Kirn had stuck around, resting, until the halfbreed priestess had come in and insisted that his stink was unfit for her patient- as respectfully as she could say it, though Kirn still noted a hint of annoyance in her tone. However, what she said was true. He could infect the prince with the filth that was breeding on him. Kirn was dismissed to the baths, however reluctantly he did so. Exhaustion and the disgusting feel of his clothing against his skin convinced him to take the girl up on her offer. It was a quick matter since he was unwilling to leave the Prince with her for a prolonged period of time. Not after the charge placed on him.
It was sick, indeed, he thought to himself as he reentered the tent. The bath had washed away the rough grime that coated his body and the dried traced of blood on his back. The half-breed sat where he had, peeling a droon fruit like some domestic servant. The bright yellow peel curled into her lap in one long ribbon of color, revealing the savory pink flesh beneath. Kirn hesitated, his stomach clenching at the sight of it. It had been over a day since he had last tasted any food. The girl seemed aware of his thoughts, though her face remained strangely blank. She held the now-peeled fruit out to him. Kirn ignored it. Hungry as he was, there were certain lines he would not corss.
The fruit was placed on a small table that had been brought in, a certain concession made to the rank of the patient. The Prince, Kirn said to himself, feeling the wood of the chair pressing the print of it's grain into his back. There was no small amount of awe in his thoughts of having made such a journey with the royal. Even if his life ended here, it was something of an honor to have gotten the Prince here aliuve, and made Kirn's chest swell with a touch of pride.
His ears rang with the memories of stories that had been told about the son of the King. There were few he had met that did not hold a strong opinion of him- either as someone who was going to lead the nation to a new, enlightened era, or rip the nation apart. That was the political side, though. Few could find fault in his personal life. The most recent story that was circulating was that the Prince had gotten engaged to a lady of low-ranking noble birth. It endeared him to those of lower rank and commoners, like Kirn himself. At the same time, the King and most of the high0ranking nobles were infuriated. The opposition was strong, and doubts about the Prince's ability to lead were being amplified.
From the silver gleam on the Prince's finger, Kirn supposed the rumor to be true. His hand reached for the fruit absentmindedly as he pondered what it could mean for the nation. Kirn wasn't that involved in politics, if he was going to be truthful to himself, but at the same time he did know something about his own nation.
The almost pucker-worthy juice filled his mouth slowly as he bit into the droon. The ranks in the society were solid, the foundation for what they had right now. And what they had right now was... wasn't doing them much good. It was the Order that gave the country and power right now, and that wasn't much. Them and their herbs. "A bitter medicine to swallow," Kirn muttered absentmindedly as he glanced over at the halfbreed. She hadn't made a move from her own seat. If he hadn't seen her moving earlier, then her stillness would have made him think she was some sort of doll, a sick approximation of what a person should look like but the maker having failed in the most important ways.
Pity stirred in his chest for the girl. She was a little off in looks, mixing the high Elven cheekbones with the small, dark eyes of the humans that made her look more like a ferret than anything. It made her face look a bit puffy, though he supposed that it could also be something of puberty at work- the girl didn't look more than seventeen at most. However, if she had stronger Elven blood, that didn't mean much. It was a sad fate that had befallen the parents that had borne her, since she didn't even have the looks to be accepted into what higher-ranking Human families there were. They sometimes had pity for the half-breeds, but only took the comeliest and most likely to give them children close to their own looks.
The Order was the option for the females. They took anyone, as long as they showed the proper piety. Kirn inwardly scoffed at their devotion to the Gods of the land- a fat lot of good it did the ones like this. If the Gods had mercy, they wouldn't have been born. Ah, well. There was no cure for the follies of love.
His eyes had fixed on the girl for some minutes while his thoughts had run through his head. Her robes had stirred slightly from her breathing, while her eyes had stayed rather fixed on the Prince. It seemed that his gaze made her slightly uncomfortable, Kirn noticed with a smile, as she turned her head to look just past him. The lack of eye contact made Kirn more comfortable than he was when she was turning to look.
"If I am bothering you, then please feel free to retire to the soldier's quarters for a while. I'm sure they have a spare cot for you to rest on." The tone of her voice made it unclear as to whether it was a suggestion or an order. "I can wait here until you have rested your fill."
"And leave the Prince when I was ordered to watch him? I think not." There was both challenge and censure in his reply. The vague suggestion that he should leave his post and duty upset him. "I was ordered to protect him, and protect him I will. Your duty is to heal him, so the better suggestion would be for you to make your own rounds if you feel I am uncomfortable in your presence."
Thinned lips clued him into the fact that he had upset her slightly, which gave him a glimmer of satisfaction. Half-breeds should know their place, after all.
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