The Dragon, The Sorcerer and The Witch Out of Time

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Page count: 18

Her head hurt.

Why did it hurt?

Her vision was black? Why couldn't she see?

Why couldn't she remember what had happened? Why did her back hurt? Why was it so cold? It'd been a lovely sunny day.

"Hermione?" A voice whispered. She recognised it. "Hermione?"

She turned her head towards the sound, feeling it press against the cool leather of a boot. A cool breeze brushed against her exposed skin.

"Hermione?"

Her eyes fluttered opened, her vision blurry. Oh, that was why she couldn't see. She blinked slowly, a darkening sky coming into view above. From the corner of her eye she caught sight of a dark boot and she slowly followed it with her gaze, revealing dark breeches, a dark blue shirt and finally the worried expression of Prince Arthur.

"Hermione?" His voice was quiet and she noted that his gaze darted away from her, glaring at something in the distance before returning to her, his expression softening.

"What happened?" Her voice was quieter than she'd have liked.

"You do not remember?" He questioned with a frown.

"No,"

"Perhaps that is for the best," he muttered, shaking his head lightly.

Frowning, Hermione tried to sit up, realising that she was laid on the ground, but she couldn't sit up. She had no hands to help as they were tied behind her back, the knot tight and unforgiving and she gave up trying to wiggle free when the rope chafed against her skin. So, that was why her back ached. From lying on the hard ground and her tied hands digging into her back.

Still in her attempt to sit up, she took a calming breath, gathered her thoughts and then tried again, using what little upper body strength she had to lift herself up and then pressing her hands against the ground to shuffle back, managing to push herself up until she was perched beside Arthur on the log.

She ignored his eyes observing her worriedly as she took a survey of her surroundings. They appeared to be far from the stream as she could neither see nor hear it, she didn't recognise the area of woods they were currently in and she could see no pathway that was frequently travelled. They were surrounded by nothing but trees. She could hear voices and she turned her head to face forward, squinting slightly to see several figures hidden in the darkness but bathed by the firelight as they sat and milled about the firepit.

Her eyes moved back to Arthur, finally noticing his rumbled appearance, the nasty looking cut on his cheek and that his hands were tied behind his back, too.

"You're hurt," she said worriedly.

Despite the circumstances, his mouth tugged into a smile. "I am fine, I'm more concerned for you."

Her eyes fell downcast, seeing the previously cheery yellow of her dress now being covered in mud and dirt, if only the seamstress could see her now. But aside from a headache and her hands being tied behind her back, she felt fine.

"Me?"

"You've a bump on your head. It must be from when you were struck by the butt of a sword, I've seen it happen enough times to recognise the marking left behind."

She frowned, her eyes darting back to the firepit and then everything sunk in, remembering the man hauling her behind a tree but after his threat, she remembered nothing.

"Oh," she muttered, lifting her eyes back to him. "I've one very important question." He arched an eyebrow. "Who was abducted first, me or you?"

A snort fell from him. "You."