Return of the General's Daughter

Alaric’s gaze turned complicated, as a thousand thoughts swirled in his mind. Who does not want to take care of their bodies? A sudden warmth crept into his heart, like sunlight breaking through a cloudy sky. Could it be that she actually cares for him?

After bandaging Alaric’s wound, Lara moved to the cot where Asael was lying. There were only five makeshift beds in the infirmary, which looked deserted with only two patients inside. But once the war started, the place would be overcrowded.

Lara was worried because Asael had been unconscious the entire night. He hadn’t taken anything apart from the drip from wet cotton that she would regularly dab on his lips. She decided to change Asael’s dressing and hoped that he would wake up to take a glucose solution she had prepared.

While replacing his bandage with a fresh one, Lara felt a towering presence behind her. She paused but when Alaric said nothing, she continued with her work.

Alaric frowned when he noticed Lara pulled up Asael’s pants and started massaging the man’s lower limbs.

He heard that he was General Odin Norse’s eldest son, the commander of the Eagle Team, the one he hadn’t met. He only knew of Galahad, who trained with him under the tutelage of the general, and the twins Percival and Peridur, whom he occasionally met in the palace when the general would bring them along with him.

Asael’s face was still slightly swollen and the bruise had not lightened yet. He sustained those injuries when he was attacked on top of the stab wounds on his stomach.

Alaric’s gaze did not linger on his face but was drawn instead to the way Kane used gentle strokes, kneading, and putting pressure on his legs. Each movement was precise, the gentle touch imbued with an unexpected warmth that conveyed both care and reassurance.

"You really are quite the meticulous person, aren’t you, Kane?" Alaric remarked, his tone dripping with a hint of playful sarcasm.