Chapter Text
“Lily, stop! You're hurting yourself. Don't go down there again, please.”
Despite the fact she trusted the Umbral Knight more than any other, as he had been there from the very first moment she opened her eyes, Lily could not bring herself to listen. This lab that she had discovered, deep within the kingdom, felt more important than any other location she had visited so far. She knew the answers she sought would be found here, they had to be. It did not matter that the blighted mists permeating the air seemed to burn her from the inside out, or that the infected waters she had seen traces of in the Witches’ Coven above left stinging marks all across her skin that even she had difficulty healing, given the speed at which they grew.
This place was killing her, slowly but surely. Lily refused to let that stop her; she had answers to find.
Lily knew she could handle the blight, the ever-present red stains against her skin and within her hair a grim reminder of that fact. The air and water of this Subterranean Lab would be no different, no matter how agonising it was atop her already present injuries.
Pausing for a second, Lily clasped her hands to her chest in prayer, wishing away the pain that had once more spread throughout her body. She was so, so tired. No matter how often she healed herself, the pain did not seem to ever leave. Thankfully, she had paused in an area mercifully lacking in blight, but in this kingdom she knew nowhere was ever truly safe, aside from the scattered respites she would find. Lily knew the nearest respite was not far from where she found herself, as her trek through the Subterranean Lab had looped around on itself.
Even though it was only a couple of painfully long minutes away, Lily did not think she could make it to the respite. She hoped the Umbral Knight and all her other loyal companions would not be disappointed in her.
Lily hoped the answers she sought could wait just a little while longer.
With a heaviness unlike any she had felt before weighing her down, limbs unwieldy and unresponsive, lungs burning in her chest, Lily stumbled, and fell, and did not rise. The last thing she heard as the world around her faded away, was a desperate voice calling her name.
“Lily!”
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The Umbral Knight could only look on in horror as Lily, his charge, the one he swore to protect, stumbled once, twice, hands clasped to her chest, before finally succumbing to her injuries. Falling motionless to the ground, she looked-
She looked-
It was only with the sudden appearance of the Floral Sorceress that he came back to himself, and rushed over to the young girl on the ground. As used to illness as she was, the Floral Sorceress had already begun the process of looking Lily over, determining the severity of her injuries. There was little the Umbral Knight could do to assist with this process, so he focused on Lily’s breaths. Slow, shallow, and painfully rasping, but present nevertheless. Lily was still with them, no matter how dire her situation seemed, and he would get her to safety.
Deep within the Subterranean Lab was as far from safe as he could imagine.
Although they were far from any blighted air or water, for the moment, the same could not be said for any enemies who may attempt to harm the young girl. With this thought, the Umbral Knight swiftly rose to his knees, one hand atop his sword, the other hovering protectively over Lily. Aside from the distant groans of failed experiments, however, the area around them was silent. Clearly, the final member of Lily’s current travelling party had kept himself busy whilst both the Umbral Knight and Floral Sorceress focused on the girl.
With daggers in hand, the Umbral Knight watched as Hoenir paced a perimeter around the trio on the ground, simultaneously keeping watch and ensuring no foes approached. As if sensing the Umbral Knight’s eyes on him, Hoenir paused briefly to look at them and gestured to Lily, head tilted in question. With an affirmative nod from the Sorceress, the Umbral Knight steadied himself before replying to Hoenir’s unasked question. “She is… not well, but stable for now,” the Umbral Knight’s voice was somewhat shaky, but the relief he felt was no less clear.
The only response he gained from the other man was a slow, thoughtful nod, before he gestured once more between Lily and the nearest exit, headed up towards where the Umbral Knight knew a respite would be found.
“Could… she be moved?” Another nod. “Yes. I believe so. Even if it is not the safest course of action, I don’t want to stay here any longer than absolutely necessary. Who knows what the air here contains, there’s undoubtedly traces of the blight outside of the concentrated areas. We ought to move quickly.”
Despite his words, the Umbral Knight hesitated, keeping one hand on his sword and moving the other to Lily’s arm. If he carried the young girl, he would be unable to keep her safe in the manner he knew best, but if he took up his blade instead, what would happen to her? Who would carry her? There would be no way for him to take on both tasks at once, yet as worry clouded his mind the Umbral Knight could not think of another solution.
The impossible choice before him was taken out of his hands rather swiftly. Hoenir carefully lifted Lily, one arm beneath her and the other across her back. Ensuring Lily was stable against him as he rose, the executioner glanced briefly at the Umbral Knight before returning to his previous task of keeping watch. In a quiet, rarely used voice, he spoke to both the Floral Sorceress and Umbral Knight. “Stay alert. Stand guard. I shall carry her.”
Glad for Hoenir’s steadfast presence, knowing he would protect Lily with everything available to him, and the Floral Sorceress’ calming nature as she kept a keen eye on both Lily’s condition and the path behind them, the Umbral Knight knew he could focus on protecting his charge.
Sword in hand, gaze scanning the halls before him in search of any hidden danger, the Umbral Knight began the seemingly endless walk back to safety.
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The first thing to return to her was the sensation of a hand resting upon her own, abnormally light as if worried it would hurt her. The second thing to return was fear.
Jolting upright, the hand against hers darting back, Lily’s eyes looked rapidly around the room she found herself in. How did she get here? This wasn’t where she remembered being. What happened when she lost consciousness? As panic set in, Lily’s breathing quickened until she found herself gasping for the air her lungs just couldn’t seem to find. Pulling her shaking hands together, Lily curled in on herself until her head met her knees, eyes tightly shut.
Lily jumped when a gentle hand rested upon her shoulder, steady and still and grounding her in the present moment. As her senses slowly returned, Lily could hear a quiet voice murmuring to her, giving low reassurances of where she was and what had happened. With a shaky breath, she raised her head once more to see two figures a short distance away, and a third kneeling before her, hand still resting steadily against her shoulder.
Looking on in worry, the Umbral Knight and Floral Sorceress gave a joint sigh of relief when Lily focused on them, blinking confusion and fear from her eyes until all that remained was thankful recognition. This clarity was also visible to Hoenir, who carefully removed his hand before backing away from the young girl, allowing the Umbral Knight and Floral Sorceress to take his place now that Lily had calmed down. He did not go far, merely resting against the opposite wall. From there he could see both the entrances to the respite and the narrow bench where Lily sat, the Umbral Knight and Floral Sorceress beside her to explain what happened.
They would be okay to rest here a little longer, but he would keep watch anyway.
Better to be safe than sorry, after all.