnapped?" he shoved Laurius backward, nearly knocking over the chair. "Was it the same drug? Did you sell it to them?!"

He drew a hand back to slug him in the face, but a tight grip stopped his arm and pulled his fist back. Havi whirled on Ren, who jumped back immediately into a defensive stance.

"Don't..." Ren asked, watching him like a hawk to see if Thvoros was going to kill him.

Havi raised a hand, but stayed it when he noticed the dread on the other Ivis's face. He dropped his hand to his side and shoved past him, returning to Tenara's side. He wanted to proclaim that they were leaving, or that Laurius was done having his way, but he knew it wasn't true. Tenara wouldn't be dissuaded by any of this. "You both make me sick," he hissed, and carried her out.

Ren waited until the door had closed to release the breath he'd been holding. "Fuck," he sighed, dissolving into the sofa. This was the third time in as many days he'd risked getting torn apart by Thvoros. "Are you alright, Master?"

[Emora Deen]

Laurius settled into the chair that had almost been knocked over. “I’m fine…” His jaw set, and his arms folded. “If yesterday was such an uncomfortable experience, she should have voiced her concerns so appropriate measures could be taken. Now, we are out a doctor and a half-day behind.” He massaged his temples. “Perhaps this was all mistake.” He reached out and slammed his journal closed. “Maybe we should send them away, especially before Arken arrives to claim what they think belongs to them. Though, at this rate, I’m tempted to offer them the sword and be done with it. It seems a safer alternative than letting her ruin herself for it.”

[Soran Nightblade]

Artisuren remained standing at his master's side. It didn't seem his place to offer either critique or advice to Laurius. "If you give your client the sword, will it satisfy them in its current state? Even if the soul stones have not yet been repaired?"

[Emora Deen]

Laurius sighed. “Arken is rarely satisfied, even if everything is exactly as they asked,” he said. “We should fix it and cross our fingers that they leave without asking for more…” What was he saying? He couldn’t give Arken Havitharon’s sword. Tenara would tear him apart. He pinched the bridge of his knows. “Let’s focus on gathering the materials… and find a way to please them without the sword.”

[Soran Nightblade]

Artisuren curled his fingers against the sides of his thighs. He didn't ask whether Laurius thought Arken would be satisfied with the dagger, instead of the sword. "What would you like me to do?" he asked diligently.
_________________________

Tabetha followed from a safe distance. Havitharon's look when he entered the mansion with the princess in his arms had been a warning one. When their eyes briefly met at the gate, his expression said that her presence would only be tolerated if she was quiet, so she was silent as she scurried to keep up with Havi's long stride.

She had so many questions about Tenara's condition, but it seemed unwise to voice them. She was out of breath by the time she'd chased them to the guest wing of the second story. Tenara's door appeared to be in the midst of construction, but not yet finished, so Havi turned toward his own room. Tabetha quickly opened the door for them and stood attentively in the doorway. Havi helped Tenara get comfortable, or at least as comfortable as was possible, on the bed.

"I'll get some cold water," Tabetha said, zipping back down the hall.

Havi knelt on the floor next to the bed and mopped the sweat off of Tenara's face and neck with the back of his sleeve. Her screams still rang in his ears. The doctor had said her pain would be gone in a few minutes. He took a deep breath and found himself trying to account for how many minutes had passed since then.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius thought a moment. "Help me keep suspicions down if it becomes apparent we're collecting items to build a sword. If anyone asks, we're collecting to repair them."

----

A few minutes later, Tabetha arrived again with a tray. A bowl of cool water, a rag, and a glass of water to drink. She dipped the rag into the water, and hesitated behind Havitharon. She almost handed it to him, but didn't want to speak to get his attention. She folded it lightly and laid the rag over Tenara's brow. The coolness seemed to rouse her a little. Her eyes fluttered heavily, and she shifted, head rolling slightly left and right. Her eyes opened. "Havi," Tenara whispered. She groaned and tried to sit up.

[Soran Nightblade]

"I will," Artisuren promised. It felt like a reasonable time to dismiss himself, but he didn't want to. He wondered if he would overstay his welcome if he remained. "I...will be studying your plants, if you have need of me."

______________

Havi rose up on his knees eagerly. "I'm here. You're in my room." He put one of his large hands over hers. "Are you still in pain?"

[Emora Deen]

Laurius looked up from his journal. "I'm just going to make a few more notes. I'm trying to transcribe this as a guide to the summoning so they don't need another copy of the book. The book has far more spells in that I should have allowed Arken to take. I don't know what else they could borrow from your world..." He sat up then. "If you want a job, Ren, could you look through this?" He reached into the bottom draw of a cabinet near his desk and pulled a heavy tome from it. He heaved it onto the desk. "Would you look through this and... maybe explain what some of it says? It's in your language. I gleamed enough of it to make the spell for the swords through trial and error, but I have no idea what most of it says. Maybe other spells will be of some use." He scrounged up some paper. "Make some notes. It doesn't have to be in my language, just mark what you think is important and then explain it to me later."

----

Tenara lifted her hand, looking at it blearily. "No..." she said, trying to piece together what happened. She smoothed a hand over her face, taking the cool rag and running it across her cheek and neck. "I'm sorry. I should have listened to him..."

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren accepted the book, relieved to have a value he could provide. But when he opened its covered, he squinted at the script written inside. "Svuras," he murmured to himself. He was relieved for the first time that he'd put so much time into his studies while waiting for Kishva's favor.

He realized Laurius was waiting for him to confirm his request, and glanced back up at him. "This is a dead language, but there are some historical texts that are still read and studied. I will test my memory of them and see what I can decode." He turned to go, but paused. "I should also warn you... that Svuras is considered a cursed religion. These days, it's as dead as the language its texts are written in, and for good reason."

___________________

Havi frowned at his lap. So she regretted not following the doctor's recommendation. "I apologize. I misunderstood the situation and intervened beyond what was necessary."

[Emora Deen]

"Why cursed?" Laurius asked. "What reason?"

---

Tenara shook her head. "No. Don't apologize..." she said. "Thank you for thinking of me. You're alway thinking of me." She cupped his face. "I didn't want the cloth—the smell of it. I thought I was strong enough and..."

"I should... I'll get something for you to eat," Tabetha said, shifting from foot to foot before heading to the door.

"I'm okay now," Tenara insisted. "I'm a little sore, like a ran too much. But I can keep going. I can do the other test."

[Soran Nightblade]

"They were lunatics, basically," Ren shrugged. "Worshipped fire and blood. Obsessed with gruesome sacrificial rites that supposedly gained them the blessings of a God. Their madness set fire to the whole world. It's what drove us below the ground."

____________

Havi's attention yanked back up. "The other test?" he asked. He didn't voice the argument that wanted to come from his throat. He couldn't voice anything. His fingers curled tighter around her hand.