Julianna clicked her tongue disapprovingly as she carefully unwound the last piece of Karissa’s underskirt from the Duke’s forearm. The infirmary matron somehow managed to make Erik feel as if he had done something mildly wrong at all times. A deeper frown appeared on her face as she inspected the jagged wounds left by wyvern teeth.

“We’ll have to flush these thoroughly, to get rid of any debris and minimize possible infection,” Julianna commented in a low voice, and Erik couldn’t tell if she was speaking to him or just noting it to herself. She then took a thin metal instrument from the table next to the cot he was sitting on and began probing the cuts, muttering to herself. A few dark curls fell in front of her face, obscuring her eyes.

Erik looked around the infirmary, realizing that he had not been inside one for quite some time. For a warrior such as himself, that was a good thing. 

Cots lined both walls, now mostly occupied with the injured guards and knights. All of the cots had white cloth partitions around them for privacy. A few were drawn shut as the doctors worked on the more severely injured men. 

Thankfully, a sleeping draught had been administered to the men to help them remain calm and still, so there was no tell-tale moaning that Erik would have expected. Instead it was quiet. Except of course for the doctors and nurses speaking to one another as they worked on their patients, and Julianna’s soft mumbling.

“Your Grace?” Julianna said suddenly, pulling his attention back to her.

“Yes?”

“I asked if that hurt.”

The Duke looked down at his arm, seeing that one cut had begun to bleed again due to Julianna’s poking around at it. He looked up again, shaking his head.

“Didn’t feel a thing,” he said, although now that his attention had been drawn to the wound, he did in fact feel a dull aching in his arm.

“I thought as much,” the matron said, her dark eyebrows furrowing at him. “Of course, you wouldn’t tell me if it did hurt, would you?” Erik chuckled. 

She knows me too well.

“There are others that need your attention more, Julianna,” he pointed out. “So do what you must, and I’ll be on my way.” Julianna sighed.

“Very well,” she replied, then took a cloth and a bowl of water in hand to begin cleaning the wounds. “You won’t take the sleeping draught?” Erik shook his head.

“I need a clear mind, and I need to get back to the keep tonight.”

“Ah yes,” Julianna said, beginning to flush the cuts with water and rubbing them clean with the cloth none too gently. “You must hurry back. It is your first night as a married man, after all.” Erik winced, but it was not entirely from the pain. 

“It’s not like that… we barely met yesterday. And I’ve technically been married for two weeks now.”

“Don’t be coy.” Erik didn’t say anything to that. “So, you really have no expectations for tonight?” The Duke just shook his head, uncomfortable with the sudden turn in the conversation. “Then why the need to hurry?”

“She’s in a strange, new place. I would be a poor host if I did not make sure she was taken care of.”

“You and I both know for a fact that Duncan is taking care of her.”

“Yes, I know.”

“She’s a pretty young thing,” Julianna continued. “Caught a glimpse of her when I came to see if you were dead or alive.” Again, Erik didn’t say anything. “Course it doesn’t matter if I think she’s pretty. You’re the one that’s married to her, after all-”

“What exactly are you wanting me to say, Julianna?” Erik said, causing the matron to stop her work and look back up at him, her eyes flashing. Her dark curls framed her frowning face, which was mere inches away from his own. Their proximity once would have made both of them blush. But he felt that the distance between them was as vast as ever now.

“Nothing, Erik,” Julianna said, looking back down at his arm, then reaching for the needle and stitching thread. “I don’t want you to say anything.” 

–

Fifteen awkward minutes later, Erik exited the town infirmary. He was greeted by a fiery orange sky as the sun set behind the snow-capped peaks of Mount Geigas. The streets of the town were nearly empty as the people gathered in their homes for a meal at the end of the day.

Erik paused to gaze over the thatched roofs of the buildings next to him, taking in the sight of the sun slipping away behind the mountain. He felt pleased that he had managed to get everyone to safety before sundown. Now they just had to wait to see if the more injured men would pull through. I ought to return in the morning, he thought, again going through his list of tasks to complete. 

Erik grimaced, flexing his left hand and feeling the stitches underneath the fresh bandages on his forearm pull in odd directions. Perhaps I could leave that to someone else as well… seeing her again so soon would not be ideal.

The Duke sighed. Julianna was not accepting the reality of his current situation, which could make things difficult in the future. Apparently she had not accepted what he had told her years ago, either. 

Did she think I was lying when I told her we couldn’t marry? Shouldn’t marry, to be more precise. I’d make a poor husband for any woman. I knew it even back then. Erik grimaced again. A poor husband indeed. Here I am worrying about a childhood sweetheart while my actual wife is waiting for me to return.

His eyes shifted from the setting sun to Hallel Keep, which overlooked the town. He sought out a window on the second floor of the main building, fourth from the left. The room he had set aside for his new wife. 

Erik shook his head, and began walking down the narrow streets towards the keep. The infirmary was not too far into town. He should be there in no time.

Suddenly a maid from the keep appeared around the corner, red-faced and out of breath. She stumbled into him and he caught her by the arms, steadying her before she fell.

“Marie, what are you doing in town?” the Duke asked, his brow furrowing in puzzlement. “I thought you stayed in a room at the keep?”

“Duh-duh-Ducan sent - me,” the maid gasped, grabbing hold of the Duke’s arm. “A-a- a nurse! She needs - a nurse!”

“Who does, Marie?” the Duke asked urgently, fearing that he already knew the answer.

“The- the lay-,” Marie said, struggling to catch her breath and answer him at the same time. “The lady-” 

The Duke took off at a mad dash towards the keep, shouting back over his shoulder to the maid. “Bring a nurse, quickly!”

Marie righted herself after being let go so suddenly, still gulping down air. “The lady- lady’s maid, Your Grace,” she finally managed to say.  

But Erik did not hear that last part. He was already winding his way between the buildings and was soon out of the town, charging down the road at a frightening pace. 

The Duke wracked his brain for any sort of explanation. He replayed the attack in his mind over and over. Karissa had not been injured by a wyvern. That he was sure of. Had walking for almost two days straight caused her to become fatigued? Had she collapsed as soon as she was out of his sight? 

Erik hadn’t been gone for long, and he could tell that the maid had run as fast as she could to town. So, he reasoned, it can't be more than ten minutes since Duncan sent for a nurse. And, he sent for a nurse, not a doctor or Julianna, so it probably isn’t life-threatening. So what could it be?

The Duke suddenly regretted not asking the maid more questions. But all he could think of doing in that moment was getting to Karissa as soon as possible.