Cauterized

[Rowan DeGraff]

The time it took Rowan to get to the infirmary as he carried Dunstan in his arms, seemed to take forever when in reality, it had only been five minutes or so. He constantly looked down at his brother to ensure he was still breathing, despite his unconscious state. He had done what he could to try and slow down the bleeding so he wouldn’t bleed out in the trek to the infirmary but knew that it would only do so much.

When he arrived, the door was promptly open for him as a passerby noticed how grave the situation at hand was. “Need some help here!” Rowan shouted as he made his way in and found an empty bed where he placed Dunstan down carefully. In a matter of moments, there was a rush of several people who came to assess the situation, ripping fabric from his brother’s side to get a better glimpse of the wound. “I had to cauterize it,” Rowan explained calmly, which garnered a strange look from the doctor.

He knew he wouldn’t be much more help at the moment as they began to work on his brother, so he took a seat, folding his arms over his chest and he waited, keeping his eyes on Dunstan. Despite his calmness, inwardly, he was slightly in a panic.

[Arieen DeGraff]

The moment people started to trickle into the castle, news of the attack began to spread. Lady DeGraff was among the people at court this day, although she opted to stay inside instead of attending the party. So, it was not long before she heard about her son, and Arieen took off down the stone corridors in a flurry of skirts.

She burst into the infirmary, immediately told to relax by a couple of nurses who stood nearby. "My son- where is my son?" she demanded, panting for breath. Dunstan had been hurt, that was all she knew, and she was struggling not to be frantic.

Waving the women away, she strode further into the wing where she spotted Rowan seated by one of the beds. "Rowan!" Stepping up to his side, a hand resting upon his shoulder in question of whether or not he was alright, her attention immediately fell to Dunny on the bed as one of the doctors assessed her son's wounds. If no one stopped her, she would attempt to rush to Dunstan's side to take one of his hands. "What happened?!" she demanded of anyone.

[Desmond DeGraff]

Desmond, like his wife, had been at the castle while the party had been going on. Both of them had opted to stay inside to take care of some matters throughout the court. He had full confidence that his sons were more than capable to defend and guard those who were at the party. Not only that--but he had been told, on multiple occasions, that he embarrassed them whenever he lingered amongst them in the public. How could anyone be embarrassed by their loving father, who was so proud of his children?

Arieen had gone off to do her own things, while he had a meeting with others on the council who also seemed to forego attending the party. It was a foolish thing, really, to have a party out in the open wilderness, but what did he know?

There seemed to be some sort of commotion entering the castle, which stopped him, and the other men he was meeting with, to pause to find out what was happening. It wasn’t long before he heard of the attack and that one of the DeGraff boys was badly injured.

He noticed his wife running through the halls, to which he took off, following the same path she had, bursting into the room just after Arieen was questioning what had happened.

When he saw it was his youngest son, laying there, unconscious on the bed, he gasped, one of his hands clutching at his chest. “Oh, my dear boy!” He cried out, instantly feeling broken-hearted to see one of his sons so badly injured. If he could take his place, he would gladly. He moved to Arieen’s side, bringing one of his hands to his lips as he choked back tears. “Is he going to be alright, doctor? Tell me he will be alright!” Desmond nearly pleaded with the man, despite the fact that he hadn’t even been able to fully assess Dunstan’s wounds yet.

When the doctor, who was suddenly flustered by all the commotion, spoke up, he informed them that he needed to look at the wounds and begin to treat them and that it would be easier if they all left the room to allow him to do so.

Desmond glared at the doctor with a deathly stare, which only seemed to make the man even more nervous, and he quickly averted his eyes, working quicker at searching for all the wounds the young man had endured. The whole Teronnan army would need to remove Desmond if they wanted him to leave.

He glanced over his shoulder, spotting Rowan sitting there calmly as ever. He, too, seemed to be wounded, though hardly bothered by it. He frowned and quickly moved towards him, taking his face into his hands and kissing his forehead. “Rowan... Are you alright? What in the hell happened out there? I knew all of this was a bad idea… I told them it was a bad idea…But no one wanted to listen...And now... Now look...” He glanced back over at Dunstan and shook his head, his eyes welling up with tears. “My poor baby!” He has already lost one of his children…He couldn’t bear to lose another. Then he suddenly realized Cian was not present. “CIAN!?” He looked back at Rowan, his eyes pleading as he silently questioned him if he knew about Cian’s whereabouts and if he was safe.

[Cian DeGraff]

As much as he had wanted to follow his brothers from the fray, he had a job to do, and that was to ensure the safety of the royal family and the rest of the nobles. With no one else giving orders, Cian took it upon himself to lead the group of kingsguard back towards the castle, lingering behind to make sure there were no unwanted stragglers. When he was assured everyone was safe inside and that Aoife was back with her cousin, the DeGraff rushed his way through the halls towards the infirmary.

Like the rest of his family, he was bursting in there with a panic, just as he heard Desmond calling his name.
"Dear, please!" Arieen was calling out to her husband as she continued to pace back and forth. The man must have been worried sick and expressing it loudly as he so often did.
Blue eyes were wide with worry, turning his gaze from Dunstan on the bed to his father and older brother. "Father, I'm fine. I'm here," he told him, panting as he struggled to find his breath. He felt like he had been moving nonstop for hours, the exhaustion beginning to hit him. Cian barely registered the now dried blood on his arm from the arrow graze, but that was fortunately the only physical injury he had endured.

"Dunny?" he said out loud, his tone questioning the outcome. From what he had seen, it hadn't looked good, and he prayed Rowan had gotten to him in time. He had the urge to rush to his brother's bedside but thought better of it, not wanting to crowd the doctor.

[Arya DeGraff]

The party had been beautiful and fun, she had been enjoying dancing and sipping a little bit at least until chaos broke out. She had no idea what was happening at first, the people screaming and shouting, the panic that ensued from the mystic attack. Arya got shoved and pushed around, hitting into a table but nothing too troubling as she found a spot and stayed hidden while things went to settle down a bit.

It would be several minutes before she finally came out of her own hiding spot and started to look for her family, she needed her mamma and papa right now to tell her what on earth had gone on. She would search and find a guard only to hear that her brother, HER baby brother was hurt and had been carried off by Rowen.

The words barely left the guards mouth as she was rushing down to the infirmary, her skirts bunched in her hand as she just kicked off her shoes and left them Cinderella style (except it was both) on the stairs as she didn't want to twist her ankle getting to her brother.

When Arya arrive, she was flushed and breathless, worry printed on her face right now as she looked at everyone and then to the bed where her brother was. Dropping her skirts to hide her dirty stocking covered feet now, she looked to her mother and brothers and then father before looking at Dunny laying on the bed with the doctor tending to him. 

Arya, for the moment, stood there like an awkward duck when all she wanted to do is rush to her brothers side but couldn't because there were so many people already. "Is he going to be ok? Are you going to be ok?" she asked, meaning towards Dunny and Rowen. She didn't want to lose her brother. She didn't want to lose anyone.

[Rowan DeGraff]

He hadn’t expected for this to become an entire family gathering--yet, this was the DeGraff family, why wouldn’t it? Their parents knew of the party and that he, Dunny, and Cian were all part of guarding things while it went on. He was sure as soon as they had found out about the attack, they would be worrying over the wellbeing of them. Little did he know that his baby sister had been attending the party as well. He had thought she would be with Desmond and Arieen, knowing how much Desmond had protested against the entire gathering, to begin with.

It had been quiet as he sat there, watching calmly as the doctor began to look over Dunstan. But as the doors burst open, he heard his mother’s voice and lifted his gaze to see her as she stepped in. He was instantly standing and he nodded to her while glancing her over to ensure that she hadn’t somehow been injured. Aside from the burn on his arm that he had received from the flaming sword, he was otherwise uninjured.

Rowan was about to answer his mother’s question when the noise decibel suddenly increased by the sound of Desmond’s booming voice in his panicked frenzy. Here we go.

Before he could say or do anything, the man was taking his face into his hands and kissing him. He expected no less from the man, but he wondered if he’d ever realize that kissing his grown, adult sons, especially out in public, was wrong or strange.

Once again, his lips parted to speak, to try to tell his parents what had happened- but Desmond let out another cry. First, “My poor baby!” followed with panicking over the whereabouts of Cian. And then his mother’s attempt at calming her husband down.

Rowan cracked the slightest hint of a smile, despite how grave the situation was--he couldn’t help it. Desmond could be rather dramatic at times, and it bordered on the line of ridiculousness.

Still, that worry continued to eat away at him, and at the mention of Cian, he remembered how they had parted ways in the attack, and hoped he had made it out and to safety. Thankfully, he didn’t have to worry for long, because his younger brother was entering the room, assuring their father that he was fine and there. Well, now where was Arya? She was the only one missing from the room now.

It was almost as if each time he thought of a family member, they entered the room, because there was Arya, in her disheveled mess of worry. Rowan frowned and shook his head, finally speaking up to explain what had happened.

“Dunny here, thought it would be a good idea to take on the leader of the Unseelie…” He glanced over at the bed where his youngest, injured brother lay and shook his head. “By himself,” he quietly added. “He was struck on his side and…” He paused. Though his face was mostly devoid of much emotion, and his words were mostly steady, there was still worry in the tone of his voice as he fought it from cracking. “He would have bled out...Especially with me carrying him here.” His hands balled into fists as he tried to steady them from shaking at the memory of the scream Dunstan had let out. “So I had to cauterize it.”

He had to inflict more pain on his poor baby brother.

[Desmond DeGraff]

Despite his tough exterior, Desmond could be a real softy when it came to his family. It had only gotten worse with the loss of Cara. That painful agony left him reeling, even still, and it perhaps made him a bit more overbearing than he ever had been before. He feared having to lose another one of his children, and at every chance possible, he let them know how much he cared and loved them. It had been one of his biggest regrets with Cara-- had she truly known how much he loved her?

Thankfully, Desmond didn’t need to worry for too long as Cian was walking into the room shortly after his name was spoken. The man gasped loudly in relief and rushed towards his other son, taking his face into his hands before planting a firm, but quick, kiss on his lips. Without letting go of Cian’s face, he pulled back to look him over, ensuring he wasn’t injured. “Oh, my dear boy. You’re alright?” He spotted the blood on his arm and motioned towards it, silently asking him what had happened.

It wasn’t long after that his youngest daughter burst in, in her disheveled mess. Just as he had done with Cian, Desmond rushed towards her and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. He kissed the top of her head before he pulled away, taking her face in his hands and planting a quick kiss to her lips. He held her at an arm’s length to look her over. “Are you alright my girl? Has anyone hurt you? Tell me who I need to kill...If anyone laid a bloody finger on you… I’ll…” He inhaled deeply before pulling her close to him and hugging her. “Oh, my beautiful children…” Desmond cried out with gratitude in his voice.

He finally let go of Arya when he heard Rowan’s deep voice filling the room, explaining what had happened to his baby boy. Desmond turned his attention to his eldest adopted son and frowned, his hands balling into fists when he heard what Dunny had gotten himself into. How had he been blessed with such brave sons? Though, perhaps stupid at times. He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head until Rowan explained what he had to do before carrying him to the infirmary. Desmond winced and glanced back at Dunstan in the bed, frowning deeply.

The doctor nodded, confirming Rowan’s words. The man may not have survived the trek to the infirmary had the wound not been cauterized. “I’m sorry, but I really need to get to your son’s wounds here. He has a deep gash in his eyebrow that needs to be stitched as soon as possible. If you could all wait outside, that would be extremely helpful. He will be alright and is in good hands, I promise you.”

Desmond glared at the man for a moment before he breathed an irritated sigh out his nose and motioned towards the door. “Come on… Let’s give the man some room to work.” He stepped up to his wife’s side and took her hand into his. “My dear wife…” He squeezed her hand and shook his head, whispering quietly into her ear, “These kids are going to send me to my grave far sooner than I wish.”

[Arieen DeGraff]

Her hand squeezed her eldest son's shoulder, trying to offer him comfort as well as keep herself grounded. It took everything for her not to question every doctor or nurse in this infirmary wing about how Dunstan was doing, whether there was anything they could tell her. If they continued to remain in the dark, Arieen was going to get loud. And mean.

However, it seemed like her husband was loud enough. She loved how enthusiastic he could be, how much he showed he loved his children...yet, her nerves were already frayed and her patience was running thin. He had to calm down, because if he didn't, she wouldn't be able to. And Lady DeGraff did not break down in public.

There was a little bit of relief to realize that Rowan was alright despite a minor wound. Then Cian and Arya were finally rushing their way into the room, both looking tired and ragged. Her eyes widened in concern, the inevitable question on the tip of her tongue. Desmond was already on his way to greet them, and as much as she wanted to embrace them both, she didn't budge from Dunny's side, attempting to stay out of the doctor's way as much as she possibly could.

When Rowan explained what had happened, there came the gentlest whimper from the back of her throat. "Oh, my brave boy..." she murmured.
"Brave but stupid boy, Mother." It was Cian, and her eyes immediately alighted upon him, unsure on whether to look more worried or to scold him. Her son continued, "He took on too much too soon when he knew he shouldn't have." She could hear the anger and annoyance in her second son's voice, but there was also that guilt. Something had happened, and Cian was on the verge of blaming himself. It was that tone she recognized ever since they had lost Cara and Muriel.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, she regarded Rowan, taking one of his balled up fists between both of her own smaller hands. "You did what you had to, my darling. You saved him, you understand?" Arieen was comforting him, but she was also being stern as if telling him there was no room for argument. Dunstan was here because Rowan acted- that was what mattered.

Letting him go, she turned back to the bed, feeling her heart fluttering and her breath staggering as she fought to keep herself composed. She knew she was failing and it was only a matter of time before she cracked. Her look was hopeful, however, when she glanced to the doctor. 'He will be alright and is in good hands, I promise.' Before she could say anything, Desmond was trying to draw her away. His whispered words managed a tired and softly amused huff of a laugh, but it was still riddled with worry, nearly causing those tears to finally spill forth. "They've already given you far more grey hair than is normal..." It was an attempt at a tease, but this was all proving difficult for her, and Desmond would literally have to urge her from that room, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to find the strength to.

[Cian DeGraff]

Oh no.

Before he could even think any further, his father was approaching him swiftly to take his face. This time, he was really too tired to care much that, no offense, Desmond was a bit of an embarrassment; but one of his hands lifted to grip the man's shoulder to further show he was alive and well, albeit a little flustered. "I'm alright. It was just an arrow..." he told him. It was nothing but a graze. What he wasn't expecting to see, however, was his little sister waltzing in all dirtied and ragged. She had been there at the party, and he hadn't seen her. He hadn't noticed. How had he not noticed?

That guilt was creeping back, threatening to take hold of all of his senses before his father was drifting to Arya's side to check on her next, and Cian fought to keep the panic down. First, he couldn't get to Dunstan. He tried to, he fought his way to get to his side, and if Rowan hadn't been there...what would have happened? And then, supposedly Arya had been amongst those within the crowd and he hadn't realized. How had she gotten out? Was she fortunately part of the group he managed to wrangle together alongside the king and princess?

His mind was a flurry of thoughts and emotions until they all came to a stop when he heard his mother's words. "Oh, my brave boy..."
"Brave but stupid boy, Mother." He hadn't meant to snap like that, but he couldn't stop it now. "He took on too much too soon when he knew he shouldn't have." Dunstan was capable and he could be one of the best, but he jumped into things without thinking. Taking on the leader of the Unseelie alone had been stupid, because the man would have been prepared for it. And he had been.

Swallowing the hard lump in his throat after he threw Arieen an apologetic look, Cian turned away from them to run a hand down his face in quiet frustration. He heard the doctor's news, but he was a little hesitant to leave that room. He was afraid to, afraid something else would happen and he would once again be unable to get to Dunny's side. After a moment, he finally relented and drew Arya to his side to lead her out. "Are you alright?" he asked her the obvious question, his voice quiet.

[Arya DeGraff]

Arya found it hard to not frown but she was frowning and upset for her whole family. Her brothers were hurt, Rowen had to cauterize Dunny’s wound and they just…she had to take a small breath, “It’s ok, you saved him don’t be sorry,” she told him before she was pulled into her Papa’s arms.

Her arms wrapped around him tightly, her heart pounding in her chest as she felt him pull away to look her over and plant kisses all over her as he looked her over, “I’m ok…sore, I was only pushed and shoved around but once I got out of the crowd I went and hid in someplace small until everything was quieted and I saw Rowen heading this way, I followed after once it felt safe,” she promised him. She was just bruised, her breathing hurt a bit but she was alive and fine. For her it was nothing she wanted to worry about since her brother was laying on a hospital bed now.

She was worried and scared for him, worried he wouldn’t make it or worse just not wake up- no she couldn’t think that, he’d be fine. Her brother, her partner in crime, was going to be fine.

Looking to her mother who was trying to be strong and she wanted to just hug her but feared she might weep at that. Soon she would go to her and just hold onto her tightly as she was sticking close to her father and brothers. Arya too refused to look as scared and shaken as she felt.

As the doctor told them he’d be ok, she would let out a small sigh of relief at that but still, she didn’t want to leave Dunny. She wanted to stay by his side but Cian was ushering her out of the room with him. Her hand would lift to her side, pressing against the sore spot without thinking as he turned her to look at him now. “Just sore…my sides sore but nothing some rest won’t cure. Are you ok?” she asked him, looking up at him with worry now as she reached to touch his arm and hold onto him a bit tightly. Arya was downplaying her own problems since she was more worried about her brothers, she could worry and whine for attention later.

[Rowan DeGraff]

The DeGraff family always seemed to band together at any sign of trouble. They had been there for one another for simple things, like one of them getting picked on or bullied by another person, or with more tragic events, like when Cara and Muriel had died. It was the strength and purpose of their family--they came together and supported one another. Rowan felt it was helpful most of the time, but at times, it made things harder, like when he had lost Muriel.

His lips parted to speak words that nearly mirrored Cian’s, but once his brother spoke them, he simply nodded in agreement. Dunstan surely was brave--no one would question that much. But it had been stupid of him to think he should or could take on the Unseelie leader on his own. If the man woke up, he’d knock him back out of consciousness if it meant it would knock some sense into him.

He sighed, just as his mother took his balled-up fist into her hands and tried to assure him that he did what he needed to. He muttered something nearly inaudible and hesitantly nodded, unknowing what else to say. After his sister reassured him as well, he looked at her and forced a small appreciative smile for her after quickly looking her over to ensure she was not injured or harmed, despite their father already checking up on that.

The doctor requested they leave, and Desmond agreed, suggesting they all step out. Despite wanting to make sure his brother would be alright, he felt helpless just sitting there staring at him and seeing him all wounded. He was glad to get out of the room now that he was sure he was out of harm’s way and in good hands to be taken care of. But he knew his mother well enough to read into her wanting--no, needing, to stay and be there for her son.
He made his way towards the door but turned to glance back at the doctor, his voice escaping him hoarsely and echoing from his chest. “I can understand you needing the loud bunch of us to leave you to work in peace… But surely you would allow a mother to stay and be here for her son? So he will wake to a familiar face.”

The doctor glanced away from his work and looked to Rowan, pondering quietly before he glanced at Arieen and nodded to her. He nodded, appreciative of the man’s agreement before he stepped out of the room with Cian and Arya.

[Desmond DeGraff]

Desmond wasn’t certain if he should be proud or angry with Dunstan for what he had done. He certainly was brave--but he certainly was stupid as Cian had pointed out. He let out an audible sigh and massaged the bridge of his nose. He’d get spoken to once he was up and well enough, though Desmond was unsure of what that talking to would consist of--praise or scolding. Perhaps it would be some mixture of both.

Despite everyone being shaken up and mildly injured, he was relieved to hear that no one else was injured. He couldn’t bear the idea or thoughts of losing another one of his children. Parents were not supposed to outlive their children, and Desmond had already lost one of them. He vowed with all of his power and control, that he wouldn’t lose another. Had he almost failed in that promise with Dunny lying there in the bed wounded?

He managed a quiet chuckle at his wife’s pointing out the greys in his hair, and he raised a hand to run his fingers through it, feigning insecurity about such, but the light smile remained on his lips. “Ah, yes-- I’m not the same, young, handsome man you married so many years ago, now, am I? These children--they ruin my good looks!” He chuckled again and shook his head, kissing his wife’s cheek and whispering into her ear. “Though you have not aged one bit, my love.”  He meant it, but he was doing whatever he could to try and help ease her worries, no matter how little of an impact he could make.

Rowan’s request to the doctor had him looking back at the man with a stern gaze as if to threaten the man should he disagree with Rowan. If anyone should stay, it was certainly Arieen. His gaze lightened up when the doctor nodded and he kissed his wife’s cheek again. “Give him a kiss for me when he wakes. I love you, my darling wife.”

He took her hand and squeezed it in his own before kissing her knuckles and slowly pulling away from her to leave the room with his other children.

[Arieen DeGraff]

Those bright eyes had glared at her second son for a moment, despite knowing what must being going through his mind. Arieen immediately noticed the stress and concern, and knew full well he hadn't meant to snap like that. Still, she didn't like to hear it, and were this some other situation, she might have told him to stave off that attitude. It didn't help that Rowan was going through the same emotional rollercoaster.

Yet, everything was a whirlwind. Everything was loud and yet quiet all at the same time, and she feared she might crack. While Desmond openly shared his emotions, Arieen always felt like she had to remain strong on her feet, never wavering, to be the foundation her family needed.

'These children--they ruin my good looks!'

As always, Des managed to lighten her mood, even if for a brief moment as she smiled. "Hardly, my love," she told him before that smile turned into a bit of a sly smirk for a second with his following words.

He was trying, and she adored him for that, but it would only work for so long. It was killing her to have to part from Dunstan's side, and she looked surprised when Rowan spoke up and the doctor agreed for her to stay. She let out a gentle sigh of relief, kissing her husband in return and then her children quickly in goodbye with gentle murmurs of encouragement and I love yous.

"I'll let you know if anything changes," she spoke, before moving back towards her youngest son's bedside. Of course, she would do well to stay out of the doctor's way, and let him do what he did best.

[Cian DeGraff]

He felt like he had just gotten there, and now was being forced to leave. All it did was make him more nervous and feel even more guilty, but the doctor was right. If they crowded him, he couldn't concentrate, and they needed him to.

Dunstan had to be okay.

As he was leading her out the door, Cian noted how Arya held her side, and once they were out in the hallway, her turned to regard her with a furrowed brow. "I'm fine," he dismissed his small injury, now trying to assess hers. "Are you sure you're okay? Maybe we should have someone look you over real quick, hmm?" He glanced over to his father and brother briefly, as if ready to wrangle them into this conversation, yet he refrained. He was giving Arya the chance to be completely honest with him without anyone else baring down on her.

Cian tried to smooth some of her hair that had gotten mussed, and the guilt was returning. He didn't bother trying to hide his concern. "I'm so sorry, Arya, I...I didn't know you were there..." Otherwise, he would have been there right at her side.

[Arya DeGraff]

Arya looked back as their mother stayed with Dunny, her heart aching for her brother as he laid there in pain. Well he was asleep but he probably hurt in that too.

Moving close to Cian now as he suggested someone look her over as well. Was it needed? She was probably just bruised but the look on his face told her that he wasn’t going to let it go easily. “If it would make you feel better I can, yes,” she told him, willing to relent this once. Normally too stubborn for her own good but she knew when to not be.

Gently, she took his hand after he smoothed her tousled hair and leaned her face into his palm, “I went in without telling you all…do not blame yourself for not looking out for me because I did not allow you all to really know,” she was a sneaky one and had left it vague if she would go or not. She went and this happened. Annoying lesson learnt on her part. "Also this is none of yours fault. It was those that attacked tonight," she tacked on. No one could have predicted this, so how did they know she needed to be watched over?