A Rose To Remember

A Fatal Turn

Princess Rose was leading a troop of soldiers up the mountain belonging to her Uncle Valgon, when a scout came with a message from her brother:

To Princess Rose
The enemy is stronger than assumed
we need backup.
Please come swiftly.
Yours Prince Jared.

By the time Rose arrived at the battlefield with reinforcements, Jared had already left for another attack and Rose's father was missing. The battle was long and fierce, and despite Rose's efforts she lost almost half of her father's army and many men were reported missing. The cry for Jared went up after the last troops came in carrying the dead body of King Eli, Rose's father.
"Where is the Prince! Find the Prince!" General Marros roared, over the wailing, and mourning of Rose and her aunt's, all of which were generals in her father's army. Search-parties were sent out looking for him, but Jared was not to be found.

"Princess?" General Marros said, entering the Grand Tent, crossing the threshold to kneel reverently in front of Rose "my search-party came back, still no sign of the Prince."
"He's out there Marros," Rose said quietly from where she was seated on one of the three gold oaken chairs in the tent "we have to find him."
"Princess" General Marros said gently, looking up from the tiger skin carpet "we're not going to find him alive, it's not possible."
"That's not true," Rose whispered standing up and stepping away from him" Jared's not dead."
"Princess, please," General Marros implored getting to his feet, his 7 foot body towered over her 5 foot frame "let me call off the troops, there is no hope."
"I lost my Mother when Jared and I were born and now I have lost my father, General." Rose said trembling, she grabbed the arm of a chair to steady herself, "I will not lose my brother as well."
"Princess you must see reason- "
"I will not give up Marros. You can call off your troops as you see fit, but I will search that field until there is no doubt that Jared-" Rose swallowed, steeling herself for what she was about to say, "Until there is proof that Jared is dead."
General Marros bowed low "As you wish, your highness," he said, before exiting the tent.
"Syria?" Rose said to the small servant girl cleaning the thrones. Syria looked at Rose and bowed her head
"Yes my lady?"
"Bring me my sword and some food. I will depart in one hour."

"Where are you Jared," Rose muttered to herself, "for a twin you sure are hard to find."
"Rose?" a slurred voice rasped.
"Jared," she whispered.
"Under here," the voice answered. Rose ran to where the voice was coming from. She ran round the corner and screamed. Jared smiled painfully at her." Jared your alive!" Rose cried as she heaved off the body strewn over his legs.
"C-couldn't get rid of me that easily," he said, grimacing as she helped him up. she quickly checked him for wounds, Jared's torso was caked in dried blood.
"We need to get you to a physician," Rose said, "do you think you can fly?"
"Yeah," Jared answered.
"Are you sure?"
"It's better than walking!"
"Nice to see you haven't lost your sense of humour," she muttered, Jared just grinned at her. "It's too risky to transform so I call Skylar." Skylar was a dragon that Rose had befriended when she was a small child. She reached up for her dragon scale pendant before realizing that they couldn't fly.
"We'll have to take the roots," Rose said turning to Jared.
"Why?"
"Skylar's egg hatched just before we left the mountain."
"Oh" Jared swayed a little as he said this, his face pale and his torso covered in fresh blood.
"Jared?" Rose stepped toward him "are you okay?"
"Yeah,"
"Are you sure," She put her hand on his arm, "you look like a ghost!"
"yeah, I'll be fi-" he collapsed to the ground in a heap.
"Jared!" Rose yelled shaking his shoulder, trying to rouse him. She carefully lifted Jared's shirt to check the wound and swore under her breath. He had been stabbed multiple times in the gut. And the wound had somehow reopened.
"Let's get you to a physician Jared," Rose muttered hoisting Jared over her shoulder. She crouched down to the earth and began to sing softly. A great tunnel opened in the ground, and she ran down it, still singing as she ran. they reached the camp. she shot out of the ground in the middle of the camp and ran to the physician's tent. Rose placed Jared on the nearest bed and yelled loudly, "Ali! Quickly Jared is wounded!"

Ali the physician came running in from behind the rack of medicines. His face paled when he saw Jared lying there on the bed. "what happened?" he said softly.
"I found him a few minutes ago, his shirt was covered in blood. I assumed it was that of his enemies," she said grimly. "Then his shirt was covered in fresh blood, and he collapsed."

Ali carefully cut away Jared shirt to reveal the gaping wound. "That wound is a very good explanation for why your brother collapsed Rose," Ali said as he started cleaning the wounds, suddenly he gasped loudly. 
What. What is it?!" Rose said louder then she intended.

"I am afraid Jared has been stabbed by a Mithran blade..."
"A Mithran blade," Rose repeated, "but those things, they-, they were destroyed."
"Yes ,but not all were destroyed," Ali sighed, "as the story goes there was one blade missing when they threw them down to the core of our world."
"Only 13 were destroyed?! But, even if it did survive, no mortal man can wield such power."
"No mortal man can wield it, no," Ali looked up from his examination of Jared's torso,  "but the villagers of the mountains told tales of a group of men, who ran a bargain with Adun, and in exchange to handing over half of the mountains population as slaves, they received an immortal life."
"Your telling me, that there is someone out there, who cannot die of old age, carrying around the lost Mithran blade and that person stabbed Jared!"
"Yes" Ali said matter of factually "and Jared does not have more than two days to live."
Rose sat down on the bed next to Jared. As she looked at her brother's pale face, she couldn't control herself anymore. Tears flowed freely and sobs shook her body. Ali had always been like family to Rose, she was not surprised when he sat down and wrapped his arms round her shoulders.
"I know it's hard Rose. But I promise you this, as long as I am still standing you will not lose your brother."
"Thanks Ali," she whispered standing up, "but I need to be alone right now."
Ali nodded and returned to his examination of Jared as she left the tent.