AUTHOR'S POV
The panic in Jac's voice echoed in the watchtower. The old garrison only offers warmth and shelter, nothing more. Stellan looked out the window and noticed that the rains have stopped. Running her hand through her nearly healed wounds, she blinked her eyes a few times considering the need to use her powers. A shaky breath escaped her pursed lips. She knew that she can't do it yet. Then, Stellan placed her hand on Atrius' chest. Pressed it down gently, enough to feel his heartbeat. "Atrius…", she called.
The spluttering footsteps and banging of cabinet doors halted, as Jac face Stellan. "Can you heal him?", Jac blatantly asked, out of his high hopes and desperation. Catching his breath, he suddenly realized it was too much to ask for Helena. For she, herself, is badly hurt too. "I'm sorry, Helena… I know you can't heal him".
Atrius slowly opened his eyes, as if Helena's name reeled him back from the underworld to reality. "Helena? Don't..", Atrius refused. Stellan and Jac felt on edge at Atrius' waking. "The venom.. might have spread to my heart. I'm a waste of your healing", he held Stellanon his arm with a faint smile. "It's too bad the last thing that I see is… Stellan's face. How I.. How I love to have another day to see Helena. One more.. day".
"Save your breath, Atrius", Eyes sharp, with a hand turning to a fist, Jac closed in with a few steps.
Atrius coughed miserably. It was a burst of pain at every bark. "Wa—ter", he asked.
"Jac.. could you get us some water? And maybe, find me neem or crown flowers along the way?", Stellan said as she look back at Jacomus, who's standing nearby glued on his feet.
Jac took a while to answer. He once told Helena that in war, there are casualties. And there's nothing more they can do as all men at war die an honorable death.
But, this is Atrius.
With Atrius' life is on the line, his judgment faltered. His truth is bent. From saving all you can, Jac switched back to saving everyone. Terrible memories of his past deluged his sound mind. Seeing Atrius in a bad shape reminded him of his past mistakes and deficiencies. Those times were tough, that such harrowing recollections brought about by the current circumstance opened old nasty scars.
"Jac?", Stellan called as Jacomus snap out of his nightmare.
"Ah! Ye—yes! Neem and crown flowers? I'm on it", Jacomus stammered, shifting his gaze on Atrius. "Hang in there Atrius". Something heavy continued to bother Jac. He turned to the door with ponderous plods. For a moment, he pondered on a little thought. If Helena can't heal Atrius, they lose a friend. And if Helena does the otherwise, they lose Helena. And the disappointing part that crushes him is that he can't save both of them. "Hey, squirrel", Jacomus turned around, standing by the door. With knitted brows, Stellan tilted her head as she stare back at Jac.
Jac couldn't leave, for he was afraid to see what he'd come back to. "Yea..neem and crown flowers", he simply nodded before setting off. He pulled the door and shut it gently with a soft click.
"Ste..llan..", Atrius called, he placed his hand over Stellan's right over his chest.
"I'm Helena, remember?", Stellan uttered.
"I'm already done for", Atrius said in a breathy tone. "I don't want to regret this, even in the after life", he forced himself to speak regardless of the constant pain that pricks his insides.
Stellan hushed her dying patient as she shook her head. "No talks about dying here".
"I.. don't know when it started.", Atrius began to feel a sweltering heat on his chest, that seemed to spread. Ignoring the disappearing prickling sensation crawling under his skin, he just went on. "…or what stopped me from realizing what's been in my heart for a long time. I never knew that only in the verge of death that I would ascertain how Helena and I's friendship, something that I treasure sincerely, is nothing but deep affection all along", Atrius laid his cards openly and honestly. Stellan listened closely, while she try tofocus on Atrius' body, from his cold skin and open wounds, to the venom flowing in his veins and slowly beating heart.. "It's definitely neither when Helena walked down the long stairs to the quadrangle of Nether's academy, nor when she carried Ottis out of the Forbidden forest... It was not during the swordfight training, or the small ramble that Helena caused in the dining hall of Brandenburg", Thinking deeply, Atrius suddenly remembered a vivid memory of when exactly Helena caught his eyes. "She walked out of a small boutique shop in Agora. She was wearing that beautiful gray dress. Flaunting her curves in a hazy reflection by the window, donning a very shy but pretty smile. Her eyes shone like the moon in the sky full of stars. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.". Atrius thought he could feel his cheeks flush, the same exact feeling that night in Agora.
Stellan paused. It felt like she have heard the similar confession before. Narrowing her gaze, Stellan lifted her hand as she stroke her chin with her fingers. One of her innocent and sincere healing intentions once turned nothing but grim and catasthropic, which is nonarguably her big mistake.
Stellan lowered his head, closed her eyes a bit and exhaled sharply. Atrius is far more different than Galen. They were friends first, They built with an unbreakable foundation of trust and respect. "Atrius, I need you to stay still. This won't take too long now", Stellan pressed her lips, completing the exchange of the minimal strenght that she earned with Atrius' life line.
"It's now or never, Stellan. So please… hear me out", Atrius plead. "Helena is the best thing that happened to me. I'll make sure, that I'll be her Stellan, in my next… life", Atrius's eyes were pulled down into a sleep from which he feels he might never awaken. The color on his cheeks started to return. His lips became moist, with a shade of salmon pink. The wound on his chest disappeared shortly.
Feeling lightheaded, Stellan seemed to be floating freely like a feather in the wind. She breathe shakily as her wounds bled again. She stood up on her feet, feeling more than sluggish. Her mouth is drying fast, quickly that it was hard to swallow. Visions became blurred. The sounds of the forest were replaced with a ringing in her ears. With her chest tightening, it was harder to breathe.
All of a sudden, heavy footsteps came rushing into the watch tower. Stellan didn't turn. The moment Stellan's eyes turned white, and her heartstops beating, a strong force bashed her head knocking her out cold. Her slammed hard that his head kissed the rough floors.
"Alert the others. We're going home. The prince is alive", said the man crowned with thick curly hair, wearing a black open chest longsleeves vest, with navy blue drape around his waist, and deep maroon loose fitting trousers who's playing with his runes in his hands.