Under the Cursed Grand Magus

Chapter Four

After helping all the women out of the caged wagon, the soldiers divided tasks among each other. Trenton was in charge of treating the women's wounds and setting up camp with Angelo. Meanwhile, Drew collected firewood, Gregory and Vince went hunting for rabbits. Trenton dug through his saddle pack until he found his first aid kit and a handful of medicine potions. He sighed heavily to himself, it wasn't going to be enough to treat both of the injured women fully. From where his horse grazed, Trenton observed the women huddled together trying to stay warm with the rough blankets they had gotten from the mercenaries. Only the blonde with an arrow in her shoulder had a thin blanket and the brunette with a cut on her thigh was not covered. Instead, the blonde lay motionless , while the brunette hugged her knees, huddling close to the others for warmth against the cool mountain air. Winter was fast approaching and Trenton surmised the blonde would not last through the night, even if he treated her wound. Still, Margrave Runegard had left the women in his care. Trenton walked over to the blonde, choosing to focus on her wounds since they looked to be the most severe. He removed the arrow and covered the wound with thick cloth, applying enough pressure to stop the bleeding enough for him to apply ointment. The woman didn't even wince when he applied the ointment. She must've passed out from the pain, thought Trenton to himself as he lifted her head to give her medicine to drink.

Once he finished helping the blonde, Trenton turned his attention to the brunette. There was something different about her, unlike the other women who had been taken captive, she looked more haggard and even the way the others treated her was different. He walked over to her and the two women closest to her moved away quickly. The brunette kept her eyes down, not resisting his touch, when he grabbed her injured leg, extending it so that he could see the injury. Her skirt was soaked, clinging to her thigh, making it difficult for Trenton to see the wound clearly. "What's your name?" Trenton asked softly, "Stella". It was the faintest whisper, but he heard it. "Listen Stella, I need to clean and bandage your wound. But I have to lift your skirt to see the injury better." Stella said nothing, she only looked away and Trenton took that as a sign that it was alright for him to proceed. Trenton raised her skirt to just above the wound and quickly began cleaning the wound, pouring water onto it and applying ointment to prevent any further bleeding. "Almost done, I just have to wrap it." Even though she probably wasn't going to respond, Trenton felt it was right to let her know that he was almost done mending her leg. "Um" Came the quiet response "Sir Trenton," surprised that Stella knew his name, Trenton looked up at her pausing from wrapping her thigh. "You know my name?" asked Trenton wide-eyed "Sorry, I heard the Lord Margrave call you that." A short pause followed and Stella shyly turned her head to look at Trenton, for some reason her cheeks were flushed. "It's just that," Evading her eyes for a moment, Stella breathed deeply. "I have other cuts, could I bother you to-" Pointing down at the bandages Trenton understood the request she was trying to make. Putting one hand up to stop her, "It's no bother my Lady. Margrave Runegard left you in my care. I will tend to your other wounds." smiling, Trenton assured Stella that he would help her as he finished wrapping bandages on her thigh.

"Alright, where else are you hurt?" Stella's face became more flushed and she timidly began lifting her top. Trenton could feel the blood rushing to his face. He hadn't been expecting her to raise her top, "Here." Stella said, pointing to a cut that went down her torso to her hip. Trenton gulped, noting how part of the cut was covered by the waist of her skirt. "Alright." Pursing his lips, Trenton took an extra cloth, poured water over it and began cleaning the wound. The wound started just below her breast. Following the cut down the length of her torso, Trenton began to notice other marks and bruises on Stella. Some marks were old bruises that were still healing, while others were more recent and likely caused when she had gotten captured. Curiosity got the better of him when he reached Stella's belly button. Trenton paused from cleaning the wound and traced the outline of a larger bruise on the left side of her belly. It took the shape of a man's fist, but that bruise seemed much older than the rest, it was as if she had been hit there repeatedly at one point. "Who did this to you?" Trenton's voice was tense, he hated the thought that she had been abused physically. Stella kept her eyes downcast from him, embarrassed that he had noticed the bruises that marked her body. "Was it your husband?" He didn't know anything about her, but from her appearance she was of marrying age and could have had an abusive husband. Stella shook her head 'no' so Trenton pressed her for an answer, firmly grabbing her chin between his thumb and forefinger and turning her to face him. "Then who did?" He asked again firmly, Stella's eyes watered, and her lips quivered, she looked so helpless meeting his eyes before looking away again in shame. "It was, someone that I used to know." Meaning, it was probably an abusive boyfriend or fiancé. Trenton wasn't one to wish bad on others, but he hoped that the man responsible for those old bruises had gotten himself killed during the raid. "I didn't mean to pressure you but, I'm glad you're not still with him, or I would have to beat some sense into him myself." Muttered Trenton as he continued cleaning the wound, until he reached the line of her skirt. With a short sigh, Trenton stuck a finger in her waist and pulled the skirt down enough to finish cleaning the wound. "You're very kind," he heard Stella say softly. "If only he were as kind as you."