"Ah...can you do it softly?" Valarie groaned as Henry pressed his glowing fingers against her scraped hands . Her hands were covered in dried blood and angry red marks crawled across her back.
Sweat dripping down his temple mixing up with blood. He was tired too after healing every one of them.The only healer with them was him but he wasn't a high level healer just practised a little.
Kai watched from a nearby rock, silent and unmoving. Treated first because being son of Duke and next in line always put him everyone's first priority.
He reached for his sword. Then stopped. The blade was clean and everyone was bleeding. His fist clenched and then he picked the sword just to put it inside. He watched how Valerie couldn't lift her arm, Jerry's shattered armor and his sweet smile turned in pain.
He tried to help but others asked him to rest like some fragile boy. None of them blamed him for not doing anything and that was worse for him. Louis was checking on everyone like a concerned father but mostly he was concerned about kai. Physical pain can go away but mental pain stays. He knew exactly what Kai was feeling after all he had experienced it before.
He walked up to kai and sat beside him.
"Everyone is fine. My lord. These young ones are literally laughing. "
"Hmm." The only answer Louis got. He glanced at kai's expression and it was like looking at his young self in mirror.
"Kai. If you fall apart, do it now. Tomorrow we move—and fight again."
Kai took a deep, shaky breath and stood up. He walked a short distance away, his steps slow and heavy. No one looked in his direction—they didn't want to make it awkward. They all understood that the weight of leadership was not light.
After a few minutes, he returned with red eyes and, without a word, began helping Jerry fix his broken armor.
"How are the others?" he asked Henry while working.
Henry sat nearby, gathering the sharp, broken pieces of armor. "Valarie's hands are weak—she won't be able to hold a sword for some time. Tris and William are slightly injured, but overall they're fine. Remus is unharmed," he reported.
"How about you?" Kai asked.
"I'm fine. Nothing happened to me," Henry replied.
But Kai noticed the slight tremor in Henry's hands. He was exhausted—drained from fighting and healing everyone.
"Leave this to us. Go and rest," Kai said firmly. "Jerry, give him some fruit."
There was no room for argument.
Jerry happily prepared the fruit and shared it with everyone. His cheek was swollen and red from injury and cold, yet he had refused healing until the others were treated first.
"Are you alright, my lord?" Jerry asked, offering Kai an orange. "I will be." He ruffled the adorable knight's hair. "Dont worry about me—your armor is—is fixed now. Here." He gave Jerry his armor and took the orange winking as he stood up and turned to others.
"You all did well today—everyone of you." His voice steadied as he spoke." We survived. That means we will fight again—together."
He glanced at Louis who was standing with Remus nearby and then to others again "Rest now. We move at first light tomorrow."
"Yes , My lord." Everyone spoke with a proud smile on their faces. They trusted their leader.
Night went by with young knights sleeping—sleeping exhaustion finally claiming them— and older ones including kai awake watching out for it.
They found shelter in a narrow cave not far from frozen lake. To secure it ,they covered the gate with Jerry's magic vines which looked soft in texture but very hard to break.
For extra caution Henry layered the vines with his shield over the vines.
Kai sat on the rock staring at the fire crackling. His elbow on the knee hanging down. Remus approached first and lowering himself onto the ground with a grunt. Kai noticed.
"Exchange seats with me Remus." He stood up. " Its fine my lord. I am still young." Remus laughed. " no you are not. I can literally hear your knees making those crunching noise." Kai spoke.
"Well-" Remus stopped himself after he looked at kai's expression. Just like his father. Remus thought. He changed seats with kai and now kai was sitting on ground.
Louis followed and sat beside kai, close enough to be there, far enough not to crowd him.
No one spoke. Few minutes passed.
"I froze" "I hesitated when when it attacked Valarie." Kai spoke looking down feeling guilty and embarrassed.
"You fought. You protected us by taking its attention from others" Remus spoke.
"Doesn't change the outcome. Everyone is inju-" kai cut off by Louis. " everyone is alive. We survived in front of Okrum. That's the best outcome we can get."
"I was supposed to protect you all." His jaw clenched.
"And you did. " both Remus and Louiz said simultaneously.
"I saw when Tris and William looked at me—when it attacked them. They trusted me to protect them." Kai remembered how William glanced at him when Okrum hit him with his tail or how Jerry cried out when be was attacked.
"They still do. You were there and fought. You didn't ran away. That's what being leader means kai." Remus placed a hand on kai's shoulder.
"So—Okrum is real." Kai stated. "I believe so but I am not sure my lord." "Please speak freely." "I heard stories about your grandfather's fight with okrum and—the description matched this creature exactly." Louis remember his father telling him about this story and also about the legends.
"But even then Louis let's say Okrum is real but what about this forest?" Kai asked. no one had answer to this question.
"It wasn't like this before. It raised me. I hunted here. I trained here." His voice tightened. " it never felt hostile."
"I only remember my old man saying this —Okrum is a curse. Death walking in a shape. Lives in a forest. Feed on fear and hunt you like a game." Louis finished.
....
Duke Caspian sat in his office signing some papers when Erwin burst in.
" Erwin you–" " I apologize for this indecent behavior of mine Your grace. but you have to hear this."