Rolan x Fem!Tav Unnamed: Hurt/Comfort.
Grateful thanks to @obibail for letting me take inspiration from their headcanons for our beloved Tief sibs. (read them here---they are excellent!)
In Corpore Sano
"Where does it hurt?"
Rolan accepts her offer to mend his broken self. To his reluctant surprise, she is tending to more than his flesh.
Tags: Fem Unnamed Tav, Hurt/Comfort, Injury
Word Count: 2,213 [Read on AO3]
"Welcome to the infirmary!"
Rolan’s favorite cleric stood at the entrance to her tent, holding the flap open for him with a smile. He glanced back over his shoulder toward the campfire. Cal and Lia were still sitting deep in conversation with the loud friendly one—Karlach, he seemed to recall.
Yet again, Rolan wondered whether he made the right choice accepting her invitation tonight. She had posed it as a social event to reunite his family and her motley group of companions—a credit to her discretion, one that he appreciated. She and Rolan both knew the true reason.
One bright morning last week, she had walked into the Sundries with her companions in tow. He droned the usual greeting before catching sight of who it was. She was intelligent; one look at his face and a short conversation were all it took for her to piece things together.
She'd respected his pride, however, not asking any prying questions in front of her friends. Only after she descended the stairs from a meeting with his master did she pull him aside privately.
Rolan knew from personal experience that she was a gifted healer, but she could be very convincing as well. She phrased it as if he'd be doing her the favor: as if she'd be so grateful if he just agreed to let her help him. Her eyes swayed his resolve.
Perhaps it was his reluctant happiness at seeing her again and the chance to spend even more time with her. Or perhaps it was the lingering ache in his ribs that made it painful to breathe let alone incant. Rolan gave in.
And now he was here, and whether or not he might wish he could, it was too late to back out now. Rolan ducked under her waiting arm.
Inside, his nose was hit with the smell of fresh herbs and candle tallow. She’d packed her bedroll away in the corner; instead, a couple threadbare cushions lay in the center of the space. An abundance of candles burned here and there, shedding enough light for her to work no doubt.
"Have a seat," she invited, fastening the tent flap securely behind them.
Rolan did so, sitting cross-legged on one of the waiting pillows. He tucked his tail in carefully, mindful of all the hot candle wax surrounding him.
She kneeled down opposite with a little "right." He pushed away the knowledge that she would be laying hands on him in a moment.
"Where does it hurt?" She began.
"Where doesn't it," Rolan grumbled. He'd instantly made himself sound pathetic—excellent start.
Her eyes flashed with something, but she moved on. "Let's start at the top," she suggested.
She pushed up her sleeves and pressed palms together to concentrate her magic; a pale light glowed between them. Then she reached out to place them on the top of his head.
The gentle pressure on his scalp was pleasant in a way he didn't expect. He felt her magic reaching out through him, searching steadily for any signs of injury, soft as a bird's wing. He ducked his head to let her reach past his horns more comfortably.
"So, want to tell me why you're doing this to yourself?"
From this angle he couldn't scowl at her the way he wished to. "Jumping right in, are you?" A scabbed wound under his hair closed up as he spoke.
"I just don't understand why you're putting yourself through this," she said calmly. "You always seemed smart to me."
"It's hardly any of your damn business." Rolan's hackles rose in defense. He thought he'd have longer to prepare before her inevitable meddling.
"I disagree, actually." Her fingers searched lightly through the rest of his hair. "You're my patient now."
Though she made a fair point, and he already felt her touch soothing away the aches and pains, Rolan wasn't about to entertain this conversation to any lengths. "You wouldn't know the first thing about what an apprenticeship with an archwizard is supposed to be."
"Maybe," she admitted, and guided his head back up to continue the exam; her expression was impassive. "I certainly don't understand how this helps you study the Weave."
"You don't just study the—" He momentarily lost focus as her fingers felt along his pointed ears. "It's about attuning each of your senses with the Weave, learning how to channel it with your whole self each time you cast the simplest spell. Master Lorroakan is teaching me how to set aside distractions of the body." He would probably earn a losing mark on that subject at the moment.
"Doesn't the pain make it harder, though?" She asked. Her focus had moved to his face, which he knew was in a pathetic state.
"At times," Rolan said, begrudging. "But that only proves I can focus harder."
They were both silent for a while, and he was relieved to feel the subject finally drop. Outside the walls of her tent a chorus of nocturnal insects and the muffled conversations near the fire were the only sounds filling the air.
He sneaked a glance at her face as she hovered close, concentrating on a deep bruise over his temple and cheekbone. He knew she'd healed the spot once the dull headache lifted from him. It had been there so long he forgot how light his head could feel without it, and he sighed to release a knot of tension curled up in his chest.
"I never noticed you had so many freckles," she said suddenly, her lips curving up in a smile. "They're cute."
Rolan had no clue how to respond to that; no one had ever described him in such terms before.
"Other children used to tease me," he said, the admission surprising even himself. When was the last time he thought about those days? Why bring up the miserable past now, with her of all people.
She met his eye with curiosity. “In Elturel, right? That’s where you and Cal and Lia grew up?”
As her hands continued to ease the bruised flesh on his cheek and jawline, he decided she deserved a simplified version of the truth, at least.
“Where we met. They’re brother and sister, but we’re not blood kin.” Rolan closed his eyes to focus on the soothing ease that spread outwards from every spot she touched. Not seeing her face also made the talking easier.
“We were orphans. We met each other in one of the city’s worse homes." Behind his eyelids, snatches of those days floated back to him. Dark, crowded rooms. Gnawing hunger in his gut. Always someone crying. Rolan steered his mind past them like always.
"After a while they just wouldn’t leave me to my damn self. They were young and hungry. And I was old enough to work, and I didn’t have anything else keeping me from—” He stopped, redirected himself. “They needed me to protect them from some of the world. I told myself I took them in, but in truth, they adopted me.”
She had paused her work as she listened. "No wonder they love you so much."
"They're a couple of damn idiots," he said, the bridge of his nose wrinkling with frustration just at the thought. "But they're my responsibility."
His eyes were still closed, but he could hear a soft note in her voice. "I'm sorry that little Rolan went through all that. But I appreciate that you told me…it means something to know."
Something soft grazed Rolan's forehead, and he realized with a jolt that she had kissed him. His eyes flew open.
"Sorry," she said, looking just as shocked by her own actions as he felt. "It's—an old human folk remedy. Forget it.”
There was not a gods damned chance of that, but she was already leaning back on her knees to a professional distance. "Did I get everything? Any other spots?" She asked.
As his heart drummed against his ribs, the wound there twinged in reminder. The idea somehow felt far more personal than her hands on his face. Then there was the embarrassing thought of having to disrobe in front of her. Could she heal him through his clothes? Healing magic was not Rolan's area of expertise; he couldn't be sure.
She was a battle cleric, he reminded himself, she certainly wouldn't be affected by his bare torso. Not the way he would, anyway. To her he was just another poor stray in need of her kindness.
"Here," he said, indicating the spot. "Feels like a cracked rib."
Her brow furrowed. "Show me?"
Rolan undid the clasps of his robe, just enough to gingerly work it over his shoulder, clenching his teeth as he freed his one arm. The motion hurt like hell.
She leaned close to inspect him in the candle light. He felt the same searching warmth of her magic around the spot. Whatever she discovered, her face was somber as she drew up to meet his eyes.
"I don't care if he's the archwizard of Baldur's Gate," she said. "Find someone else to teach you. Please. Anyone."
Her face was almost enough to make him ashamed of defending his choices. Almost. "If you're going to bring this up again—"
"You've been hit here other times, haven't you?" She pressed. "Recently."
Rolan set his jaw. "He's got a temper."
"Rolan, I am begging you." She truly was, hands clasped toward him, her eyes large. "Don't go back to that tower tomorrow. What if next time—what if he—" There was no need for her to finish.
Rolan stared her down with every shred of his stubborn certainty. "Whether he knows it yet or not, Lorroakan of Ramazith is going to make me the most powerful wizard in Faerûn," he told her. Told himself. "I've known it's where I belonged ever since I was that little nothing on the streets of Elturel. And if this is the price it costs, then I'll fucking pay it."
He hadn't convinced her, would never convince her, he saw that in her face. As he watched, her eyes welled with liquid that spilled out, one droplet rolling a path down her cheek. Rolan had never felt more fucking monstrous.
"I'm sorry—I'm sorry," he repeated dumbly, grand ideals gone from his head for the moment. Whatever it took to stop her tears. Her palm wiped the wetness away as she looked down at him.
"You're always sorry for the wrong person," she sniffed. "I can fix you. You're the one who's going to keep getting broken."
She was crying for him, and he couldn't remember the last time anyone did that. Before he could find what to say, she gave herself a little shake back to herself and bent wordlessly to tend to his side.
Rolan sat quiet in his guilt as she worked on him. Before long a prickling sensation of warmth spread out along his ribcage, as if his sinews were stitching themselves back together under his skin.
"Your collar bone was broken as well, wasn't it?" She was bent in such a way that Rolan couldn't see her expression, but her tone was almost back to normal. Cautious relief filled his chest.
She went on. "It's healed, but the bones are set wrong. Does it hurt to raise your arm?" Without waiting for his assent, she straightened up to start gathering the magical energy between her hands again. "I can fix that too, but it'll take a while."
"Thank you," he finally said, far later in the evening than he should have.
She gave him a little smile. "You're welcome. Now, hold still."
Her face leaned very close beside his while she worked. A short pang of discomfort in his shoulder was followed by the same sensation of his viscera being mended from the inside out. Her fingertips brushed his skin as she guided small bursts of magic through him.
Rolan examined her features in the moment, bathed as they were in the pale light of her own spell. There was a tenacity to her that he found irritating and endearing in equal measure.
A strange spirit possessed him, and he brought his hands up to rest them on her hips as she worked. Her fingers paused almost imperceptibly on his skin, but she didn't look at him.
"There." She pulled away slightly, though not out of reach of his grasp.
Rolan flexed his shoulder forward and back, testing the range of motion. "Damn that feels good," he said appreciatively.
"I'm glad," she said with a smile. "Is there anything else?"
The question hung in the air between them. Rolan's hands still held her as he tried to decide how best to proceed.
"Would you mind if we stayed here for a while?" He asked boldly.
She cocked her head at him. "That depends. Are you planning to be nice?"
He was, he very much was. Rolan drew her a little closer to him in answer. Cal and Lia would interrogate him endlessly at the soonest chance, he just knew it, but he'd deal with them later.
Her forearms rested on his shoulders, drawing him nearer to her through the candle light. "Come here, then."
And he did, and he did.
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