The Lead Crown: Ch 3c, Making Friends (pt 3)
Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 3-3, Making Friends
Roland followed along silently behind the letter carrier, ignoring the opportunity to say anything to the people of Vallara even though it had been years since he'd seen them last. If they cared that he returned they showed no indication of it; their attention was on the letter carrier... it was hardly common for official missives to arrive from the University... not in Vallara, anyway. Roland went back to looking forward, following the messenger without a word to any of the people from his past.
In the end, that's what they were, wasn't it? He'd left them behind... left them behind with his old life on his journey to become something... to make a difference. He escaped Vallara, and, though he had to admit that there were times he achingly missed his old home, it never really WAS home, was it? He'd escaped... he avoided the life his father had meant for him, and, as part of the University, he was free. Roland couldn't, however escape one question: why was it he'd come back?
The messenger, a tall, long-legged gazelle walked straight up to the too-familiar cottage that served as his father's office, his mother's healing practice, and their joint home. It had once been Roland's home as well, but that time had passed. "Perhaps I should go wait over by the--" but his objection went ignored as the door opened.
Roland's mother answered the knock, her pleasant canine face much more capable of the genuine sincerity and empathy of a healer than his father's severe, professional lupine expressions. She cocked her head to the side curiously when she realized the man was on official business, "Yes... may I help you, sir?"
Although her attention was on the letter the gazelle offered, Roland couldn't help but give her a simple, "Hi, mom."
She opened the door wider, "Please... come in."
The messenger entered, and Roland did behind him. The healer closed the door soundly, following the gazelle without a word to her son. The young wolf-dog hadn't taken his mom's feelings into consideration about him joining the University... perhaps his decision to leave had hurt her more than he'd realized.
The letter carrier cleared his throat, and addressed the husky calmly and clearly, "I am here about your son."
Roland's mother smiled, slowly opening up the envelope, "He's been so busy lately, I just figured he hadn't had the time to write."
With more of her focus on the letter than himself, the young wolf-dog felt a chill go up his spine, "I HAVE been busy, Mom... but I didn't write a--"
The messenger interrupted him, "I am sorry, ma'am... but your son died."
The envelope fell from his mom's paw, the letter within landing open on the floor. Roland's eyes followed it down, gazing at the university seal and a message written in beautifully calligraphy, detailing a sorrowful condolence.
The husky sobbed softly, a faint whisper escaping her "Oh, Rolly..." and those were the words that awakened him.
If emotional pain were translated into physical pain, then the state of going from dream to the waking world was a perfect exchange; he hurt EVERYWHERE. One of his eyes opened, but the other was prevented from doing so. The wolf-dog went to reach up for it, but he felt restraints on his arm. What was going on? As the grogginess and bleariness slowly left his gaze, a fuzzy form slowly began to take shape-- and the fuzziness left it, revealing Joshew leaning over him, cheeks damp.
The human shook his head, another tear silently joining the first as it ran down the line of his cheek, "Oh, Rolly..." Joshew hadn't called him that in a LONG time.
Roland took a breath, and it hurt his throat... and his chest-- especially his chest. The human rose up at that, but the wolf-dog spoke before Joshew had a chance, "...Rolly?" Roland's ears fell as he heard the croaking sound that passed for his voice.
The human immediately wiped the dampness off his cheeks, fidgeting as he addressed the question, "The... *ahem* the healers back at the University said... ah... that injured people do better when... they... have people... uh..."
Even SMILING hurt, "Worried about me.... Shew?"
Joshew struck the bed frame with his cane, "You STUPID SON OF A BITCH! WHY in the HELL would you CHARGE trained men with swords? Just WHAT were you thinking?!?!"
Roland couldn't pass up the jibe despite the continued pain from his smirk, "Mood swings... yea... you WERE worried."
The human let out a huff, "You practically DIED, Roland."
The wolf-dog didn't miss that the humans' affectionate name for him was wiped aside as quickly as the tears, "Swords have a way of doing that." Roland flexed his arm, leather straps creaking as he kept him in place.
Joshew reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder, "Stop doing that... they restrained you so you wouldn't thrash around and reopen your wounds while you slept."
One word in the human's explanation caught the wolf-dog's attention, "They?"
His fellow-scholar frowned, "Yea... the priests."
Roland's ears went up; his left ear ached when it did so, "What do you mean, priests? Did the Order capture us and bring us to the--"
Joshew shook his head, "No... we won... believe it or not... no thanks to that stupid charge of yours... I mean it, Roland... how did some cognition like that make it through your thick skull to think that something like that was a SMART idea?"
Roland let out a breath, "Sometimes any action is better than inaction."
The human was quiet for a moment, "Is this about your grandmother, isn't it?" The comment may as well have been a punch to his muzzle; Roland went even more silent, if it was at all possible. Although he could barely move his head, he made due with looking away from Joshew; he'd forgotten that the human knew about that.
The blind scholar's fingers moved slowly up the wolf-dog's chest, and found their way to his neck, then head. Joshew took hold of it, and slowly rotated it back in his direction until Roland saw the two milky-white eyes staring right at him, "What happened to your grandmother is nothing like war. It didn't involve you getting killed in a hopelessly stupid charge, and it isn't something you can change by being some kind of martyr now. I know you blame yourself, and nothing I can say is gonna change that... but you HAVE to let it go, otherwise you'll just let it eat you alive for the rest of your life... and you KNOW she wouldn't want that."
Roland sighed, clenching and relaxing the paw of his second arm, suddenly remembering he had two of them. The wolf-husky slowly flexed his bicep and found that it was not restrained. Reaching up, he took the human's hand off of his face with purpose, "I promised myself I'd never let anyone I lo-- anyone I CARED ABOUT get hurt because I didn't do something... so yea, maybe I decided to lead the charge, yea, but--"
Joshew didn't miss a beat, "Well what about someone getting hurt because of something you DID do? What about that?"
The wolf-dog huffed, "I already told you, Shew, I didn't sabotage your--"
"You are more blind than I am, you stupid mutt."
Roland's ears raised again, "What's that supposed to--" but his words were cut off as the human found his way to the wolf-dog's face with his own, and Joshew's lips pressed to the end of his muzzle. Their kiss did not last long, but it was just enough time for Roland to realize that his muzzle hurt plenty too... but the tingling through his body made it all worth it. He was glad that Joshew wasn't able to see what was most likely a very silly grin stuck on his muzzle when the human finally pulled back.
When Joshew next spoke, his comment was a simple if indirect one, "I'm not so keen on the idea of you getting yourself killed, Rolly."
Roland licked his muzzle, enjoying the faint aftertaste of Joshew's lips on his own... something he hadn't experienced in... well... too long. "Even after all those times you told me to go mix Dragon Stone and Adder Bile?"
A bitter smile found its way to Joshew's face, "Your head's too thick for it to kill you... I figured it might blast through enough of that rock-for-skull that you might get over yourself and let others get a word in now and again."
Despite himself, Roland made his way through another painful smile, "Says the over-confident, bile-filled, angst-ridden, seething cauldron of--"
Joshew's smile was a little more genuine, "I get the point." The human's next action caught the wolf-dog completely by surprise. Slowly, and carefully, Joshew laid his head down on Roland's chest, and let out a deep breath.
Roland did so as well, feeling better despite the pain, "I'm glad you're okay."
"And I'm glad you're so incompetent that your suicide charge didn't end up getting you all-the-way killed."
The wolf-dog winced through a smile, "Bastard."
"Asshole."
Roland caressed the humans' back with his free paw, "Bone-head."
Joshew gripped the wolf-dog's chest fur just a little tighter and smirked, "Flea-farmer."
To anyone else it would have sounded as if their exchange was a series of insults but, to Roland, they were the greatest compliments that ever could have been spoken; it meant that the two were making progress in overcoming... well... everything.