The Adventures Of Erlin-The Sword In The Stone || A BTS Fan Fiction || Vol. 4

The Darkest Hour

Third part

The sorceress's fantastic powers allowed her to survive. The night passed, the knights took care of her, placing her close to the, by now, extinguished fire, and covered her with all their blankets. Despite this, Erlin barely moved, every breath she took was equivalent to a spit of dragon flame into her lungs and it, more than once, caused her breathing to stop. Her body temperature was steadily dropping and nothing seemed to be improving. At that moment the first lights of the morning were glimpsed, but they were soon covered by a sky of gray clouds. Namjoon stayed next to her the whole time, holding her in his arms to warm her even more and every now and then he changed with the others, because the cold of the sorceress' body beat the warm one of theirs. Yoongi, now that it was his turn, pulled up the blanket again, it fell from Erlin's chest, leaving her exposed. The knight also held her head, she couldn't support herself and Yoongi felt like crying. And the knights were no different.
"There's no sign of improvement..."
Jimin said, biting his lip aggressively. He feared losing the sorceress at that moment and he didn't want to witness such a scene. Namjoon stroked Erlin's hair, now cleared of snowflakes, in his head he already had a solution to help her, but it included abandoning the mission.
"We need to get her back to Jin, he's the only one who can cure her."
The prince said with a trembling voice. At that sentence, the sorceress's tired eyes rested on him with much disapproval, only she couldn't create the correct facial expression.
"And abandon the quest?"
Hoseok said, not entirely convinced. Both the mission and Erlin were important, he cared as much for the sorceress as anyone, but he doubted that bringing her back to her Camelot would save her life; the doctor couldn't handle the others, why should it have been different with her? They might as well have let her continue to stay with them.
"Hoseok, she saved my life, I won't let her die. Not her."
Erlin tried to smile, but her lips were frozen.
"If we don't reach the Isle of the Blessed, hundreds will die."
They couldn't risk wasting any more time. Namjoon turned his head towards his best friend, as much as it pained him to admit it, he couldn't let everything go, but he couldn't take Erlin with them either, she would be dead in no time.
"I'll take her."
Yoongi offered, standing up. He had made a promise to Adeoga, but at that moment Erlin was more important, Namjoon also had the others who would protect him. The prince thanked him with a shake of his head, he was sorry not to have Yoongi by his side, but the sorceress had to go home.
"It will take you two or three days to get back to Camelot on your own."
"Not if I pass through the Valley of the Fallen Kings."
Yoongi knew a lot of places to get back to Camelot and that valley, although it was a place haunted by magic, it was the quickest route. In a day and a half they would reach their home. Yoongi noticed his companions' eyes and already understood their feelings.
"You can't abandon the mission, you will make it without me, you are all excellent fighters."
The prince moved his eyes to Erlin.
"Sire, he is right."
Hoseok said, they had to leave. Namjoon finally nodded, however in a low mood and with a tremendous sense of guilt still clinging to him. Jungkook knelt next to the sorceress, took off the covers, leaving hers. He took her like a bride, trying to keep her covered, and carried her onto her horse, laying her on her stomach; the sorceress's head rested on the animal's neck. Jungkook covered her well again with Elyan's help, then gave way to the prince.
"It's my fault, I'm sorry."
Namjoon stroked her back, his eyes filling with tears. Erlin didn't want to see him like this, she tried to take a deep breath, slowly and opened her purple lips.
"Y-You don't have to...it was m-my choice."
She spoke slowly and painfully. The prince was happy to hear her voice, but he felt even more guilty knowing the reason for the sorceress' sacrifice.
"Take me with y-you, please."
Erlin spoke before Namjoon could.
"No, you would die."
Namjoon fastened the saddle buckles.
"Please, I want to be by y-your side."
Now her lungs were really hurting.
"Erlin."
The prince moved her hair out of her beautiful green eyes so he could stare into them.
"Please, just this once, do as I say."
The sorceress groaned and closed her eyes, her chest giving her too much pain to bear. The knights threw back the tears, empathizing, albeit healthy, with what their friend was feeling, because she seemed on the verge of collapse.
"We have to go."
Yoongi warned them, climbing onto his horse, then moving close to the sorceress' one. The prince moved away, returning close to the others.
"Take care of her."
Jimin said.
"I'll make sure you see her again."
Yoongi took the reins of Erlin's horse, and together with her, they set off, under the sad eyes of their companions. Yoongi, during the journey, made sure to keep Erlin on the horse's back, sometimes, due to the animal's jumping, she tended to lean too much both to the right and to the left. Every now and then he stopped to check his friend's breathing, he saw her move, but she couldn't even stand with her back straight. Towards evening, they finally reached the Valley of the Fallen Kings, the two large statues at the entrance confirmed it. Yoongi found a suitable spot, going even further, near a small, shimmering stream. He stopped the horses, got off it, and pulled Erlin down into his arms, trying to be as gentle as possible. He walked to the shore and laid her there, not removing the blanket from around her. The temperature was dropping, so Yoongi took off his cloak and covered Erlin in it, even though the material was very thin. Erlin felt a trace of good magic, from what it made her feel, it seemed to be some kind of healing aura. And it came from the stream. Yoongi knelt down by the shore and took off his gloves, he had to wash his hands, they were all sweaty, but he stopped. He saw Erlin move one hand, until she dipped her fingers. His eyes widened, the water ran up her arm, turning into shimmering blue waves. Yoongi became worried about her and grabbed her wrist, thinking that something he didn't know was killing her.
"No, Yoongi..."
A soft, feminine voice reached his ears, startling him. The knight looked around, finding no one.
"Yoongi..."
That voice again. Now from the stream, small bubbles rose up, they spread out swinging as if there was wind. The nominee took a step back, seeing female faces forming in them. They were different and very delicate, he could even glimpse some light makeup in their eyelids, although he couldn't tell the color, because the bubbles were transparent.
"Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you."
The woman in front of him reassured him.
"We just want to help you."
Another said, but still in the same voice. They had a sinuous echo.
"Who are you?"
Yoongi gulped, he didn't understand anything about magic and he didn't know which creatures to trust and who not to.
"We are the Vilia, the spirits of the brooks and streams."
Another bubble unfurles, five in all.
"The tear in the veil has upset the balance of the world, good and evil spirits roam freely. But this state of peril cannot last."
Her way of speaking reassured him, it calmed his tense nerves.
"Prince Namjoon is going to the Isle of the Blessed. His intent is to repair the veil."
The knight explained, now not taking his eyes off those fantastic bubbles.
"He'll need help from you."
The first spoke, made her voice heard again.
"But my friend is sick, I have to take her back to Camelot."
Yoongi said, placing his hand on the sorceress' head.
"Erlin is stronger than you think."
The girl in the bubble smiled slightly at him.
"The young sorceress has powers and a future that have been written since the dawn of time. Don't worry, my sisters have already begun to heal her."
Yoongi frowned and shifted his gaze to Erlin. The same waves as before had now surrounded her entire body and did not look as threatening as before, on the contrary, they created a big smile on the knight's lips. Now he had the assurance, that Erlin would survive.
"You are very tired, you need to rest."
The same girl always spoke.
"I can't, I have to find shelter."
Yoongi was about to get up.
"You are safe here."
The girl in the bubble stopped him, admiring the sweetness of that knight.
"But Dorochas-"
"We will stay with you and protect you all night."
The girl smiled at him and together with her sisters, they surrounded the two. Yoongi brought Erlin close to him, so that they lay on the ground close together, she no longer needed to touch the water, the waves in her body were not gone. The sisters closed their eyes and recited an incantation in their heads, and multiple golden waves surrounded them in a spherical manner, engulfing them both. Yoongi looked around in ecstasy and felt protected.
"This sphere will protect you, if a Dorocha dares to approach, it will be driven away immediately."
The knight nodded and smiled to thank those kind spirits. He brought one arm under his head as a pillow, while the other he twisted around the sorceress, so he could be sure of having her next to him. He closed his eyes, falling asleep immediately, too tired from the journey and the fear he faced in those days.