Swallowing dry, trying to control his breathing, FeiWan focused on that other sound, and he immediately knew something wasn’t right. He had never seen one of the Demon Clan out of breath. Much less after such a light sparring exercise. The way CalRimRan’s hand around his wrist quickly became sweaty only came to confirm his suspicions.
“Hey … are you …” he couldn’t even finish the sentence. In the next moment, the weight on his back was gone, his wrist released. Bringing his arm back to its righteous position made his shoulder and elbow ache, making FeiWan1 grunt in pain. And so, when he finally managed to pull himself up into a sitting position, all he saw was CalRimRan trying to stand up and failing miserably at it.
Instinctively reaching out to help him, his wrist was immediately captured and twisted again, a loud complaint leaving his lips. But then those gray eyes were staring straight at him, filled with a cold threat and what looked very much like a deep resentment. Almost as if FeiWan were his sworn enemy or something. It was enough to leave FeiWan1 at a loss for words. So many intense emotions, in the eyes of a man that always looked indifferent towards the entire world. Yet, before he could gather his thoughts, those gray eyes were gone. CalRimRan squeezed his eyes shut, a grimace of pain contorting his beautiful face, before it was taken by that calm expression again. And he fell heavily against FeiWan.
FeiWan was barely in time to hold him, CalRimRan’s sudden dead weight almost dragging him down as well. Grunting from the effort, he wrapped his arms around the other man’s back and tried to catch his breath.
What the …?! What had just happened?! Had he really fainted just like that? And why was his body so cold? Damn! It almost felt as if he was holding a corpse!
Trying to better get a hold of him, his fingers ended up entangled in CarlRimRan’s long hair. He had touched his shiny hair before, and it always gave him the creeps. It felt … strange, against his skin. Much thinner and smoother than normal hair, it felt like feathers against the back of his hand. Feathers that slid like cold water between his fingers.
“Hei! CalRimRan!” he called out, trying to stop the other man’s heavy body from sliding all the way to the ground. “You’re not faking it, right?” As if someone as serious and stoic as CalRimRan would do something like that.
“Won’t you please wake up?”
FeiWan tried shaking him a bit.
“Shit!” he grunted, sliding a hand to his neck, trying to feel his pulse.
Cold. His skin was too cold. Too cold to belong to a living, breathing human being. But he could still feel his heartbeat, pulsing beneath his fingertips.
A deep sigh of relief escaped his lips. Followed by an even deeper concern. What was wrong with him?
“CalDai! Hei!” he called again, this time couping his cheek, trying to get enough distance between them so he could actually look at him. “Cal! Wake up! Or I swear I’ll flood this damn Pavilion with every Hennin in the Palace!”
CalRimRan’s head fell listless over FeiWan’s shoulder, and a warm breath caressed his neck making him shiver. A mumble of sorts reached his ear, and FeiWan held his breath so he could focus on what he was saying. A sigh of defeat left his lips not long after.
“Again with that gibberish!”
FeiWan took a deep breath and looked up at the pure white ceiling above his head.
“What am I supposed to do? You’re clearly unwell. And you won’t allow me to call the Hennin to have a look at you,” he mumbled to himself.
He suddenly wished he had taken the time to learn about medicinal herbs and teas from his mother. But, back then, when he’d been a child, he just hadn’t been able to simply sit down and memorize all those complicated plants’ names and their effects. Not to mention that the mere thought of spending that much time under his mother’s severe scrutiny had made all those plants look even less inviting. Thankfully he had been born with the Imperial red hair, and he had been blessed with the Imperial fire daitai. And so his mother had begrudgingly allowed him to be excused from taking part of those boring classes. Which, on the other hand, meant she did not see him as a true member of the Hen Clan. Sure, he was undoubtedly her child. But he was, above anything else, the son of the El’Dur, an El’Gin of the Imperial family. He would unquestionably become the next El’Dur, she had made sure of it his entire life. Because if he couldn’t become the next El’Dur he would be left without a place to belong to. His innate strong fire affinity had certainly placed him in a position closer to the throne than most. But, at the same time, it had completely robbed him of his place amongst his birth Clan. In any case, he wished he had attended at least some of those classes. Maybe if he had, he would have at least an inkling of what to do with the unconscious man in his arms.
Taking a deep breath, FeiWan did his best to pull CalRimRan’s arm over his shoulders. He might not know much about healing teas and concoctions, but he definitely knew that leaving a sick person lying on the cold stone floor couldn’t be good for his health. He might as well take him to his bedroom, FeiWan decided. Lay him on his bed where he could get comfortable and warm. The Gods knew CalRimRan was in urgent need of that. It didn’t take him long to realize that his compassionate idea was easier said than done.
Grunting from the effort, FeiWan did his best to get back on his feet and hoist the distinguished CalDai with him as well. How in the world such an elegant-looking man could be this heavy was beyond his comprehension. It was almost as if the man’s bones were made of pure lead. Which made the smooth, silent way he always moved, almost as if he were gliding across the floor, look even more amazing.
Soon FeiWan was sweating profusely from the mere effort of holding CalRimRan in a standing position. If he didn’t know himself well enough, by now he would have been worrying that maybe, somehow, he was the one suffering from some strange ailment, all his strength suddenly depleted.
With an arm firmly wrapped around CalRimRan’s waist and another grabbing the arm resting on his shoulders, he painstakingly dragged himself and his charge towards the corridor.
Of course, he could call one of the servants his mother had sent to live in the White Pavilion, and leave them in charge of that obviously heavy lifting.
Since it was now widely known that CalRimRan had decided to stay for a few more days, FeiWan could have called back the White Pavilion’s staff, that had been attending the Demon Clan’s needs during their stay. But CalRimRan had insisted that he had no need for them. And, between being surrounded by servants FeiWan had barely seen his entire life, and being surrounded by people he could, more or less, trust, he had quickly opted for the second alternative. And so he had accepted KimLay[9]’s practically undeniable offer to send some of her most trusted servants to look after his every-day needs. Which, of course, meant his mother was actively spying on them on a daily basis. Yet, it was still better than the alternative.
However, servants would always be servants, no matter which Pavilion they served. And a handful of coins weighing in one’s pockets, or some good old blackmail, could always go a long way in terms of buying someone’s temporary loyalty. As such, even though asking for help was a valid solution for his current predicament, he didn’t want everyone in the Palace knowing about CalRimRan’s sudden failing health. He was sure CalRimRan didn’t want that either. In a place like the Imperial Palace any kind of weakness, no matter how small, would immediately become a powerful weapon in the hands of those who had something to gain from one’s downfall. And CalRimRan was his trump, his hidden ace. FeiWan was not about to let someone wielding more powerful than he simply come and take that away from him. Much less because he wasn’t able to carry another adult man to bed!
Practically dragging himself down the corridor, FeiWan couldn’t help sighing in relief when he finally reached CalRimRan’s chambers. And, by the time he was finally able to drop him on the bed, not only was he sweating profusely, his back and legs hurt as if he had been carrying three men on his back, instead of one.
Language:
[1] . FeiWan: Literally fei (raging / furious) + wan (fire)
[2] . CalRimRan: Literally cal (bright) + rim (cold) + ran (moon)
[3] . CalDai: Literally cal (bright) + dai (light). Unlike the Empires, the Dragon Clan has no royalty. They have a Leader. CalDai is a personal title (not inherited), and it refers to the youngest son of the Leader, reason why ZaiWin and the others sometimes refer to him as a prince (which he is not).
[4] . Cal: Literally cal (bright)
[5] . Hennin: Literally hen (heal / medicine) + nin (person / human).
[6] . Daitai: Literally dai (light) + tai (mark), or holy Markings, considered Heavenly Blessings. They’re the source of power.
