It wasn't his friend's voice that responded, however, but a soothing, female voice.
"No, not Merlin," Sarissa said, keeping her voice calm and comforting even as she ripped off the hem of her shirt to staunch his wound.
And what a wound it was! Something had pierced clear through his chainmail and into his chest - a sword, probably, given the injury. She worked quickly and efficiently, trying her best to stop the copious flow of blood, but it was clear that the young man had already lost a lot to begin with. He needed to get to a hospital, and quick.
When Sarissa had gone for her daily walk in the forest, she hadn't expected to find a gravely wounded young man on the side of the road. But she'd felt his appearance - it was a sudden intrusion into the forest, and she felt it as if he had appeared right beside her. It was the rabbits that had led her to him, but she had a feeling she would have found him on her own anyway.
It was a good thing she had, and a good thing that she was a nurse. If nothing else, she might be able to keep him alive until the ambulance came. Maybe.
"Just stay with him," she informed him, her voice gentle and firm. "My name is Sarissa. What's yours?"