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It had been a long night.
There was the battle, of course, which made every night a living nightmare, but after the first week or two of hurling everything they had at the dragon and achieving no success, it had become something of a new normal. Today, specifically, had been a longer day than usual due to the movements that very dragon had been making.
Fighting it on a dark, open field already tough. But retreating up a hill while still trying to find off its attacks? False had never felt so tired in her life.
She also managed to break her arm while diving out of the way of a burning plume of fire, which was the icing on the damned cake, honestly.
It was a few hours after sunrise when the dragon finally let up and went to rest in whatever home it had. False took a long few minutes to sit down and recover her breathing somewhat, heart still hammering away in her chest. Her arm was twisted at a concerning angle, and her armour was dented and half-blackened, but she was alive.
She got to her feet unsteadily, and let her gaze sweep over the hill to see how the rest of the army had fared. Most of the knights she knew well seemed to be more or less intact – a great relief in the cool light of morning – and her captain was already moving to round up a watch from those who had fared best.
The best thing to do now would be to head to the medical wing.
False gathered up her weapons, trying her best to carry them in her uninjured left arm, and headed down the hill to the small cave system they had picked out for their camp. It was a rather safe little spot, especially considering that it was difficult to light on fire or enter for giant dragons.
The first few caves were rather large, with wide passageways and gaping holes for doors, so it was easy to navigate to the cavern dedicated to healing. It was a particularly tall cavern, with a few gaps near the top where water had carved ventilation holes into the ceiling.
False knew Stress had specifically picked out this cavern for that very feature, and there was nobody in the entire army who would dare to cross their singular medic.
In fact, Stress was already waiting near the entrance, arms crossed and foot tapping on the rough floor.
“You should have come here the moment you got hurt,” Stress greeted, and False sighed fondly.
“Hi, Stress,” she said. “Got room for a late patient?”
Stress tsked but dragged her inside anyway, setting her on a bed and then going to gather up some materials or other that False couldn't make out from where she was.
“Honestly, I had to have Hypno tell me you were hurt at all,” Stress continued as she moved around and picked up various rolls of bandage. “He said your arm looked out of shape but you wanted to keep fighting, which you know is something we talked about.”
False set down her armour and weapons on the other side of the bed. “There was a dragon to fight.”
“There is always a dragon to fight, love.”
After pulling out a sling, Stress turned back and came to False's side, frowning in disapproval at the weapons laying on the floor but not saying anything about them just yet.
“Here – stay still,” she said.
False let Stress balance her arm on her hand and examine it, before setting it with a sharp jerk that made False wince. The whole process took maybe a few minutes, Stress's practiced hands working fast and rubbing a salve over her skin. False could feel her arm tingle under the magical effects of the salve and the careful attention Stress was giving her.
Finally, Stress wrapped up her arm and pressed a light kiss to the bandages.
“Is that part of the treatment too?” False asked with a small smile.
Stress shook her head, fond. “No, that one's just for you.”
She got up to pack up the supplies, only returning once she'd gone around to check on the other patients in the wing and then washed her hands. By now, False had settled properly on the bed, already feeling exhaustion flooding her. Stress came to sit on the chair by the bed, a softer look on her face now that she wasn't immediately dealing with the fallout of the dragon's actions.
“How's the arm doing?” Stress asked, and False blinked herself awake.
“It's alright,” said False. “I've had worse.”
Stress gave her a look, and then leaned forward to rest her chin in her hands. “How was the big old dragon today, then?”
“Same as always. Still indestructible.”
“Hmm.”
False shrugged. “I guess we're just waiting for the Prince to come back with his magic bow and all that, and he'll solve it for us.”
“What's taking him so long, anyway?” Stress frowned. “My ward's getting crowded.”
The ward was actually rather quiet today, False noted, but she understood the sentiment.
“I think he last went out to chase some lost treasure,” she said. “So who knows, really. Guess he'll arrive when all hope seems lost?”
Stress giggled, and False felt the striking urge to kiss her. She leaned forward to do so, and Stress reached out to steady her as she did, taking some of the weight from her right side and holding her close for a few long moments even after the kiss ended.
“You better stay safe when you get back out there,” Stress said quietly, before leaning back and adding in a louder voice, “though you'll need to stay here for at least a week for that salve to fully work.”
“You're just trying to keep me here until the dragon gets sorted out,” False teased.
“Maybe,” Stress said. She grinned. “I'll still get you to myself for an extra week.”
False laughed and sat back on the bed, letting her partner tuck her under the sheets and give her a quick goodnight peck. She yawned as she watched Stress get back to tidying up the cavern a little more.
It had been a long night, yes, but she finally managed to get some sleep, eyes closing as the sun peeked through the makeshift windows in the roof.