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The night of the hunt was a lonely one for Laurence, if he wasn't absorbed in research he would wander the halls of the cathedral. Tonight he found himself doing just that, with his hands shoved in his pockets he ambled along. The moonlight painted the dreary stone walls in shades of blue and silver. The stained glass was softly illuminated to reveal its ornate designs depicting the cosmos. A chilling draft stirred the smoke from the incense urns causing it to dance lazily across the floor. The sconces on the walls were dark with soot, the candles put out when the gates were shut for the night.
The silence was deafening, so much so that Laurence could hear his own heartbeat. He needed to find something to occupy himself lest he go mad from boredom. Turning down a hall he passed by Ludwig's office, the door was ajar so casually Laurence peered inside. Ludwig had several reports sitting on his desk waiting for his signature. On a hook just inside the door was his dark blue scarf that he usually wore when it was cold out.
Laurence reached out for it, playing with the fringe on the ends before picking it up. He pressed the fabric to his face and breathed deeply, the earthy sweet scent of his cologne made him smile warmly. It was his favorite that he wore all the time, Laurence couldn't recall the name but he found it oddly alluring. He wrapped the scarf around his neck before walking off down the hall. "It's rather cold tonight, he won't care that I borrow it." He said to himself. He resumed his wandering around the lower levels of the cathedral, he paused at the library but didn't go inside. He really didn't feel like reading, he was too restless.
Just as the bell tolled midnight he stopped at the training room. The moon was peering through the clouds just outside the tall, arched, windows. Several training dummies were lined up along the walls waiting to be used. On the opposite side was several archery targets used by one of their more elusive hunters. A black iron arrow protruded from the bullseye of one. "Perhaps a little practice wouldn't hurt?" Laurence said as he crossed the room towards the armory. For training purposes the church hunters kept blunted versions of their weapons stored there.
Unlocking the door and stepping inside he searched for a threaded cane. Fumbling around in the dark his hands came to rest on the handle of a sword. He recognized it as Ludwig's great sword, the gauze wrapped around the handle helped him with his grip. Laurence loved watching Ludwig practice, the way he swung the heavy blade so effortlessly was impressive. He'd always wanted to give it a try himself but his boyfriend would never allow it. But he's not here now, is he? Laurence thought as a mischievous smirk crossed his face.
Strapping the sheathe to his back he walked back into the training room. The leather straps on the sheathe dug into his shoulders causing him to grimace, it was far heavier than he thought. Taking the sword in both hands he copied a stance Ludwig did regularly. He swung the blade but the weight of the sheathe threw him off balance. He crashed into a training dummy and smacked into the wall. "Ouch!" He groaned as he rubbed his arm. Taking up the sword again he performed a few thrusts and blocks, and as he was getting the hang of it he got a little more confident.
Performing a combination strike he swung then attached the sheathe to the sword. Swinging it for an overhead strike the weapon proved to be too heavy. The momentum drug him backwards, his left arm twisting too far with a loud snap.
Laurence hissed in pain as his eyes watered with tears. He clutched his arm and hurried towards the door leaving the weapon lying on the floor.
"This is bad! This is bad! Ludwig will kill me when he finds out!!" Laurence's tone mixing between pain and panic. He rushed through the darkened corridors keeping his arm still to prevent further injury. Just as he stepped through the door of the infirmary a pair of hunters stumbled in from another entrance.
"Praise the gods!" One of them exclaimed. "Your Holiness, please, we need help. We've both been injured and we're without any vials." A hunter with a top hat pleaded as his partner leaned on his shoulder. Laurence tested his injured arm, every motion sent radiating pain through it. He gritted his teeth but hid it with a smile. "Take a seat, good hunters. Let me fetch my things." He said as he gestured to a bench against the wall. Stepping into another room he searched a cabinet and found a bottle of sedative. Popping the cork out he took a tiny sip of the syrupy red liquid, the pain in his arm dulled to an uncomfortable ache. Grabbing a doctors bag from the cabinet he hurried back out to treat his patients.
............................
Ludwig was exhausted as he trudged his way through the darkened cathedral. He was splattered with blood and every muscle in his body was sore. He was very much looking forward to cleaning up and relaxing, perhaps he would take a nap with Laurence. The thought put a smile on his face, but as he passed the training room he stopped in his tracks. In the half light he saw something laying on the ground, on closer inspection he saw it was his training sword. His gaze went from his weapon to the cracked floor tiles, then to the armory door that had been left open. Something clearly wasn't right.
Storing his training weapon away he changed course and went towards the infirmary. There he found Laurence finishing up tending to a pair of hunters. As the Vicar sent them away he approached. "Your Holiness." Ludwig greeted him with a polite bow. "Master Ludwig." Laurence returned his greeting with a quick nod. "Forgive me, I was just tending to some patients and I need to clean myself up."
Ludwig raised an eyebrow, there were a few smears of blood on Laurence's hands but his clothes were spotless. "Alright, when you are through may I give you my report in your office?" He asked. "Certainly, I look forward to it." Laurence replied. As he passed by Ludwig placed his hand on his left shoulder in a friendly manner. He could feel something was off, and Laurence's pained expression confirmed it. "Are you hurt?" Ludwig was instantly concerned. Laurence felt his heart jump into his throat, frantically he wracked his brain for an excuse. "I- was absorbed in thought and I tripped going down the stairs!" He stammered.
Gingerly Ludwig felt around the joints of his shoulder. "Your arm is dislocated, it's going to have to be put back before you take any blood." He watched his boyfriend's face turn pale and he almost felt sorry for him. Steering him across the infirmary into a private room he sat him down on a chair. Checking a pouch on his belt he pulled out a half spent jar of sedatives and a blood vial. Fetching a glass of water he poured a few drops of sedatives in and handed it to him.
"Here, drink this and when the pain subsides I'll fix your arm." Ludwig said as he sat next to him on the bed. As he sat and waited on him he noticed his scarf around his neck. "That color looks nice on you." He smiled. Laurence blushed as he looked down at his glass. He was always stealing his clothes, but Ludwig didn't mind because he found it adorable. The mental image of Laurence in one of his shirts that was far too large for him made him chuckle under his breath.
"What are you laughing at?" Laurence asked with a quizzical look. "Nothing, darling." Ludwig replied. When he was finished he stood and moved behind him. Placing the glass aside he took Laurence's arm, without waiting he twisted in back into the socket. Laurence let out a pained yell and a string of curse words as he pulled his arm away. "Bloody hell!! You could've at least gave me warning!!" Laurence scowled.
"Sorry, I thought you were ready." Ludwig replied as he prepared a blood vial. No sooner than the needle was in his arm Laurence felt the old blood mending his wound. Ludwig saw the relieved expression on his face, he must've been in a great deal of pain. And he tended to other patients before treating himself, very typical of Laurence. After everything was cleaned up they walked back towards the Vicar's office. About half way there Ludwig scooped Laurence up and proceeded to carry him. This caused Laurence to turn red and bury his face against Ludwig's chest.
"Babe, please put me down someone will see us." Laurence mumbled. "It's alright, everyone is still cleaning up from the hunt." Ludwig replied. He was quiet a moment before adding, "You know, you weigh almost as much as my training sword." He watched Laurence turn pale and go wide eyed, his body going stiff and his heart pounding. "It takes a great deal of strength just to carry such a weapon, and because of its difficulty even veteran hunters have to exercise caution in wielding it." Ludwig's tone was not scolding but more of an instructor lecturing a student. "And because of how easy it is to hurt one's self there is a rule saying all training must be performed with a partner."
Ludwig had stopped in front of the training room and carefully set Laurence down. "Now, care to tell me how you really hurt yourself?" Ludwig asked. Laurence glanced over and swallowed hard, the training sword was gone. Which meant Ludwig already knew what happened. "I..... I'm sorry. I just wanted to see how it felt. You made it look so easy... I made a mistake." Laurence was so quiet Ludwig had to lean in to hear him. He had a suspicion what happened. Laurence was the only one here besides himself that had the key to the training room. The company captains all had a key but everyone had been accounted for before he returned to the cathedral.
"I forgive you. Just promise me you won't do that again. If you had been seriously wounded I don't know what I would've done." Ludwig replied as he took a step forward and pulled Laurence close. Up above the bell began to toll the hour, daybreak was not so far away. "I'm sure you're tired after such a long night, perhaps you and I can enjoy a nice nap together?" Ludwig whispered into his ear. "I'd like that." Laurence replied.