And Justice For All

Most of Artorias' days following the fight were spent resting and recovering in the infirmary. Gwynevere had given him a heaping dose of painkillers and numbed him up to stitch the wounds on the back of his neck shut, both his neck and shoulder now bandaged up to allow the flesh and muscle to heal naturally. The damage he'd taken from Oxx's more vulgar attacks could only be healed with time and painkillers. Blood was replenished with plenty of fresh uncooked meat, but mostly it was just waiting for his body to regain the strength he'd lost from his extended period of exposure to the cold.

When he'd arrived back at the castle, he'd told Tamsyn everything he'd learned. Oxx, what he'd done to Gwyn, the fight that he'd lost, everything. After that, the young brute spent almost all of his waking moments resting and recuperating. Bowen and Briar kept him company and tended to his needs; they were both far too sweet and kind, and he hated feeling like a burden on them. The sooner he could be up and about, the better. That night had been uneventful. A storm roiled over Auster, Artorias listening to the sound of the rain on the windows and the rumbling thunder until he drifted off to sleep with Bowen and Briar at his side. He loved storms, and they helped keep him in a deep, restful sleep.

That's where he'd been when Bowen returned from her excursion, his sleep mostly dreamless save for a few pleasant visions. The slam on the infirmary doors kicked the boy out of his sleep with a dazed grumble, his head shooting up much too quickly out of reflex and drawing a hiss of pain when it pulled at his stitches. Artorias flopped back to the bed, reaching a paw up to the back of his neck to try and soothe the stinging his jerky movement had caused. Blinking through bleary eyes to get his bearings, Artorias tried to sus out what had woken him up, when the sound of his mother calling Bowen's name in shock and calling for Gwyn did that for him. Artorias was now instantly alert at the prospect of Bowen being hurt.

"Bowe- Owww!" He winced as he once again sat up too fast, his body screaming in protest. Unable to move to go and assist his little sister, Artorias settled for carefully rolling over to better face the doors. He tried to sit up enough to see what was going on, heart racing as a million dreadful thoughts filled his head on what could have happened. "Is Bowen okay?" he called out to his mother, desperate to know she was all right. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her while he was laid up like this.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Corbin" | "Argent"