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The horn blaring meant that it was over . He wasted no time in dismounting his horse and removing his helm. He threw it to his squires hands and shoved off the crowd surrounding him to see if he was well of health .He had one thing in mind, well one person more-like ,so he headed for where he'd seen Duncan being treated by Ser Raymund and the blacksmith.
He had a whole speech at the tip of his tongue he could say, or maybe he'd just offer a drink while they both bled out but nothing came out of his mouth when he finally saw Dunk. He was beaten bloody , his cries echoing the small space they were in but not cries of his own pain .
Ser Baelor was in his arms eyes wide open , blood trickling from behind his head. Prince Aegon witness to it all. He slapped the back of Raymun's head and barked out the orders "The fuck are you dillydallying for ! Get a maester and take the boy away from here " seeing Raymund struggle to move Lyonel gave him a push and yelled out " Now !" it made the man stumble but nonetheless move to grab the young boy to drag him away from where his uncle lay dead .
The blacksmith was an older man , must have seen his fair share of fucked up dead bodies for he reacted fast Lyonel ordered him " Help me get him up" he complied even with trembling hand's as they tried lifting Ser Baelor from Duncan's arms.
" I'm sorry , I'm sorry " the hedge knight kept repeating his tears falling on Baelors non responding face.Hearing Duncan's cries and apologies made Lyonel's heart ache and his face grimace but this was not the time to comfort him.
The beaten sound Duncan let out each time they tried pulling Baelor from his arms would haunt him for a while. Duncan's brutal strength even in his bloody state was non relenting , clutching at the dead mans body refusing to let go.
Lyonel let out an exasperated sigh , and placed his hand on Duncan's , then whispered . " If we can get him to the maesters he can still live. " It was a bold faced lie , half the mans head was shattered for fucks sake there was no curing that but at times like these lies were necessary. Duncan knew Lyonel was lying but chose to believe that sweet lie either way .
He let go of the man right on time for 3 maesters and a wounded man to show up , but the wounded man in-front of them wasn't a kings-guard , no . It was Prince Maekar, bruised and battered , his wounds bleeding through his new bandages as he dragged his feet to where his brother was being held still by Steely Pate and himself . The masters smacked their hands away and laid Baelor in a stretcher. Lyonel nodded his head in understanding and without asking grabbed Duncan's arm and took him away from that damn arena.
They were both stumbling , Duncan's wounds needed to be treated and Lyonel's own as well but he could see in Duncan's hazed eyes his own health was of no importance , guilt eating him alive. How they'd managed to his tent he had no clue nor did he care as he grabbed bottles of wine and made Duncan drink it ignoring his protests.
" You need to drink " he said caressing his blood soaked hair. " Gods you're a mess " he then grabbed more wine and put it to boil.
"It should have been me , it should have been me not him." Duncan uttered , his voice hitching as he cried . Lyonel felt ready to pull at his hair , ready to shout what good would that have brought but he managed neither . Instead he filled himself a goblet and sat net to Duncan as the wine boiled .
" It's not yours to decide whose death was meant today . The Stranger decides and they take whom they want " his hand was now once more on Duncan's hair as the taller man spoke .
" He'd a family , loved ones , sons and brothers and a realm ,he—" he heard Duncan's breath still as if his lungs couldn't fill with air" none would have cared for my death none would have suffered . Last person who'd have given a damn died in a ditch" Words weren't getting to Duncan , and while it was most uncourteous Lyonel knew actions spoke better so he brushed his fingers on Duncan's lips and pressed an eager kiss to them.
The surprised sound the man let out had Lyonel thinking he'd be pushed off , to his surprise Duncan kissed back hands shaking as they reached for Lyonel's hair and face .The kiss was a filthy one , their mouths tasted of blood spit and dirt but it was all Duncan had now. Pulling away to breathe Lyonel rested their foreheads together . " I'd suffer had the gods taken you , i reckon your boy too , Ser Raymun as well . Ser Baelor would mourn your loss as much as you're mourning his—" Duncan tried pulling away but Lyonel held him firm.
" All the common folk who cheered for your victory would have felt the loss of a knight who remembered his vows." Duncan turned his face away at that, feeling ashamed. His whole body was in pain but he didn't know which hurt more his bleeding wounds or his bleeding heart . " Stop agonizing , stop thinking " Lyonel said pressing kisses to Duncan's swollen eyes and cheek " Let me take care of you, won't you?"
He didn't deserve what Lyonel was offering him Duncan knew that but he allowed Lyonel to wipe away the blood and dirty from his face anyway . Let himself kiss the mans mouth and hold his hands while boiling wine fell on his bleeding wound . Lyonel's skillful hands banding his wounds one by one , from the open gash on his leg to the lance that had speared his torso .
Lyonel held Duncan as if he was a fragile thing , none had done so as long as he remembered . Maybe his mother had , in some distant blurry time she probably had held him and wiped his tears then held him close to her beating heart or maybe she'd been disgusted at his birth and left him for the ground to hold .
None of that mattered ,not with Lyonel's beard tickling his neck , his hands on Duncan's , joined together . He'd attempted to take care of Lyonel's wounds but the man had forbade him from moving .He'd fallen asleep not too long after , fatigue taking hold of him . That or the bottle of wine he'd chugged down as to ignore his wounds .
Lyonel shifted his body to lay on the side so he could face Dunk's sleeping face . The man's face was swollen beaten but no longer bloodied , a nasty gash near his eye but nothing that would have his lose his sight. Even with it he was as beautiful as when Lyonel had first laid eyes on him .He couldn't tear his eyes away from Dunk , not even when his eyes felt heavy did he accept defeat forcing his eyes to stay open to take one last glance at the soft breaths Duncan let out watching the ruse and fall of his chest with rapt attention .
" Would you join me ?" He asked ,hands caressing Duncan's face and his split lip , " You and I in Storm's End ,together " he muttered nuzzling their heads together but getting no answer . " We'd be far away from all this folly .Bet you'd look beautiful in my colors would you not ?" he asked and once more he got no answer .
" We'll discuss it when you're awake I'm guessing ? as you wish " he chuckled , ignoring the growing pain in his chest when he laughed or moved and pressed their lips in a final kiss before joining him in slumber . 'It would not be horrible' he thought it himself ' if he woke and slept with this view every day and night .