Aug 22, 2021
“AFTG Andriel AU based on a dream I had: Neil has the same background, everyone after him is dead, and now he is trying to adjust to living
So I practically wrote a fic on twitter today.
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“AFTG Andriel AU based on a dream I had: Neil has the same background, everyone after him is dead, and now he is trying to adjust to living
So I practically wrote a fic on twitter today.
“Soulmate/Soulmark AU were your soul mate leaves an imprint of color on your skin whenever they touch you and thats how -ya know- know they'
I wrote a Andriel pro-years soulmate/soulmark tweet thread last night instead of going to sleep on time.
I've been working on the last chapter of Aaron Minyard Vs. Calculus fic for over a week now and it's so long. Usually the chapters are like 1500-2000 words and this one has to already be double that. And I'm still adding stuff to it.
I just want edit and post, but more and more and more details just keep coming out.
Knights of the Fox Table
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen -
The Foxes kept their word and came to visit him daily throughout the rest of the week. Which Neil was surprised to find he appreciated. He was sleeping less and less and their visits helped break up the monotony of doing absolutely nothing all day. Even when he had been at his father’s castle avoiding everyone he had been more active than this.
Though more often than not their presence got overwhelming fast. Their multitude of questions and worry over him was something he wasn’t used to, and he had to keep reminding himself that they were just interested in getting to know their newest recruit not trying to expose the lie he was. It helped that they weren’t coming to visit him in one large group anymore. Wymack had made an exception that first day, but now their daily tasks made it so only one or a few could visit him at a time.
During their visits, Neil noticed a pattern. An obvious rift was dividing the Fox Knights. The first group were the Elder Foxes, which consisted of Matt, Dan, Allison, Renee, and Seth. Nicky explained one day when Neil asked that he had come up with that name for them since they had been here the longest. The second group who the elder Foxes had un-affectionately nicknamed The Monsters consisted of Kevin, Aaron, Nicky, and Andrew. For the most part, the Foxes stuck with their own group, though the divide wasn’t completely unbreachable. Renee had already mentioned that she and Andrew were friends. Though the others viewed him with deep detest. Nicky was friendly with everyone but usually sided with his cousins through some kind of family solidarity.
The only Fox that hadn’t come to visit was Andrew. In the first few days, Neil had asked about him but was always met with the same answer that he was out on patrol or busy doing something else. Neil wasn’t sure if the excuses were true, or if he was being lied to. It didn’t matter either way. The other Foxes all had the same set of duties Andrew did and everyone else had managed to make time to come visit.
Andrew was avoiding him.
Neil didn’t understand why Andrew had seemingly abandoned him now that they had reached the Foxhole, and it was something he found himself thinking about a lot. Maybe it was because Andrew had made it clear since the beginning that he had never wanted him here. Though Neil felt he could reject this since Andrew had been the one to grab his wrist and drag him over that line himself.
Maybe his theory that any deal they had struck was now done since they had both reached safety. Though this didn’t quite make sense either. In the beginning, it was true that both of them had been using the other for information, but after that day in the cell with Drake and their following escape things changed. The weeks they had spent traveling, revealing some of the deepest and darkest parts of their lives to each other were not nothing. It was something Neil had never done, and after hearing more about Andrew from the other Foxes it seemed the same could be said for him.
No matter how much thought he put into it Neil couldn’t find an answer for why or when things had changed. Maybe the answer was that there was no answer. Maybe things would just be different now that it wasn’t just the two of them. The thought that from now on Andrew might treat him like he treated most of the other Foxes left a sinking feeling in his chest.
He wanted more than anything to just be able to talk with Andrew. Except he couldn’t leave this damn bed, and he couldn’t force Andrew to do anything he didn’t want to do.
*
After a week of forced bedrest Abby relented and allowed him to go down to dinner with the rest of the Foxes. With a lot of help from Matt, who proclaimed himself to be Neil’s official escort, he made the slow descent down the stairs. They arrived to find the Great Hall still empty. Matt eased Neil into a chair, then filled the waiting with excited chatter.
It wasn’t long before Wymack, Abby, and the rest of the Elder Foxes came down. After taking their seats Matt, Dan, Allison, and Renee began plotting Neil’s next activity. As the Foxes discussed his near future, Neil sat quietly keeping one eye on the door. They were only waiting for The Monsters now, which meant Neil would soon be seeing Andrew for the first time in more than a week. With each ticking second his nervousness grew. He kept thinking about what would happen. Maybe Andrew would take one look at him and walk right back out the door, or maybe Andrew wouldn’t show up at all.
Finally, after a few more minutes he heard Nicky’s voice carrying down the hall, and soon he, Aaron, Kevin, and Andrew stepped into the room.
“Neil, I didn’t know you were coming down today,” Nicky exclaimed.
Neil just barely heard him though. He was entirely focused on Andrew who had looked up the moment Nicky said his name. Their eyes met and held. So many questions and things he wanted to say began buzzing in his head, but no words came out. Then before anything could happen Andrew’s gaze smoothly slid away. Leaving Neil staring dismayed as Andrew moved to take the empty seat beside Renee.
Neil was left staring dumbfounded at an empty space.
No reaction at all was not something Neil had been expecting, and somehow it was worse. Never once had Andrew’s eyes slid past him like he wasn’t there. A cold dread settled in as he thought about what it meant, and what could have caused this nothing between them. Neil continued to stare as Andrew sat down, ignoring him even though his gaze must have been burning a hole through him.
“Neil?”
Neil jerked his head away from Andrew to find Nicky along with most of the other Foxes staring at him. He had forgotten they were here. He quickly racked his brain for Nicky’s earlier question. “Oh right, Abby only decided just before dinner that I was well enough to come down.”
Nicky nodded and smiled but his confusion over Neil’s distractedness was evident on his face.
With that the rest of the Monster’s took their seats and Wymack called dinner to a start. As they ate Neil tried and failed to keep his eyes from constantly wandering to Andrew. He had been ignoring him all week, but seeing it in person was a completely different experience. He wanted to stand up and scream at him. Wanted to ask him why he hadn’t come by, why he was ignoring him, and why he was acting like this was nothing.
Except he couldn’t. He could not and would not stand up in front of all of the Foxes and demand answers from Andrew. He knew the man well enough to know that would not work out for him at all. It would probably only make matters worse. His answers would have to wait until he could get Andrew alone.
*
As the week carried on Neil went on daily excursions throughout the castle. In the beginning, he had been too weak to move around much on his own, so the Foxes had helped him a lot. Now at the end of the week, he had regained a small margin of his former strength and was able to move around for a much longer time unassisted.
As part of his new daily routine every night he went down to the Great Hall for dinner with the rest of the Foxes, and practically every dinner went as that first one had. At first, Neil tried to ignore the way Andrew was ignoring him, but each night it became increasingly harder to do.
Tonight he reached his breaking point.
Neil didn’t like not talking to Andrew, but at least every other night Andrew hadn’t talked at all. Tonight though all throughout dinner Andrew had his head bent together with Renee discussing something intently. As Neil watched them he couldn’t stop his temper from flaring to life. More than once Renee had looked up and caught him staring.
When dinner was finally over Neil was the first to get up to leave, claiming he was tired. In actuality he was pissed and didn’t think he could take one more second of being in that room. Matt of course instantly jumped up. Neil knew it would be futile to argue that he didn’t need help, so he allowed Matt to accompany him up the stairs. Once back in the infirmary Neil curled up in his bed and did such a good job of convincing Matt he was asleep that he left without a word
As he lay in bed he decided that Andrew’s silence had gone on long enough. He would put a stop to it tonight. First, he would have to wait for Abby to come do her final check, then he could sneak out and go in search of Andrew.
Three hours later Neil had been wandering aimlessly around the castle for nearly an hour. Most of the Foxes had pointed out their bedchambers to him, but not one of them had shown him where Andrew’s was. Neil cursed himself for not asking about it before because now he was left searching for Andrew with absolutely no idea where to look.
As he made his way down a particularly long stretch of hall he heard footsteps coming from around the next corner. The footsteps were not faint, which meant whoever they belonged to would soon be coming into view. An ingrained reflex of growing up in his father’s castle had him searching for somewhere to hide. There were a few doors nearby, but being unfamiliar with the castle he didn’t know which rooms he could safely duck into. Barging into someone's room in the middle of the night would probably be worse than being caught in the hall. His second choice was to turn and run back to the other end of the hall. He glanced over his shoulder but judging by how close the footsteps now were and the condition his body was in he would never make it.
That left him with only option three. To stand his ground and try to look as unsuspicious as possible.
The reasonable part of his brain told him that there was no reason for him to try and hide since Wymack had told him he was a Fox, and Foxes could go wherever they wanted in the castle. Yet the need to stay out of sight was so strong that he had to fight himself to stand his ground and not turn and run.
Neil worked to smooth out his features as the footsteps neared and the person finally turned the corner. A sense of relief swept through him at the sight of Renee. Out of all the people in the castle, she was the least likely to question his intentions for being out. Not once in any of her visits had she pried into his previous life, the only one who hadn’t.
“Oh, Hello Neil,” Renee greeted him, even if it was obvious she was surprised to find him standing in the middle of the hall.
“Hello.”
Her eyes tracked over him for a second before landing back on his face. “I’m glad to see that you are healing so well, but I believe Abby didn’t want you to go out on your own just yet.”
“I know. I couldn’t sleep and thought that going for a short walk might help, but ended up a bit lost.” It was a stretch of the truth, but at least he wasn’t completely lying to the cleric.
Renee studied him again. Although he knew she wouldn’t ask him about it, he wondered what kind of conclusions she was drawing in her own head. “I would be happy to show you the way back.” Neil opened his mouth to protest, but before he could she continued, “Unless your short walk had a specific destination in mind?”
A shiver went down his spine at how easily she had read him. Normally that was something he would be very wary of and in the back of his mind he was, but tonight he had bigger things to worry about.
He dropped the lie and told her the truth. “I was looking for Andrew.”
Renee’s smile morphed into something softer. Like that was exactly what she had been expecting him to say, and exactly what she wanted to hear. “He should be in his room. I’ll take you there if you want.”
Neil nodded, and Renee turned and gestured for him to follow. After walking in silence practically to the opposite end of the castle Renee stopped at the entrance to a dead-end hallway with only one door. “That’s Andrew’s room.”
Neil thanked her and stepped into the hall. Before he could take more than two steps Renee stopped him. “I hope whatever it is you are wanting to see him about works out for you.”
Neil looked back and nodded then watched as she disappeared around the corner. Once the sound of her footsteps had faded away he took a deep breath and walked to Andrew’s door. He stopped just in front of the dauntingly solid wood. Now that he was he didn’t know what to expect. Andrew might continue to refuse to talk to him, he might confirm Neil’s fears that this was how things were going to be between them from now on, or hell he might not even be here. Neil didn’t even know exactly what he wanted to say to him, he wasn’t the type to rehearse lines. He was more the type to just say whatever popped into his head in the heat of the moment.
But before any of that could happen Neil had to knock.
So he steeled himself and knocked.
Thankfully he heard movement from inside the room, and a moment later the door was unlocked and pulled open. Andrew stood on the other side, and if Neil had been anyone else he probably wouldn't have noticed the short, almost nonexistent look of surprise that crossed his face before it settled into his usual blankness.
“Are you lost, Neil?” Andrew asked as he lifted his hand and twirled his fingers gesturing around his room. “Because as you can see, this isn’t the infirmary.”
A hot spike of anger shot through Neil’s chest. The last time Andrew had talked to him he had been holding him in his arms as Neil begged him to leave and save himself. Which Andrew had vehemently refused to do. Now Andrew was what, going to act like that hadn’t happened? That nothing at all had happened between them? Stand here and pretend like Neil had no reason to seek him out?
Neil tried to push down his anger, but knew he didn’t succeed as he said, “Oh, so you are still capable of speaking to me.”
Andrew stared at him with his perfectly impassive expression and did not respond. After a few seconds of silence passed he asked, “Why are you here?”
“Why am I here? Are you serious” Neil asked fuming. He didn’t wait to see if Andrew would answer. He knew he wouldn’t. “I’m here because I want to know why you haven’t come to check on me once, or why you haven’t said a single word to me since we got here.”
Andrew reached forward at Neil’s outburst and yanked him into the room by the wrist. He let go the moment Neil was inside then slammed the door closed behind him. “I didn’t realize I owe you anything.”
The words pierced a hole through Neil’s chest. “Is that it then? We don’t owe each other anything now that I fulfilled my end of the promise to get you back to the Foxhole?”
Andrew stared at him, his silence speaking volumes. He clearly expected Neil to accept that this was how things were going to be between them from now on.
Except, no. Neil had been thinking about this a lot and Andrew’s previous words and actions didn’t add up. Neil was here for the truth, not to be cut out of Andrew’s life. “If that was true then you would have left me to fend for myself against those knights like I asked. You wouldn’t have dragged me to the Foxhole, wouldn’t have fought so desperately to keep me alive, and you wouldn’t have-”
“Shut up,” Andrew commanded before Neil could finish. Like he knew exactly what he had been planning to say and didn’t want it spoken aloud.
But Neil could see his words chipping away at Andrew’s mask, and he wasn’t going to stop.
“You wouldn’t have kissed me.”
The mask cracked. Andrew’s hands clenched so hard into fists, that Neil knew he must have been hurting himself. His normally placid expression replaced by warring emotions. He looked as if he was fighting with himself about what to say or do, or if he should say or do anything.
Andrew was angry now.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” he finally bit out, which wasn’t what Neil had been expecting.
“Why?”
Andrew looked up at him incredulously. Like he couldn’t believe that Neil didn’t know the answer to such a simple question. “I shouldn’t have done that because of the state you were in. You couldn’t possibly have comprehended what was happening, couldn’t have told me no, and were not strong enough to stop me.”
Neil let the words sink in and finally understood. Andrew was angry at himself.
A clear picture was painted from what Andrew had told Neil about the times in his past when he had been taken advantage of by men stronger than him. Andrew thought he had let himself become like them. He thought Neil hadn’t understood what was happening, and even if he had he had been too weak to make Andrew stop. For Andrew, it must have been a terrible thing to live with for the past two weeks.
Except there was no reason for him to feel that way. “I did understand what was happening, and I didn’t want you to stop.”
Palpable shock tore through Andrew’s anger. His eyes roamed over Neil's face trying to discern if he was lying or not.
Andrew began to shake his head and say something, but Neil cut him off, “No Andrew you don’t get to decide how I felt then or now. I was surprised at first when you kissed me because it wasn’t something I had thought about till that moment, but I did kiss you back. Or tried my best to. That whole time I wanted more than anything for us to both miraculously make it to the Foxhole Court so we could do it again. I didn’t want to die knowing that I had something I never thought I would.”
As he talked, Andrew’s eyes intently bore into him looking for lies or hesitation, but Neil knew he would find none. Neil meant everything he said and knew that Andrew would believe him.
Still, it was clear Andrew had doubts about something. “Then why did you tell Nicky you weren’t interested in men or women?”
Confusion set in for a moment until Neil remembered the first conversation he had ever had with Nicky. He shook his head, and almost wanted to laugh because of how badly Nicky had misunderstood him. “No, what I said was that I had never been interested in anyone before.” He paused taking a moment to step closure to Andrew, gaze fixed upon his golden eyes. “As in before you.”
The time Neil had been entranced by Andrew’s pale hair glowing in the sunlight, how easily it had been for them to open up and talk, how fiercely he had wanted Andrew to be safe even if it meant sacrificing himself. It all made sense now.
“Stop talking.”
Neil smirked thinking back to the last time Andrew had told him that. “I rather liked the way you got me to stop talking last time.”
Andrew remembered everything, so of course, he would remember exactly what Neil was talking about. In answer, Andrew put his hands on Neil’s chest and walked him backward till his back hit the door. When Neil was firmly pressed against it Andrew looked up into his eyes and asked, “Yes or no?”
“Yes.”
“Then stay.”
-
Andrew kissed Neil like this was the first and last time he would ever do so. He tried not to think about how it felt a lot like falling and knew that sooner or later he would have to hit the ground. Neil wanted this, wanted him, but how long could it last. In Andrew’s experience good things never lasted, and he doubted Neil Josten would be the exception to that.
It was easy to push those thoughts away in favor of the light sounds escaping Neil’s throat as Andrew slid a hand up his chest and around to the back of his neck. This was much better than that desperate first attempt when the only thought running through Andrew’s mind was how the only thing he had wanted in a long time was dying in his arms.
Suddenly he felt a brush against his chest and his eyes shot open. He pulled back to find Neil much closer than he had been before. Andrew knew he hadn’t moved, and realized he had been subconsciously pulling Neil closer with the hand grasped on the back of his neck. He usually wouldn’t have been distracted enough to allow something like that to happen, but Neil had a way of making all of his carefully built walls and defenses come crashing down.
Neil made a needy little sound, drawing Andrew’s attention back up. That same dazed look from last time graced his face and it all became too much. Andrew removed his hands and took a step back.
Which Neil had obviously not been expecting. He swayed dangerously forward and Andrew rushed to pin him back against the door before he crashed face-first into either Andrew or the floor. The dazed look on Neil’s face was gone, replaced by wide-eyed surprise. He pulled his hands out from where they had been tucked behind his back and scrambled against the door to hold himself up.
Once Andrew was sure he had his feet solidly underneath him again he took a step back. “How long have you been wandering around the castle?”
“Not that long,” Neil answered. Which might have been true. Except he was still in a weekend state from his injury, and it was clear that he was worn down. Of course, Neil would push himself too hard too quickly.
“Do you have clod in your head instead of a brain?” He didn’t wait for Neil to answer. Instead, he reached forward and grasped Neil’s wrist then turned, pulling him further into the room after him.
“What are you doing?” Neil asked once it became obvious that Andrew’s destination was his bed.
Which was a reasonable question since Neil knew his reservations about sleeping in close proximity. He couldn’t sleep in the same room with another person unless he trusted them, and he hadn’t shared a bed with anyone since he had been a young child. Those first few nights traveling with Neil he had only fallen asleep out of pure exhaustion, but as his trust in Neil unwillingly grew he found it easier and easier to fall asleep. Eventually, he began sleeping close enough that he could have reached out and touched Neil if he had even woken up and felt the need to check he was still there.
Right now he knew he would have more trouble trying to fall asleep with the thought of Neil attempting to make it back to the infirmary by himself than he would with Neil in the bed next to him. He also wasn’t going to waste his time ferrying Neil around the castle like the other Foxes tended to do. He gave Neil a little shove towards the bed. “You will stay here tonight.”
Neil stumbled forward into the bed with an undignified noise, just managing to catch himself against the edge. He turned to stare back at Andrew bemused.
Which Andrew quickly grew tired of. “Are you so infirm that you can’t even manage to get yourself into bed by yourself now?”
That broke Neil out of his stupor. He rolled his eyes at him, but then did turn to ease himself into the bed. When Andrew was satisfied that Neil really could manage by himself he left him to lock the door and extinguish the lights.
“You know I’m only this way because I saved your life. Which, by the way, I don’t remember hearing a thanks for.” Neil called out, making Andrew pause and look back at him. He had successfully maneuvered himself onto the bed and was looking rather smug with himself.
Andrew snuffed out the last candle and made his way to the bed. “I’m not thanking you for nearly getting yourself killed. I’m sure there were other ways you could have stopped that knight without getting skewered.”
“Neither of us died.”
The room was only cast in the faint moonlight streaming in from the window now, so Andrew could feel more than see as Neil tracked his movements as he crawled into bed and placed his back against the wall. Now that Andrew was in his normal spot Neil adjusted himself on the bed. The room was enveloped in silence as they both took their time to get used to the feeling of the other on the mattress.
After a few moments, Neil broke the silence. “Thank you for letting me stay.”
Andrew’s stomach did that falling thing again. Not very many people had ever thanked him for allowing them to stay in his life before. Most were happy to get away as quickly as possible, which he was fine with. “You probably would have passed out in the hall otherwise.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
Andrew was tired, too tired to listen to any more of Neil’s sentiments for the night. “Go to sleep Neil.”
“Goodnight Andrew,” Neil replied though Andrew could tell he was making no efforts to actually fall asleep. He could still feel Neil’s eyes on him even as his own breath evened out into sleep.
40 / Andreil
Andreil Prompt Fill Drabbles/Twinyard Birthday
#40 - Have I entered an alternate universe or did you really just crack a smile for me?
November 4th, 2019
November fourth was just another day for most people. The excitement of Halloween had ended, yet the Thanksgiving holidays still seemed ages away. The weather in Denver was fluctuating between cold mornings and moderate afternoons, but soon winters cold grasp would be here to stay. The day also happened to fall on a Monday this year. Which had most 9-5ers cursing.
But in the Minyard/Josten home November fourth was anything but just another day.
Practice and conditioning had taken up most of it, which didn’t bother Neil at all. After practice, Andrew had dropped him off, changed into nicer clothes, then left again to attend his monthly counseling session. Betsy had recommended an old trusted colleague of hers to him when he had first moved to Denver a decade ago, and Andrew had been visiting her once a month ever since.
That had been an hour and a half ago and Andrew should be returning home soon. Neil had promised him when he left that he would use the time to get ready for the dinner they had planned that night and to actually put effort into looking nice. Yet here he was still wearing the old PSU hoodie and sweats he had changed into after his shower. It wasn’t his fault though. He had gotten sidetracked by a frisky King who always went absolutely wild whenever she saw the fraying drawstrings on his hoodie.
After watching her unsuccessfully jump for the drawstrings a few times he took mercy on her aging kitty knees and sank to the ground. As soon as the strings were within her reach she darted forward, captured them between her front paws, fell to the side, and began ravaging them with her back legs. Neil settled down on the floor, huffing out a laugh as he flipped the strings around so King could continue murdering them.
He was still playing with King twenty minutes later when the front door was unlocked and swung open. Andrew was back. Neil contemplated turning over from where he was laying on his stomach facing away from the front door, but Sir had taken up residence on the back of his outstretched legs. Her weight and comfort kept him pinned to the ground. Instead, he called out a simple hello.
Andrew didn’t respond, which wasn’t out of the ordinary. Neil heard the clatter of car keys being dropped onto the table by the door, then footsteps getting steadily closer. They came to a stop a few feet away. Neil waited to see if Andrew would do or say anything, mostly about his lack of readiness, but he didn’t. When Andrew continued to remain silent Neil tipped his head back to look at him.
Andrew was leaning against the wall looking down at him and the cats. He was wearing an exasperated expression, but Neil could see the fondness laced through it. Though it was the gentle upturning of his lips that had warmth spreading through Neil’s chest. He wasn’t even sure if Andrew was aware he was smiling.
When they first met Neil had seen Andrew Minyard smile none-stop for months. A false smile that had been a warning sign that nobody should approach. Then after getting back from Easthaven Andrew hadn’t smiled for months. Not until Kevin finally erased the last remaining piece of Riko’s hold over him. Since then Neil had seen Andrew genuinely smile more and more as the years passed. Though it still wasn’t something that happened that often.
At the beginning of their relationship, Neil had learned that the fastest way to get Andrew to stop doing something was to point it out. Now that they had been together for quite some time Neil knew when he could tease without causing Andrew to shut down. Today was definitely one of those days. “Have I entered an alternate universe or did you really just crack a smile for me?”
Andrew’s lips twitched minutely before his face settled into his normal apathetic state. Which Neil had expected. Andrew’s smiles never lasted long even if Neil didn’t point them out. What mattered was that even if the smile was gone Andrew’s good mood was still present.
“You’ve been listening to too many space podcasts, and no I didn’t.”
“You can’t deny it,” Neil said unable to hide his own smile now. “I don’t think I’ve seen you smile like that since you completely shut out Kevin last year.”
Andrew pushed off the doorframe. Quickly crossing the distance between them before dropping down to run his fingers along King’s head. “I didn’t say I wasn’t smiling. I said I wasn’t smiling at you.”
“Oh,” Neil said focusing on King who was now rubbing his head aggressively against Andrew’s hand. “I see. You think King is cuter than me.”
Andrew scoffed. He gave King’s ears one more good scratch before flicking Neil softly on the nose. Before Neil could bat his hand away Andrew stood, scooping Sir off of his back as he did. “Get up. You promised me you would be dressed for dinner.”
“I got distracted,” Neil said, pushing himself off the ground.
“Distracted by letting the fleabags get away with whatever they want.”
Neil stuck his tongue out at Andrew’s retreating back. He sat Sir down on the sofa before continuing on to the kitchen. Neil followed him in and saw him head straight for the package of homemade cookies Renee had sent yesterday.
“I thought we were going to dinner? You’re gonna ruin your appetite”
Andrew grabbed a cookie out and shoved half in his mouth before turning to Neil. “I guess you better get dressed fast then.”
Neil huffed and headed for the bedroom to change into the outfit Andrew had already picked out for the night. He even took a moment to try and tame his perpetually messy curls. Once he was done he made his way back to the kitchen to find Andrew leaning against the counter typing away on his phone. Neil took in the relaxed set of his shoulders accompanied by an annoyed expression and knew who he was talking to.
“Tell Aaron I said he is still an asshole even if it is his birthday.”
“I already did,” Andrew said as he finally looked up from his phone. His eyes darkened when the landed on Neil. They held each other’s gaze for a moment before Andrew’s eyes dropped down. He racked them up and down Neil’s body.
Neil couldn’t suppress his shiver as Andrew set his phone on the counter and stepped towards him. He crossed the distance within seconds and brought his hands up to smooth over Neil’s chest. “You look good.”
Neil brought his own arms up to wrap around Andrew’s neck and mussed his fingers through his golden hair. “So do you.”
Andrew drug his hands down Neil’s chest before clenching them around his tie and tugging him forward. The kiss tasted sweet like the cookies Andrew had been snacking on.
When they finally pulled apart Neil took a minute to get his breathing back under control before leaning back to catch Andrew’s eyes. “Happy Birthday.”
Knights of the Fox Table
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve -
“Nathan is obviously planning something. I don’t even think that warmongering asshole would be willing to start a war with the allied kingdoms over just one person.” Wymack paused for a moment, giving Andrew a questioning look before adding, “Even if you did kill his son.”
It was clear Wymack wanted an answer, but seeing as he hadn’t outright asked Andrew wasn’t going to give him one. Instead, he focused on what was more important; Lord Wesninski’s possible motives. “He’s using me as an excuse to attack, and in doing so making sure the other allied kingdom’s don’t have to honor their agreement.”
Wymack took a moment to consider. “Seems like a likely enough reason to me. Still doesn’t explain why though.” His forehead creased in thought for a mere second before he scrubbed a hand roughly down his face. “Nevermind, I don’t want to try and understand that man's reasoning. I've already sent out letters to all the allied kingdoms explaining the situation. I haven’t received any responses yet, but I have a pretty good guess as to who will choose to aid us.”
“Will it be enough?” Andrew asked.
“Against just the Wesninskis? Maybe, but if they get the Moriyama’s involved, I’m not so sure.”
Andrew thought about the possibility of them having a war on their hands with the Foxes on the frontline, and didn’t like the images popping up in his head. He had cared for very few people in his life, most of whom were currently Foxes. He couldn’t lose any of them.
Judging by the look on Wymack’s face he was thinking the same thing.
Noticing Andrew’s watchful eye on him, Wymack's face quickly smoothed out. He waved a hand through the air as if waving the conversation away. “Okay, that’s enough doom and gloom for today. Get some rest, I’m giving you one day to recover then you're back on duty.”
With Wymack gone Andrew collapsed back onto his bed once again. In the safety of his own room with the door securely locked he fell asleep fast, but the sleep that came wasn't restful. Images of bloody handprints, fading blue eyes, desire, smoke, and fire filled his dreams.
*
He jerked awake an undetermined amount of time later by incessant knocking on his door. The long shadows from earlier were gone replaced by pervasive darkness.
He dragged his tired and aching body off the bed and stomped to the door. He yanked it open to find a perturbed looking Kevin on the other side. He was standing tall and rigid, which just reminded Andrew how much he hated that Kevin towered above him. The only difference Andrew could see from the last time he saw him was the somewhat frantic look in his eyes and the way he protectively held his left arm against his body.
Without a word Kevin pushed passed him into the room. As soon as Andrew slammed the door closed Kevin turned on him. “How could you bring him here?”
Andrew had to assume Kevin had stopped by the infirmary and been stunned to find his old training companion lying unconscious in the sickbed. He wondered if Kevin’s inevitable meltdown over seeing someone associated with Riko had already happened, or if it was happening now.
“Who exactly are you talking about?” Andrew asked with faux innocence. He was annoyed at Kevin for waking him up in the middle of the night and wasn’t planning on making this conversation easy on him.
“The...the boy downstairs with Abby. In the infirmary.” Kevin said, gesturing wildly with his right hand.
“Oh, you mean Neil?”
“Neil?” Kevin repeated back, sounding confused.
“Yes, Neil Josten the Wesninski Knight who helped me escape.”
“Neil Josten?” Kevin repeated again. He looked confused a moment more before shaking his head. “No, no, no…. His name isn’t Neil Josten. That’s Natha-”
Before he could finish that name Andrew reached up and covered his mouth. “Shhh, Kevin. His name is Neil Josten now, and he has only ever been a lowly knight.”
Kevin’s eyes went wide as the meaning behind his words set in.
He wrenched Andrew’s hand off of his mouth. “So you do know who he is.”
“Was,” Andrew corrected.
Kevin continued on like he hadn’t spoken. “If you know who he is, how could you bring him here? His father will come for him.”
“Oh, haven’t you heard Kevin, his father is already coming.”
“But-”
“But nothing,” Andrew interrupted letting the anger he was feeling seep into his voice. Kevin’s hypocrisy was starting to piss him off. “How can you of all people stand here and ask that. Or did you forget that you did the exact same thing two years ago.”
“That was different,” Kevin interjected.
“How?”
“Riko never came.”
“And Lord Wesninski was planning on starting a war whether Neil made it here or not.”
Kevin opened his mouth like he wanted to argue more, but Andrew cut him off. “No. We are not talking about this anymore. He is staying, and you are not going to tell people who his father is. Do you understand?”
Kevin glared at him before sighing and scrubbing a hand down his face. “Understood.”
“Good. Now get out.”
Kevin stepped around him, opened the door, and was halfway out before he paused. Seconds ticked by before he spoke again. “Thank you for not letting the Wesninski Knights take me.”
Andrew’s jaw clenched. He did not need Kevin’s thanks when he was just upholding his end of their deal, and he told Kevin as much.
Kevin nodded his head once and stepped out the door.
-
Neil’s eyes blearily opened as consciousness crept in, but only for a moment. His thoughts fluttered in and out for a few minutes before he was able to get a good look around. It didn’t help much. Everything was fuzzy and out of focus, but from what he could see it looked as if he was in a medical room. He tried to remember where he was or how he had got there, but his head felt just as fuzzy as the room looked.
He continued to look listlessly around the room until his eyes caught on something finite. A figure was standing in the doorway. The man was short with pale hair that shone in the moonlight. Neil couldn’t remember who he was, or even if he knew him at all, but the sight caused a starburst of emotions to erupt in his chest. Normally an unknown person in such close proximity would be cause for alarm, but Neil didn’t feel scared. Instead, a sense of calm and trust washed over him.
Before any more thoughts could form an all-encompassing nothing began to pull him back under. He tried to fight it off, but when he looked at the doorway again it was empty. As his eyes fluttered closed he wondered if the man had been standing there at all, or if he had conjured up his silent protector.
*
Neil woke to the sound of unfamiliar voices filling the room around him. After years of surviving torment and torture at the hands of Riko and his father’s men he had learned that after waking in an unfamiliar environment it was best to stay perfectly still, it would be unwise to bring attention to himself until he could figure out what was going on. So, he kept his breathing even and his body relaxed as he listened in on the conversation.
“It’s already been three days, how long is this kid going to be out?” A man asked harshly.
“David, he sustained a serious injury. We’re lucky he didn’t die,” a woman chided. “Plus, the potent herbal draught I've been giving him keeps him in a deep sleep to help with healing. I lowered the dose this morning. Hopefully, he will be waking up soon.”
“Good. I’ve got questions for him to answer since Minyard is being unhelpful.”
“That’s not exactly out of the ordinary for him,” the woman said with a slight laugh. “What has he told you so far about his capture?”
“Absolutely nothing beyond that this kid was a Wesninski Knight that helped him escape.”
“But you don’t believe him?” The woman asked. Clearly picking up on the note of disbelief in the man’s voice.
“I do.” The man quickly answered, but after a pause added, “It’s just that this so-called knight looks a lot like Na-”
Neil’s body flinched in preparation to hear the man say he looked like his father. There was no way to stop his breath as it shuttered out at the thought about what would happen if this man realized he was Nathan’s son.
Thankfully the man never finished that sentence. Instead, he cut himself off as footsteps approached Neil’s bed. “How long have you been awake?”
Neil’s eyes flew open and his vision was filled by a large angry man towering over him. He raised his arms up instinctually to ward off the blows he knew would soon be coming.
Except the blows never came. The man’s face shuttered, and the angry look was quickly replaced by a smooth expression. He took a couple of steps back and lowered his voice. “Hey now calm down. I’m Lord Wymack, you’re at Fox Castle. You traveled here with my knight Andrew Minyard, what do you remember?”
At the sound of Andrew’s name Neil’s eyes darted around the room in hopes that he was nearby.
Wymack clearly noticed. “Andrew isn’t here right now.”
Neil really wished Andrew was here so he could have someone with him that he trusted. Though any unease he felt over being left with unfamiliar people was quickly eased by the thought that Andrew wouldn’t have left him alone with them unless he was safe.
Slowly Neil lowered his arms and worked to calm his breathing. A woman pushed passed Lord Wymack and sat on the stool beside his bed. “Hello, I’m Abby Winfield the Foxhole Court’s doctor. Do you remember how you got here?”
Neil nodded.
Which must not have been a good enough answer for the Lord. “Could you elaborate on that,” he barked.
Neil flinched again at the loudness of the man’s voice, and Abby turned to give Wymack a stern disapproving look. Wymack’s hands flew up in surrender as he took a few more steps back.
Seemingly satisfied Abby turned back to Neil. “If you’re feeling up to it could you tell us about it?”
Neil tried to talk but only succeeded in producing an awful croaking noise. The sound caused Abby to jump up and pour him a cup of water. Neil drank the whole thing before trying again. “We escaped the castle and traveled through the forest away from all the roads. They still found us. We fought them once in the forest then again outside the trading village. One got away and went for backup, so we ran. We crossed the river and tried to make it here, but they found us again. I got hurt, and after that, I can’t remember what happened.”
“God Dammit.” Wymack roared. “Those bastards think they can do whatever they want. Chasing one of my nights onto my own lands. If I could I would march over to Wesninski Castle and punch Nathan in the face myself.”
Neil’s eyes went wide. Abby chided Lord Wymack again, thinking that his outburst had startled Neil, but it was actually the thought of anyone punching his father in the face. “David calm down.”
“Yeah Wymack I could hear you yelling all the way down the hall,” a familiar voice said from the door. Neil looked up at the man who had just entered the room and felt his whole body relax at the sight of him. Finally, he was here.
Then his eyes fell on Neil and realization set in. This wasn’t who he thought.
“You’re Aaron.”
The room went quiet, and all three heads turned to look at him. He could tell by the shock on not only Aaron’s face but also Wymack’s and Abby’s that he had surprised them.
“I am,” Aaron responded after a few taut seconds voice coming out cold. He sounded similar to Andrew when he had first met him, but Neil was now realizing that Andrew’s voice hadn’t sounded like that in weeks. An uncontrollable trill buzzed through Neil’s chest at just how far he and Andrew had come in such a short time. He guessed surviving on the run together from his murderous father would do that. Though he also knew that whatever had developed between them was deeper than that.
“I’m surprised you could tell them apart so quickly,” Abby cut in keeping her voice light as if she was trying to break the tense moment. “Especially since Aaron’s tunic is covering where Andrew wears his armbands.”
Neil’s eyes dropped to Aaron’s arms, and he noticed for the first time that his forearms were in fact covered. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Aaron could have been wearing identical clothing to Andrew’s and Neil still would have been able to tell the difference. It was obvious to him now that this wasn’t the man he had spent the last month with. Not wanting to go into detail about all that he just shrugged in answer and looked away from Aaron’s cold eyes back to Abby.
Behind her, Wymack was giving him a piercing look. “So you know who Aaron is. What else do you know about my kingdom?”
Neil knew it would be very stupid to tell Wymack that he knew almost everything about his kingdom. From its founder, Wymack’s great great grandfather, to how much wheat the northern field produced. Instead, he came up with a simple answer. “Andrew told me some stuff, and I already knew some about it from the other Wesninski Knights. I’ve told everything they knew to Andrew. So you can ask him about it.”
A derisive snort came from Aaron, and Neil turned to look at him. “You really think Andrew is going to tell us anything just because we ask?”
“If it’s for the safety of the kingdom he will,” Neil answered, voice slightly raised at how quickly Aaron dismissed his brother.
Aaron barked out a sarcastic humorless laugh. Neil was so shocked by how odd the expression was to see on an exact replica of Andrew’s face that he nearly missed what Aaron said next. “You obviously don’t know him very well.”
Without a thought, Neil began to push himself off the bed. If Aaron didn’t think Andrew would do whatever he could possibly do to protect the people he cared about, then it wasn’t Neil who didn’t know Andrew well enough.
He was going to tell Aaron how much of an idiot he thought he was. Except he never got the chance. The moment he lifted his head and shoulders off the bed an intense pain tore through his abdomen, and he collapsed back down. Abby was at his side in an instant quickly checking over his injury. Neil gasped for breath as the searing pain slowly subsided. Once he felt like he wasn't going to die he settled for glaring his indignation at Aaron since he was still in too much pain to speak.
“Aaron, would you please go start working on Neil’s draught for this evening,” Abby called over her shoulder.
Aaron didn’t say anything as he disappeared into the adjoining room shutting the door behind him. Neil took up with glaring at the closed door instead.
Wymack, obviously tired of being ignored, snapped his fingers twice to get his attention. Neil drug his eyes away from the door and back to him. “Aaron’s right. Getting anything from his brother can be unnecessarily difficult, but you’re here now so why don’t you tell me what I want to know.”
“I’m tired,” Neil answered irritably.
Which was true. He had only been conscious for a few minutes but felt like he could fall asleep again any second now. More importantly though, he wasn’t sure how much information he should give away. Not enough could be detrimental to the Foxhole’s safety, but too much would look suspicious. He was going to trust in Andrew to give Wymack the exact information he needed.
Abby placed her hand on his shoulder in probably what was meant to be a comforting gesture. “It’s going to be very normal for you to be tired and sleeping a lot for the next few days. I’m going to keep you here for a week possibly longer so that you can heal completely.”
“A week?”
Wymack huffed at Neil’s obvious displeasure. “Boy, a sword went through you and came out the other side, you’re lucky to be alive. So I don’t want to hear any complaining. Plus you should be grateful that you’re getting to laze around for a week because after that your knight duties start.”
“Knight duties?” Neil repeated back confused.
“Yeah Minyard said you’re a knight, correct?”
That was not technically true, but it was closest to the truth they could get. He nodded.
“So if you’re a knight and you’re here, what does that make you now?”
Neil blinked. He was pretty sure he understood what Wymack was implying, but couldn’t believe it.
“Can you not hear, or are you just dumb?” Wymack asked. He didn’t wait for an answer though. “Let me spell it out for you. You are now a Fox Knight, Welcome to the Foxhole Court kid.”
“I’m a Fox?” Neil asked, mystified. Nothing in his life had prepared him for how easily Wymack embraced him into his family. His instincts were telling him that it must be a lie or some kind of trick, but a need to be accepted somewhere safe burned all those worries away.
At his continued silence Wymack let out a huff and scrubbed a hand down his face. He looked like he was about to start explaining everything again. That or curse Neil’s stupidity. Neil stopped him before he could say anything with a soft, “Thank you.”
There was a beat of silence then Abby beamed at him, and Wymack let out a barking laugh. “You’ll think twice about thanking me after you’ve had to do a night watch with Allison and Seth.”
Neil didn’t know what to say or do anymore. He was away from his father and the Moriyamas at a place he could be safe. Least to say he felt overwhelmed. Everything about the last few minutes had been too much. Before he could even begin to process everything his eyelids began drooping closed again.
Abby stood, placed a hand on Wymack’s arm, and began to guide him towards the door. “We'll leave you alone so you can get some more sleep. If you need anything Aaron’s next door.”
Neil was asleep again by the time the door shut. He dreamed of his father and Riko standing against him, but he wasn’t alone anymore. He was surrounded by people wearing orange and white.
*
Neil woke briefly a few more times that day. The longest he managed to stay awake was when Abby brought him some stew. Although it was mostly broth and mushy vegetables he still found it extremely difficult to eat by himself and she helped him more often than not.
That night he woke once again to find a familiar figure standing in his doorway, but this time the figure was tall and dark. It had been two years since Neil had seen him, but even so, the man was easy to recognize.
“Kevin.”
Kevin jolted at his name, probably not expecting Neil to have woken up. When he got his composer back his gaze honed in on Neil as he pushed himself off the doorframe. As he drew closer Neil noticed he looked the same. Same serious expression, same rigid set to his shoulders, same haunted look in his eyes.
“Nathaniel-” Kevin started, but Neil cut him off.
“Don’t.”
“But, that’s your name,” he accused.
“Not anymore. I’m sure you’ve heard I’m Neil Josten now.”
Kevin shook his head. “You can’t just run away and start a new life.”
“Why not? You did.” Neil said petulantly.
Kevin continued shaking his head. “No, it’s not the same. They knew exactly who I was when I came here. I never lied to them.”
It was true. Kevin and his situations were similar, but also vastly different. Neil was coming here a lie, and probably putting everyone at risk by doing so. Kevin had come here a broken version of himself but had come here as Kevin Day and the Foxes had known the risk when they offered him a home.
Still, even if Kevin was right that didn’t mean Neil wanted to hear it. “Really? Does Lord Wymack know why you choose his kingdom to run too?”
Kevin shuttered backward like Neil’s words were a physical blow. “How do you know that? Who told you?”
“Jean showed me the letters,” Neil said coldly. He knew that just saying Jean’s name would have an extreme effect on Kevin.
And it did. Kevin paled, and had to try twice before he managed to choke out, “How is he?”
“Alive,” Neil answered and knew that Kevin would understand what Neil didn’t say. Couldn’t say. Jean’s situation with the Ravens had always been bad, but with Kevin’s escape, it had gotten much worse.
“What did Riko do to him after...”
“I wasn’t there,” Neil pointed out. It was a fact he had always been grateful for. He wasn’t sure he would have survived Riko’s fury if he had been. Kevin started to say something, but Neil quickly added, “I did hear that Tetsuji just barely restrained Riko from killing him on multiple occasions in the weeks following though.”
Kevin paled further. He took a faltering step forward and leaned over to brace himself on the table beside Neil’s bed. “I had to go. I had to get away from Riko. He was never going to stop. He would have kept crippling me until I was useless.”
“Stop it,” Neil demanded. He hated how defeated Kevin sounded.
“I had to.”
“I know,” Neil said cutting him off. “I understand why you had to leave, but I don’t want to hear you whining about it now. You knew leaving would have consequences and you still made that choice. Accept it and live with it.”
Kevin said nothing as he continued to stare down at his clenching and unclenching left hand.
Neil only withstood a few minutes of this before he had to ask, “Are you going to tell them?”
Kevin jolted again, probably so lost in his own head that he forgot Neil was there. “No, Andrew’s right. Your father is planning on attacking whether you’re here or not. It makes no difference.”
An irrational spike of jealousy shot through Neil's chest. Kevin had talked with Andrew, and recently by the sound of it. Neil had been expecting to find Andrew sitting by his bed every time he had woken up that day, and so far that hadn’t happened. Neil wasn’t sure if his duty with the Foxhole had been keeping Andrew away, or if it was some unknown reason. Now that they were both here and safe any deal they had struck would be over. Which would mean Andrew could be done with him, but after everything that had happened between them Neil couldn't believe that.
“Does he know I’m awake?”
“Yes, Wymack told all of us,” he said, then quickly added, “but he also said no visitors yet.”
“You’re here,” Neil pointed out. He didn’t mean it to be rude, just that if Kevin hadn’t let Wymack’s rule stop him then neither would Andrew.
Kevin only shrugged in answer. It was obvious that he held no secret insight into Andrew’s mind or actions. Neil let the subject drop. Kevin, being who he was, couldn’t leave without knowing how far Neil had advanced with his sword training and in return went into great detail about his own training and all the other Fox Knights.
He left not much later. Neil fell back asleep wondering if Andrew would come.
*
The next morning Neil woke to the sound of voices again. Now that he knew where he was and that he was safe he felt comfortable enough to open his eyes to see who was in his room this time.
“He isn’t supposed to have visitors yet,” Aaron told a much taller man with tan skin and dark hair.
“I know, but I just want to look at him,” the man pleaded.
“Fine. You can look, but then you have to leave,” Aaron said as he stepped out of the doorway where he had been blocking the other man’s path.
The man excitedly pushed around Aaron, eyes instantly landing on Neil. “Oh, you’re awake.”
Aaron turned at the other man’s words and looked over at Neil as well. Even though he was training under Abby be a doctor his eyes held none of the caring kindness hers did. He mostly just looked suspicious.
The taller man stepped up closer to Neil’s bed. “I’m Nicky Hemmick, Andrew and Aaron’s cousin.”
Neil glanced between Nicky and Aaron and saw absolutely no family resemblance. He wished he could be so lucky.
“I’m Neil Josten,” he introduced in return. It was the first time he had done so, and the lie tasted like ash on his tongue. These were the people his lies were putting in danger.
'“Oh, I know. I’ve heard all about you,” Nicky said enthusiastically. Then stopped and shook his head. “Actually no. All we've heard about you is your name and that you used to be a Wesninski Knight. Andrew won’t tell us anything more.”
Neil was grateful for that. “Where is Andrew?”
Nicky’s brows furrowed for a moment before relaxing again. “I think he’s off on patrol with Renee. But you don’t need to worry about him anymore. Now that you’re here you can spend time with me, the more fun cousin,” he said, ending his sentence with a flourished bow and a wink.
Neil wasn’t sure how to respond to that, mostly because he enjoyed his time with Andrew. He decided to not say anything at all. The silence didn’t deter Nicky in the slightest. With an exaggerated look over Neil’s prone form, he said, “Speaking of fun, maybe you and I could have a little ourselves. If you know what I mean.”
Neil, in fact, did not know what he meant and continued his silent stare.
Nicky’s wide smile wavered for a second before he plastered it back on. His mouth tilted slyly and in a mock whisper added, “You know, just me and you alone. Having some fun in the bedroom.”
That Neil understood. He had spent enough time with the Ravens to know what Nicky was insinuating. You couldn’t put that many young people in close quarters and not expect them to find a way to work out their tension. While at Evermore Neil had been made many offers, but never accepted. He'd been too busy trying to survive his time there to put any thought into something like that. Plus, the only person he trusted there had been Kevin and to a lesser extent Jean, but still that trust hadn’t run deep enough for Neil to ever consider it. Now, even if he understood what Nicky meant he didn’t understand why he would be offering. They had just met.
“I’m not interested.”
“Damn,” Nicky pouted. “Well, if you’re only into girls then there are quite a few in town. Allison probably wouldn’t be opposed to hooking up whenever she and Seth are on the outs either.”
Neil shook his head at Nicky’s misunderstanding. “No, I’m not interested at all.”
“What,” Nicky screeched. “No girls or guys? How is that even possible? You’re young, you have to be interested in one or the other. Or both.”
Neil sighed. He didn’t understand why Nicky was still talking about this. There were much more important things happening. Hell, he was lying in a bed with a sword hole going through him, while his father sat in his castle plotting their deaths.
So yeah, much bigger things to worry about. “I’ve never been interested in either before,” Neil said in hopes that this would put this conversation to an end.
Of course, it had the opposite effect. Nicky perked up again. “Oh well if that’s the case you can just spend a little time with me and we can change that.”
Neil really was done now. Nicky had completely missed his point again. Luckily it seemed like Aaron was also done. He grabbed Nicky by the arm and started to haul him back towards the door. “Get out,” he said as he threw Nicky out and slammed the door in his face. Aaron then turned and headed towards the other room. When he reached the door he looked back over his shoulder at Neil. “If you need anything I’ll be in here.” With that Aaron closed the door behind him, and Neil was alone again.
*
For most of that day, Neil had been left alone. Abby had come in twice to bring him some food and change his bandages. He was still trying to get over the fact that both Abby and Aaron had seen his scars. Abby had tried to ask him about them once, but he had cut her off with a quick lie. Aaron hadn’t said anything at all.
The last time Abby came in for the night she asked if he felt up to receiving visitors the next day. The Foxes were apparently eager to meet him, and she and Wymack were having difficulties keeping them at bay. Neil wasn’t sure if he was ready or not but agreed just so he wouldn’t be woken up again with more unexpected visitors.
After breakfast the next morning the Foxes, minus Kevin and Andrew who were apparently off on an errand in town, came in as a group. One by one they introduced themselves, even Nicky who pretended like he hadn’t snuck in and met him the day before. After that, they moved on to asking Neil more questions about himself than he had ever been asked before. They seemed interested in every aspect of his life before, albeit for varying reasons. It was a good thing Abby had given him a warning about their visit, it had given him enough time to think of a good backstory for himself. Now he just had to hope that Andrew wouldn’t say anything to contradict it until they talked again. If they talked again that was. With each passing day, a feeling settled deeper in his chest that something was wrong.
“I’m sorry you met Andrew first,” Dan said as if she was able to read the turn his thoughts had taken. “Hopefully that won’t ruin your opinion on all of the rest of us.”
Neil looked from Nicky to Aaron to see if they were going to stick up for their family, but Aaron was busy actively ignoring the whole conversation and Nicky was nodding his head along in agreement.
Neil looked back to Dan, but before he could answer Allison cut in, “Yeah, can you imagine having to travel for two whole weeks with only Andrew for company. It must have been awful.”
“Allison,” Renee chided.
“It was fine,” Neil finally got a chance to say. He knew it was a simple answer, but he didn’t want to have to explain how those two weeks had been some of the best in his whole life.
“That’s nice,” Renee said as if in understanding of everything he didn’t say.
“Nice?” Matt questioned. “He didn’t say it was nice, he said it was fine.”
“That’s high praise for Minyard though,” Seth added. He turned to Neil and asked, “How many times did he threaten you with his knives?”
Andrew had threatened him with a knife once, but it hadn’t been his. He had also threatened to kill him a few times, but Neil thought those were all justifiable given the circumstances at the time. It might have been a stretch of the truth, but he answered, “Zero.”
The Foxes around him seemed shocked by his answer. They were quiet for a few blissful seconds until Matt broke the silence. “Woah, are you going to be like another Renee?”
Neil had no idea what that meant and looked at Renee for clarification. “We’re friends,” she answered.
“Close friends,” Allison said with a crinkle of her nose like it was a fact she was unhappy about.
“Yeah, close friends with benefits,” Nicky added.
“No, just friends,” Renee corrected.
“Anyways,” Matt cut in changing the subject, “Having a new person around is so exciting. We haven’t had a new Fox since Kevin.”
“And that was only fun for the first few weeks when he wouldn’t come out of his room. After that, he just started yelling about training more and proper sword techniques.” Allison said snidely.
Neil had been around Kevin enough to understand exactly what she meant. Kevin was dedicated, to say the least, and Andrew had called him fanatical more than once.
“Yeah, we’re going to have to teach you all about Palmetto and The Foxhole,” Matt added excitedly.
Matt and the other Foxes were obviously excited about that prospect, but Neil had never talked to this many people at once and wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep it up.
His worry must have shown on his face. “But maybe not today,” Renee said gently.
“Yeah,” Matt agreed quickly. “Some other time.”
“Get some rest and heal soon,” Dan said with a firm pat to his shoulder.
“You’re cute enough as is, but a little extra beauty sleep won’t hurt,” Nicky added while blowing a kiss in his direction.
The others said their goodbyes as well then filed out after their captain. Once they were gone and Neil’s room was quiet again he thought about what life was going to be like surrounded by people who seemed to truly care about his well being. He wondered if he would be able to get used to the feeling, or if his father would come and destroy everything before he ever got the chance.
Next
Knights of the Fox Table
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven -
At the sight of the three Fox Knights Andrew sheathed his knife and turned back to Neil. What he saw sent fear tearing through his chest. He wasn’t moving. Andrew rushed to cross the short distance between them and dropped to his knees. Neil’s eyes were closed, arms splayed limply on the ground, completely unresponsive. Shakily Andrew pressed two fingers to the point on Neil’s neck where he would be able to feel if his heart was still beating. A shallow fluttery rhythm pulsed beneath his fingers and Andrew breathed out a relieved sigh. Neil was still alive, if only just barely.
“Andrew?” Matt called sounding as if he couldn’t believe his own eyes.
“What happened here?” Dan asked next, sounding only slightly less shocked to see him.
Andrew ignored them both. He was unable and unwilling to look away from the slight rise and fall of Neil’s chest as he labored to breathe.
Though the next voice he couldn’t ignore.
“I’m glad to see you back home safely,” Renee greeted from much closer. Close enough that Andrew dared a brief glance over his shoulder at her. She had already dismounted her horse and was only steps away. Behind her, Matt was staring around wide-eyed, and Dan was looking between him and the two dead Wesninski Knights with a deep look of worry etched on her brow.
Andrew swept his gaze back to Renee as she stepped forward, her calculating eyes flicking from his face down to where his fists were clenched in the front of Neil’s tunic. Out of all the Foxes she knew and understood him best. Which meant she could see his hold on Neil was protective, not malicious. Most of the other Foxes believed him only capable of violence. Which suited him fine.
Renee flicked her eyes back up to meet his again. “Is he alive?”
Andrew nodded. He didn’t trust his voice to not come out sounding drenched in emotions. Renee knelt beside him, eyes darting over Neil. It only took her a second to realize how badly he was hurt.
She quickly stood again and turned back to Dan and Matt. “This man is alive, but just barely. We need to get him to Abby as quickly as possible.”
Dan, who was in the process of inspecting the body of one of the Wesninski Knights, turned at Renee’s words and hurried over to them. She looked over Neil assessingly for a second before looking back at Matt who was still on his horse. “Do you think you could carry him back?”
Matt nodded. “Should be an easy fit.”
“Is that okay with you Andrew?” Renee asked knowing how deep his protective streak ran. In answer, an immediate and resounding no flared to life inside of him. He didn’t want Neil out of his sight, didn’t want Matt’s hand all over his unconscious body, but with a deep breath, he fought that feeling down. Rationally he knew Matt with his extra height and longer arms would be able to carry Neil the easiest, and what really mattered was getting him to the Foxhole as quickly as possible.
He nodded.
With his consent Dan, Renee, and he carefully lifted Neil and carried him over to Matt. Once he was safely secured Matt took off at a quick pace towards Fox Castle.
Andrew watched them ride further and further away body growing tenser with each passing second.
“Andrew,” Renee called out gently to get his attention. He didn’t look though. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the spot where Matt and Neil had just disappeared through the trees. She continued anyway, “You can take my horse and follow them. Dan and I will handle things here.”
Andrew didn’t even spare her a glance or nod this time. He just moved to pull himself onto her horse and was off.
He caught up quickly to them on the other side of the tree line. Matt was riding at a subdued pace so as to not jostle Neil too much. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder when he heard Andrew’s approach, but didn’t say a word as they rode on. In what felt like no time at all they reached the outskirts of Palmetto, and only moments later they were racing through the castle gates.
Andrew was off his horse before it had even come to a stop in front of the main doors. He ran over to help Matt ease himself off his horse Neil still cradled in his arms. With Matt on the ground Andrew threw open the doors, leading the way as they raced through the castle.
As they ran through the hallways neither he nor Matt paid any attention to the confused looks on the familiar faces they passed. He didn’t even feel a smidgen of joy as he shoved a startled Seth out of the way.
They turned the last corner to the infirmary and Andrew slammed the doors open. Abby, who was thankfully already inside, jumped up at the sound. Her head snapped from Andrew to Matt then back to Andrew. Before she could say anything Matt pushed forward drawing her attention back to him and the unconscious Neil in his arms. Andrew could see the exact second her face shifted into alertness.
She jabbed a finger at one of the beds and ordered Matt to lay him there. Matt did as she commanded then stepped away. Abby was at Neil’s side in an instant checking his pulse, his breathing, then moving down to where Andrew had tied the makeshift patch to his side.
“What happened to him?”
“A sword. I tried to stop the bleeding.” Andrew answered, voice quaking only slightly.
The moment he spoke a chair toppled over in the adjoining workroom. A second later his brother was bursting through the doorway, coming to an abrupt halt as soon as his eyes fell on Andrew. Aaron stared at him, mouth slightly agape like he couldn’t believe he was standing right in front of him. Andrew returned his stare with a calm gaze. A part of him relaxing at seeing Aaron had been kept safe during the nearly five weeks he had been gone.
A few seconds more of just staring Aaron jolted forward, crossing the room with shaky steps to stand in front of him. His brow furrowed in misplaced concern as he took in all the blood that covered Andrew’s clothes, arms, and hands. Aaron lifted his own arms like he wanted to check Andrew all over for injuries, but aborted the movement. Instead, he maintained the short distance and gestured uselessly. “Is this your blood? Who hurt you?”
Andrew could have laughed at the panic in his brother’s tone. Aaron and he hardly spoke to each other much less showed outright worry. Good to know all it took was him getting captured by a hostile enemy and returned covered in blood for his brother to show a modicum of concern. Right now wasn’t the time for him to muse over that though. Aaron was Abby’s assistant and she was going to need his help if they had any hope of keeping Neil alive.
Andrew pushed past his brother to Neil’s side and gestured down at him in answer.
It was another second before Aaron tore his gaze from him to look down at Neil’s prone form. Unlike Abby, he didn’t automatically jump at the sight of a stranger in need. “Who is that?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Abby answered turning to look up at Aaron. “It’s our duty to help him. Now I need you to bring me our kit, then get some water boiling.”
Aaron didn’t move to follow her instructions immediately. His keen gaze roved over Andrew once more as if convincing himself that he really was there. They held each other’s gaze for a moment more before Aaron finally turned and hurried from the room.
With Aaron gone, Andrew turned his full attention back to Neil. Abby had grabbed some clean cloth and begun to untie the patch from his side. A foreboding feeling settled in his gut as he noticed Neil’s blood already soaking through it.
He couldn’t even fathom the possibility that Neil would make it all the way here just to die. They had been through so much to get here. Neil had been through so much just to get away from his father. It would be cruel and unfair for him to die the moment he got to safety.
But Andrew knew just how cruel and unfair the world could be.
A few moments later he was forced back when Aaron returned and took his place beside Abby. Andrew didn’t move far though. Only far enough to be out of their way, but close enough to still see Neil.
When Matt, who was lingering by the door, noticed this he said, “Come on Andrew. You know we aren’t supposed to be here while they work. Let’s give them space.”
Andrew ignored him. He didn’t want Neil out of his sight, even though he knew there was nothing he could do.
Not even a second later a hand clenched around his arm. The moment Matt’s hand landed him Andrew wrenched himself away and instinctively reached for his knives. Of course, he came up empty-handed. Matt was familiar enough with the gesture to understand what his intent had been. He held his hands up in a placating manner and took a step away from him.
Abby didn’t look up from where she was intensely focusing on Neil, but still somehow managed to know what was going on behind her. “Andrew, he’s right this could take some time, and it would be easier for us to work if you waited outside.”
Abby hadn’t outright told him to get out but knew she wasn’t making a suggestion either. He took one last lingering look at Neil and then forced himself away.
Matt was halfway down the hallway by the time Andrew shut the infirmary door behind him. A tether pulling at the center of his chest kept him from taking another step. He sank to the floor and waited.
*
Minutes, hours, days passed as he sat in front of the infirmary doors in his blood-soaked clothes. Time was nothing. It dragged on, yet hadn’t seemed to pass at all. Inside he could hear the muffled voices of Abby and Aaron working, but couldn’t make out what they were saying.
The more he tried to not think about the man fighting for his life in the room behind him the more unbridled thoughts kept popping up. He kept seeing the first time Neil had stepped into his dungeon cell, when he had defended Andrew from Drake, how he had smiled more the further they had gotten from his father’s kingdom, the dazed look in his eyes after the kiss. Though no matter where his thoughts started they always ended with the image of Neil lying on the ground, skin ashen, covered in red swaths of his own blood.
The only moments of reprieve from his thoughts came from the other Foxes. Seth had apparently told the whole castle he was back seeing as just moments after he had collapsed outside the doors Nicky had come skidding around the corner. He fluttered around fussing over Andrew’s state and asking questions he didn’t have the energy to answer. Seth and Allison showed up not much time later but gave up on getting answers out of him only after a few minutes.
Once Nicky finally got the hint that Andrew wasn’t going to speak he left. Leaving him alone again, but only for a short while before Bee appeared. It took one look at his face for her to understand what kind of mood he was in. She told him she was happy he was safely home again then left with a reassurance that she would be back. A few minutes later she returned with a plate of all his favorite sweets. He decided not to think about what it meant that she had them already prepared. The thought of her baking them every day like there was a chance he might come home at any moment was too much.
She set the plate on the ground beside him. “David and Kevin are at a meeting in town. Is it okay if I go let them know that you’re back home, or do you want me to stay?”
Andrew managed to lift one hand off his lap to make a shooing gesture at her. Bee accepted this with a smile and left. Once again leaving Andrew alone.
A longer amount of time passed before another Fox showed up. Renee knelt down in front of him and held a piece of cloth towards him in both hands. “I brought your knives back.”
Andrew leaned forward and took the weighted cloth from her. He laid it on the ground and unrolled it. Inside all eight of his knives had been cleaned of the Wesninski Knight’s blood. He sheathed them back into their rightful places while Renee repositioned herself on the wall beside him and took one of the sweets. She took another and offered it to him. Slowly he took it from her hand and nibbled off a piece of the sweet cake. Side by side they sat in silence, eating sweets, and waiting for the door to open.
It was quite some time before it finally happened. Aaron came out looking exhausted, but beyond that his face betrayed nothing. Andrew didn’t wait for him to say anything, just jumped to his feet and pushed past him through the door
He made it halfway into the room before rocking to a stop. His hands were trembling and he couldn’t bring himself to take another step closer to Neil in fear that the worst had happened. Abby was sitting on a stool by Neil’s bed hunched over him blocking his view.
When she heard him stop she looked back at him with a weary smile. “He’s a lucky one. He’ll live.”
Andrew’s body quacked with the relief. It was as if his world settled back into place, and with everything righted again, he finally brought himself to finish crossing the short distance to Neil’s side. His abdomen had been rewrapped in clean gauze and the steady rise and fall of his chest helped set Andrew at ease.
He watched in silence as Abby carefully continued to clean the blood from Neil’s skin. He was less ashen than before, but still very pale. Andrew’s eyes caught on the bloody handprint he had left and its stark contrast against the pale skin on his jaw.
Andrew lived his life without regret. He saw no point in doing so since there was nothing anyone could do to change the past. However now that his mind wasn’t clouded with fear, want, need, and Neil’s near-death a creeping doubt began to settle in. He had kissed Neil without asking, without making his intentions known at all. Although Neil hadn’t pushed him away, Andrew knew that Neil’s own mind hadn’t been clear either. Abby wiped the handprint from Neil’s skin with a careful flick of her wrist, and Andrew wished he could wipe away all of his tumultuous feelings associated with it just as easily.
Suddenly the feeling that he couldn’t be in the room any longer came crashing into him. He couldn’t stand being this near to Neil anymore. Feelings Andrew thought he had long since repressed were rising up and breaking open in his chest. He had to leave. Maybe distance would help him think, help him clear his head again. He stepped away from Neil’s bed and turned to push back out the door. He could feel Aaron and Renee watching his every move, but didn’t slow in his retreat.
Without thinking he found himself headed to his room. There he could lock his door and everyone else out with it. Once inside he dropped to his bed without a glance around. Again he tried to keep himself from thinking about Neil, about long-dead hopes, about a boy who had forged himself into a knife blade, about that same boy who had never been allowed to keep anything he wanted.
Again he failed.
*
Time got away from him again.
He didn’t know how long he laid in bed staring up as the long shadows stretched across his ceiling when a loud knock reverberated against his door. “Minyard you better open this door right the fuck now,” Wymack called.
The lord of the Foxhole wasn’t one to let himself be ignored. So, begrudgingly Andrew pushed himself out of bed and opened the door.
Wymack stood on the other side, arms crossed over his broad chest. He only gave Andrew a brief once over before saying, “So it’s true. You really did escape Wesninski Castle and walk all the way back here.”
Andrew didn’t answer. Just crossed his arms over his chest to mirror Wymack’s stance. Wymack raised a single eyebrow at that but didn’t bother saying a word. Instead, he went on, “I also heard you dragged a nearly dead stray with you through my doors.”
“Technically Matt carried him through your doors,” Andrew answered with deadpan sarcasm.
Wymack scrubbed a hand down his face. “I see you are still just as difficult as always. You know what I mean, who exactly is this kid?”
Who was he indeed? The answer was something Andrew had been thinking a lot about. He wasn’t sure how the Foxes would take to hearing the truth about Neil’s past, and Andrew wasn’t prepared for them to throw him out because of it. On the other hand, this was Wymack’s castle and Andrew owed him the truth.
Just maybe not all of it right away. “He was a Wesninski Knight who helped me escape.”
“And I’m guessing he wants to seek refuge from the Wesninskis here?”
Andrew nodded.
“Great another mouth to feed,” Wymack gruffed. Though Andrew, along with every other Fox here, knew it was just a show, the lord would willingly go hungry if it meant he could give someone else a chance to start again.
Andrew ignored Wymack’s bellyaching and instead asked, “Is it true that the Wesninski’s demanded my return and you refused?”
Without hesitation Wymack answered, “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because they are a bunch of self-important assholes who think they can do whatever they want, even though they falsely imprisoned you-”
“No,” Andrew cut him off mid-rant. “I mean why did you refuse them?”
Wymack studied him for a moment with a look Andrew didn’t feel like deciphering before answering, “Because even if you do have a shitty attitude and threaten most everyone on a weekly basis you are still one of my Foxes.”
“One person is not worth the whole kingdom’s safety.”
“Would you be saying that if it was Kevin or Aaron?” Wymack countered.
Andrew knew his answer. He had promised to protect Kevin from the Moriyama Kingdom and would do the same for Aaron. Wymack knew his answer as well, so he didn’t bother responding.
“Exactly,” Wymack said with a tone a finality. He held Andrew’s gaze for a few moments longer before breaking it and scrubbing both hands down his face. “Besides this whole thing is my fault anyways. I should never have sent you and Kevin there to begin with.”
Wymack didn’t say any of this in hopes of false sincerities, which was a good thing because Andrew wasn’t the type to give them. Wymack was just owning the fact that he had messed up and that all the consequences from that decision rested on his shoulders. Besides, it was too late to change anything, all they could do now was decide how to best handle things going forward.
“So what’s the plan?” Andrew asked.
“Now that is a damn good question.”
-
Next
Knights of the Fox Table
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten -
Andrew didn’t have time to think about the consequences of bringing Neil with him to the Foxhole. The appearance of three Wesninski Knights meant they didn’t have many options, but it was Jackson’s comment about what Neil’s father was going to do to him that had sealed his decision. Even though Andrew had been adamant about Neil not coming to the Foxhole, there was no way he would ever let him be caught and returned to a father who planned on torturing and killing him.
Neil had taken an unnecessary risk in helping him escape, and Andrew still owed him that debt. At first, he had convinced himself that he didn’t owe Neil a thing. The fact that it had been Neil’s family that had captured and locked him away damned him as well, but as time went on he realized he couldn’t associate Neil with them anymore. The Wesninskis were vile, and Neil was nothing like them. Andrew owed him for everything he had done. Allowing Neil to take refuge at the Foxhole was the easiest way to repay him. After that, they would be even. Then maybe the weight that had settled on his chest anytime he thought about Neil leaving would finally ease.
Now they needed to get to the castle as quickly as possible, which meant they didn’t have time to make it to the shallower part of the river Neil had initially wanted to cross at. With a grip so tight on Neil’s wrist that it would probably bruise later Andrew dragged him through the forest towards the river. Holding onto Neil was unnecessary, but Andrew couldn’t bring himself to let go. The clench in his chest told him that if he let go of him now, Neil would be lost to him for good.
Eventually, after clearing the tree line and setting foot on the banks of the river, he was forced to let go. They needed both hands to scramble down the steep incline. They tumbled down to the water’s edge where Andrew dropped his bag and indicated for Neil to do the same. The bags would only weigh them down, and besides Fox Castle would have everything they could possibly need.
Neil complied without protest and together they waded into the water. They were lucky the Broad River was slow-moving; they didn’t need to waste any of their precious little time struggling against the current. When the water reached their chest they were forced to swim. From there it didn’t take them long to reach the other side. As soon as they clambered up the opposite bank they were running again. This time Andrew forced himself to not reach out for Neil.
His original plan, until everything had gone to shit, was to walk the distance between the Broad River and Palmetto. It would have taken him a little over an hour. Now that they needed to reach the castle as quickly as possible it would take them considerably less time.
If -no- when they made it to the castle Andrew would have to thank Wymack for forcing him to do all those countless perimeter checks and watches over the past three years. Those monotonous patrols made it so he remembered the area perfectly and could lead them easily in the castle's direction.
As they ran their path had them crossing multiple large fields, divided by lines of trees. They had already crossed one field and were in the middle of a second one. If his memory was correct, Andrew was sure it was, they had already covered about half the distance to the castle. They had nearly reached the edge of the field when the sound of hoofbeats coming from behind them made Andrew’s chest seize.
He halted immediately and turned needing to know who was approaching them. He could hope that maybe it was Fox Knights, but the icy dread filling his veins was telling him that it was the Wesninskis. His fears were confirmed when he heard Neil let out a string of curses at the sight of two riders wearing Wesninski blue surcoats coming quickly towards them.
With no possibilities of hiding or outrunning the horses, Andrew and Neil pulled out their weapons knowing they would have to stand and fight again.
As the knights drew closer Andrew got a clearer look at their faces and realized he didn’t recognize them. They must have been the other two knights who had been holed up in the village. He didn’t know why Jackson and Romero were not with them but didn’t question their luck at facing only two knights for now.
The knights circled their horses around them cutting off their path to Palmetto. They dismounted and one called out, “There is no point running anymore, Nathaniel. Jackson and Romero will be here soon, and you won’t escape again.”
“The only thing I see standing in our way is you two, and you look like a measly opposition to me,” Neil sneered back.
“Even if you do get past us you will never escape your father. He will burn Palmetto and tear down the Foxhole Castle walls to get to you.”
Neil looked stricken. “He wouldn’t dare attack the Foxhole without reason.”
“Oh,” the knight said, a cruel smile stretching across his face. “But he does have a reason.”
“Explain yourself,” Neil demanded.
“Haven’t you heard? Your dead Nathaniel and this Fox Knight was the one that killed you.”
Andrew found that concerning indeed. If Lord Wesninski was claiming he had killed Neil, then the Wesninski Kingdom would have the right to demand his immediate return.
Neil’s stricken face grew paler. “But it’s untrue.”
“It matters not. You went missing two weeks ago, and Lord Wymack has already refused to hand over this knight,” the Wesninski Knight spat gesturing at Andrew. “Plus, you will be as good as dead once your father gets his hands on you again.”
Andrew found Wymack and his bleeding heart even more concerning. He shouldn’t have refused Lord Wesninski's demands. Now the Fox Court was going to have a war on their hands, and Andrew wasn’t worth the whole kingdom being put at risk.
He would have to worry about that later though, right now he had more important matters to focus on. They needed to deal with these knights before the others had a chance to catch up. He found it puzzling that neither of them looked like they were in any hurry to fight. Until it dawned on him what they were doing.
“Their stalling.”
Neil cast a brief glance his way before turning his attention quickly back towards the knights. He hefted his sword up, clearly preparing to run headfirst into another fight. “Let’s take the fight to these cowards then.”
With no more warning, Neil charged full force ahead. It was baffling how Neil could waver between panic at the thought of facing his father’s knights, and running headfirst into fights with them. Now wasn't the time to contemplate Neil’s fluctuating courage. Andrew grasped his knives tightly in his fist and followed after Neil.
When he was at a close enough distance he threw a knife out. The knight who was his target had been focusing all his attention on Neil and didn’t see Andrew’s movement fast enough. The knife struck him squarely under the collar bone. The Wesninski Knight let out a guttural yell and angrily ripped the knife from his body. He flung it to the ground and turned his attention towards Andrew preparing to fight.
Andrew flicked his eyes out searching for Neil to find him already fully engaged with the other knight. Satisfied Neil was handling himself fine Andrew turned his full attention back to the knight in front of him and brought his knife up just in time to block the first strike from his sword.
Just as had been the case with the last Wesninski Knights, it was obvious from the start that this knight was not as skilled a fighter as he was. Most people were under the false impression that because he used knives it would put him at a disadvantage when fighting someone with a sword. When, in fact, it was the exact opposite. Most people never trained to fight against someone using knives, and Andrew had been training against one of the best sword fighters in the land for the past two years. He was well versed in using one knife to easily fend off sword strikes, while using the other to deliver cut after cut to his opponent’s hands and arms. Eventually, the cuts would make it impossible for his opponents to even hold their swords, much less fight with them.
It was exactly what he was doing now, and it was clear that this knight was just barely holding out against his attacks. Andrew kept delivering blow after blow, and within a short time the knight’s injuries caused him to lose his grip. As his sword clattered to the ground Andrew wasted no time in taking advantage of the opening and plunged his knife deep into the knight’s chest. He pulled his knife free and watched as the knight collapsed to the ground.
Andrew was standing over the knight making sure there was no way he was going to get back up again when he heard Neil release a desperate cry.
He turned instantly needing to know what had happened to, but before he made it even halfway around a body slammed into him. The force knocked him to the ground, his shoulder taking the brunt of his fall. He ignored the pain and scrambled into a better position. When he looked up his world stopped.
The knight Neil had been fighting was holding his sword straight out in front of him in the exact place Andrew had been standing only a few seconds before. The only reason Andrew wasn’t standing there anymore was that Neil had used his own body to push him out of the way.
Andrew stared up in horror at the knight’s sword piercing through Neil’s abdomen.
Time slowed. What must have only been a matter of seconds dragged on and on as Andrew, Neil, and the Wesninski Knight stood frozen. Neil’s blood dripping from the tip of the knight’s sword was the only movement in those endless seconds.
Neil drew in a jagged painful breath.
The heart-wrenching sound tore a hole open in Andrew’s chest. It also jarred the knight into moving again. Andrew watched, still frozen in shock, as the knight pulled his sword slowly free. Neil collapsed to the ground looking like a puppet whose strings had just been cut.
The sight of Neil laying on the ground, body convulsing in pain, and frantically clutching his hands to bloody skin finally jolted Andrew into action. He needed to get to Neil, he needed to stop the bleeding, he needed to wrap his hands around the neck of the knight who dared harm him and watch the life slowly drain away.
The knight who had turned his back to them, and was now running towards his horse. Andrew’s anger to surged out. The two knives that were still clutched in his fist were out of his hands and into the knight’s retreating back before Andrew even realized he had thrown them.
Even though his knives had sunk deep into the knight’s back he only faltered for a moment. So Andrew didn’t stop with two. He didn’t stop until every single one of his knives were buried deep in the knight. Only then with the knight lying dead on the ground did the red haze clear from his vision. He turned to run back to Neil and knelt beside him.
Neil looked so pale that Andrew had to reach out and touch him just to make sure he was still there, still breathing. Neil’s eyes were wide in pain, fear, and shock, and although he was attempting to put pressure on his wound it was bleeding profusely. His hands and arms were covered with blood, and his tunic and cloak were already soaking through. There was so much blood that Andrew wondered how there could possibly be any more left in Neil’s body.
Andrew reached out to him, his own hands were shaking as he pressed them down on top of Neil’s. It didn’t take long for them to become covered in blood as well.
The sight sent Andrew into a panic. Neil was losing too much blood. There was no way he could save him. No way for him to stop that much bleeding. Neil was going to bleed out. Neil was going to die.
No, Andrew couldn’t let that happen. Neil couldn’t die here. He hadn’t escaped his tormentors and traveled all this way just to die as soon as he reached the place he could finally live safely.
Neil had to live, Andrew needed him to live.
Andrew had to pull himself together. If he panicked now Neil really would die.
The first thing that needed to happen was to find a better solution to stop the bleeding. He almost looked around for their bags, which still held some bandages, before remembering he made them leave them on the other side of the river. He cursed himself, then began searching for his next best option.
His eyes landed on Neil’s now ruined cloak, it was made of a strong material which he could easily cut into strips. It was dirty, but he would let Aaron and Abby worry about dealing with any infection once they got to Fox Castle. He reached up and unclasped the cloak from Neil’s neck. “I’m going to have to lift you up.”
Neil gave a slight nod in understanding. Andrew wasted no time in lifting him just enough to pull the cloak out from under him. With Neil’s cloak in hand, he reached for a knife before remembering they were all now embedded in the back of the Wesninski Knight. He cursed himself again and quickly got up to retrieve two of them.
He cleaned the blood off his knives, then cut a square patch of fabric from the cloak. Once he had the portion free he folded it, so he could place on Neil’s wound to help stop the bleeding. Gently he pulled up Neil’s tunic so he could see the wound clearly. The sword had pierced below his ribs very close to his hip. Andrew didn’t have as much medical knowledge as his brother but knew that at least the strike hadn’t landed near any of Neil’s vital organs.
He slightly lifted Neil again in order to press one end of the cloth to where the sword had pierced all the way through him, then wrapped it around and placed the other end on the entry wound. Carefully he laid Neil back on the ground.
With that in place he went to work on cutting the rest of the cloak into strips.
Neil had yet to say anything, and Andrew needed something from him. Needed to just hear his voice. Needed to know he wasn’t too far gone already. He needed answers. “Why did you do that?”
Neil’s eyes had been clenched shut, but as Andrew spoke he looked up at him. It was a relief when Neil’s voice came out clearer and stronger than Andrew had expected. “Because he would have killed you.”
“So you decided to let him kill you instead?”
“I couldn’t let you get hurt,” Neil said voiced laced with pain and honesty.
Which was bullshit. Andrew was supposed to be the shield, he was supposed to be the one that stood between people and danger. He wasn’t supposed to be the person being protected. He had forged himself into a weapon because nobody had ever bothered to protect him before.
Except Neil had done it twice now. “I don’t need your protection. Don’t speak anymore.”
Neil, of course, didn’t do as Andrew told him. “You might not want it, but you obviously needed it.” He was quiet for a few seconds before speaking again, “And I would do it again if it meant you would get home safely. No matter the consequence.”
Andrew really couldn’t listen to Neil saying things like that. Especially not when the consequence was him lying on the ground bleeding to death. “I said stop talking.”
“You’re the one that asked. You just don’t like my answer,” Neil jabbed back at him before falling quiet again. This time he kept his eyes open and silently stared up at Andrew as he worked.
After he felt like he had cut enough strips, he had to figure out a way to wrap them around Neil. He didn’t think Neil was capable of holding himself up, and the trees were too far away for him to risk attempting to move him. Which left him with only one option. He would have to lean Neil against his own chest.
He dropped the knife and what remained of the cloak, and told Neil his plan. Neil looked a little wary of being maneuvered up that much but agreed anyway.
Once Andrew had situated himself into a better position he began to carefully lift Neil up. Andrew wrapped his arms around his chest and braced his hands on his back. He guided Neil into a seated position so that he wouldn’t cause him any more pain, and as he did Neil continued to firmly hold the makeshift patch in place. Once Neil was sitting Andrew leaned him sideways against his chest so that all of his weight was against him.
With Neil in place Andrew started to tie the strips around him. He worked in silence for a short while before he felt a slight movement from where Neil’s head had slumped down onto his shoulder. “What is the plan here Andrew?”
Andrew wanted to mock Neil for asking such a stupid question. The answer was obvious. “I’m going to finish wrapping your wound, then we’re going to Fox Castle.”
Neil lifted his head off of his shoulder and Andrew could feel him looking intently at him. He ignored the look and continued tying strips as he waited for Neil to say whatever it was he wanted to say. When a few more seconds passed and Neil still hadn’t said anything Andrew looked over to meet his eyes. His eyes were so blue, and filled with so much pain that it physically hurt Andrew to look at them. He wanted to tear his eyes away but forced himself not to.
“We both know I’m not going to make it that far.”
Andrew couldn’t believe that. He wouldn’t believe it. Neil was still alive, they were going to get him to the castle, and he would be fine.
Andrew finally lost the battle with himself and broke their eye contact. He looked back down at his work and answered, “You will, even if I have to carry you.”
He could feel Neil shaking his head at his words, but refused to look up at him again. Even as Neil lifted his hand up towards Andrew’s face. His hand hovered in place beside Andrew’s cheek like he wanted to forcibly turn Andrew’s head in his direction, but would never touch him without permission
“Andrew look at me,” Neil finally said while moving his hand up to block Andrew’s line of sight forcing him to look up and meet Neil’s eyes again. “We both know that Romero and Jackson are coming, and if they find us with me in this condition then neither of us will make it. If that happens, promise you’ll go on without me.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Andrew bit back. That was never going to happen. He was never going to leave Neil at the mercy of those who wanted to do him harm ever again.
“Why not?” Neil asked. Sounding like he really couldn’t comprehend that someone would willingly put themselves at risk for him.
Andrew didn’t even dignify him with a response to such a stupid question. He just continued to tie the strips.
Even though Andrew was done with that conversation Neil wasn’t. “I was never supposed to make it to the Foxhole anyways, nothing would change.”
Andrew gestured down to the gaping wound in Neil’s side. “Things have clearly changed.”
He could feel Neil’s head move as he looked down at his abdomen. “We were supposed to part ways at the river, why would leaving me here be any different?”
“Because you weren’t dying before.” Andrew really couldn’t believe that Neil didn’t understand how him being alive and fine compared to lying on the ground dying would make a difference to him.
“Andrew-”
Whatever Neil was going to say Andrew didn’t want to hear it. He tried to keep the anger out of his voice, but didn’t think he succeeded as he said, “Shut up. You’re wasting energy.”
Surprisingly Neil actually stopped talking. He slumped his head back down on Andrew’s shoulder as he finished tying the rest of the strips. Once he was done he started to move so that he could stand up and they could leave, but Neil reached out to stop him.
“Thank you,” Neil said and at first Andrew thought he was thanking him for tending to his wound, but then he continued. “This time I have spent with you has been amazing.”
Andrew jerked his head around to meet Neil’s eyes. They were so close. Neil was still leaning fully against Andrew’s chest with his head lifted just barely off of his shoulder. Their faces were bare inches apart, and the open honest look in Neil’s eyes had Andrew clenching his jaw in anger. “Don’t say things like that.”
“It’s true. This has been the first time since my mother died that I haven’t felt alone.”
“Neil stop.” This was clearly a goodbye and Andrew didn’t want to hear it.
Neil opened his mouth again, but the sounds of shouting in the distance startled them both. Andrew looked over his shoulder to make sure whoever was shouting hadn’t already entered the field. It was still clear, and Neil’s voice drew him back again. “They're nearly here Andrew, you need to go.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Andrew said trying to wrap his arms around Neil so that he could lift him.
Neil held out his arms to block him, and said, “Andrew, you have to leave me.”
“No.”
“Andrew, they are getting closer.”
Andrew could hear the indistinct shouting getting closer as well, but nothing was going to make him move away from Neil. “I’m not leaving you.”
“Why not?” Neil asked. Starting to sound angry now that Andrew was refusing to leave.
“Because.”
“That’s not a reason.”
“Because I’m not.”
“You can’t even give me a reason.” Neil practically yelled.
That was true. Andrew couldn’t give Neil a reason, because he had no words to explain the all-encompassing need that was telling him to stay and protect Neil no matter the consequences. Neil had nothing and no one, and Andrew knew that feeling all too well. It was that same feeling that made him grow to trust and understand Neil better than he had with anyone else.
Andrew couldn’t leave Neil without leaving a piece of himself behind as well, and part of him hated Neil for making him feel that way.
He must have stayed quiet for too long, because Neil started to open his mouth again. Andrew really was beyond listening to anything else he had to say. He needed Neil to not talk, but he also needed him to understand. He needed him to understand the reason Andrew could never leave him, so he reached out with his blood-covered hand and grasped Neil’s jaw fiercely. Neil’s eyes went wide as Andrew tugged him forward and leaned in to meet him halfway.
Neil stiffened at first when Andrew pressed his lips bruisingly hard against his. It almost made Andrew pull away, but then he felt the tension melt out of Neil’s body as he leaned further into Andrew.
The kiss of course couldn’t last long. The shouting had grown worryingly close now, and it sounded as if whoever was nearing the field.
Andrew pulled away, and looked down at a dazed Neil. He cataloged the look on his face in the back of his mind to think about later, but right now he needed to stand and fight. Andrew lowered Neil back down to the ground, before grabbing his knives and turning to face whoever was coming.
He stood in front of Neil, knives raised, prepared to fight any number of Wesninski Knights in order to protect him as three riders broke through the treeline.
Except Andrew wasn’t going to have to fight, The knights were wearing orange and white.
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