Priscilla was still staring at the empty space where their enemies had been, wondering just where they had fled to and what sort of consequences there would be when the cult learned about this, when a solid weight slammed into her. Stabbing pain in her ribs flared and the only reason why Priscilla didn't fall over was because arms wrapped tightly around her, pinning her in place.

Illnyea was hugging Priscilla, head tucked into Priscilla's neck. Illnyea was shaking as hot tears fell against Priscilla's skin, her breaths coming in huge sobbing gasps. Simple pain wouldn't steal this moment from her, so Priscilla ignored it as she held Illnyea just as tightly, relishing in the fact that Illnyea was alive and out of danger.

"Hey," Priscilla said softly, ignoring how speaking hurt as she pet Illnyea's dirty hair, "we won, there's no need to–"

"I thought I was going to die," Illnyea whispered, "when, when my magic was– but, but you… Prisc–" Illnyea's words were cut off by a hiccup and she squeezed tighter. "I was so, so afraid I'd never see you again, Priscilla, that I was going to get you killed and it'd all be my fault, and I was so scared."

Priscilla went still, her planned words of comfort suddenly feeling inadequate.

Priscilla had been scared since she had the nightmare in Jeroinin's house, scared she'd be too late, scared she wouldn't be enough, scared that Illnyea was going to die under her hands as the world decided to punish Priscilla for saving Kavil's village and claim a life for the ones she saved. She had been terrified that she would let Illnyea down, scared she'd never be able to repay Illnyea for giving Priscilla a reason to live.

It wasn't something she liked to think about, but before she had TDE, she had been alone.

Frequently, she had wondered just why she clung to life when things were never going to change, when it was a struggle to leave her bed in the morning because there was nothing to look forward to. She had been alone for so long, so cynical at a young age that she was sure that she'd probably die alone too. She wasn't adorable or interesting enough for her parents to pretend to care, always too angry and skeptical of life to make friends at school that didn't want her money – she had never figured out how to fit into the world around her without forcing herself to become something she wasn't.

Illnyea had given her the courage to be bolder and explore what life had to offer because it was what Illnyea would do. She desperately wanted to be a person that Illnyea might respect, might even view as a friend if they ever met, and that meant she couldn't give up. She chased happiness with a lightness she had never felt before, and in chasing it, it had brought Priscilla to the only person she had ever really considered family.

There were no words that could begin to articulate just how grateful for that she was, how much she owed Illnyea for any scrap of joy she had been able to cobble together in her life – Illnyea was her inspiration, her muse, her best friend, Illnyea had been everything to her until she had met Mr. ––.

Mr. –– was gone, and she was never getting him back, but it's… it's not okay, as every idle thought of him forth sharp, bitter grief that burned like a shot of whisky in her soul, but she knew one day it wouldn't hurt quite so much.

She had a new sister to protect and friends she'd do anything for, and if he was here, Mr. –– would push her gently on the back with a wry smile, saying, "Don't let the past keep you from forging your future, kid."

"I'll always come for you," Priscilla murmured as she too began to cry as she finally relaxed, resting her forehead against Illnyea's shoulder. "You're my sister, 'nyea, and that means I'll never let you face danger alone."

"Me too," Illnyea sobbed into her neck, "I–I'm going to be there for you too."

Priscilla couldn't help but smile even as the pressure made her body ache.

And then there were no words as they held each other, both too overwhelmed with relief.

…

After the cannibal disappeared with the monster, relief that this disastrous day was over had nearly sent Sulaiman to his knees. But he wouldn't allow himself to give into such weakness, so Sulaiman took a few steps forward, intent on asking Illnyea about her injuries so Kavil could begin healing her.

But Illnyea hadn't stayed still, pushing herself onto clumsy feet to run towards Priscilla, who hadn't moved since announcing they had accomplished the mission.

For a moment, Sulaiman was almost bitter that Illnyea didn't turn to him first, but as he watched, he saw the way that Illnyea desperately clung to Priscilla. He saw the way Priscilla nearly sagged into Illnyea's touch, curling protectively around her sister without a second thought.

Sulaiman had felt two waves of magic roll through the camp earlier. The first had obviously been the cannibal, but the second was a magic that Sulaiman knew nearly as well as he knew his own.

Illnyea's magic had rocketed out from her, sinking into the earth and making the air heavy – but that had only lasted as long as it took for Priscilla to grab Illnyea by the hand. Priscilla hadn't seemed to care that the cannibal was approaching them, hyperfocused on her sister, and Sulaiman's heart had been in his throat as he realized he was too far away to save either of them.

The newt's timely intervention had distracted Sulaiman from that spike of magic, but now that he had a moment to think, he realized that he didn't know how Illnyea's magic had been brought back under control. He was curious, but as Sulaiman watched the two sisters clutched each other, speaking in low tones, his curiosity wasn't worth the effort of interrupting them. Their reunion deserved privacy.

Illnyea was alive and in good hands, and that was enough for Sulaiman.

Sulaiman had just turned towards Kavil when he saw that the healer was just a few steps away, the crossbow he had expertly used dangling from his hands.

"Nice shot," Sulaiman said. He disliked the way the syllables slurred together from his injuries, but they were just minor injuries that could be dealt with later, so Sulaiman would just bear with it for now.

Kavil blinked and frowned briefly, before letting out a huff of breath that wasn't quite laughter.

"It's only because I had a good teacher," Kavil said, placing the crossbow on the ground, "and because she walked literally into my line of sight."

Sulaiman's lip twitched upwards and he immediately regretted it as he felt the skin on his lips split even further and fresh blood oozed from it.

Kavil's expression lost any levity, his eyebrows coming together in a furious line.

"Come here," Kavil said, reaching up with both hands towards Sulaiman's face.

Sulaiman took a step backwards in surprise, but Kavil was quicker than he thought, stepping into Sulaiman's space without hesitation. Kavil cradled Sulaiman's face, his fingertips and palms brushing delicately against Sulaiman's injured skin, the touch soft like the brush of flower petals.

Kavil was shorter than Sulaiman, just shorter than Priscilla even, but that didn't deter the healer as he stood on his tiptoes to gently pull Sulaiman's face closer. Sulaiman allowed himself to go with the motion, telling himself that it was easier this way because he didn't want Kavil to start scolding him again about being a horrible patient.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Sulaiman had never experienced proper healing magic before he met Kavil, so he didn't know if it was something unique to Kavil or if every healer's magic made their patient feel like they had taken a dip into a refreshing spring that made everything else fade from awareness, filling them with a hazy warmness that promised everything would be alright. The feeling was unlike anything Sulaiman had ever experienced before, and he was unsettled each time because it was easy to relax into and lose yourself.

Sulaiman struggled against his instincts to melt into Kavil's touch and nuzzle against the healer's hand, and blamed his head injury for allowing such thoughts to be entertained.

"You should check the prisoners for injuries," Sulaiman murmured, latching onto the first excuse he came up with that might allow him to regain clarity, "I don't–"

"Shut up, Sulaiman," Kavil said firmly, but not unkindly. "If we want to have a chance to get out of this place alive, we need you to be fully healed. You need your full field of vision and I have to stop your nose bleeding before you get dizzy with blood loss. Even if I use all my magic, I can still prescribe herbs to help the prisoners with pain or make splints for broken bones."

Kavil's gaze was focused and unwavering, daring Sulaiman to argue against him. When Sulaiman remained quiet, Kavil's thumb brushed across Sulaiman's cheek and the healing resumed, the warm, pleasant feeling spreading underneath Sulaiman's skin as it began to heal what the wolfman had broken.

Kavil had shown a side of himself today that Sulaiman hadn't seen before.

Before this, Sulaiman would have admitted that he was perhaps a tad protective of the younger man because Kavil was so naive of the way the world worked, with a heart so big it was bound to be bruised when he had to face the cruel reality. Sulaiman had told Kavil he would dirty his hands in Kavil's place because Sulaiman had been afraid that the light in Kavil's eyes would dim and disappear.

And, despite such a lofty promise, Sulaiman had been the one to suggest Kavil dirty his hands by killing the cannibal's cult with poison, even though he knew it'd hurt Kavil.

Sulaiman didn't regret asking, not when the plan had turned out as well, but it had been hard to watch Kavil clearly struggle with what had been asked of him. Sulaiman had pushed down his own shame for forcing Kavil into this and refused to look away, ready in case Kavil needed him to take over the preparation.

But Kavil didn't falter, didn't hesitate, even charming the cannibals as he served them poison.

When Sulaiman's strength began to fade as the wolfman sent down blow after blow that made Sulaiman's head pound, Sulaiman had been afraid he would lose – that the wolfman would be unleashed upon the others and they would all die because Sulaiman had been too weak.

Kavil had crashed into the scene like an avenging angel as he tried to drown the wolfman with poison, the firelight from the braziers made his expression even fiercer. His copper eyes held darkness in their depths as Kavil heaved his body weight to stop the wolfman from hitting Sulaiman, a far cry from the fear that had frozen Kavil in place just an hour earlier. Kavil had faced down the wolfman with defiance when threatened, bringing about the man's death when Sulaiman hadn't been able to.

Kavil proved he was stronger than Sulaiman had thought he was capable of, that he didn't need Sulaiman to protect him.

That… that thought sat uncomfortably in Sulaiman's mind. Part of him was glad of it, glad that Kavil might be hurt less by the world than Sulaiman thought he would, and the other part of Sulaiman was oddly disappointed Kavil didn't need him.

Sulaiman's feelings didn't matter, however, and Kavil didn't need to be burdened by them.

His eye was fully healed so he could see Kavil's face unobstructed. Kavil had barely blinked since he started healing Sulaiman, the determination in his eyes never wavering even when he pursed his lips when something didn't go the way he wanted.

"You were brave today," Sulaiman said softly.

Kavil glanced up, briefly looking away from where he was finishing up knitting Sulaiman's nose back together before looking down again.

"I wasn't really thinking about being brave," Kavil said, half-shrugging his shoulder. "I just knew I couldn't let you die, so I did what I had to. If it seemed like I was being brave, it's only because of you."

Sulaiman's breath caught at the exact moment his nose slotted back into place.

Kavil immediately frowned in concern, eyes widening with worry as he asked, "Did I hurt you?"

Sulaiman shook his head minutely.

The sudden tension that had built in Kavil's shoulder eased as Kavil tilted his head, a dimple revealing itself when he smiled, the expression smaller than normal but just as impossibly bright.

"How's your head?" Kavil asked, leaning forward as he looked at Sulaiman's head like it would let him see Sulaiman's brain. Kavil's chest brushed against Sulaiman's armor, one of his warm hands following the curve of Sulaiman's jaw to the back of his head, fingernails likely unintentionally lightly scratching against Sulaiman's scalp.

Sulaiman swallowed hard, his head full of jumbled thoughts and emotions from Kavil's words that had Sulaiman remembering that Kavil had said, "I think you're beautiful too."

"It's fine," Sulaiman said automatically, looking away from Kavil's wide copper eyes before he lost himself in them.

"Lying to your healer is a bad idea," Kavil chided. "You're shooting straight up to the top of the horrible patient list."

Sulaiman glared at Kavil's shoulders, thankful that his face was covered in blood so it hid the way his cheeks were flushing.

The headache that had lingered behind Sulaiman's eyes faded as Kavil expertly eased Sulaiman's pain.

"Now then," Kavil said, "is there any other injury I should be aware of?"

Kavil pulled his hands away from Sulaiman to glance over him and Sulaiman's heart did not feel a pang of regret when Kavil stopped touching him. Sulaiman didn't like to admit when he was in pain, but he needed to stop thinking about the feelings that Kavil's soft, delicate hands inspired within him.

"My arm took a strong hit," Sulaiman said, taking the opportunity to step back as he raised said arm between them, "but it should be fine–"

"I'll be the judge of that," Kavil said as he grasped Sulaiman's forearm. Thankfully, he wasn't touching Sulaiman's bare skin this time so it was easier for Sulaiman to push away unwanted thoughts.

It didn't take long for Kavil to declare Sulaiman good enough, and it was around that time that Priscilla and Illnyea wandered over. They were holding hands, fingers twisted in each other like they couldn't let each other go, and both had red-rimmed eyes, but Priscilla seemed lighter than she had since they left Kavil's village, like a weight Sulaiman hadn't realized she was carrying had been taken off her shoulders.

"Illnyea, please allow me to introduce you to my savior," Priscilla said, dramatically gesturing to Kavil, "the genius healer, Kavil McCue!"

"We've already met," Illnyea said, chuckling as Priscilla deflated. The sound of Illnyea's laughter eased the remaining tension within Sulaiman.

"That wasn't really a proper introduction," Kavil said, "it was more of a 'hey please don't fight me,' kind of introduction."

Illnyea laughed again. "That's true. Alright, it's very nice to meet you Kavil, I'm Illnyea, Priscilla's younger sister and Sulaiman's best friend."

Sulaiman had heard Illnyea introduce herself a hundred times, and this was the first time she hadn't said her full name. He would have to ask her about that later, when he had figured out how to phrase the question delicately, without his own feelings towards the Thornewoods leaking into the conversation.

"It's great to meet you too, Illnyea," Kavil said. "I look forward to getting to know you. These two have told me a lot about you."

Illnyea blinked, looking down like she did when she was embarrassed.

"We should probably help the prisoners next," Illnyea said, glancing towards where the villagers had clustered together, clutching each other as they cried.

"No," said both Priscilla and Sulaiman.

They exchanged a look and Sulaiman saw the same concern in Priscilla's eyes.

"The next thing you're doing," Sulaiman said, crossing his arms, "is letting Kavil heal you."

Illnyea began to pout, a stubborn look in her eyes like she was ready to dig in her heels.

"I'll do it next, 'nyea," Priscilla said more gently than Sulaiman had expected, "but… you need to get looked at first, okay?"

The fight drained from Illnyea and she sighed, nodding her head in defeat.

"We can sit over here," Kavil offered, pointing to a place without any corpses nearby, "and Sulaiman and Priscilla can start helping the prisoners while I work."

"An efficient way to divide and conquer," Sulaiman said. "When Kavil's done with Illnyea, I'll send Priscilla your way because I'm sure she did something stupid and got herself hurt."

"Hey!" Priscilla exclaimed, a pout strangely similar to Illnyea's settling on her face. "I'll have you know that I was being very careful during the fight!"

"Sure," Sulaiman said, "that's why I heard you threaten to make the cannibal's face look like you attacked her with a cheese grater when she was about to kill you."

Priscilla scoffed in outrage as Illnyea let go of her hand to follow Kavil.

Sulaiman fell into the rhythm of arguing with Priscilla about things that didn't really matter and tried to not think too hard on why it made him smile despite himself.

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