MGS Ch. 41 - Scolded for Being Injured

I made my way down the hill with Endure activated to give myself a look of stability and strength. With that ability switched on, the pain wasn't half as debilitating, but it was still there, impossible to ignore, and it did nothing to help with the wounds.

Ivy had delivered a fresh change of clothes, including my cape and my long-sleeved shirt. We had all agreed--even her--that it would be better for the moment to obscure the extent of my injuries so as not to drive the girls into a renewed panic as they'd only just started to calm down by the sound of things.

I tied the cape tight against my neck to try to hide the burns that were there. Of course, the girls had already seen them, but I thought, just maybe, they would forget about the extent and severity if I put on a strong face and hid the wounds. It was ironic that this was what I was opting to do because I initially refused the jackalope girl Jammy's attempts to use illusions to hide the injuries.

Still, it was necessary. I wouldn't hide them forever. I couldn't. The girls would want me to make love to them soon, and once my shirt came off, the jig would be up. I hated the idea of seeing them freaking out again, driving them into terror and panic, but a hidden part of my soul felt a sick tinge of validation at the idea.

May Belle's gasp when she saw how badly I'd been injured, Daisy's tears, Autumn's fear--it would all be exquisite in its own way. But I didn't want them to feel those things for me, even if it felt good to know they did. All I wanted was for them to be happy and feel safe, so I would do everything I could to make sure they did.

I marched down the hill without so much as a cane, demonstrating just how strong and independent I already was after just a day of rest. In truth, I was much better than even I expected I would be, even without the Endure ability powering me. I could probably thank the holstaur milk and Etherea's matronly care for that, not to mention Ivy's help.

Instead of running to me, though, Daisy and May Belle watched, staring at me as I approached like I was a ghost. Sprinkle alone shot up and ran over to greet me.

"My Bucky!" she shouted. She closed the distance between us, and I readied myself for pain. She threw her arms around me and hugged tightly. I winced, but I hid it by burying my face in her shoulder. From behind her, Autumn, Daisy, and May Belle exchanged glances and started making their way over as well.

But there was something off about them. Their faces weren't the wide grins I was expecting. They were fearful, cautious, with eyes that gaped at me unbelievingly as though I'd come back from the dead.

"Hey," I said, smiling at them, breaking the hug with Sprinkle. "Come here," I grunted, "I haven't seen you in over a day!"

May Belle stormed over to me, her eyes burning with anger. She grabbed my arms and tore off the sleeve with surprising strength. The warped and charred flesh of my arms was scarcely visible beneath the fresh bandages. Sprinkle gasped at the sight.

"You expect us to believe you're okay?!" she said, her eyes watering. Daisy just stood back, staring at me emptily. "We worried... sooo much! You came back after just one day with burns from a dragon and expect us to believe everything is normal again. Unbelievable!"

I frowned. "I'm sorry, I--"

Ivy stepped in. She'd been following behind me. "It was my idea to hide the wounds," she said with a sigh. "Don't blame him. He feels bad enough."

It didn't dispel the storm clouds on May Belle's face. "I... love you... so much. You marked me! I'm yours, forever! Can you imagine what we felt, thinking we might lose you?"

I shook my head but said nothing. I looked at Daisy, expecting a "humph!" or a string of epithets, but she said nothing.

"Daisy hasn't spoken a word all day," Autumn said, running her hand through the holstaur's hair. "Yesterday, she spent the whole afternoon repeating 'Bucky will be fine' to herself in the field. Today she won't even say a word."

"Daisy?" I said cautiously. "I'm fine. At least, I'm going to be fine. I'm sorry I made you all worry--I really am. I was reckless--"

"You're a fucking dumbass!" May Belle shouted as tears flew off her face. She stomped her hooves on the ground angrily, wiped her eyes, and continued. "I forbid you to go adventuring."

Autumn sighed. "May Belle, he's an Apex Hero. You can't--"

"If you go adventuring again, I'll kill myself," she said flatly, crossing her arms. It was not a joke, but I certainly hoped it was a bluff.

"Don't say that," I said, tears forming in my own eyes. My heart felt as though it'd fallen sick all of a sudden, like it was suddenly a century older and weaker.

"I mean it," she insisted. Her brow was furrowed to a degree I'd never seen before. She didn't have a single line on her face from frowning because she was the sunniest, happiest, sweetest girl I'd ever met. This--I didn't know how to deal with this. "I will kill myself if you ever leave this sanctuary again."

"You need to calm down," Autumn said.

"May Belle, that's too much," Sprinkle cooed. I almost laughed at that--thankfully, I didn't. There was something amusing about Rainbow Sprinkle being the voice of reason to May Belle.

"You won't kill yourself. That's not even a little charming or funny," I said.

Ivy grunted her agreement. "Shame on you, May Belle. He's been through enough. I'm angry at him, too, but you're making this about you. It's about Divonia. Don't forget. His quest matters."

"You matter, too," I added, looking at all of them. "Don't ever doubt that or play down your importance to me. You are all the core of who I am. I love you more than Divonia, that's for damn sure."

"May Belle," Autumn clucked, "Please calm down. You're going to regret this later."

She sobbed like a little girl, crumbling to her knees. I caught her halfway down, holding her in my arms. She tried in vain to push herself away from me but ultimately melted against me. "I can smell the dragon-fire on your neck," she wept. "I can't lose you, Bucky-Baby. I'd die. It'd be worse than dying. I'd--I'd fucking rather die than risk it."

I wrapped my arms tightly around her. "I promise, I'm not going anywhere. I won't die. I will get stronger. Smarter. More cautious. And I will bring Sprinkle or Ivy with me every time I go out. I'll always have a backup plan. I won't put you through this again."

"You put me through it once. Look at Daisy."

I did. Daisy's eyes were still wide and vacant, but she was staring at me like I was a hallucination, a mirage. "Look at her. She's broken. I'll be broken, too, if you leave my sight again. I'm sorry... I can't bear it."

"We have to," Autumn said sadly behind her. "May Belle, he needs you to be strong. He's already promised what he can. Forgive him."

"I forgive you," she cried. "Of course I do. I was never angry at you, really. I just--I'm so scared. What if I lose you!? I'll die! I'll fucking kill myself!"

"That kind of talk needs to stop right now," I insisted. "That doesn't make me feel any better. We need to just accept that what happened has happened, and we all have to move on." I kissed her forehead, and she nodded reluctantly.

"You're right."

I stood up and walked over to Daisy, whose eyes never left mine. "Daisy," I said softly. "Daisy, it's me. Do you remember me?"

She kept staring, her face cold and unfeeling--until I brushed her cheek. Upon my touch, her eyes flew wide open, and tears cascaded down her cheeks. She threw herself so hard into me that she knocked me over, and I fell backward onto the ground with her on top of me.

"Honey!" she shouted. "Is it really you!?"

"Of course it's me! What did you think?" I asked.

"I thought I was dreaming--I thought you'd died, that I'd lost you. Don't ever do that to me again," she cried like a baby.

"I'll scratch it off my To-Do List for tomorrow," I said, entombing her in my embrace. She glared at me.

"That's not funny," she said.

"My Bucky?" Sprinkle's voice chimed in. Gumi was looming behind her, staring down at me, far less concerned than the others--probably not really comprehending what had happened.

"Yes, Sprink?"

"Do you love me?"

I looked up at her from where I cradled Daisy on the ground. "Of course I do," I said, cocking a confused eyebrow. "What the hell kind of question is that?"

"If you love me, if you love us, then let us fight with you. You don't know how strong your girls have all become."

"I can breathe fire," Daisy cooed in my ear.

"I can rip a tree out of the ground with my bare hands," said May Belle.

Autumn nodded her agreement. "I can carve through a rock with my claws," she said, holding up her hands. "Your level-ups were more effective than we thought they would be, due to us being so close to you, an Apex Hero."

I swallowed hard. "I'll think about it," I nodded. "But I'll want us all wearing armor and having appropriate weapons."

"Bonny owes me," Daisy smirked, though her eyes still looked a bit haunted. "I'll tell her."

"The harem that slays together stays together," Autumn giggled.

Ivy chimed in again. "Bucky," she said my name softly to get my attention.

I relinquished my embrace of Daisy and stood up. "Yeah, Ivy?"

"Would you sleep with me in the treehouse tomorrow?" she asked. "I have a lot to say."

My eyes were drawn to the others, seeking their opinions. They nodded knowingly at her.

"Alright," I agreed. "Of course."

She grinned.

Our moment of calm was abruptly cut short by the sound of a war horn. "Orcs!" Autumn grunted in shock. She looked around frantically, her eyes darting everywhere as she processed the sound and what it meant. "But how!?"

"The centaurs should have stopped them!" Ivy said with a tremulous voice. "This could be terrible news!"

A dozen flaming arrows hit the cabin, setting it alight. "Girls, go hide!" I shouted, summoning the lance, "I've got this! I'm wearing the cape, so I'll be fine!"

"We just talked about this!" Sprinkle squealed angrily. She darted behind me, following in my path as I charged the horde that had appeared in the distance. Maybe twenty orcs and ogres, each larger than me.

"We are all in this battle!" shouted Autumn--that one shocked me the most.

Wordlessly, the holstaurs and Gumi joined the fray. I grimaced at the thought of any of them being caught in the line of fire of getting hurt in the battle. My fears were utterly misplaced.