No More Chances

As the cool steel of his blade kissed my neck, his face contorted in rage. How easy it is to play with the emotions of men, I think to myself. A wry smirk forms on my lips, and the knight’s anger turns to confusion, a spark of fear even flashing across his eyes. With a simple gesture of my hand, he flew back across the hall, his armor scattering around him and revealing his human frailty. “Don’t threaten me, boy.” I gibe. In an instant, I’m standing before him, reaching down to grab his throat before slamming him against the wall. “Tell your ‘King’ I choose war.” I kept him pinned a second longer before dropping him to the floor in a callous display, taking his chance to flee with my message to his ruler. Once alone, I apparate back to my throne and rest my head on my hand, thinking back to a few months ago when this all started.

My trusty adviser and I were on a morning ride, surveying the land carefully. We passed through multiple abandoned settlements, observing the abundance of wildlife thriving there in the absence of man. Each house was overgrown with various flora, their over-reaching vines now flowering in the spring season, which has just arrived. Just past the final settlement was the forest which separated my kingdom from all of the others. The neighboring domains had started rumors about these woods, calling them dangerous and haunted, fitting with their narrative about me as well. In reality, these woods were harmless. Though they appeared mangled and dead, their shadows cold and dark, they were as normal as any other forest. My advisor and I rode through them, touching my hand to their wrinkled surface every now and then, feeling within their bark the thrumming of their collective heartbeat. I could get lost in thought for hours in this moment, if not for what happened next. The once calm heartbeat quickened. Someone else is here.

I drop down from my saddle and place my hands on the ground; the distant vibrations of someone running could be felt as clear as day. “What’s the matter?” my advisor asked, sensing discontent in me.

“Someone’s here,” I responded, deep in thought.

“Prob’ly just some poor bastard who got lost on ‘is way to Durnell.” He said dryly

“Then why are they running?” I shot him a look, signaling for him to take this seriously. Drawing my attention back to the matter at hand, I focus in on the pounding footsteps of our mystery guest. Though I couldn’t pinpoint the exact location, the vibrations seemed to be emanating from the East. Without hesitation, I saddle back up and head towards the unknown presence, my advisor in tow. I prompt my horse to canter at full speed, whatever, or whoever, this is will be found and dealt with. I won’t allow history to repeat itself. I can’t.

We rode for not too long until we saw the cause of the tree’s sudden fright. A young woman lay on the ground, heaving violently from all the running. Her clothes were torn, at first glance from grazing the trees… but something wasn’t right. They were too shredded. My advisor and I dropped off our horses and cautiously approached her. She looked at me, the dry streams of tears still lingering on her cheeks. There was a sense of recognition in her eyes; after all, I am pretty well known, albeit for the wrong reasons. With what must’ve been the last of her strength, the young woman shakily stood. With a single hand outstretched, she took a few unsteady steps towards us, muttering a single word before collapsing into an unconscious state.

Help.

Of all the things that could’ve been said, her final plea was “Help.” Without thinking, I rush to her side and cradle her, taking this chance to look for any external wounds. Some minor grazes on her arms, dirt and leaves tangled in amongst her hair, some unnatural bruising and scars… lots of them. Seemingly quite old ones at that. That’s from what I could see with little effort, begging the question as to how many more did she have. What have you been through? I wonder to myself. I carry her to my horse in a swift motion and climb on with her still in my arms.

“Aarin, we’re leaving,” I commanded.

“Is this the best idea?” My advisor asks, “After what ‘appened las-” I glare at him, and he stops speaking.

“We’re leaving,” I repeat coldly. With a sigh, my advisor followed suit, and we rode back in a cold silence.

It took an hour or so to return to the stronghold, dropping our horses in the courtyard upon arriving. Still unconscious, I carried the girl to one of the many bedrooms to be looked over by the resident physician. He arrived promptly and began to look her over. After a few minutes of inspecting her surface wounds, he came to me with a worried look across his face. Before he had even begun to speak, I could tell that we had reached the same conclusion.

“Those scars don’t look to be self-inflicted,” he said regrettably, the same conclusion indeed. With tentative eyes, he looked at me and asked, “What do you plan to do?”

“We wait until she wakes up. Until then, we’ll look after her.” I could feel my blood beginning to boil in my veins. “After that… I don’t know.” The doctor nodded solemnly in agreement, collected his things, bid me a good day, and left, leaving me alone with her for the first time. I sat at her bedside for I don’t know how long. Who are you? I pondered. The night quickly fell, and I went back to my own quarters, curiosity keeping me up for the longest time.

This cycle repeated for a few days. I would visit the girl once or twice a day while she rested, staying with her for long periods of time in the event she woke up. It wasn’t until the fourth day that things changed. Upon my second visit for the day, I was met by the girl who was sat up in bed, clearly confused by her new surroundings.

“You’re awake, good,” I say after the minor shock of seeing her in any state other than being asleep wore off.

“W-where... How?...” She stuttered.

“Where you are is the Stronghold. How you got here is me after finding you,” I explained nonchalantly. There was a brief pause in our exchange as she sat there in silence, most likely trying to recall the events for herself, perhaps not even being able to.“You know who I am, yes?” The woman nods hesitantly.

“Yes,” she replied quietly. “I’ve heard… stories.”

“I bet you have,” I quipped back. The room fell silent again. I had a few questions for her, just as I’m sure she had some for me too, but the time to ask them wasn’t now. “I’m not sure what, or who, exactly you were running from,” I began, “But if you need help or a place to rest either permanently or until you have your affairs in order, I am more than happy to assist.” The young woman stared at me, dumbfounded at what I had just said. Clearly, what she had heard from the outside world about me did not match what I had just offered her. After a few seconds, fresh tears welled in her eyes.

“Thank you,” she says hoarsely. In response, I smile, thankful for her gratitude despite knowing my reputation.

“I actually have some affairs of my own to take care of now, but now that you’re awake, you can finally dine with us if that’s what you would like.”

“Us?” she asks.

“Me and my staff.” The girl seemed surprised at the notion but quickly accepted the offer for dinner, thanking me again. Afterward, we bid each other farewell, and I left her room glad that she seemed much better off than when she arrived four days ago. As I turned the corner of the hallway, I was met by Aarin, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He seemed frustrated, but I’ve known him for so long that it was just masking what he was actually feeling.

“You’re worried,” I point out.

“Course I am,” he says painfully. “I don’t know ‘ow you can’t be after last time.” He was wrong; deep down, I was afraid that this situation would be just like the last. I was worried for everyone here and worried for myself.

“I don’t know how it’ll all turn out,” I start, “But I can’t refuse someone help. You know that.” He sighs and drops his head.

“I know.” He gives me a weak smile, and I return a similar one back , unsure of what's to come.