Fan Fiction ❯ Spirit of the Dragon ❯ Inner Turmoil ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter Three

From the back of his mind, Prince Acanthus could hear someone shouting at him. But it was indecipherable. Its meaning was drowned within the shrill ringing in his ears. Sweat poured down his body as he watched himself lift the blade. The girl lay below him. He could see the fear in her eyes.

"She would have killed you, Prince! Show her the same compassion!" The voice that called to him was a wretched blend of pain and malice. It was furious, and that fury sunk itself into his brain. It refused to release him.

"Prince Acanthus!" The shouting grew a little louder, but it was distorted, as if he were submerged in the sea and someone was calling to him from the surface.

"What are you waiting for?! Cut her throat!"

The sword was coming down. The girl passed out.

"Sir Prince, stop!!!" Squire Kaiden was running towards him. But there was nothing he could do. It was impossible to get there in time.

The ringing stopped abruptly.

Prince Acanthus' eyes clouded, and then the fire began to fade from them. Gradually they became green again. He threw the blade aside, disgusted with himself.

What am I doing?! In all his years of training as a knight, he had always been taught never to take the lives of the defenseless. And here before him was an opponent without a weapon, without consciousness…and was a woman nonetheless.

He painfully got to his feet, wiping the grime from his eyes. He traced the horizon with a hand. The last of the Gardrothians that were able had fled.

"Cowards." One of the soldiers spat.

Cowards? Prince Acanthus glanced back at the girl. She had stuck it out to the very end, and had refused to beg mercy even as her life was slipping away. That does not seem that cowardly to me.

The sound of wagon wheels drifted down the hill. Here came the healers to collect the wounded. And the undertakers to collect the dead.

Prince Acanthus took this opportunity to survey his troops. Many were nursing wounds. Nothing major. There were about seven green-clad warriors, however, who lay motionless in the grass. No knights had been lost. That was a relief. A few horses were down, though.

"Prince Acanthus, I was calling to you…" Squire Kaiden was a boy of fifteen. His young hazel eyes were usually bright and cheery. But now he was pale and breathless. It looked as though he had seen a ghost. "But you did not seem…to hear me."

Acanthus realized that he must have frightened the boy out of his wits. "I must apologize for my behavior, Kaiden. I do not know what came over me."

Kaiden shook his head, looking over at the fallen leader. "Is she…?"

"I was afraid to look…" Acanthus knelt back next to her, wincing at the numerous injuries that plagued his body. He gently touched two fingers to the girl's throat. There was a pulse, although it was faint. "She is alive. But she is struggling." He reached a hand under her, guiding it along her spine. "She hit her back, but I do not think it is broken…" He sighed, pulling back to look at her. Something unfamiliar stirred within him. He ignored it. "Perhaps she will give us some valuable information."

"You think so?" Kaiden sounded doubtful. "Do not forget who we are dealing with, here."

Yes, I know. Gardrothians are not known for their explicitness. Prince Acanthus' eyes were drawn to her again. But this one…I have a feeling about her.

One of the healing wagons moved over to him.

"How are you, Prince?" It was Frostleaf, the man who had been responsible for a great deal of Acanthus' upbringing. Especially since the King had been ill for as long as he could remember.

"I am fine, Frostleaf. But this maiden…I sense that she is the key to unlocking the ambition behind these Gardrothian assaults. However, I fear she is not in the best of condition."

"I see…" Frostleaf knelt next to him, an unreadable expression on his face. He then pressed a hand to the Gardrothian's forehead. His eyelids fluttered as his gaze was directed to some faraway destination. "Yes, she is in great pain. But the source is not hers alone."

"Whatever do you mean?" The Prince looked concerned by this remark.

"I sense another life within her, Acanthus."

"You mean…?"

"She carries a child." Frostleaf looked very grave. "Although I doubt she is aware of it. It seems unreasonable that she would knowingly go into battle in such a state."

Prince Acanthus looked horrified. "I would not have fought her…had-had I known…Certainly you cannot think, that I would be so low-"

"Calm down, Canth. I can help them both. As long as we bring her to the castle immediately."

"Of-of course…" Acanthus turned to Kaiden. "Go find Janus."

The boy nodded and ran off to retrieve the stallion.

While they waited, the Prince watched Frostleaf tie a bandage around the young woman's wounded shoulder.

"You are certain you can help her?"

A nod in reply.

When Kaiden returned, Frostleaf turned to Acanthus: "Bring her to the infirmary, lad. I shall meet you there."

Acanthus obeyed, delicately lifting her into his arms. He solemnly strode to Janus and set her down there before he swung his leg into the saddle. Then he folded an arm around her. Suddenly he felt very protective of this wounded soul.

Kaiden recognized the look his Prince had given her and watched with a twinge of concern as passenger and rider disappeared over the hills.