frøm rîçhëš to ràgs {crystal only <3}

[~echo~]

The man screamed and promptly left, his arm spewing blood.

Wren was now defending herself against a different man. She had made the first man leave and this one left when he saw his leader running away. Wren knew something was wrong and immediately ran upstairs to Rylan. She gasped when she saw him. "Lord Rylan! You're injured!"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

By the time Wren got there, Rylan was slumped against the bed, one hand clinging to the bedpost to keep him upright. His white shirt was soaked with blood, as was the carpet under his feet. "Wren..." he said hoarsely. "Get a medic." Then he collapsed to the floor.

[~echo~]

A guard came in the room and Wren waved him off to get a medic. Meanwhile, Wren murmured encouraging things to Rylan as she opened his shirt and held a cloth on his wound.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Rylan's eyes flickered open, but he was having trouble staying awake. He didn't speak, because he wasn't sure he could get any words out.

[~echo~]

"Come on, my lord," Wren murmured. "Stay with me. You've got to stay awake." A moment later, a medic came and roughly pushed Wren out of the way. She looked indignantly at him but didn't say anything as he tried staunching Rylan's flow of blood.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Rylan tilted his head back and moaned quietly. Everything was starting to go numb, his vision fading out.

[~echo~]

Anne watched fearfully, biting her thumbnail. "Can you do anything?" she asked the medic. He shrugged. "It's up to his will if he dies or not. All I can do is help convince him."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"Wren?" Rylan murmured, the name barely making it past his lips.

[~echo~]

Wren immediately knelt beside him. "Yes, Rylan. I'm here. Just focus on me, okay? Stay awake. You can do it."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Rylan opened his hand and curled his fingers again, but he didn't have the strength to lift his arm. "Are you okay?"

[~echo~]

She took his hand and squeezed it. "Not a scratch on me," she said with a small smile. "But you are pretty bumped up, aren't you?"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"You could say that," Rylan said weakly. "Hey, if I die..."

[~echo~]

"No," she said firmly. "You aren't going to die." The medic looked at her. "I need to stitch up this wound."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Rylan finally managed to lift his arm and grab her hand. "If I do, though. You have to know that I didn't take you here out of pity or anything."

[~echo~]

"Yes, because you aid that you could help me. Not all of your subjects, but you could help me."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"No," Rylan whispered. "I did it because I liked you."

[~echo~]

A second after he had said that, the medic started stitching up the wound. Wren held his hand and squeezed it, leaning down to his ear. "I like you too."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Rylan squeezed her hand with all his strength, which wasn't much. "Don't leave, okay?" he whispered.

[~echo~]

Wren, tears in her eyes, held his hand in both of hers. "I wouldn't dream of it, Rylan."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Rylan closed his eyes and passed out, but his chest continued to rise and fall, though his breathing was unsteady.