Life as a Royal’s Breeding Partner

Chapter 242 – Long Day Healing

Morning came too fast. Shyla shakes me awake as the sun peeks over the snowy horizon.

"My Lady," Shyla says when I open my eyes. "The fighting is starting early today."

"Great," I groan. My nightgown was replaced with a green dress. Shyla at least helps her pregnant lady stand up before putting on the coat, boots, and scarf.

Hurrying to the medical tent, I begin my wait for the nobles. Surrounded by hurt commoners, I'm just too good to heal.

Well, I'm not, but I'm sure they all think that is why they lay there injured when I could help them. Elora is standing there all bundled up, waiting for me, so she'll provide a distraction for a bit.

It is nice they haven't forgotten about me.

"Hello, dear," Elora says. "I only have a few moments, but I want to check up on you."

"I'm fine," I say. Did Geta not talk to her?

"Good, you're doing an amazing job. We were able to confirm that a noble of the enemies had died. Yet, you have healed all of ours to perfect condition," Elora says, giving me a curtsy. "Thank you."

"Hmph, then why do they complain so much?" I ask, taking a seat. I am now more pregnant than her. Well, I was before now, and it is just noticeable even in my bundle of clothing.

"They are annoyed about the first day," Elora says. "They weren't happy to have them wait, but you did no harm there. I know you wish to heal more women, the ones in the beds right now. They are all women in my lands, and I have a way of keeping track of them. I can give you that method and we can later go around and work on healing them. We can build the plan out together after the war, and I hope to give you some time during the war to get to them. You are right that they deserve to be healed as well."

"I guess," I say. "But they still die while I can't let a noble pass away."

"Yes," the Princess says. "Yes, there isn't much we can do about that. Sorry, I don't like it any more than you do. But that is how wars are. A single noble can kill hundreds if they don't have another noble to keep them in check. You did scare off Lady Oriphusa, and that opens up chances for you to find a new way to manage this tent."

"She was letting women die that had no need to die," I say. "If that scares her off, then I can hardly call her a healer. Anything else?"

"I understand," the Princess says. "She is following the healer's guidelines exactly. You already have more mana than her and likely growing. You can be a bit looser and have everything work out. No, just wanted to thank you for your work and check up on you. The nobles may complain a lot, but if you keep up this work, they will be praising you after the war."

"Good for them," I say.

"Goodbye, my love," the Princess says, giving me a soft hug.

"Goodbye," I say. The Princess sneaks a kiss in and walks out officially, giving me nothing to do but wait amongst the misery.

The wait doesn't last as long as yesterday. Another noble comes in, looking like a dart board. How these women don't bleed out on the journey is crazy. I know they have potions and whatnot, but the number of holes is absurd.

"Shyla, just tell me if another is about to die," I say, getting to work on healing the first noble of the day.

...

"My Lady," Shyla says. "Another noble is coming in. If you don't get to her, she will die."

"Can't they use potions?"

"They've tried that; otherwise, they wouldn't be here, my Lady."

"I've got this bitch already on death's doorstep, and Kali and Esta are busy. So tell me who should die," I say, keeping focus on the noble I was already working on.

"It would be best if you didn't let either of them die."

"Thanks for the fucking wisdom, maid," I say. "I'm going to be a lot slower and may kill two of them if I split my attention."

"Try my Lady," Shyla says. "Worst case, you give one up and save the other, leaving us exactly as you would have been."

I don't think that is the real worst case, but whatever. "Fine," I say. I'll find a way to blame Shyla if this gets two nobles killed. "Set her down on the same bed or something."

Well, this is a first. The new woman is covered in some fungus thing.

"Poison?" I ask no one. I just finished using two streams on one patient, and I immediately have to try two with an injury I've never seen before.

I give her arm a kiss and hope for luck. What comes up is nonsense, so I creep up beside her, careful to control my first stream on the original girl. The second just washes over the strange fungus for now. Maybe it'll do something without my direction.

I bend over to give her another kiss on the cheek and get an actual answer. The fungus has sprouted some root thing into her and is fighting for control over her nerves.

Is there a reason they didn't burn or cut off the fungus?

"I don't think this one would die, but she will likely start attacking us," I say. "Do we have a guard that can hold her down in case she goes out of control?"

"I will get one," Shyla says.

None of the fungus is by her head, likely the only reason she hasn't tried to kill anyone yet. This must be a great torture method with all the pain the fight over her nerves must be causing.

I start with the parts near the woman's heart in case they can take over that rhythm. That would be the best way to kill her if they sense defeat and have their own will.

My other patient has frostbite, so I just need to cut that away around her heart and wait.

"Let me know if I need to act, Lady Alzi," a guard says, standing at the foot of the bed. I hope she's smart enough to figure that out on her own.

The fungus doesn't react when I clear it off her skin. I'll need to find a way to pull out the roots or whatever grows out of the fungus. They seem to still be a little active without the top portion.

The frostbite is getting chopped off, but healing over the missing body parts is slow work, and with the noble's blood pouring out of my new cuts I have to keep going.

"Can you call over a manaless healer?" I ask. Maybe she can plug the wounds enough for me to reach her after Miss Fungus is cleared.

I spark growth in the woman's body, looking to push out the roots. Her nerves settle down as the roots start to get pushed out. But there are hundreds of little roots to push out under just the small growth I've cleared so far.

"Lady Alzi," a healer says. "Would you like me to cover the frostbite wounds?"

"Yes, I'll cut away, and you patch over. I'll heal underneath the cover. I just want to limit the blood lost."

"Yes, Lady Alzi."

...

It worked. Barely, but alive is alive when you have mana to fix anything with a pulse or whatever the undead have. I should find out if their hearts beat. I don't know how I've gotten several of them pregnant without even knowing that.

Whatever. The fighting constantly sent a string of nobles into my tent. They are not on top of each other like those two, so I didn't need to split my attention, but I think I need to work on that so I can heal them faster and not hear their bitching.

"My Lady," Shyla says. "You need to eat."

"Do you have food? I've got this bitch to heal."

"I am not a bitch," the noble says, still missing most of her limbs.

"You are," I say. "Over and over, you've complained. I didn't freeze your limbs solid. Sure, I cut them off, but they were already dead. Think it takes just a second to regrow four fucking limbs? Think I want to sit by your side while others are dying? No, I'm working as fast as I can, not only keeping you alive but getting you back in shape to fight while others die behind me. So stop bitching about how long I take. How many women would have all the nobles walking out of here alive?"

"The Royal Healer could," she says.

"So one. Glad we're on the same page."

"My Lady," Shyla says. "I will get your food. Please be nice to the patients, they have it hard fighting so much."

"I am nice to them. I normally don't even say a word to them as they complain about me saving their life."

"Hmph."

"Now bite down on the leather. I've got limbs to regrow."

*** Elora ***

"Three hundred today. But we got five hundred," Geta reports. "Alzi got all our nobles alive and is just working on getting the last few into fighting shape. In a few days, they should have to start their retreat."

"You think we can't force a decisive fight tomorrow? Azula De Vil isn't nearby still, and we have the numbers and should have the noble advantage. I'll take to the fight and force their attention. You and Shimmer come into their flank. Take Elyne with you as well. I'll have Ioelena, Inanos, and Syro to cover me. I want to gain a bit of ground. Mother said she's made contact, and Lyrei is almost there."

"But they are behind us a bit," Geta says. "Wouldn't it be best not to attract them to retreat into us? We can't trust Lyrei to follow us up correctly."

"More of this, and we risk a day when more than Alzi can handle comes. We have several days before they can reinforce whichever Princess we have across the field from us. We just increase the scouting behind us and dig in a bit more so we can handle it. Sister knows that if she fails to follow her enemy, Mother will have her head. Mother wants the kids in Alzi's belly almost as much as Alzi wants them."

"This fight of yours risks overwhelming Alzi tomorrow. Wait a few days, your sister has contact, and then we push hard that hour. By then, we should have an advantage of nobles that keeps Alzi from being overwhelmed, making our siege all that much easier and safer."

"The hour my sister makes contact, we press," I say. "The nobles are still ready to turn on Alzi."

"Just a day or two more. I know we need to time this so Alzi can give birth in a city. I also think I should be the one to strike in the middle. With a horse taking me to the front line, I can get there fast enough and hold the line better. You come in on the flank and use your better mobility to sweep up. Vanya could even look to take the other flank if she isn't pushed into the battlefield before us."

I don't love that idea, but Geta would hold her ground better in the fray. "Fine, you are better at keeping space. But I can't go to the far flank without Alzi starting to feel pain. My group will split in two, one crushing the flank and the other pushing towards you in the middle," I say. "If only we could end this before Alzi's Mother gives birth."

"That would require your mother to bring her entire harem out here."

"The damn dragons just had to show up at the ceremony."