#ft one of the most nyra momets i wrote in recent works

[i-mybrunettelady]

(Un)usual day in the life of the Commander, otherwise known as a near death experience, through the eyes of one of her friends

Preface: I wrote this a bit earlier, but forgot to post?? Also, it’s my first time getting into Gorrik’s head, so don’t judge me too hard for that please :> Also am I shit at titling? Yes!!! But oh well.

Beware of (slight) EoD spoilers

At first, Gorrik thinks they’re going to kill her. 

He really thinks it, watching as they hook her up on strange machines. She’s motionless, more a puppet than a person, and Gorrik can only stare as they set to work. It seems surreal, how one moment she’s a monster on the battlefield, blinding and kicking and killing left, right and center, and the other – this, eyes closed, not putting up a fight as these new humans gingerly and quickly set to work. 

He’s ready to strike, to shout, to yell, it’s his friend, it’s the Commander, it’s Nyra, before he realises, with a thud in his heart, that if they wanted her dead, they would have just let her die of her wounds. It calms him down a bit, though he doesn’t move from the operating table and promises he’ll do harm if they do her harm. 

Days pass. One, two, three, it turns into a week, and she’s still out of it. Some nights Gorrik hits the table repeatedly and babbles loudly, but he gets no response. The humans come every day, clean the wounds, do their job, talk in a strange, new language between each other. She’s still out of it. 

Suddenly, Gorrik isn’t so sure of his prior reassessment. 

*** 

The second week, new people come. One of them, a woman with short dyed hair, goes to remove the bandages and Gorrik catches the grimace she makes at the scarred, red flesh she finds. Almost in disgust, she sets it aside, but the grimace is there even as she lays her hands on Nyra to check the “healing progress.” 

“Stop making that face,” he shouts at her, “and don’t stare! She didn’t let you!” 

The woman frowns and mutters something derisive in her language. But she listens, not looking any more than strictly necessary. Gorrik’s proud of himself, even a little. Even the big guns need help from time to time. 

“I won’t let them see any more than they have to,” he whispers into Nyra’s hair. “You said you were uncomfortable with that sometime. You came to rescue me, and now I’ll rescue you, if I have to.” 

Nyra doesn’t respond, but Gorrik can’t say if he imagined the light movement of her scarred hand in his or not. 

***

It’s the middle of week two. Sun is just coming through the small window in their cell, so it’s too soon for the doctors to come. He’s certain it’s not a part of his dream, though when he looks around, a big Lubinella Cadentis that he held onto was nowhere to be found. Rubbing his eyes, he yaws, but his yawn quickly turns to a surprised yelp. 

“Good morning, Gorrik,” Nyra rasps, with a slightly pained, but relieved smile. Edges of her eyes are wet with tears. “You– You were really calling for that– Dwayna’s mercies– that bug back in Elona..” 

“They didn’t kill you!” Gorrik shouts. “You’re alive!” 

“Sure am,” she lets out flashes of breath that are probably supposed to be laughter. “Been waiting for a while for you to wake up though…” She buries her head in the pillow, closing her eyes shut. “This hurts really fucking badly, you know. Good Gods, what exactly happened..” 

Jumping from his seat, Gorrik bangs at the door and yells what he presumes means doctor in wherever they crashed those airships to. Painkillers knock her out again, but this time, for a change, he is marginally less doubtful of it being harmful.