23 Good Boy!

The sun's rays shone on Tyr's face and he opened his eyes. He felt a soft breath against his ear and he turned his head. Macha had her eyes closed and rested her head on the couch next to him. She sat on the floor and the towel that lay under him looked wet from her drool.

This scene struck him with a sense of relief. The past week was a continuous nightmare for him. He was unsure if his sister would die and the journey had been rough. His wounds festered, but he did not want anyone to know because he wanted all their medical help to focus on Luna or Mathis.

Seeing Macha resting so peaceful next to him made him realize that everything was all right now. All the emotions he had been holding back came rushing out. Tyr wept silently, thanking the dragons for how fortunate they had been. He covered his eyes with his forearm and brought his lips in to bite down on them. He did not want to wake Macha with this silly outburst.

Macha sensed movement and stirred. She was still sleepy but saw Tyr with his face covered. Tears rolled down from his eyes on to the towel. She flung a lazy arm over his chest and murmured, "It's all right Tyr. Everything will be okay." She then sucked in some saliva and went back to sleep.

The scene made Tyr change from wanting to sob with relief to chuckling. He laughed silently and shook his head. He looked at Macha and though how unelegant she looked. He patted her arm that lay on his chest. Looking at the ceiling he thought how funny she was.

He realized his shoulders felt less painful today. He also did not feel as feverish as the day before. She obviously had tended to him throughout the night.

He sat up and bent down to pick Macha up. She was light and felt so small while being cradled in his arms. As he carried her to her bedroom, part of him wanted to keep holding her. She gave him a sense of warmth that he did not want to let go of. When he laid her down on her bed, he wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth. "Thanks squirt," he said as he tucked her in and closed the door.

****

Macha woke up and realized she was in her room. She reached over to an orb that hung by her bed and turned the lights on. Looking around she realized she was alone and worried about Tyr. Macha flew out of bed running into the hall.

Tyr was sitting at the dining table eating leftovers. He had taken a bath and only wore black silk pajama pants. His wounds looked better than the night before, but he had not put a bandage on them.

"Tyr, you have to keep bandages on your wounds. I don't want them to become infected again," Macha chided while she grabbed the medical kit that lay on the living room floor.

"I'm fine. I told you I needed to rest. This is delicious by the way." Tyr ate another mouthful of the leftover ginger chicken.

Macha put her hands on her hips, "You were NOT fine. I had to wake an apprentice medic to come up and pull the pus from your wounds! Yeah right, you were fine." She made her way behind him to bandage him up.

Tyr turned around, "You had someone come in here? Male or female?" He had a worried look on his face.

Macha didn't understand what the difference was if it was male or female. She assumed he didn't want a female to see him in a weakened state. She turned him around and replied sarcastically, "I found a male. Don't worry. Your fan club won't know how weak you looked last night."

"It's not that," Tyr said picking up another piece of chicken. "I just like to keep my private life private. I don't want guild members to see how I live." He worried that a female who liked him would have come. If the females in the guild found out that Macha lives with him, they might cause trouble for her. "Is this one of the new menu items?" Tyr asked, changing the topic.

Macha sat down and picked up a piece of chicken. "I was thinking about it but wanted to hear your thoughts on how it tasted before I put it on the menu. You seem to like chicken, but this has a different flavor than what I've seen in the city. You seem to like it, so I'll put it on."

Tyr nodded his head. "Did you get an instructor yet?"

"Sort of? I asked Mia if she would be my instructor, but she said not while you're in town." Macha figured that it was because Mia knew she and Tyr were friends.

"Really? She taught me when I was young. Alright, I'll teach you. I can tell you've been training hard." Tyr noticed that Macha had more shape and a flatter stomach than before. Macha was never fat but lacked definition before.

"Do you think I can visit Luna today? I'm worried about her," Macha asked.

"Yeah. We can eat dinner with her," Tyr agreed, but he felt tired. He wanted to rest before seeing his sister.

****

Macha wanted to buy get well soon gifts for Luna and Mathis, so she washed up and dressed to go out. Tyr heard her getting ready to leave, so he put on a loose-fitting black shirt and a dark grey pair of pants. He waited by the front door for Macha to appear from her room.

When Macha came out she spotted Tyr dressed to leave. Her eyes widened, "Oh no. You have to rest. I'm going to get Luna and Mathis gifts. I won't be more than two hours."

Tyr raised his eyebrows. He had come back from almost two months in the outer-reaches, he didn't see why Macha was so insistent that he was sick. "Macha," he said flatly, "I'm a grown man. I think I know if I'm pushing myself."

Macha took Tyr's hand and let him to the couch. "Sit down and relax. I'll be back soon," she giggled.

Tyr leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes. The beauty mark below his eye peeked out through a split in his bangs. Macha gave his forehead a few friendly pets and said, "Good boy!"

Tyr waved his hand at her, indicating that she could leave. "Fine. Don't cry if you get lost without me. Remember, I offered to come and help."

****

Macha picked up three bouquets of flowers and three boxes of chocolates. She got one set for Mathis, one for Luna, and one for the apartment. Macha felt that the apartment looked too cold and wanted to brighten it up.

The last item she wanted to buy was passionflower tea, which Tyr drank often. He liked to drink it during meetings and before bed. The tea store she usually frequented had sold out, so she went to the Carnelian Kumas's shopping district.

When Macha left the tea store Fenrir was passing by outside. Fenrir was accompanied by two other women and they all wore expensive silk dresses and gaudy jewelry. Fenrir spotted Macha and approached her.

She pointed down at Macha's face, "This is that tramp I told you two about. She came in before the bed could even cool."

Macha looked around her. Her eyes were wide, and she thought she must have misheard what Fenrir said. "Excuse me?" Macha replied.

"Don't look at me or I'll batter your pretty little face. You're just having leftovers. Little tramp," Fenrir responded. A scowl crept across her face.

"Fenrir, don't bother wasting your breath on someone like her. Jarnvid is a much better catch than Tyr, anyway. You said it yourself, Tyr won't amount to anything without his family's help," a red-haired companion stated.

Macha heard enough of this. She glared at Fenrir's cold blue eyes. "I don't know why you left Tyr, but he is one of the nicest people I have met in my life! His guild is amazing. You were an idiot for leaving him. Also, I can look wherever I please."

Macha turned to storm off, but Fenrir grabbed Macha's long ears. "Listen, you little piece of crap. Tyr will never marry you. I was with him for almost 150 years and he never asked. Don't think you're better than me!"