[BLACK JEWELS FIC] Warlord of Glacia- 5/12
Title: Warlord of Glacia
Author: Jourdana Standish/queenmidalah
Fandom: Black Jewels
Pairing(s): Morton/Wilhelmina Benedict
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Mentions of violence; language
Word Count: 16,241
Summary: A tangled web is changed when a certain Warlord takes matters into his own hands; he finds himself fighting for his life instead of embracing death. He also finds love, but could lose it by a few careless words.
~~
Khardeen took a moment to still himself before rapping gently on Morton’s door. A frown puckered the skin of his brow when he heard a female voice he wasn’t expecting telling him to enter. He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Wilhelmina looked over to the door, her hands still circling Morton’s on the bed. She had used Craft to float a small footstool to her so she was not putting pressure on her knees, but she didn’t want to sit in a chair that would cause her to bend over or lift Morton’s arm too high. She was worried about causing him pain, but also knew that she would catch Hell from Jaenelle if she was bent in half to keep from hurting him.
Khardeen walked over to the pair, his eyes haunted as he studied his friend where he lay. He knew how horrible the healing had been with Karla, but after facing that he hadn’t been able to stomach the idea of assisting Jaenelle with Morton as well. Thankfully, Jaenelle had insisted that Karla had needed him more than Morton did as he kept vigil over the Glacian Queen while Jaenelle and Daemon attempted to save Morton’s life.
But save it for what? Or have they? It was an internal thought he would never voice. Only the small rise and fall of Morton’s chest indicated that he was not, in fact, one of the demon dead and the wounds that had pierced his skin were no longer there also showed that he was very much alive. He only prayed to the Darkness that he would remain so.
"Lord Khardeen?" Wilhelmina said quietly, her voice a little rough from obvious crying.
"I wanted to see how he was doing and if he needed anything," Khardeen finally said, pulling his normally mischievous blue eyes from his wounded friend to settle on the woman at his side.
"He just needs time," Wilhelmina said. "To rest and recover, to..." She bit her lip, her throat closing as she felt tears forming again.
"Lady?" Khardeen asked quietly. "Do you need anything?"
Wilhelmina was quiet, the tears that had begun to form quickly filled her eyes and spilled onto her cheeks. She finally tore her eyes away from Morton’s too-still form to look at Khardeen.
"I need him to live," she whispered. "I need him to be okay because I need to tell him I love him. He can’t die, not when I didn’t get to tell him that I love him too."
Khardeen immediately moved to her side, wrapping his arms around her. He felt Wilhelmina stiffen at first then she was folding into him, her head resting on his shoulder. A soft sob escaped her and he rubbed her back.
"When did he finally tell you?" Khardeen had to ask.
"Just before he lost consciousness," Wilhelmina said. "I felt him whisper in my mind."
"Mother Night..."
"Why is this happening?" Wilhelmina asked, her voice cracking as she pulled back, brushing her fingers over her cheeks to wipe her tears. "Everything seemed so wonderful."
"I wish I knew the answer to that," Khardeen said. "If we had the answer, maybe we could find a way to make it all end."
"I can’t lose him," Wilhelmina said, a sob pulling from her lips again. Khardeen’s hold on her tightened, his hand moving along her spine as he watched Morton where he lay. He sent up an offering to the Darkness that Morton’s life would be spared. He had too much to live for, too much to do. And he offered a small thank you that the woman one of his best friends loved did, in fact, love him in return.
"I’m sorry," Wilhelmina said, pulling back from Khardeen’s embrace. "I sniffled all over you."
"You aren’t the first female to do so," Khardeen said, offering a soft smile. "A few of the coven have, and Morghann certainly has. You are one of us and we are here for our own."
His words twisted something in Wilhelmina’s heart, giving her pause. In all the time she had been in Kaeleer, beyond the attentions Morton had given her, she had never felt welcomed or wanted with her sister’s coven. Now she was being given assurance that she was a part of them, that they would not abandon her. It broke her heart but she felt the pain she had been carrying since she was a child starting to bleed out, replaced with something else. She wasn’t sure what, but she knew it was something she had been craving her entire life.
"You should go find Morghann," Wilhelmina finally said. She turned her head and saw his face shutter some. "She needs you now. We all need those we love."
"We’ve fought," Khardeen whispered, his voice filled with sorrow and regret. "We all have."
"You can’t," Wilhelmina said. "We all need one another. Especially now."
~~
The first few nights were the worse. Morton didn’t regain consciousness, but he he thrashed in his sleep. The movement only served to cause him pain, something he couldn’t escape from in sleep. Wilhelmina’s very limited knowledge was mostly fueled by Jaenelle’s instruction as she checked on him, or that of Daemon’s when he would come in to assist. He had taken it upon himself to assist in Morton and Karla’s recovery whenever possible.
Almost two weeks passed before Morton, finally, started to come around. Wilhelmina had wondered for some time if he would ever come out of it and survive. She never left his side, ensuring that he had food whenever possible, insisting he drink the broth that would keep him healthy as well as water to keep him hydrated.
He would mumble incoherently; she would soothe him. It was the same thing for days on end. The only time she slept was when she was forced to by Daemon or Khardeen. Every time she fought it because she was terrified that if she didn’t stay awake to watch him, he’d slip away in the night.
Finally it was obviously that he would be fine. He had a recovery ahead, but he finally was out of the woods enough that they could declare that the poison would no longer be in danger of killing him.
On that day, Wilhelmina collapsed into a bed beside him and slept without fear of what she would find when she woke.
Author: Jourdana Standish/queenmidalah
Fandom: Black Jewels
Pairing(s): Morton/Wilhelmina Benedict
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Mentions of violence; language
Word Count: 16,241
Summary: A tangled web is changed when a certain Warlord takes matters into his own hands; he finds himself fighting for his life instead of embracing death. He also finds love, but could lose it by a few careless words.
~~
Khardeen took a moment to still himself before rapping gently on Morton’s door. A frown puckered the skin of his brow when he heard a female voice he wasn’t expecting telling him to enter. He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Wilhelmina looked over to the door, her hands still circling Morton’s on the bed. She had used Craft to float a small footstool to her so she was not putting pressure on her knees, but she didn’t want to sit in a chair that would cause her to bend over or lift Morton’s arm too high. She was worried about causing him pain, but also knew that she would catch Hell from Jaenelle if she was bent in half to keep from hurting him.
Khardeen walked over to the pair, his eyes haunted as he studied his friend where he lay. He knew how horrible the healing had been with Karla, but after facing that he hadn’t been able to stomach the idea of assisting Jaenelle with Morton as well. Thankfully, Jaenelle had insisted that Karla had needed him more than Morton did as he kept vigil over the Glacian Queen while Jaenelle and Daemon attempted to save Morton’s life.
But save it for what? Or have they? It was an internal thought he would never voice. Only the small rise and fall of Morton’s chest indicated that he was not, in fact, one of the demon dead and the wounds that had pierced his skin were no longer there also showed that he was very much alive. He only prayed to the Darkness that he would remain so.
"Lord Khardeen?" Wilhelmina said quietly, her voice a little rough from obvious crying.
"I wanted to see how he was doing and if he needed anything," Khardeen finally said, pulling his normally mischievous blue eyes from his wounded friend to settle on the woman at his side.
"He just needs time," Wilhelmina said. "To rest and recover, to..." She bit her lip, her throat closing as she felt tears forming again.
"Lady?" Khardeen asked quietly. "Do you need anything?"
Wilhelmina was quiet, the tears that had begun to form quickly filled her eyes and spilled onto her cheeks. She finally tore her eyes away from Morton’s too-still form to look at Khardeen.
"I need him to live," she whispered. "I need him to be okay because I need to tell him I love him. He can’t die, not when I didn’t get to tell him that I love him too."
Khardeen immediately moved to her side, wrapping his arms around her. He felt Wilhelmina stiffen at first then she was folding into him, her head resting on his shoulder. A soft sob escaped her and he rubbed her back.
"When did he finally tell you?" Khardeen had to ask.
"Just before he lost consciousness," Wilhelmina said. "I felt him whisper in my mind."
"Mother Night..."
"Why is this happening?" Wilhelmina asked, her voice cracking as she pulled back, brushing her fingers over her cheeks to wipe her tears. "Everything seemed so wonderful."
"I wish I knew the answer to that," Khardeen said. "If we had the answer, maybe we could find a way to make it all end."
"I can’t lose him," Wilhelmina said, a sob pulling from her lips again. Khardeen’s hold on her tightened, his hand moving along her spine as he watched Morton where he lay. He sent up an offering to the Darkness that Morton’s life would be spared. He had too much to live for, too much to do. And he offered a small thank you that the woman one of his best friends loved did, in fact, love him in return.
"I’m sorry," Wilhelmina said, pulling back from Khardeen’s embrace. "I sniffled all over you."
"You aren’t the first female to do so," Khardeen said, offering a soft smile. "A few of the coven have, and Morghann certainly has. You are one of us and we are here for our own."
His words twisted something in Wilhelmina’s heart, giving her pause. In all the time she had been in Kaeleer, beyond the attentions Morton had given her, she had never felt welcomed or wanted with her sister’s coven. Now she was being given assurance that she was a part of them, that they would not abandon her. It broke her heart but she felt the pain she had been carrying since she was a child starting to bleed out, replaced with something else. She wasn’t sure what, but she knew it was something she had been craving her entire life.
"You should go find Morghann," Wilhelmina finally said. She turned her head and saw his face shutter some. "She needs you now. We all need those we love."
"We’ve fought," Khardeen whispered, his voice filled with sorrow and regret. "We all have."
"You can’t," Wilhelmina said. "We all need one another. Especially now."
~~
The first few nights were the worse. Morton didn’t regain consciousness, but he he thrashed in his sleep. The movement only served to cause him pain, something he couldn’t escape from in sleep. Wilhelmina’s very limited knowledge was mostly fueled by Jaenelle’s instruction as she checked on him, or that of Daemon’s when he would come in to assist. He had taken it upon himself to assist in Morton and Karla’s recovery whenever possible.
Almost two weeks passed before Morton, finally, started to come around. Wilhelmina had wondered for some time if he would ever come out of it and survive. She never left his side, ensuring that he had food whenever possible, insisting he drink the broth that would keep him healthy as well as water to keep him hydrated.
He would mumble incoherently; she would soothe him. It was the same thing for days on end. The only time she slept was when she was forced to by Daemon or Khardeen. Every time she fought it because she was terrified that if she didn’t stay awake to watch him, he’d slip away in the night.
Finally it was obviously that he would be fine. He had a recovery ahead, but he finally was out of the woods enough that they could declare that the poison would no longer be in danger of killing him.
On that day, Wilhelmina collapsed into a bed beside him and slept without fear of what she would find when she woke.