a/n and tw: There are references to torture and PTSD. This takes place in the fantasyAU. It is also the last of the 2018 Whumptober stories I have saved for the handful of Musketeer stories that will be posted in time. Apologies for the very long delay in getting these posted. I do plan on taking part in this year's whumptober but I can't make any promising on keeping posting up to date. I'll try to keep them updated on Tumblr but it may be delayed here due to my work schedule.

prompt: showdown

Keeping Watch

"I'm not going to argue with you about this, Darius," Liam says. "You have to actually go to bed tonight. You don't need to stay up to keep watch. Harris has checked out this area. It's safe."

Darius sits in his usual chair in the main room beside the fire which they've kept going because Darius has already had a few fevers in the past couple of months as he's been healing. A couple of them were severe enough that they feared losing him. The Darius that came out of the torture and illnesses is a stranger to Liam and Alycia. He's paranoid and angry and almost frail. They can't help but walk on eggshells around him lest they set off another attack. What he sees they're not sure, but he's not there that much they know. They suspect that he sees his attackers, his captors, and his torturers. For three months they had him at their mercy, betrayed by the people he helped.

"Have to stay here," Darius says lowly. Nightfall brings out the worst of his mood shifts and incoherency. "Someone has to keep watch."

"I will then. Let me take over."

"No, no. Couldn't. Can't."

"Then I'll sit here with you. You shouldn't have to stay up on your own." Liam sits down in front and slightly to the side of Darius with his back facing the fire. They sit in silence for a while. Liam hears Darius' breathing hitch when he shifts and the occasional stifled groan. The broken ribs are still healing and the whip wounds, though mostly healed, have left him with stiff, painful scars. Darius often couldn't reach out with his arms to grab anything from tools to cups to food. They have to help him with much of the daily activities. He tries some things on his own, his stubbornness still there, and though he may be able to do it, he pays for it later with pain and stiffness that sends him to bed in misery.

Darius startles when someone knocks on the door. But it's not just a few knocks; it's several, in a pattern. They've developed a series of knocks to help Darius. The people barged in when Liam and Alycia were gone, pulling Darius from his bed. Sleepy and confused, Darius couldn't put up any kind of resistance. The knocks were a suggestion from Hugh. The older knight had been part of the rescue force Harris put together. Though they weren't citizens of Eckhart, Grace, Harris, and Hugh still cared deeply for them and had managed to put together a mission to hide their rescue of Darius. It was dangerous and nearly failed a few times, but they did finally get him and once their shock of his treatment wore off, they took him from his captors.

"That's Alycia," Liam says. He gets up to let her in.

"Liam," Darius hisses.

"It's fine. It's Alycia and she wouldn't knock like that if someone was with her." He opens the door and lets her come in out of the chilly night air.

"How's everything going," she asks, shaking the snow off of her cloak. Their new home has taken them further north where it snows two-thirds of the year it seems. She and Liam take turns going out for work. No one in the nearby village has met Darius, but they know of him, of a strange man who never ventures out, shrieks away from strangers, and never sleeps. Still, their situation and the villagers' pity has allowed them better work and work schedules.

"Same," Liam says. "Always the same as usual."

"Ah, yes the usual nightly routine. Well, have you two had dinner?"

"We sat down to eat but it didn't go as well as planned." Liam had tried to help Darius, who was stiff and couldn't bring the spoon from the bowl to his mouth more than a few times without pain overwhelming him. Frustrated, Darius had upended his dinner and gone back to his chair. Liam tried to eat but left his bowl half full and went to clean up the mess Darius made.

"Well, how about a pastry," Alycia asks, carefully pulling a cloth with something inside from her bag.

"How'd you get pastry? Tell me you didn't spend what little we have on pastry, Alycia."

"Of course not. The baker had some left over. I think he's got a bit of a soft spot for Darius. No, I didn't tell him anything, but you know the whole village is talking about him. George is one of the few who's truly concerned, not pitying him. He thought some apple turnovers might help bring some brightness. I thought they might be easier to eat. There's one for each of us."

"We can always try. But even if he can eat it, he may not want to."

"Let's try anyway. Hey Darius." Alycia sets her bag on the table and pulls out one of the pastries from the cloth. They're not huge, but they take up the space of her palm. George is a fantastic baker. She's brought home some of his bread before and heard about his other baked goods.

"Alycia. You're back." Darius glances up at her quickly before returning his gaze to the doorway. "Did you lock the door?"

"Yes, of course." Harris himself had installed a couple locks, stronger than what was there. They wouldn't truly prevent a determined intruder, but they seemed to ease Darius' mind some. "And I brought you something. George, a baker in the village, had some extra pastries. He thought we might like them." She pulls off a piece of the one in her hand within Darius' eyesight. What food he'd gotten while held captive and tortured had occasionally been poisoned. Darius realized quickly but had to eat or face more torture and the humiliation of being force fed. Food that Liam and Alycia prepared he trusts because he trusts them but anything coming from outsiders is suspect. They've taken in some food from caring families in the village but after a particularly bad episode, they didn't try to feed it to Darius, eating it for themselves and giving him what they prepared.

"It's really good. Liam, you should try a piece," Alycia says. They've done this with some of the bread and it's worked to convince Darius that it's safe to eat. Liam tears off a piece and makes the same comment as Alycia after eating it.

"You should try it, Darius. It's the best thing we've had since those scones a few years ago," Liam says.

"No, no. Have to stand watch," Darius says.

"But you can still watch and eat," Alycia says.

"Can't be distracted. I have to keep watching." Darius winces as he moves to keep a line of sight on the door.

"We'll keep watch while you eat, okay?"

"You trust us, don't you," Liam asks.

"Always. Of course." Darius nods his head.

"And wouldn't two people watching be more secure than just one," Alycia adds.

"You'll keep watch?"

"Our eyes won't leave the door. Just try to eat this, okay?" She holds out the turnover which looks just as appetizing even with two pieces missing.

"I don't know."

"You're hungry, aren't you," Liam says. He avoids talking about dinner because he doesn't want to upset Darius.

"And even if you're not, this turnover is worth feeling full," Alycia says. Darius is very thin after his captivity and has yet to make any real progress in regaining the weight. If he'll eat the turnover, then she'll work on ways to get him more so he'll get healthy again.

"Just a bite, Darius."

"Yes, just a bite." She waits until he holds out his unsteady hands. A few of his fingers are crooked, having started healing while he was still a prisoner. She sets the turnover in his hands, waiting until he seems ready to hold it on his own before she pulls her hands away. This new Darius is unsure and doesn't have full control over his limbs. More than once cups and utensils have simply slipped out of his hands that suddenly refuse to grip and he's collapsed or stumbled when he knees give way. They don't know if the old steadiness will ever return but they'll be happy to have Darius happy and healthy.

Darius is slow to bring the turnover to his mouth to take a bite. Liam and Alycia keep watch on the door while also watching him. They're good now at dividing their attention and have developed a sort of sixth sense when it comes to looking after Darius. He winces and gasps as the movement of his arms pulls on the scars. If they can ever get him more mobile then Harris and Hugh have shown them exercises to help with the scars. Darius could regain some of his former mobility in regards to that.

His first bite is small and he chews slowly. He does that now and they can't figure out exactly why. Perhaps when he's ready he'll tell them.

"How is it, Darius," Alycia asks, careful not to look at him.

"Okay," he answers plainly, but takes another bite that might be just a little bigger but Alycia was trying hard not to look. The pastry flakes nicely as he eats, making it easier on his mouth. The poisons gave him mouth sores that have left his mouth aching and recur at random times. He's also missing a few teeth but nothing immediately noticeable.

Liam taps her side. She glances at him to see him pointing down at Darius, who is slowly, but determinedly eating the turnover. He's made a mess with the flakes and thick, spiced sauce the apples were in, but to see him willingly eat something makes her resolve to not only leave her turnover for him but to find a way to get more.

When he's done, he's quiet for a while. Liam and Alycia stay where they are, though they do sit down to get more comfortable.

"Thank you, Alycia," Darius says finally.

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it," she says.

There's silence again for a while then Alycia brings up the topic of bed.

"No, no. I have to stay here to watch," Darius says, the guard that he'd let down while eating the turnover is back up and in full force. He won't let anyone in.

"This isn't going to work, Alycia," Liam says. "I was having this debate with him before you came home."

"He can't keep sitting up here. He barely gets any sleep when he does and it's just going to make him sick again."

"I know." Liam pauses for a moment, then lights up. "I have an idea. Darius, you good to keep watch for a few minutes?"

"Of course," Darius says.

"Alycia, come with me. I have an idea for how all of us can get some good rest tonight." He doesn't wait to see if she comes, walking back into their room where there are two small beds. "Let's get these out into the main room. They'll be easier than his bed."

"Your solution is that we sleep out there?"

"Yeah, you have a better idea?"

"No, no. I just wish you'd thought of it sooner." She picks up the side of the bed opposite Liam.

"Lack of sleep will do things to you," Liam answers with a smile. Darius is slightly irritated by the arrival of the beds, but once they're out of his line of sight, he calms. They put the two beds with their headboards against the wall, next to the fire, so that they can easily keep watch on the door. Then, they grab the blankets from Darius' bed and pillow, bringing them out to the beds in the main room. With the two beds together, they have just shy of the width of Darius' bed.

"Alright, Darius, here's the deal," Liam begins. "We're all going to sleep in this bed together. Each of us will take a two-hour watch and you can take the first. If someone doesn't wake one of the others up for their shift, then they have to skip a watch shift. Does that sound like it'll work?"

"I'm not sure. Have to keep watch," Darius says. He eyes the bed but not for long.

"And someone will, but you have to rest or you won't be good for keeping watch," Alycia says, feeling terrible about playing into his anxieties.

"Someone might come in."

"Yes, if one of us isn't rested enough for our watch, then someone could come in and we wouldn't know about it, but this will make sure that we're all rested so that doesn't happen."

"That could work. That could work."

"How about we try it for the night," Liam says. "If it doesn't work, we'll figure something else out."

"Okay. I'll stay here," Darius says. "You two go to bed."

"No, you have to be in bed, too. We have to keep watch on each other and we can do that best in bed here." Truthfully, Liam hopes that Darius' body would react quickly to the warm bedding and comfort of the bed, forcing him to give in to sleep. But that doesn't mean he'll let them go unwatched. He knows that Darius would be furious if he let that happen. Liam hasn't planned on actually going to sleep during Darius' watch.

"Come on, Darius. Let's get into bed and see how this'll work," Alycia says. There's a little more prodding from them before Darius finally gives in and climbs into bed. He takes an outside spot and sits up straight. Alycia turns down some of the lights and joins Darius and Liam in bed. As expected, Darius is tense but he's in bed which is something that doesn't happen willingly, especially at night.

Darius doesn't fall asleep during his watch shift, though Liam is sure that he's close. The man is quite stubborn. Nevertheless, it works. Darius keeps to the rules and wakes Liam up after two hours. Though he does try to sleep, it's difficult to relax enough and when he does fall asleep, his dreams become nightmares that they carefully pull him out of until he's once more awake.

It'll take time, Harris and Hugh said. They have experience with this sort of thing, but whenever Liam and Alycia asked if he'd be their old Darius, the two knights grew silent. It'll take time. On nights like this, it'll take time was poor comfort. They'd be exhausted and on edge tomorrow and Darius would probably be worse in paranoia and temper but they had gotten him to eat and get into bed. Two small battles had been won in the fight for Darius and those would have to get them through the next days.