I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!

[Rhindeer]

It seemed it had taken Makyo forever to reach the castle gates and now, as he approached them, he felt about ready to keel over in exhaustion. Normally, travelling over long distances didn't really phase him; he could walk when his wings got tired and fly when his feet got tired, after all! However...that was only if he was in good health.

He had been too utterly exhausted to even fathom flying, and the trip by foot had taken days...he had lost count; he didn't know how many, anymore. Far too long, that was certain. And he had been far too slow, and in far too much pain, to keep up with the man he had tried to follow. Hell, it was a miracle he even made it to Serendipity! He didn't know the way! But once he'd gotten out of Connlaoth, he'd chosen to stick to the roads and had asked a few people along the way, and only because of that had he made it.

About halfway into the journey he'd suddenly regretted his decision, and even seriously considered turning back, and might have if he already hadn't come so far! His arm, previously wounded from an arrow and treated only haphazardly, due to the hurry he was in, had begun to grow infected, and the pain had only increased in it as the days passed, the skin around the wound growing inflamed and angry. Now, as he staggered up to the castle gates, he was starting to feel the first signs of fever...but...he just had to get there...

He'd heard of the army whose aim was only to destroy. And though fae had no concept of good or evil, that did not mean they didn't have a code of ethics and honor. Their duty was to nature as a whole; and war was unnatural, and not exclusive at all to only those who fought it. There were innocents involved...wars could maim the Earth itself...

But as he finally approached the gates and was stopped by a set of guards, it suddenly occured to Makyo: either he was on time and the war hadn't yet begun, or it had already finished. It was...quiet beyond those gates...

"I...I am Makyo...Makyo of the Orinae Tribe...of fae," he told the guards, bowing his head respectfully and touching his hand to his heart briefly. It was a quick motion, though if he had been in the presence of someone of even higher authority, as in a King, Queen, Elder, or Noble, the posture would have been held longer. Not that that would matter or that they'd know of his tribe or what all the gestures meant. But just as he would report to the Elders and Nobles of his own tribe, he would do so to human leaders, out of respect. "I came to...because I heard there was gonna be a war...and a friend of mine, I think he came ahead of me..."

Well, he didn't really know him, but the way Makyo saw it, it didn't hurt to call him that. Cleared up complications, and Makyo was in no state to explain. He was exhausted, his metallic green, dragonfly wings drooping...and the fever in his body was visible, flushing his cheeks and making a fine layer of sweat coat his skin, making strands of his wild blonde hair cling to his face.

[Goldie]

The gates opening to allow a few guards out of the castle caught Fenway's eye as he stood beside Nellija.  He was curious as to who else was entering the castle, considering he had just gotten there....how could he have missed someone on the same road to the castle when he was coming up?  It wasn't as if he was in deep conversation with the Lady he was escorting....maybe he had passed this new person but hadn't realized it?

"Pardon me," He informed Nellija with a slight bow, "But I have to check on the other guards, I shouldn't be very long."  Pulling up from the bow he turned toward the gate, motioning to a servant to help with the Adelan Noblewoman while he was away.  Reaching the gates, he heard the guards questioning and could hear the exhaustion in the mans voice before he even saw him.  He also noticed that the guards had been careless and left the gates adjar while they walked out, a mistake that could not be over looked, and he would speak with them later.  They could take no chances, not anymore.

The Master and Arm's amber eyes swept over the two guards and the injured fae, taking in everything that he saw and in a split second analyzing all the data.  He was clearly wounded and fading....how long had he been traveling with an arm like that?  As Fen walked closer he could smell that the wound had become infected and needed immediately treatement.

And...Makyo -- Yes, that was what he had said his name was -- had the signs of fever covering him from head to toe.  The flushed cheeks, the layer of sweat.  He needed help, and fast.

"Go fetch a healer." he informed one of the guards, "There should at least be one who's free now."  The man nodded and hurried off while Fenway took control of the situation.

"How long have you been traveling like that, Makyo?" he asked, genuinly concerned as he nodded to the other guard that it was safe to let him enter.  No one could have faked a wound like that.  Even if there was some other motive, he would have a difficult time doing anything right now.

[Rhindeer]

Makyo gave a sigh of relief when he was received in good faith. With times the way they were, he wouldn't half blame the guards if they turned him away completely, or even if they took more drastoc measures to ensure he was no threat. Though, he hardly looked a threat. He wasn't tall for a man at five feet five inches, and, sagging with exhaustion where he stood, he could have hardly taken on a puppy, and he didn't have any weapons on him to speak of. Still, one could never be too sure...and he was a mage, which was probably quite obvious as he'd announced himself up front to be a fae.

It was odd, really, that Makyo was so quick to trust human guards an nobility so soon after nearly having his head lopped off in Connlaoth's palaceâ€"which no doubt would have happened if that kid hadn't stalled and pitched a fit, and if the angel had not pulled him out of there. But there he had been persecuted solely off of the fact that he was a mage, and Makyo knew all humans were not like that; hell, many humans were</I> mages, and he had been able to feel the shift in energies the further away from Connlaoth he had gotten. Connlaoth had...an oppressed air to it that this place lacked, that undercurrent of tension that always occured in nature when something natural was being forced into remission. Here...there was not that strange tension; the energies flowed freely here, and for that, he was unafraid.

Others might not have been able to feel it, maybe even some mages couldn't. But fae were one with the natural world, and magic was as much a part of them as any other organ or fluid in their body was part of them.

He quickly diverted his attention back to the present before he could remember the horrible feeling of sickness and panic that came when the magic within him had simply...vanished...with the Mordecai's presense. It had been bad enough having it bound up, but having it vanish completely, even for a few minutes...

"A..." Makyo trailed off. How long had he been travelling? He wanted to say "a few days", but he knew it had been more than that. A week? A few weeks? He wasn't sure. No...couldn't have been a few weeks. He ruled out that option. Even he couldn't fool himself into thinking he could last that long like this. He was stubborn, but not foolish. Bah...he'd just settle on a few days. It was an ambiguous enough answer. "A few days...?"

His legs wobbled suddenly where he stood, his last reserve of strength fading rapidly now that he'd finally reached his destination, and out of instinct he latched onto and braced himself against the closest thing availableâ€"which just so happened to be Fenway. Clinging to Fenway's arm with his own good arm, he gazed up tiredly and apologetically. "Gah...sorry..." he muttered, but made no move to right himself. In fact, his eyelids were drooping even as he spoke.

[Goldie]

Fenway listened attentively and wasn't suprised at the way the fae had answered his question, almost as if he were unsure of the answer himself.  He was in bad shape, and a few days traveling on his own was enough to do anyone in!  In fact, just by looking at him, Fen was surprised he had been able to make it this far!  Makyo had probably been feeling like that for hours now, possibly even days.

When he stumbled and clung onto the Master at Arms, he made no move to dislodge him and quickly threw one of the fae's arms over his shoulder to better support him.  He was fading quickly as was evident by the way he didn't try to right himself, and his drooping eyes.

Damn...where was the guard with the healer?  They were needed now if this man wanted a full chance of recovery.

"Just hold on for a bit." he murmered back, beginning to take Makyo to the castle.  If the healer was going to take a long time getting down here, Fenway was going to take him up to them!  "We're going to get you to a healer.  Once you're rested we can talk about your business."

Walking slowly, careful not to jolt him terribly, Fen made his way to the castle and was cut off by the guard returning with the healer.  Taking one look at Makyo was enough to convince her that this was a serious case and she led them to a small overflow chamber were a few men from the siege were resting who didn't fit into the larger infirmiry, or were too injured and needed special care.

"Put 'im there" she instructed, pointing out a free cot as she began the preparations.

[Rhindeer]

Makyo didn't complain as he was escorted toward the castle, though he fought vainly to support his own weight and use his own muscles as much as he could. Not that he was heavyâ€"his people were slight, almost frail, in build and short, as well. At five feet five inches, Makyo was among the tall ones, and no doubt the Master at Arms would have no problem getting him to their destination even if he gave out completely. Still, pride ran deep in his particular tribe, and it was that which had kept him going this long to begin with. Now that he had finally made it, though, what strength he had left was draining from him rapidly and gelling his muscles, and he found himself leaning into the Master at Arms, his head lolling against the man's shoulder.

He could have fallen asleep right then and there. That was all he really wanted to do at this moment, simply curl up somewhere and pass out for a while. But he had a duty to take care of; sleep would have to wait.

"Mm? Oh...thank you...m'lord..." From what he'd glimpsed off the man through the blurred vision of exhaustion, he seemed pretty high up in rank, and besides, he was certainly ordering everyone around with a level of authority that told him thus. Lord. That was one of the only human titles he knew of, really. Aside from the ones used for monarchs, of course, but the man didn't seem a monarch. He was probably wrong about the title thing, but it wasn't exactly his biggest concern, and the man would likely catch on that he was trying to be respectful, in any case. Hopefully. Some humans could be fickle...some might take offense. Erk. Maybe he should have left off the title...?

"Business..." It took a little longer than usual for that to register in his mind as they made their way into the castle. And he couldn't help the bit of tension that flickered into his mind for a moment as they started inside. His one and only experience inside a castle hadn't been too grand, to say the least, as he'd been brought there to be prosecuted and exeuted and all. Still, it was only a momentary bout of unease, and the feeling of magic flowing throughout the area eased his mind. However...now close to the castle...he also became aware of the stench of death, and, forcing his eyes open a little more, he could see that the castle had been damaged.

Business...

"The...the war, it...it already happened?" he asked. "M'lord," he added. He was later than he'd thought...

And...so, then, what happened to that man? Was he even alive anymore? Or had he left?

Makyo gave a small groan and sagged a little. All this way for nothing...

Ugh...just his luck.

[Goldie]

Fenway wanted to tell the man not to call him "m'lord" but decided to say something after he was healed and better able to speak.  Although Fen had grown up as a Lord, he always hated that title.  Too many nobleman abused their station to the extent that he didn't want to be compared to any of them, even if they were good hearted.  Of course, this fae was simply being curteous, so the knight decided to take it as a compliment....just this once.

"The war is over, my friend." he replied as the healer busied herself with some herbs in the corner of the room that would kill the infection before she healed the wound.  It would definately not be smart to close the skin when such a bad infection was growing in the untreated gash.

"If you came to help, rest at ease knowing that the castle triumphed with less damage than we had expected"  It was true.  Usually an army came in through the gates, but since they had found a way in with a portal, the gates had been left in once piece.  Of course there was the parts of the battlements that had falled due to the bombs, but nothing so horrible that it could not be fixed.  The men they had lost had not been as much as the last battle, but the number of injuries had been more.  Fenway took that as a good sign.  It meant that their new training methods had helped save lives in the midst of battle.

"Ya may wanna 'old im" the healer told Fenway, a bowl filled with what looked like a goey brown muck that smelled strongly of alcohol.  "I'm goin' ta be puttin' this on yer wound." she told Makyo soothingly, a cool towel in her other hand placed gently on her brow to help ease the fever.  Putting the bowl down, she immediately began applying the strange mixture of roots and alcohol to the wound, as Fenway gripped his shoulders to make sure she could cover the entire wound.

[Rhindeer]

"Over...yeah...I came to help...my friend did, too..." Makyo murmered as he laid back on the cot, which was wonderfully soft and cool to his enflamed skin. His arm still screamed with pain, but he was safe here, and just laying down and being taken care of like this was enough to make him relax, enough to allow himself to cave to the sleepiness. He willingly submitted to the care of Fenway and the nurse, for one of the few times in his life not having to tend to himself. "He...green hair...have ya seen him?"

He listened vaguely as the nurse explained what would be done, and nodded. She was going to put some stuff on his arm...that was pretty easy, and he understood it. He was fascinated by natural herbal remedies, the ones humans used, and they'd come in handy for himself, too. Fae used magic to heal, but if they were wounded, they could not heal themselves in that wayâ€"they could only heal others. Any fae living on his or her own had to be versed in herbal remedies, relying on the ones that grew in the area they'd be living.

And now, it was rather nice, actually, not having to care, not having to worry, having someone else prepare the herbs, having someone else fuss and bustle and soothe andâ€"

Makyo yelled a few choice obscenities that he'd heard his cousin Raijah use before in his signature temper tantrums without even meaning to, jerking against Fenway's hold on his shoulders and the nurse's hand on his brow as the muck was applied to his arm. He'd never experienced alcohol before, in any way, neither as a healing device nor as a drink, for it was something fae just didn't have. And, needless to say, after this, he'd never want to have anything to do with the substance again.

Tears formed at the corners of his eyes, and the sharp sting finally, eventually, died down to a dull, familiar, stinging throb. He panted lightly as the pain dulled, and swallowed. Jeez, that hurt! He couldn't say he'd ever used an herb that hurt like that! "What...what is that?" he asked, staring down at the brown goo on his arm as though it were a venomous snake. And then his eyes widened suddenly as he remembered just what it was he'd shouted, his face flushing. "Ah...I'm...I'm sorry...for...for what I said. I don't normally talk like that...my cousin...he's the one who..."

He averted his eyes sheepishly. Raijah was the one with the temper and tongue of a pixie! Which, he supposed, was fitting since he had a pixie friend.

Seemed he'd really rubbed off on him.

[Goldie]

ooc: Gyah...I had a post written, was wrapping it up, left the room for about 15 minutes, came back my dad had "x"ed it --_--  

ic:

Fenway couldn't help supressing a smile as the fae cursed loudly at the application of the alcohol and comfrey concoction the olderly healer had mixed together.  The Knight was no stranger to the pain Makyo was going through, and eventhough he was grinning, he certainly didn't envy him in the slightest.  It had taken quite a few injuries before he was finally able to simply curse under his breath, but his first reaction had been quite similar to this fae's.

He held Makyo's shoulders firmly as he flailed, but not so hard as to hurt him, just to hold him down so the healer to minister her medicines.  At first Fenway was surprised that she hadn't just healed him, but then remembered that conserving healing was the first priority at the moment, with so many men injured.  He had been one of the few to actually be healed and he was sure it was because the wound was worse than he had originally thought, even if he didn't want to admit it.

With a nod from the woman, Fen released his shoulders, "I guess she should have warned you it would sting." he replied with a small smile hidden behind his hand.

"I didn' know 'ee ain't had alcohol afore." she replied from her position over by the fireside.  A small table had been set up and dried herbs hung from the edges tied in neat little bundles of browns, greens, grays, purples.  Some potted plants rested on the window ledge in order to catch the sunlight as it filtered into the room.  The one plant she reached for had bright green, rounded leaves, and she quickly picked a few, rolling them expertly in her hands before returning to her patient.

"This is Comfrey" she told him, holding up the thoroughly bruised leaves so he could see them, in case he wasn't sure of this plant either, "an' to my knowlege, it ain't gonna sting." Her words were laced with mirth as she gently drapped the leaves over the brown muck she had applied a few moments before.  The leaves stuck immediately and she pulled a bandage around his arm to keep the ointments from moving.  With her left hand tying off the bandage, her right fingertips hovered just above the now covered wound and she called to the silver magic of healing that flowed through her.  Conserving her energy for other patients, the woman healed it enough so stitching would not be needed and further infection would be rare if the bandages were changed everyday for the next week.

"I haven't seen anyone who looks like that." Fenway replied as the Healer tied a sling around Makyo's neck, "But if he was killed I'm sure he would have caused a spectical so you needn't worry."

"That'll 'ave t'be changed once aday." she informed him, walking swiftly over to a pot of steaming water which she poured into a mug, "An' a new batch o' Comfrey'll need t'cover it each time."  Pulling a few herbs from the table she crushed them with her fingers and filled a small muslin bag with  a few before steeping it in the hot water, forming a tea that would help aid the healing process.

Walking over she motioned to Fenway to help him sit up so he could drink it without choking, "This is a mixture o' Parsley t'elp ye get back yer blood faster, Goldenseal root t'fight any infection tha' may still be present, an' some Dogwood bark t'elp wit 'hat fever."  She held out the cup to his lips, "It may be bitter, but ye gotta drink it all."

[Rhindeer]

"Ahah...yeah...that might be nice..." Makyo replied to Fenway's amused remark about warnings, flexing the fingers of his injured arm experimentally to keep his mind off of the fact that he was flushed now with both a fever and with embarrassment. Ugh, he couldn't believe he'd reacted like that, but at least the man seemed amused and not offended, though he wasn't sure which would have caused the most blushes.

His arm was throbbing horribly still, but now it really wasn't hurting any worse than it had been when he'd been found by the knight. Still, he was pretty darned awake now after that shock of that stinging, and he watched the nurse closely as she prepared another concoction. Hopefully whatever she was making didn't hurt like that had, though he knew the pain was worth the healing that came with it. But he was no masochist, and he tried to avoid pain when he could help it. It just wasn't fun...

Huh? "What's alcohol? The brown...stuff?" he asked. He hadn't ever heard of a plant named that...but, then again, he also didn't recognize the plant the nurse held up to him and called Comfrey. Interesting. His mind quickly absorbed the new information, memorzing the look of the plant and how it was used, applied over that rancid-smelling brown healing muck. "No...no stinging," he commented as she began to bandage the wound, too focused on memorizing the plant to notice that she was teasing him. But all this new information would be useful to know, and Makyo had a mind like a sponge and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and all things new and unique.

He laid back down when the sling was secured about him, and the world moved a little after he'd stopped moving, reminding him that he was still feverish. And tired. And then Makyo gave a light sigh when Fenway said he'd never seen anyone that looked like that strange wild man. That could either be a good sign or a bad sign, yet at the same time, there were a lot of people in a castle. It'd be easy to not notice a few, or to even forget them, especially in such confusion. And that was assuming the man had even come all the way to begin with. Maybe, like Makyo, he'd been late and had turned back once he'd found that out.

"I...guess that's a good sign. I never knew...him well, just from a quick chance encounter, but I still...I still wish him the best. I'm sure if he was here...people would know...he was more like a wolf than a human; even I've never seen...someone like him. Hard to miss." He gave a yawn, and was content to just close his eyes there and fight off the rest of whatever was ailing him in his sleep, but that was when the nurse returned with more explanations, Fenway helped him sit up, and a cup was pressed to his lips.

And it was indeed bitter. He grimaced a little from the taste, nose wrinkling, but then took a deep breath and started gulping it down as quickly as possible. He'd take her word for it and do as he was told, but it didn't mean he had to like it one bit, if his expression was any indication of that.

[Goldie]

The healer nodded in relief as she looked down at the cup and was glad to see that all of its contents were gone.  Of course, this wasn't the last time this young fae would be tasting the bitter herbal tea...no, not for a long while!

"Tha' needs t'be drunk twice a day." she informed him, placing the cup over with the rest of her herbs, "Ye'll get another dose t'night.  Otherwise, don' be doin' anythin' strenuous an' get some sleep, it'll help the herbs t'work faster."  With that she busied herself with her medications, putting away jars that she no longer needed and folding leaves and flowers back into small packages.

Fenway took this time to think over more carefully if he had seen somoene like Makyo had described.  It was very possible he had and just not realized who he was...or...or perhaps he had been mistaken for the enemy?  After all, he was a stranger running into a seige at the last minute...and green hair.  Not many people had green hair in the castle and that could have very well been taken as one of the Dread Army....

Gods...what if he had been attacked?  Or worse, what if he had been one of the few who had been captured; but in his case, under false pretenses?

"I think I may have seen him...." The knight replied, still thinking where it could have been.  After all, he had been dizy from blood loss from the many scrapes and gashes that had covered his body.  The worst had been completely healed, but a few smaller ones were still visible.  "I'll go and look for him."  He replied, making sure the Fae was comfortably lying down before making his exit, "If I find out anything I will come and tell you immediately"  With a polite bow he walked to the doorway and called to one of the passing servants.

"I need you do do me a favor."  He told her in an undertone, "There was a Lady who fell off of her horse in the village when I went down ealier today and I have brought her back here to rest.  Could you lead her to an empty room and make sure she is comfortable?"  After getting a positive answer and a polite curtsey, Fen hurried off down the corridor.  His first stop would need to be to the Queen to let her know that he had returned....even if a lot sooner than she had ordered...But that wasn't his fault!  That Lady had needed some rest badly!  It had been hard enough to convince her to return with him....Gods....hopefully the Queen wouldn't be so stubborn.

But he never got to the Queen.  Instead he stopped a soldier who was running through the halls and learned that an attack had broken out in the dungeon.  Well that was nice!  At least now he could offer some help!  With a quick step, Fen turned his direction down toward the dungeon with the hopes of stopping some awful outburst from the prisoners.