Haddock Slowly Heals

== Summary ==
== Full Text ==
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: Haddock still should be bedridden, what with the toll of the last few days. He knows that, just as he knows the fact that resting as much as possible will help him recuperate far more quickly. However, the sudden world of whiteness and bitingly cold around him prompts Haddock to clutch his teeth, grudgingly grab crutches to assist his injured leg, and slip outside. His chest burns horribly as he pushes himself out of doors. He needs to see this strange, all-encompassing world of ice around him with his own eyes.
In truth, the brightness of the snow and ice around him is little to “see.” It is a monotonous landscape of never-ending white. No, what Haddock senses the most is the cold. Though he once had thought the ice fortress itself was ice enough, the weather now makes the Bewilderbeast’s shelter in itself appear balmy.
Haddock shivers, standing just outside the warmer comforts of his chambers, and stares out into the cold. The blizzard’s biting snow pelts harshly against his cheeks as he tries to understand this scenery around him.What… possibly… happened? He admits to himself he has not asked for reports as frequently as he should have, and that his last few days bedridden have dangerously bereft him of the knowledge he needs to handle situations like these.
If we can’t get in and out of the fortress, he worries, and if the ice has frozen as much as I fear it has, we’re going to lose our access to the fish supply and main food sources we’ve sustained ourselves upon thus far. Not to mention all the other dangers associated with this sort of weather.
The cold finally makes him step back indoors, but he keeps his left hand on his heart, shivering not so much from the bitter weather as the unpleasant thoughts and memories in his mind.
Stonegit Brotchurn Elmiss: [Inside his chamber, Haddock sees Stonegit sitting in the middle of a large pentagram, concentrating on the text of an old scroll that he had pulled from a stack of books he had yet to return to Hemlock. Every once in a while he would flex his hands, a small puff of fire and smoke coming from his fingers.]
*Absent minded.* “I thought you would have had enough contact with ice to last you a life time my King. You may want to stick inside” *glances back.* “We get a massive blizzard not long after you kill Frosti, I doubt it’s a coincidence.” *frowns.* “It’s him, I just know it.”
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: Raising his eyebrows, Haddock remarks, “I’ve been out of touch with events for far too long now. I need to see what’s going on, and I need to check on everyone else in camp to make sure they’re doing well. It’s my duty.
"And how possibly could it be Frosti? Coming back to the grave for revenge?” He shakes his head, bemused at that apparently ridiculous thought. “Well, then he shouldn’t have tried to lay a hand on me.
"It’s time I get up and see everything that’s occurred. I’m going outside whether you want to or not. Coming with me, or are you just going to keep reading that old scroll of yours?"
Stonegit Brotchurn Elmiss: [moodily folds up parchment and sets it down] “I’m coming. And just so you know my King, stranger things have happened then a powerful ice wizard person coming back from the dead. I have Shovel retrieving his body right now just to confirm my suspicion. [Then Stonegit seemingly looses his cool with an explosive run on sentence]  
Further more, I have been reading so long because you have been asleep…or looking outside briefly, before going back to sleep, so no I would rather take a nice stroll about the fortress by your side instead of read this book, even though the experience of learning has been very insightful to the point were I may, in fact, be on the verge of discovering something totally amazing and lastly my King, you are very welcome for what happened a few days ago when I learned fire magic healing magic and saved your life all in one night followed by a day with virtually zero sleep because Hemlock has been in my head all day long. 
[Stonegit takes several deep breaths, face red and jaw clenching] “And I’m just so happy you’re not dead and I am still here guarding you and contributing to your cause, even though I don’t even know what the fuck is going on! And I’ve barely gotten a nap! So you know what?! Fu…[inhales deeply] Fuc! Fu…!”
[Stonegit’s eyes roll into his head and he promptly passes out.] 
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: For the love of Thor, Frigga, and the Warriors Three! 
*Turns to the nearest guard*
Um, erm, hrm, can you please watch over Stonegit and make sure a healer sees to him immediately? Just to make sure he isn’t too exhausted or that it’s more than fatigue…I would like to stay with him, but there is so much I need to do, and I’ll be no help just staring at someone who’s passed out. If he wakes up in a short time - hope so - tell him to rest. If he must look after me even though he just passed out and that frankly quite worries me, send him off after me. I’ll be visiting Chief Akkey since I heard that Chief Akkey appeared in camp while I was resting and that she’s in critical condition. I think I’m going off to see her now. *Pushes himself on his crutches through the snow toward where he has been told Akkey is resting.* 
Hemlock: Now that the snow has cleared from the windows, she sees the king approaching from a distance, easily recognizable with the crutches, and curses his stupidity as well as circumstance. She stirs the air above Akkey with a flat palm and incomprehensibly thin shadows dance under her skin. The shadows fade, and the chief goes completely still—no flickering eyes, no feverish murmuring, no tossing and turning. 
She reassumes her position by the bed, flipping through a manuscript detailing the properties of various herbs. The king is closer now. 
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: Haddock approaches Hemlock’s place slowly, but just as he steps inside, he trips and falls flat on his face. Grumbling and cursing about cold-hearted trolls and unsympathetic frost giants, he reaches for his fallen crutches and tries to right himself to his feet. While still on his knees, he glances upward, and sees Hemlock reading some manuscript, located right beside a bed. A bed in which Akkey rests, still and ignorant of the world revolving around her. 
Haddock’s heart lurches painfully when he sees Akkey in this condition. The Chief has always been close to his heart, and he cannot stand to imagine losing her. Gods above, there had already been too many deaths of late.
Finally scrambling to his feet, wincing, he approaches Hemlock, clears his throat awkwardly, and nervously inquired, “So. How is she?” 
Hemlock: She politely pretends not to have heard Haddock’s clumsy entrance,  apparently jumping at the ‘unexpected’ voice behind her. She sets the manuscript down, shaping her features into a concerned frown. 
"I can’t be entirely sure. But she’s running a high fever, and I can hear her nightmares. Which isn’t good." Hemlock shakes her head. "In case Kiri didn’t tell you, Starfire is still resting. She had a hard night keeping watch on Akkey. In fact, you should take her back to camp with you, call for a dragon, maybe. I don’t think she can do much, exhausted as she is.
"Akkey should be fine, though. I know enough about this to understand that it’s only a passing sickness; she’ll be up and around sooner than you can blink. Don’t worry, my king." A flash of white teeth shows as she smiles, but her eyes still look concerned. After all, she does pride herself on her acting ability. "She’s in good hands." 
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: "Only a passing sickness? I don’t know… it looks serious…" Haddock stares anxiously at Akkey. "But I trust your judgment. I know little of healing and -" he glares down at his leg "-prefer to stay away from the scene of injury as much as possible." 
"I can call for a dragon and take her back to camp, I suppose… I am busy working other matters, though…" 
Hemlock: "I understand, my king." She nods to Stonegit, standing silently behind him. "But you are not otherwise occupied, are you?" she says meaningfully, arching one eyebrow. "Might you consider, as the king suggests, sending a dragon to take Starfire back to camp? I think Akkey should stay, since I have everything set up as I like it to tend to her. And, while you’re here, I believe you have something of mine?" 
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: Haddock finally notices Stonegit’s presence, blinking, somewhat surprised, at the presence of his body guard suddenly behind him. “That sounds like a good idea. Stonegit, would you mind taking Starfire back to camp? I’ll be fine on my own for a minute, and I’m just going to be leaving here now anyway and walking through camp checking on everyone around. 
"And yes, I don’t think Akkey should be moved… I trust she’ll be fine with you. Just… just let me know immediately if she wakes up? Please?"
Then, addressing Hemlock’s other main point, Haddock questions, “I’m sorry… my mind is slightly muddled from the last few days. It’s been difficult being bedridden and trying to keep up with all these kingship duties. What of yours do I have? Or do you mean Stonegit?” 
Hemlock: "I’m sorry, my king, for being so unclear. I did mean Stonegit, as you correctly guessed." 
Stonegit Brotchurn Elmiss: I can carry her when we head back, no need to trouble yourself. 
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: "Wonderful," Haddock says, nodding to both their statements. "Well, I’ll leave you two to do that. I’ll be off now." And he cumbersomely picks up his crutches and hobbles out. 
Hemlock: She turns her arched eyebrow and wry smirk on Stonegit. “You didn’t bring them." 
Stonegit Brotchurn Elmiss: [Slides large bag off of shoulder and hands it over] “That’s all them. Now, which of these people am I carry back to camp?” 
Hemlock: "Starfire. The one dead asleep in the room behind this?" 
Stonegit Brotchurn Elmiss: "Good enough." [carefully picks her up] "I better make this quick, the last time I ran an errand shit went down." [hurries off]   
Category:Season 1
Category:Events
Category:Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second
Category:Stonegit Brotchurn Elmiss
Category:Hemlock
Category:BOTGD