RP:Aftermath with Aela
Part of the Silver Oaths Unrelenting Arc
Lake Frysta
Hildegarde had lost track of time in the camp of the exiled giants, not knowing how many days she had spent as their prisoner and their plaything, forced to fight in a pit for their amusement like she was no better than a mindless beast. Indeed, it was during that time she wished she was nothing more than a beast so she needn’t dwell on it too much! But alas, she had escaped: bloodying herself and running as fast as her feet would carry her for fear the dead would somehow rise, that there would be more giants or that something would go wrong and she’d be dragged back and finally executed. That it would be her head on a pike, like she had done to their fearless leader. The Silver stumbled through the wilderness of Frostmaw, weighed down by the ornate and seemingly unusual chains about her. The only thing that gave her some kind of modesty was the cape draped about her – bloodied as it was – that had been gifted to her by Queen Satoshi for her victory in the joust and service to Frostmaw. The knight, however, could no longer push on and simply dropped to her knees with a heavy sigh, feeling exhaustion and hunger creep into her bones again. A contraption made of blue iron hung from her neck, preventing her from transforming into her most truest of forms for it would simply slice her throat and end her if she tried. Her ankles were manacled by heavy, thick blue iron chains which severely hindered her movement and made her progress slow, making her feel so heavy with each and every step. The Silver sank forward into the comforting embrace of the snow, staining it red as she did but not caring. Indeed, from a distance her wounds could not be seen – she covered herself well to protect her modesty – and her hair draped over her face like a fiery veil.
Aela stands upon the bank of the lake, cerulean eyes gazing out over the beautiful sight. she is shaken out of her reverie, however, by the loud clanking of chains, heavy breating, and finally a loud thunk as the knight falls over. Aela has no idea who this person is, but it is apparent that the fallen person is in need. Moving as fast as she can through the snow, the paladin makes her way over to the person and sinks to her knees beside her. Though tattered and falling apart, Aela knows the cloak by sight. This, along with the red hair upon the knight's head reveals the person's identity immediately. "Oh gods! Hilde!" Quickly, the paladin leans forward to listen for Hilde's breathing. At the same time feeling for the other woman's neck to check for a pulse.
Hildegarde was still breathing, raggedy as it was, she was still breathing. Her pulse was thready and weak but it persisted, she was resilient and would not give up yet. Her time in the exile camp had gave her the will to live, seeing as she did not have the will to die. As the paladin touched her flesh, she attempted to growl defensively, but it only came out as a little chuff of breath, she was simply too weak to do anything. Too hungry and thirsty, too drained of might and blood to have the strength to protect herself should this be someone she cannot trust. Fortunately, she was in the hands of a close friend. The voice – being familiar after all – made her turn her head, “Aela?” she rasped, her throat dry and hoarse. But the turn of her head revealed a horrendous maiming: a broken iron poker, lingering in the left eye of the dragon, stealing her sight and demolishing the eye itself. Perhaps the knight was in too much shock to realise, but it was not a secret that could be kept from her nor one that could be reversed.
Aela takes a deep sigh of relief at the sound of Hilde's breathing. "You are alive!" The words of relief, however, are frozen in her throat as the knight turn, revealing the damage that had been done to her. A gasp of surprise and shock escapes the paladin before she finally gets ahold of herself. Focusing her mind within, she allows her training to take over. Acting out of inner guidance rather than emotion, Aela moves back a little to examine the knight clinically. Nearly naked, obvious exposure wounds, the big wound to the eye along with some nasty bruising that could indicate internal damage... This is far beyond the paladin's skill as a healer. First thing, make sure the patient is warm... Taking the knight's tattered cloak, she wraps it tighter around the knight. Then, removing her own heavy cloak, she adds it to the one already upon the knight. Next order of business, get the other woman to a real healer as quickly as possible...
Hildegarde could not even open her other eye due to her exhaustion, which perhaps allowed her to think they were both too heavy to open rather than being blinded in one eye. Indeed, she could resist the frost well and live in it quite happily, but in her human form it was far more difficult; her thick scales were sparse in this form. Her stomach growled and she licked her dry lips in an effort to wet them; to soothe them from the cracks that dehydration and bitter weather had caused. As the cloak was wrapped even tighter still around her, she groaned, unable to see the fresh rose of red blooming against the blue fabric. “I’m…” she started, before pausing tiredly and attempting to continue again, “I’m terribly hungry.”
Aela takes a moment to close her eyes, words of prayer slipping from her lips in some arcane language. Had the knight been in any state to see anything, she would have noticed a bright flash of white light off in the distance. Opening her eyes, the paladin is able to just make out Hilde's words. "Of course, dear one. A moment and I will get you something." Quickly pulling her pack from her back, she drops it heavily upon the ground and rummages through it quickly. She knows that the knight will be unable to eat anything heavy, so she slips out a bottle of spring water and some of the ambrosia that she had come across. Carefully, she lowers the ambrosia to Hilde's lips.
Hildegarde would indeed be unable to eat anything heavy, but she had the glutton of a dragon and some dragons were perpetually hungry! She accepted the ambrosia meekly, offering a mumbled ‘thank you’ even though her manners might chastise her for speaking while eating. Her exhaustion, however, won out and made her not care about such a trivial little thing, but at least she was now a bit warmer than before and was in safe hands. Her enemies lay dead and she was with a trusted friend, she should be able to rest easy! “Sabjorn…” she said quietly, remembering that he had lost his life. “Sabjorn is dead.”
Aela gently continues to feed the ambrosia and the water to the dragon as she awaits the arrival of transportation. "I am so sorry to hear that, my dear friend. We will talk more of these things soon. For now, you must rest. I will bring you to a healer so we can get you patched up." The paladin lays a gentle hand on Hilde's shoulder, trying to reassure her through the light touch.
Hildegarde attempted to drink greedily from the bottle but it sent a sickly feeling in her gut, which promptly made her drink slowly and only some, as well as measured amounts of food. She sighed at the touch: tired and sore, an array of bruises, cuts and even deeper wounds. “You are kind to me,” she said.
Aela smiles softly, careful not to stare at the wound to Hilde's eye. It would only serve to worsen the situation if the knight were to know of her eye at the moment. There was time for such things once Hilde could be healed. "Of course. You are dear to me, Hilde. I will look after you and make sure that you are okay." Sitting next to the other woman, Aela keeps a comforting hand upon her until the sound of wings flapping in the wind can be heard. Turning her cerulean gaze toward the horizon, she sees what she had been waiting for. Seemingly out of the sun, a giant bird begins its descent toward the pair, landing with a loud screech, the beast turns its eyes to Aela. The paladin meets those eyes with her own, something seeming to pass between them. Then, with some effort, the paladin hefts the weight of the knight up to the bird's back.
Hildegarde smiled meekly at the remark, “I thought of you,” she said, “and our chat, in my time with the exiles.” Aela’s words had given her strength, they had given her the will to live and fight on when that will would have otherwise abandoned her. Without the paladin, the knight may well have been dead due to the giants. At the loud screech, the Silver turned her head away and groaned at the noise, but soon she was being moved and heaved up onto the back of the great bird. She huffed and groaned at the movement, but she was grateful: “Thank you,” she mumbled, before asking, “you are coming along, aren’t you?” Loathe she might be to admit it, she would have been a bit afraid if the paladin left her now.
Aela breathes deeply of the cold air before gripping the bird's wing and lifting herself to a place behind the dragon. "Of course, I would not leave you now." Settling into place, she grips the cloaks on the knight to hold her in place with one hand and the bird's feathers with another. To the bird, she calls out, "Gently now, girl. We do not want cause further damage to our friend." Chirping softly, the creature spreads its great wings and lifts itself from the ground, carrying its passengers toward the safety of Frostmaw. "Rest Hilde... You can tell me all about how thoughts of me helped you when you are better.."
Hildegarde offered a tired smile of contentment, obviously quite relieved that the paladin would not abandon her in her time of need, “Yes, rest,” she murmured, agreeing that it was a good idea. With her eyes already shut, it was too difficult to convince the knight to catch some shut-eye before their arrival in the city at least.
Aela frets silently, urging the Roc to move faster in her fear that the knight might not make it. The ride seems to take hours, but is in fact only several minutes before the great bird is landing in the courtyard of the arena. The paladin leaps from the bird's back and begins calling out for a healer, praying that one will be quick to respond.
The arena has been announced as closed, what with repairs due to take place after the gladiatorial bout that destroyed it. Indeed, what with it being closed, no healers, warriors or trainers were present. It was nothing more than a set of abandoned rubble now, at least until repairs took place.
Aela curses loudly at the pervasive silence within the walls of the arena. Turning quickly, she pulls herself back onto the Roc's back, tears of frustration forming in her eyes. Giving the bird a sharp kick, it lifts itself once more into the sky. If no healers were present here, she would bring Hilde to the steps of the palace itself. The roc's wings carry them steadily toward the palace of Frostmaw's queen.
The palace was always well equipped with healers, some shamanistic and a few priests of Aramoth, who would perhaps name more severe wounds as mere scratches and counsel their patients to stop whining. But indeed, there many healers, the palace was plentiful in healers all in the service of Queen Satoshi. The knight, however, commented bashfully: “I mustn’t let the Queen see me,” she was afraid the Queen would see her in such a state and deem her unworthy of further service. Of course, that was all part of her paranoia and insecurity, nothing more.
Aela waves away the knight's concern, eyes focused on the rapidly approaching palace. As the roc settles down upon the steps, it lets out a vicious screech, the sound echoing about the entire palace. Unconcerned with what the Queen might think, the paladin leaps from the bird once more and finds herself surrounding by the queen's guards. I suppose the rapid approach could have appeared as an attack. Aela, however, has no concern for her own safety at this point as she wags a finger up at the nearest giant. "What are you doing, you big lumbering idiot?! Can you not see that we are in need of a healer here?" The giant, for his part, simply looks down at the woman with a look of disbelief at her tone. Luckily for Hilde, there is a healer on the steps who has overheard her vehement display. It is only by the grace of whatever god was looking out for Aela that the healer was able to get a few others together to haul Hilde off of the roc's back as Aela is being escorted rather rudely to the dungeons.
Hildegarde moaned as the giants hauled her off the roc’s back, unsettling her and her wounds, but she would be aided soon and that’s what mattered. All the sound and calamity was enough to rouse her from her short sleep, though, and without her eyesight she couldn’t tell where Aela was or where she was being taken to. “Aela?” she asked, unsure why the paladin wasn’t nearby!