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Post by Briallen de Loréan on Aug 7, 2011 17:45:40 GMT -5
For me the war had started long before this battle; I’d had my own with Seby over whether or not I could be here with him. He’d acquiesced finally, for he knew as well as I did that I was going to be here one way or the other, this way he knew it and could keep an eye on me.
The battle broke with the dawn and it was all I could do not to find a tree to climb and watch it unfold. Duty called louder than curiosity for one of the few times in my life and I made myself helpful around camp, preparing for those who would return injured and helping prepare food for those who would return hale enough to feed their exhausted bodies.
My eyes never stopped moving, taking in every sight and sound, committing them to memory so I could commit them to paper later.
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Post by Sébastien de Loréan on Sept 8, 2011 23:13:46 GMT -5
The fighting went on in waves – something which I'd decided was rather appropriate, considering the tormented shores which boarded the province. And so we charged, retreated, charged again, losing men in every operation. The Skaldi had made undeniable progress, and I'd lost more than a few good men to Eastern axes and cutlasses. That alone made my mood somber.
There were truces, during which we retrieved our dead and wounded, and so did they. I'd just walked back from one of those gruesome quarries and was helping carry back a young soldier barely Briallen's age to the healer's camp.
Ah, Kushiel. I hoped she was alright, and truth be, my eyes darted about the camp every time I returned to it, and as usual, as I ever did between one butchering session and another, I called her name.
“Briallen! Briallen!”
Really, all I needed was to see her fresh face, and reassure myself that my little cousin was safe. Then I could breathe easier, until the next assault.
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Post by Briallen de Loréan on Sept 12, 2011 17:14:07 GMT -5
I heard my name, shouted out in Sebastian’s familiar voice, and dashed through the crowd to find him.
My eyes moved over him as I approached, gauging as I had learned to that the blood on him was not his. “I’m here,” I told him, giving him a reassuring smile that I was alright before turning my attention to the soldier her was helping to support.
“Here, lay him down,” I said, guiding them to a nearby empty cot. “Let me look at him.”
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Post by Sébastien de Loréan on Sept 17, 2011 14:21:47 GMT -5
A wave of relief washed over me when I heard her voice and noted that she was well and safe, and I followed her, let her guide me to the empty cot that seemed to be conveniently waiting for my brother in arms.
“I garrotted his leg already,” I told her with the quiet and restrained calm that always washed over me in battle. This was work – business, almost. “Skaldic axe straight to the knee, though I couldn't do more than stop the bleeding.”
The boy murmured something about Briallen being beautiful, and the only thing it did was stir mercy in my heart – he was too young to die, and I hoped a healer would be about soon. Briallen may have a good head on her shoulders, but I didn't know her to be trained for such things, no matter the excellence of her intentions.
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Post by Briallen de Loréan on Sept 18, 2011 22:31:40 GMT -5
I knelt beside the cot, my attention fully on the gaping wound in the soldier’s leg. Pulling scissors from my belt, I sliced open his breeches until I reached undamaged flesh. I knew this was beyond my stitching skills, but I could do the prework and give the soldier some relief.
Looking at Sébastien, I said, “Stay with him, don’t let him pass out. I’ll be right back.”
Hiking my skirts up enough to not trip on them, I dashed off to get what I would need and inform a healer.
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Post by Sébastien de Loréan on Sept 21, 2011 23:41:33 GMT -5
I simply nodded, and took the boy's hand. “Stay with me, lad,” I urged, “look at me. A healer will be about soon, and with her she'll bring milk of the poppy.”
“-- my leg,” the boy whined, and he was close to keening, though there were no tears on his face.
“Hush, you'll be walking and running soon enough,” I replied, though how much of it was a lie, I could not tell.
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Post by Briallen de Loréan on Sept 23, 2011 15:59:33 GMT -5
As I gathered what I needed, I sent a runner boy off to find a healer as there was not one in sight at the moment. Then I hurried back to the soldier and Sébastien.
Scooting around my cousin, I knelt beside the cot. “Keep talking to him Sébastien,” I said, silently imploring him with a look. I needed to focus on what I could do, and I needed Sébastien to keep the man both distracted and awake. I drew a vial from my pocket and pressed it to Sebastian’s open hand. “Give him this, it will lessen the pain.”
Then I looked at the leg in front of me. Sky and stone, I had no idea if there was any way to save it or truly save the soldier himself. I drew a shuddering breath and then began to carefully clean the wound of debris.
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Post by Sébastien de Loréan on Sept 24, 2011 0:55:47 GMT -5
I was telling the boy tales of a bright future I was inventing for him as I went, spinning threads of illusion to try and keep him hoping and fighting, and nodded to Briallen, accepting the vial.
“--- it hurts,” the lad said again, and stirred to compassion as I was, I said, softly, “I know, brother, here, here is something to make it go away. Now, do you know that scars are incredibly popular with women? I reckon,” I went on after he'd taken a sip of the sedative, “you'll drive me out of my usual haunts and steal all the attention when you're done.”
He smiled faintly at me, and muttered something about how little he believed all that I was saying, but I could see the shimmering light of hope rekindling itself, ever so slowly, in his youthful eyes that seemed to be aging with every passing moment.
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Post by Briallen de Loréan on Sept 30, 2011 15:07:13 GMT -5
I let my mind focus on listening to Sébastien as he talked to the soldier while my fingers went about the tasks I had quickly become all too familiar with. Probe and tweezers to pick out the dirt and little rocks, even slivers of metal, that would keep the wound from healing once it was sewn closed. Even with the tourniquet there was blood oozing from the gash and I kept having to wipe it away. Where was the healer? ?
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