The city was bustling, the people did not know what state the country was falling into.
Several of the commoners had even seen the coming of war as a way to move up in the social hierarchy, as joining gave them a status close to a knight, and some may even receive a knight title.
It was a pay several times higher than most would normally be able to receive, and all that the people knew, was that the fight was going on far out at the border.
The long history of the country's many glorious achievements and won battles had left the citizens unafraid.
The few knights that had made it back from the frontlines, had all been transported through one of the outskirt entrances to the city, so as to not alarm the citizens.
Kilian stood by the building where the War Council had taken place.
From there, the long wide road through the city went straight to the main entrance, which he and the Valen knights had first used when entering.
Back then, very few commoners had seen the battle-worn knights enter, but this time it was different.
Kilian was waiting for the sound, the sound of hooves.
It didn't take long.
Several horses were seen entering through the main entrance.
The Valen flag was raised at the front, and Kilian could see the frame of his grandfather entering, with him were many knights on foot and horseback, all looking like they were barely standing.
The people on the street made way for the procession of knights, but no one was cheering.
The gloom and defeated looks on the wounded knights created a heavy atmosphere, and for the time it took for the knights to arrive at the Council building, nothing but the stomping of hooves and feet were heard.
Kilian nodded and greeted his grandfather, getting a good hold of his cane while walking over to take the reigns of the horse Cratos was riding.
The Archduke got off his horse with ease and reached out to squeeze Kilian's shoulder lightly.
It was a reassuring gesture, but Kilian didn't say anything, instead, he started navigating the wounded knights inside the building, where healing stations had been set up, prepared for their arrival.
He couldn't see Rayden among the wounded but was too busy to look thoroughly, as there were too many whimpering noises around him, making him unable to focus on anything but the treatment of those who needed it.
Still, he wished he could heal, but even if healers from the academy had been dispatched the amount of wounded was too significant, for all to be treated in time.
All Kilian could do was apply first aid and make the people comfortable long enough for a healer to arrive.
"Are you The Lady?"
Kilian felt the back of his hair rise at the words, but the look in the man's eyes did not look sane, and the knight was staring at Kilian as if he had already crossed over.
The Lady, the patron of knights, was the one to judge their valor during life but was also said to be the one to bring a knight's soul to the next place.
Kilian smiled down at the man, whose upper body was covered in some sort of burn scars, as if the skin had melted away, leaving holes into the flesh.
'Is the skin, corroding?'
The edges of the man's wounds seemed to be corroding and still widening, and nothing Kilian applied stopped the progress.
It was as if something was very slowly eating into the man.
"You are home… safe"
The last word he spoke without conviction, if a healer did not arrive soon, this man would not make it.
The man grabbed Kilian's hand, clenching it.
"I did good, right?"
Kilian wasn't sure what the man was referring to but simply nodded, hoping that was the reply the man wanted.
Kilian cleaned the wounds and bandaged them, but patches of new blood kept surfacing through the fabric.
The man suddenly looked up at Kilian again with a surprised look.
"Are you The Lady?"
Kilian paused.
"I did good right?"
The man repeated his words from earlier as if he had just seen Kilian for the first time.
Kilian softened his expression and moved down closer for the man to see him more clearly.
A bright kind smile lightened up Kilian's features, he tried hard to make it look natural as he softly spoke to the man.
"Yes, I am".
Kilian could tell how the whole body of the man relaxed and the knight reached up to grab Kilian's hand in his.
The hand was bloodied and rough with wounds still covered in dirt, but Kilian took it and continued.
"You did good, you can rest now".
The man's eyes seemed clear for a second after hearing Kilian's voice, then they turned dull and lifeless.
Kilian sighed but held the man's hand until he was sure he had passed.
There was nothing any healer could do even if they had arrived by now.
They were not omnipotent.
All he could do was remove the fear of death.
"Get away from him!"
Arms grabbed Kilian by the shoulders and threw him aside, making him fall on his back, losing the grip on his cane.
"Why didn't you get me? That man had important information for us"
A man in long green robes stood by the now-dead knight, barely touching the man with his hand to confirm the death.
His hair was blonde, though several shades darker than Kilian's, and his age must have been about the same.
'Must be a first-year from the academy'. Kilian thought. Knowing nobles entered the Academy at the age of 18.
He should have been attending himself, but with no magic, it was mostly a useless endeavor anyways.
He already knew he could learn much more useful things from his grandfather than from any snobbish school.
The healer took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands and threw the used fabric on the chest of the knight like it was now something filthy.
"This is why commoners shouldn't meddle in a Healer's job".
The man scoffed, staring down at Kilian, who had earlier taken off his outer clothes and was only wearing a shirt and simple pants.
The fancy clothes had only been in the way and had seemed intimidating to others at first.
Kilian reached for his cane and carefully got back on his feet, his knuckles white from the tight grip on the amber top.
"Get out of here, you are useless". The green-robed man continued.
Several knights, healers, and other helpers like Kilian, were looking their way, but there were simply too many who needed his help, and Kilian brushed his shirt with his hand and ignored the man.
'Whatever'. Kilian thought.
He knew when to pick his battles, and this was not the time or place for a dick-size competition, with someone who would clearly lose.
A groan was heard, and Kilian moved on to another man who needed his help.
The green-robed man seemed dissatisfied as if he had expected some sort of apology or groveling, but another helper came up to distract him, asking for his help.
Kilian kept cleaning wounds and bandaging wherever it was needed, working together with other helpers.
Soon after he finished a patient, the green-robed man would come and check his work, spending more time spewing insults at Kilian, than actually healing the wounded.
It was a drag, that was all Kilian could think of the immature personality of the man.
'He is like a snake, hissing and biting at others'.
Kilian chuckled, and from then on only saw the man as some slithering animal, that no one paid attention to.
A knight was laying covered in bandages, the hair was half burned off, with both old and new scars covering the face.
The entire body seemed to have one wound after another, and he didn't move, or he couldn't.
Kilian noticed a bowl of water near the man and saw how the eyes were drawn to it.
It took Kilian a lot of effort to lift the man's upper body safely, bringing the bowl to the dry lips, trying to help the man drink without spilling too much of it.
'Did no one give him any water?'
The man drank like he had been thirsty for days, and the desperate look in his amber eyes slowly became calmer.
"What are you doing?"
The words were almost screaming, and a sharp pain ran over Kilian's cheek.
It took a moment for Kilian to realize what had happened, slowly touching his now stinging skin.
"He is not for you to treat, step away. Don't kill this one too!"
The green-robed man pulled Kilian aside and sat down trying to pour the water into the man's mouth, to the point Kilian could hear the gurgling of the man trying to catch his breath.
Panic was flashing over the knight's face who could neither move nor speak to the discomfort.
Kilian clenched his hand and pulled the thin sword from the cane.
He was patient, but he was not that patient, this idiot healer was doing more harm than good to someone else.
Kilian pointed the thin edge to the neck of the wheat-haired guy.
"Step away, now".
There was a sudden change in the green-robed man's expression, and Kilian very much enjoyed the new horrifying look over the haughty one the face had bore before.
"H..How dare you…"
Kilian pressed the edge in harder, and the words stopped instantly.
At this moment he wished, he had been more widely known among nobles.
Heathgrave or Valen, if he had been at the academy, then other young nobles like the one in front of him, would have known him, and not interfered.
"He dares…"
The words were deep and enraged, and the already horrified look on the green-robed man sank several more times.
A giant muscular man was stepping up behind Kilian, who didn't move an inch at the sudden presence but instead stood there smiling at his prey.
Everyone present could see the obvious likeness between the two, and Kilian spoke without looking back.
"Greetings... Grandfather".
Kilian was sure he was seeing the soul of the healer leave the body in an instant before the man mumbled something and hurried off.
Even if they wanted to reprimand the young noble, both Kilian and his grandfather knew they could not afford even one less healer at the moment.
There were no useless people, just people doing useless things, that needed correcting.
Kilian quickly stepped over to help the wounded knight lay back down, giving him an apologetic smile.
A hand, with a lot of discomfort and pain, moved up to touch Kilian's cheek.
Kilian was used to it by now, having had several similar interactions with the wounded.
He kept his smile, letting the knight touch him.
"Yes, I am The Lady, you did well."
Kilian placed his palm on the man's forehead, something the other wounded had seemed to find calming, and he was now doing it as a part of The Lady routine.
"You can rest now".
Was he seeing things? Kilian was sure the man's expression was, amused?