Kilian kept helping out with the wounded.
Soon a rumor was circulating among cured and recovering knights.
"Have you heard about The Lady?"
Kilian's hair rose at the back of his neck again. It was not the first time he had heard the chatter, but being referred to as The Lady was too far out for him.
Yet he did not correct them either.
He thought back on the relieved eyes of the knights who were barely alive, and the little comfort he could give them was enough for him to endure this new name of his.
He waved at a few workers, who now seemed more comfortable being around him, and headed out of the building towards town.
His cane helped him walk, as his legs were tired after the standing work he had done the last few days.
He still staggered some but was resolutely walking towards a less appropriate part of town.
The mask he had taken from an assassin was pressed against him on the inside of his jacket, and he pulled it out to wear it before turning down a dark alleyway.
He had kept an eye out for the children of the streets the last few days, on his way back to the Valen residence.
Kilian stepped further down a seemingly empty side street, thinking it was far enough when he took out several silver coins and threw them on the ground before him.
The change in the environment was instantaneous but not surprising to Kilian, and soon several kids were digging through the sand on the ground to unearth the shining pieces of silver.
Two of the kids stood beside the others, wary of Kilian, keeping an eye on his every movement.
Kilian flashed them a grinning smile.
"Have you heard of…" He paused, now thinking the name he had come up with before was silly.
"...The Joker?"
The wide eyes of one of the kids staring him down seemed to tell him they had, and the kid returned with a smile as if he had just struck gold.
"I thought you would be… bigger"
The kid was giving Kilian a mischievous look but kept the wary stance.
Kilian cleared his throat. 'Brat', he thought but didn't say.
"You know very well, it is easier to get about with a smaller…frame"
The kid only nodded, agreeing with the words.
The silver on the ground had been picked up, and now a group of 5 children stood before Kilian.
"We have heard of you…We were told you pay well for information".
Kilian nodded and took out another small pouch, letting them hear the clear clanging of coins within.
"What have you heard about the creatures at the border?"
Kilian was not sure how the kids got their information, but they were the best choice to pick up rumors from the people in the capital, who came from all corners of the country.
"Soot said you wanted information about the Heathgraves, not the..creatures".
The words sank in, and Kilian opened his mouth in surprise.
How did they know Soot? How were they communicating, the Heathgrave town was down in the southwest area of the country, many days away.
'Do they have some sort of magic corresponding like Rayden?'
He did not want to ask about it, and instead pretended like he had expected nothing else from them.
Kilian crossed his arms without replying, waiting for them to continue.
The confident pose made the kids stand up straighter, and the one kid continued.
"The creatures… There are apparently different kinds."
His eyes were wide and looked excited as he continued to report what they had heard to Kilian.
"Some talk about one animal being two animals, and some say they have more than four legs".
They did not seem to know exactly what the creatures were called, all they knew was that the rumors described them as something foreign to what was known in this world.
'Like me…I am foreign to this world too.'
Kilian realized the one similarity, though the descriptions of the creatures were not something that would have been on earth either.
"They say, magic cant kill them.."
A small girl peeked at Kilian, frightened of the masked stranger before her.
She had done her best to give this man some information she had heard in passing but was afraid if he was displeased with it.
A hand reached down towards her and she closed her eyes in fright.
"Thank you, that is very important information".
Kilian could not help, but patted the little girl, who seemed to have just used up all her courage in this lifetime, and handed her the pouch with silver coins.
"I will be back with more".
He did not need to tell them what he wanted in return, it seemed that Soot had already spread the word.
"The Heathgraves…"
The Wary kid continued when Kilian had turned to walk away.
"They hired mercenaries…".
Kilian turned around again, flicking a silver coin at the boy with a smile.
Without a reply, Kilian then left the alleyway.
'Mercenaries… Why?'
He knew they had plenty of knights who were loyal to the Heathgrave family, so he could not figure out why they needed mercenaries besides as extra men for the war.
The afternoon went fast, Kilian was back treating the wounded, though the ones who were left would survive regardless of the help, still, he kept up til it was late.
The knight he had helped bring water was still alive, but the uniform was torn, and the man couldn't speak, nor write with his wounded hands, where even the fingers were rigid.
Kilian sat by his side gently massaging the rough hands, trying to bring blood flow back into the fingers, that had once used all their strength just to touch his cheek.
It took a lot of time, to just loosen up the small muscles in a few fingers, and he was making sure to continue til he reached the wrist.
Then he repeated the motions, on the other hand, pushing away his own tiredness that crept through his body.
"Young Master…".
The words were subtle, and a gentle touch on Kilian's shoulder awoke him from sleep.
He had fallen asleep with the knight's hand in his, the tiredness putting him into a dreamless rest.
Dante supported his Master on his feet, making sure the Young Lord had a grip on the cane before letting him go.
"Thank you, Dante".
The words were low and barely audible, and Kilian tried to walk away only for his staggering legs to give in, letting him fall back against Dante, who in the same instant swept him up in a full carry.
"Let's go back, you have done enough".
Dante kept his voice low, seeing Kilian's eyes were already closed, the breathing calm, and the small light frame resting against him.
"Mm…"
Was the only reply he got from his Master when he turned to leave.
A hand grabbed his shirt, keeping him there, and Dante looked down into amber eyes.
"You.."
Dante exclaimed, recognizing the knight that Kilian had helped.
Dante stood there for a second, then took a step back without saying anything, holding Kilian tightly to himself in his arms, seeing the severely scarred hand fall from the hold at his clothes.
He then left without a word to the man, who would be watching his every step as he left.
Rayden could only watch as the red-headed man took Kilian away, leaving him behind with the other wounded knights, without informing anyone of his identity.
No one had recognized him until now, but the small hope of this man helping him had vanished, as the man Dante had taken the only person who had brought him light, out of his reach, ignoring him.
'Haah… I'm losing to such a man, does Kilian even know how possessive someone like that can be?'
Dante brought Kilian to his bed at the Valen residence.
The trip there had not woken Kilian, and the closeness of their bodies had only encouraged Dante to keep Kilian away from the knight he had just recognized.
'Was I wrong to do that?'
He asked the already sleeping Kilian, watching the young Lord slightly move in his sleep.
Dante walked over to the desk in the room, seeing the invitation from the Heathgraves, which had been the reason he had first sought out Kilian.
It had been there for a few days, but Kilian had been too busy to give any attention to the many invites that had arrived from several nobles.
He left the letter by the nightstand, so Kilian would see it when he woke up, not wanting to interrupt his Master's sleep for something insignificant like the Heathgraves.
Kilian felt his stiff muscles ache in the morning and sat up with a groan.
He quickly recognized his room and laid eyes on the letter next to him.
A sour grin spread on his face and he sighed, ripping the envelope open to read the letter.
'Master Kilian Heathgrave..'
It did not start well, and Kilian only groaned in annoyance. Had they not already removed him from the family registry?
'You and the Duke of Valen are invited to a family dinner at the Heathgrave residence in town'.
Kilian snorted. 'Family…'
'The Countess is looking forward to seeing her son'.
Kilian crumbled the letter in his hand, feeling the seething anger fill up his body.
"How dare they use my Mother".
He had already thought to deny whatever they wanted, but the mention of his mother was a new low.
'We will be there…'
Was all he scribbled down as a reply and got up to find a maid who could send it back.
After confirming with his grandfather to arrive together at the Heathgraves the same evening, Kilian went back to his room to grab his mask, leaving for town.
He needed to find....him.