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Sylvain shook his head as he pulled on a pair of clean pants. Already, bruises were blossoming where he'd been hit. He'd not gotten the worst of it, though, and House Gautier's healers already had their hands full. He could survive a few days of tenderness.
They hadn't lost anyone in the fight, either. Of course, and Sylvain would be the first to admit, that Felix and his soldiers deserved most of the credit. They'd led the charge when news of the bandit attack came.
Buttoning up his shirt, Sylvain paused and chuckled softly. Those had been some dumb bandits. They'd taken too long, got caught, and paid the price. House Gautier had five new horses, though three should likely be offered to House Fraldarius, and the small village they'd decided to menace would be fine.
He wasn't about to start offering the bandits advice.
It was nearly time for dinner. They'd gotten back not long after lunch, but there'd been the horses to settle, wounded to care for, and a report for his father. Felix had...
Felix had been limping and excused himself. Hopefully he'd gone to be treated. He was a guest, after all, he'd be seen to without delay. If asked, Sylvain would have done it himself, though he certainly didn't have skills beyond what was useful in the field.
He raked his fingers through his hair and headed off to the guest wing of the main house.
Once upon a time, House Gautier had been just the main house and stables, but it had grown as the years passed. It was a veritable complex and almost its own little village. Sylvain greeted everyone he passed, well-aware of cousins, cousins, and servants and others who just happened to have similar-colored eyes or oddly Gautier-shaded hair.
Yeah, and he'd gotten the Crest. It certainly wasn't for the lack of everyone else in the family doing their otherwise best.
Maybe he'd get an heir at some point from a cousin or cousin or "cousin". That would save some trouble.
He could only hope.
The guest wing was in one of the oldest parts of the original house, the wood worn smooth and dark, the tapestries on the walls muted from years of alternating sun and smoke. The doors to the rooms lining the hall locked, but Sylvain had the master key.
There was a single servant, a young woman named Rita, down near Felix's rooms, dusting quietly. She gave Sylvain a little nod when she noticed him.
"Is Lord Fraldarius in?" Sylvain questioned.
Rita nodded. "He is. I took him a meal not long after he returned, but the tray's not been set back out, milord."
Sylvain frowned.
"You'll be in the hall for a bit?" he asked, considering the most-likely scenario.
"Yes, milord."
"Very good. Um... I'm going to see how Felix is doing, and if I can get him washed up before dinner. If we leave together, can you dart in and take care of... whatever needs taking care of?"
"I certainly can, milord. Please leave it to me."
"Thank you." Sylvain meant it. He reached for the master key that was on a ring with some other keys for doors within the complex, but surprisingly, he didn't need it. With a gentle turn of the knob, the door opened.
"Felix, it's me," Sylvain called as he slipped in and then closed the door again. "It's time for a bath before dinner. I'll help you down if you need me to."
Expecting an immediate retort, Sylvain paled at the silence. The tray of food still sat on a table in the outer room, but it was at least half-eaten. Rita would retrieve it, he knew, and anything salvageable would be salvaged.
"Felix?" The door to the bedchamber was half-closed, but Sylvain pushed on through without a thought.
Sure enough, Felix was sprawled on the bed, half-under a quilt. His boots had been kicked off, at least, but other than that he still looked a battle-worn mess. Hopefully that wasn't his blood... Sylvain didn't remember that much blood being spilled. But oh, it had all been the Fraldarius soldiers at the front. It had been Felix...
At least there was the soft rise and fall of Felix's chest.
"Hey, don't worry me like this," Sylvain said as he dropped to his knees and reached to very-gently wake Felix. There still wasn't a good way. Felix either needed to wake on his own or Sylvain needed to dodge quickly.
One nudge, then two... Finally, Felix opened his eyes and looked over at Sylvain. No dodging had been required.
"Time for a bath before dinner," Sylvain explained. "A little extra healing for you, too?"
"I'll be fine in the morning," Felix replied, his voice raw. "Give my regards."
"I'll carry you and start all sorts of fun rumors."
Felix snorted. It was a good sign. "They're not rumors if they're true."
"Let me take care of you," Sylvain said, softer, before reaching for Felix's hand and bringing it to his cheek. "You're cold, the water is warm, and I don't know how much of that blood is yours."
"Neither do I."
Sylvain cursed under his breath. He'd been too distracted with leading one of the horses back. He hadn't paid enough attention. It wouldn't happen again.
"Then it's bath time and I won't go away until you agree."
Felix didn't reply for a moment, but finally he pulled his hand away and started slowly shifting himself around until he was almost sitting up. "Let's just get it over with."
Sylvain quickly sorted through Felix's bags to find a clean outfit for him while Felix eased his boots back on. He was still sitting at the edge of the bed as Sylvain headed for the door, causing Sylvain to pause.
Felix wasn't going to ask, but it didn't take but a moment for Sylvain to backstep and offer his arm for support.
It was a slow shuffle down through the main house and through the covered walkway to the bathhouse. At least there was section partitioned off for high-status guests. They'd have their privacy.
Even though he'd just washed himself, once Felix was on a bench, dealing with his boots again, Sylvain went right back to his own buttons. There was no point in trying to help Felix with those boots, anyway. He'd tried and failed more than once.
"What are you doing?"
"Making sure you don't drown," Sylvain replied with a shrug. "I know I'm going to get wet..."
Felix just stared at him. At least those damned boots were off.
"Stay where you are," Sylvain said quickly. First, he grabbed a metal cup and filled it from the pitcher near the door. The water wasn't technically cold, but he could tell Felix needed it. Once it was in his hands, Felix half-drained it in one swallow.
"Stay," Sylvain said again. There was a bucket, there were cloths... Felix's clothing would need to be washed properly anyway...
"I'm not--"
"Let me do this," Sylvain insisted as he dipped the bucket into the warm water of the bath. He grabbed a cloth, grabbed a block of soap.
"If you have to."
"Yeah, I do." At least until Felix didn't look so pale. At least until he didn't have blood in his hair. At least until Sylvain was sure where the blood had come from.
Felix's outer layers went first, dirty and bloody and torn. Then Sylvain reached to let Felix's hair fall loose.
"Let me do this," Sylvain repeated as he dipped the cloth in the water and then started wiping it through Felix's hair. It was not the fine romantic moment he could imagine it being in some other circumstance. Not when the cloth came out red and needing to be rinsed.
Sylvain swore softly.
"Not mine," Felix whispered.
That made it a little easier.
"Good," Sylvain replied. "Good..."
He could see a bruise on Felix's arm that matched some of his own dark blossoms. A scrape...
The worst was out of Felix's hair without too much effort, and the bucket dumped in the drain trough.
Another bucket-- No, Felix had shucked off the rest of his clothing and was easing down towards the water. There was a scrape on his leg-- Sylvain knew he could do some thing for that, but oh--
"Your ankle."
It took a moment to remember when Felix had dismounted, but he had, to pull a bandit from a woman protecting a group of children. And he had...
"It'll be fine in the morning," Felix said again.
"Because I'm going to do this," Sylvain replied as he splashed down into the water and took Felix's leg his hands, nearly knocking Felix off balance. The magic wasn't a strain at all. Now they would both sleep it off. Hopefully together.
Felix blinked and looked at him for a long moment, cycling through expressions before just softly smiling. "Thank you. That... is better."
Sylvain couldn't help himself. He laughed. "It had better be! Now let me get the rest of you cleaned up and wash your hair properly."
"You don't have to."
"I know." He leaned and kissed Felix, not at all surprised when Felix kissed him back, warming fingers on his cheek.
Of course he didn't have to.
But he wanted to, and it was certainly proper to offer Lord Fraldarius full hospitality...
If dinner hadn't been looming, he'd even have suggested a little more than a bath. A lot more than a bath. A reason for another bath.
After dinner, perhaps. Or in the morning...
Felix didn't say anything when Sylvain resumed the careful bathing.
It was fine.
Neither one of them needed to say anything.