Complicated

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Thankfully, his horse knew where to go from here. Sebastian could feel himself metaphorically slipping. For now, the pain he could handle but the slow blood loss and the lack of adrenaline was getting to him.

He snorted at her joke, even lacking in humor as it was. At least...he thought it was a joke? "As I recall..." he grimaced and lost his thought for a moment. "As I recall, I chased after you," he pointed out. "Your Highness," he added, clearly struggling to convert his thoughts to words. He'd put himself in this position. Her intents and purposes didn't really matter to him. As a guard and as her brother, he wanted to be there.

As their horses brought them into the stable, they weren't immediately accosted by anyone. Whether it was too late for a groom to be on duty or simply someone shirking their post, the captain didn't care. He pulled his mount to a halt and turned to Cera. "You should return to the castle proper," he advised before glancing at the ground as if considering his options and steeling himself for pain.

The captain grit his teeth and swung himself out of the saddle, a sharp stabbing pain in his back enough to make him stagger against the horse. He took a sharp breath, the only audible indication that it hurt.

So maybe he couldn't walk himself to the healer. He still wasn't about to ask the princess. She needed not to be seen with him like this as far as he was concerned.

[Cera Le'Orin]

Those bright eyes squinted in amusement when he found a bit of humor in the situation, and corner of her mouth curled up into a subtle smirk. Maybe that was better than dwelling on how dire it really was. It kept him talking at least, and that was a good sign from as far as she was concerned.

Still, Cera seemed to understand where he was coming from, but would not blame him. He was doing his job. It had been her decision to leave the castle grounds. Or, perhaps, they were both foolish enough to have done so, both having had a hand in this whole mess.

Once they made it to the stables, the princess immediately slipped down from the saddle just in time to rush over to him as he staggered. The horse was doing more to keep him upright, but she was there to assist in anyway she could regardless. His words had her startled. "You can barely remain upon your feet- how do you expect to get to a healer on your own?" she questioned him, unable to hold back a bit of that authoritative tone. He wouldn't make it, she feared, so she wasn't so willing to leave his side.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

He needed to see Feleti. Preferably before he passed out. He doubted the man was awake at this time of night, but Sebastian knew he lived in the castle servant housing. The healer likely wouldn't be pleased to see him again so soon in such a state.

But Cera was right. He sagged against her slowly, though he did his best to keep himself on his feet. Sebastian wouldn't be able to get up if he sat down now and while Cera's support was necessary, she certainly couldn't carry him anywhere. Even if he hadn't been wearing armor. He attempted to take a step toward the castle, with the princess's help, and everything shattered in pain and he staggered against her further, jaw clenched in pain. "I suppose I do not expect to," he relented tightly.

Even should she insist on supporting him and moving with him, he couldn't offer much help. After two steps with pain shooting up his spine and blood running down his pants, it became readily apparent he wouldn't be going much of anywhere with the Princess. "Highness...It might be better..." he forced himself to make words and put them together in a reasonable order with a respectable tone. "If you put me down and get help," he grunted. Well, that or she could drag him to the medical ward. The captain wasn't in much of a place to refuse, let alone remain standing much longer.

[Cera Le'Orin]

Although the princess really tried, there was going to be no way she could help the captain into the castle. She didn't even think she could help him get back onto the horse and lead him to it. The look on her face was panic, but she kept most of it inside where she felt her heart thundering and knew her hands would have been shaking if she wasn't busy trying to hold the man up. She could feel his warm blood, and the last thought on her mind was wondering if it had gotten on her clothes. None of that mattered.

Sebastian stumbled and Cera worried that she would take a misstep and send them both tumbling to the ground but she remained upright, struggling to do so. Then, he was finally telling her to get help, and she actually breathed out a bit of a sigh of relief.

Carefully, she did her best to help lower him to the ground. If she couldn't easily keep him upright, there was definitely no way that she would be able to drag him by any means, and it would only further waste more time. "I'll be right back," she assured him in a hurry, wiping a bit of blood that had gotten on one of her hands upon her skirt. Again, she didn't care, curling fingers into the fabric as she stood to her full height to hike up the hem and rush off from the stables.

Many of the servants would be gone and the guards just a fewer in number...but this time, Cera didn't care about going unnoticed. She didn't care if people spotted her and wondered what had happened, she wasn't willing to stop until she reached the healer's quarters. Gaius had treated since she was a little girl, and she trusted him completely. Frantically knocking upon the door, the old man finally opened it after a moment, clearly having been already asleep.
"Captain Arcturis has been injured. He's in the stables, I need your help," she stammered on quickly.
He blinked at her, slow to register her words before he startled a bit and rushed to where he kept an emergency kit. The princess was trying to usher him faster, and he just grumbled at her, "I'm pushing these old bones as quickly as I can, child," he chided her gently before the two were rushing through the halls to head back to the stables.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Sebastian groaned as the Princess eased him to the ground and he leaned uncomfortably against the stable wall. It was a small battle of wanting to relax and not wanting to press the arrow in further. "I'll wait...right here, highness," he mumbled the joke. Apparently, he did have a sense of humor buried somewhere.

There wasn't much he could do to get more comfortable. He tried to press his hand to the wound despite how painful it was, just to apply some pressure and keep from bleeding all over. His clothes and cloaked did a much better job soaking up the worst of it than protecting him. He considered removing some of his armor but even were that not a decided bad idea, he wasn't sure he could manage the task with shaking fingers.

It was hardly the first time he had been hurt and certainly not the worst he had ever been. He was entirely certain the Princess would acquire a more mundane healer and that would be more than acceptable in seeing to the injury. It was probably a better idea, considering he wouldn't know how to explain to Leti he hadn't been trying to get himself killed despite having put himself and the Princess in a dangerous situation. His father would kill him if he found out Cera had been there. Which was why he kept his grunts and groans of pain to himself.

He wasn't sure how long it was he sat there, forcing even breaths, head back against the wall, sweat drenching his forehead and blood drenching his side and the dirt floor. He glanced over at the sound of foot steps. He recognized Gaius, the royal healer. He didn't often treat soldiers and even when he did, the captain didn't often find himself in need of this sort of help.

"Highness. Healer," he greeted with a wince. He'd lost a lot of blood and was in a lot of pain but he had told Cera he would be here and that meant being conscious. He was disappointed not to see a familiar white mop of hair and purple cloak rushing up to him but he supposed to would have to do.

[Cera Le'Orin]

Gaius would undoubtedly have questions, but the princess felt like he wasn't going to take the time now to bombard them with any. Cera's pace picked up to rush passed the old man and back to Sebastian's side, kneeling down onto the dirt floor of the stables. She was relieved, needless to say, that he was still breathing...and awake. Even in the dim light, she could see that he was still losing a lot of blood.

"Dear gods, man..." the old healer said in exasperation upon seeing Sebastian closer. Gaius really didn't hold much back, but again, he didn't ask the obvious question and it made Cera relieved. "Could you get us some better light, highness?"

Not arguing or wasting another second, she was back up on her feet to retrieve one of the hanging lamps to bring it closer. Meanwhile, the healer was attempting to quickly, but carefully, remove the captain's armor in order to get a better look. He spotted the broken shaft of the arrow immediately, and it hadn't gone through all the way. At the moment, it was difficult to discern whether any vital organs had been hit and how deep it had gone.

Gaius gestured for her to bring the light even closer so he could try and get a better look. "How long ago did this happen?"
Sebastian wasn't looking good, she noted. She wasn't sure if it was the light or that he was beginning to look a little too pale. Without thought, she was using the edge of her cloak to pat the sweat from his brow.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

He supposed the other reason he was a little crestfallen not seeing Leti was that he couldn't imagine Cera could move him any better with the royal healer's help.

Sebastian was willing to be quite candid about their escapades. Not because he wanted to but because he was finding it increasingly difficult to remain himself. There was something a bit...euphoric, about losing blood. And exhausting.

Sebastian hissed in pain as the old man move his armor and pulled his clothes away from the arrow shaft. If it had been a through and through wound, it would have been a lot easier to remove and treat. While it didn't appear to hit any major arteries, anything else wasn't very clear just yet.

He forced his eyes closed and focus on breathing, starting a little at the touch to his forehead, but it was a welcome comfort and distraction from the hands examining the wound. He wasn't sure how long ago and almost said as much before he refocused. He knew this. Time from the stable to the gates at a fast walk. Time from the gate to the market place. Time for Cera to run off and come back...that one he had to guess at. "Almost forty minutes," he said, sounding a hell of a lot more confident of his math than he actually was.

"I can't tell how deep it is," Giaus mumbled. He didn't look up at Cera as he spoke but he definitely spoke to her and not the captain. Sebastian found that a bit strange at first, but it was hard enough to focus anyway. "It's a good sign he's still awake. I need to operate to get that arrow head out and for that I need to move him." Otherwise he'd bleed out all over the stable floor was the implication and for some reason, Sebastian found that funny.

"Run and wake up one of the assistants. Next to my rooms," he insisted.

"You're talking...to the Princess," Sebastian attempted to admonish the man. Not the time perhaps, but he couldn't help it.

Gaius sighed in resignation. "Honestly, young man." He took a small flash from his bag, pressing it to Sebastian's lips. It wasn't any sort of medication, unless unpleasantly strong alcohol counted as medication. "Moving's going to hurt much less if you take that stick out of your ass," he advised candidly, with little regard for present company.

Feleti Eidothea after Cera's post

[Cera Le'Orin]

How long ago? Oh dear, she honestly could not remember. Everything had been just at a casual pace until the bandits, and then it was all a blur. Then all she did was fret, afraid the captain would fall right off that horse and she knew she'd never be able to get him up again. Luckily, Sebastian was able to answer, but what Gaius said in return made her stiffen.

"Okay, so...what can be done?" she asked, struggling to sound mean about it. In truth, she was just feeling a little frantic, concerned her escapades would get the man killed if no one acted any faster. Fourty minutes seemed like an awfully long time. Cera swallowed hard, listening to the healer explain that he needed to operate, and even she knew this was not the most ideal place to do that. But to move him without jostling to much? She wasn't weak but she certainly wasn't near strong enough, and no offense to the old healer, but neither was he. She trusted Gaius but she'd brutally honest about that.

'Run and wake up one of the assistants.' A nod, she was already climbing back up to her feet, not questioning it even as Sebastian was. Strangely, she grinned at that, considering she had taken no offense to the old man's words. Were this any other type of situation, then her reaction would have been completely different.

She was off in a hurry, hearing the tale end of Gaius basically telling the captain to shut up as she was once again rushing back into the castle. Swiftly out of breath, she didn't slow down as she weaved through the corridors, coming to the room next to the healer's. Her small fist pounded against the wood. "Wake up! Someone, please!" Cera was beyond caring about any of this getting back to her father. She'd deal with that later if it came up.

[Feleti Eidothea]

Feleti had heard some of the first round of commotion but by the time he had peaked out his door all was quiet. He had gone back to bed but been unable to sleep. Actually he had been rather restless for some time. When the second round of frantic knocking came he sprang to the door. He was met by the sight of a noble woman who was certainly of high stature and also certainly in distress. Leti having come from so far across the kingdom might have been one of the few people not to recognize her for her true station in the castle.

Nonetheless his face quickly took on an alertness. ''Right, What happened m'lady?'' His words a bit clumbsy in his haste to see what the panic was about. His arm already reaching for his trusted kit.

[Cera Le'Orin]

She was possibly making a very big scene, but all Cera was able to concentrate on was getting someone else's attention. Gaius said the door next to his, and she took a step back to look both ways down the hall, wondering if perhaps she had the wrong room. Before she could panic any further, however, a young man was opening the door and she let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank goodness. Gaius sent me, he- well, Captain Arcturis, he's..." Drawing in a slow breath, she tried to calm down from the adrenaline rush of running back and forth, but she knew they couldn't delay either. "He's been injured and the old healer needs help. Please, follow me." Despite being a princess, Cera was rather polite in her request even if it was urgent. She turned to beginning running again, glancing back to make sure that Feleti was following as she headed back towards the stables.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

"It is...not a stick," Sebastian grumbled back, voice faint, eyes fixed on the Princess dashing away again. It was half out of an obligation to look after her and half because the way her dress shifted was distracting. Like she was some strange wild bird or jellyfish creature that might float off into the sky at any moment.

"Yes, yes, it's a 'sword.' Captain, trust me when I tell you, that joke is old. It's never been funny."

"I have a terrible sense of humor." A yelp followed the words as Gaius pressed a collection of gauze against the wound, shifting the arrow slightly. The healer murmured a few soft sounds of encouragement rather than apology.

Gaius smirked. "No, son. You don't have a sense of humor." He pressed more firmly.

Sebastian could feel tears in the corners of his eyes from the pain, too distracted and slipping away that he couldn't focus on the man's continued slights against his character. He blinked and the next thing he knew Gaius was slapping his cheek slightly.

"Eyes open, Captain," he mumbled. "Stay here, please," he ordered, voice calm and gentle, looking off toward the sound of rushing footsteps to see the Princess with another in tow. Sebastian blinked again, unable to focus on anything more than two feet away from him and even that was a struggle. He groaned softly.

[Feleti Eidothea]

Feleti new gaius fairly well, in so much as the older healer had helped him settle in. He knew that it must be serious if gaius needed assistance. Though he nodded affirmative her use of the word captain caused him to hesitate just a step. His heart thuding into his stomach for a moment. Surely not. There was more than one captain at the castle.... for the first time he realized he didnt know sebastians last name.

A healer through and through he regained his composure quickly, hastley dunning his kit. A quick thought occured to him and he took a step back into the room to pull a sheet of linen from the bed.
Just as quickly he was out into the hall following the distraught noble. His step the awkward stride of someone who would run ahead if only they knew the way to go. As they reached the stables and leti came into sight of the lantern light his fears were confirmed. He could tell from the way the man was practically limp on the ground why gaius had called. They needed better light and supplies.... well...that or one of the horse troughs. Though he couldnt think of any excuses that would get the older healer or the noble woman out of sight for that long.
His words jumbled over one another as he tried to decide what to say first and only managed to get out "you-!" In a dissapointed and accusatory tone.
He cast his eyes about and saw some garderners tools "ah good" he mumbled and hastely set about crafting a makeshift stretcher by tying the linen up between two shovels.

[Cera Le'Orin]

This certainly wasn't how she expected this night to go. In all honesty, she didn't even expect to leave the castle grounds although she had been flirting with the thought. And the last thing she had expected was a captain of the Kingsguard personally escorting her and not stopping her from leaving.

But maybe he should have, because look where they were. Look what had happened.

That was what spurred the princess on; fingers curled tightly into her skirts as she ran, ensuring she didn't trip over her hem as she led Feleti to the stables as fast as she was capable to.

Cera hesitated a moment before returning to Sebastian's side as the young assistant stammered out a couple words and already began to set to work. She wasn't sure what he was doing, but she shifted her attention back to the captain. Gaius had been slapping his cheek lightly, and she didn't think that was a very good thing.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Sebastian slumped against the wall, leaning over and away from Gaius as the man continued to apply pressure. He looked up as the Princess approached again but was distracted from anything he might have said to her by the sound of Leti's voice. You? Was that really all he had to...oh. Actually that was probably incriminating enough. 

He tried to focus on the man's while hair, stark as it was, but found he couldn't do much beyond watch him tie two shovels to a bed sheet. A bed sheet to two shovels, rather. That made more sense. He tried to keep his eyes open but seeing Felting was...calming. Sebastian closed his eyes again.

Only to be roughly shaken by his collar and slapped more firmly. "Listen to your elders, young man," Gaius snapped with false anger that was clearly more frustration at the soldier falling unconscious. If he was awake, he was alive. Simple. 

"I listened...just...did not...obey," the captain asserted slowly. He wasn't normally so sassy but he couldn't help it. 

The old healer glanced over at Leti's quick thinking to make a gurney. That really was the only way they would be moving him. He reached for Cera's hand, pulling her to Sebastian's side so she could continue to apply pressure to the wound. "Hold here. While I take off his armor. Keep him talking," the man ordered, heedless of who he was asking to do what when a man's life was at stake.

"I will be fine," Sebastian mumbled to Cera, attempting to be reassuring. And maybe to prove he could both keep himself awake and talking.

Gaius fumbled off the cloak and then his breastplate and some of his other armor to make him lighter to carrying. Once Leti was finished, the old healer moved aside to help the young man move the captain on the sheet. Sebastian grunted and groaned in pain at being moved, but at least it served to keep him awake.

[Feleti Eidothea]

Leti indeed had plenty he wanted to say but he focused on doing what needed to be done. There would be time for a stern talking after they had dealt with that wound. He handed Gaius some clean rags from his pack to help stay the bleeding and motioned for cera to take up the other end of the gurney. He himself took up the spot at sebastian's head to take on lifting the brunt of the man's weight. truth be told Leti knew plenty well he could have carried bastian all on his own if not for fear of jostling the injury. That and he had the feeling that if he had slung bastian over one shoulder it would be he who received the stern talking.
The trip back toward the infirmary seemed to take much longer. Feleti couldn't be sure if that was because of the awkwardness of three people trying to walk in synch or his anxiety stretching the time out.
Soon enough they made it back to room suitable enough for Gaius to perform surgery. Leti lead the pair in hoisting bastian on to the table and set about quickly lighting candles and lanterns in the room. While he had vague surgical experience he hadn't had to remove an arrow from anywhere so dire before.
most arrow wounds were by unfortunate hunting accidents where he came from. Whoever had shot at bastian had meant business.
Even in the dark lighting of the stable he had seen that much. He observed the older healer fully ready to help or perform with the man's guidance.