Mist on the Moon

A love strong enough?

Trent could not help but notice Richard and Evie's sweet embrace. He thought to himself that they were both so young, and yet they did seem to have love for each other. Could theirs ever be like the great love he and Cara knew? And yet, it was so sad that her father was lying dead on the ground. Kneeling next to him, he bowed his head in homage to the man.

Then, ready to rise, he took one last look before he would have to order the lord's body to be taken back to the kingdom for proper burial. Wait! Did he see his eyelids flutter ever so lightly? Trent bent down to take a closer look. He placed his hand over his heart. Then, sensing a barely imperceptible slow rise and fall of his chest, he stood up to tell Evie. "Evie, your father is not dead!"

Trent would remember always the suddenly overjoyed look on Evie's face as she immediately knelt down next to her father. He heard her talking to him, loving words of a daughter to her father, whether he was able hear them or not. Then, Trent walked away. He needed to have a stretcher readied and to choose four knights to hold each end of it so as to as gently as possible transport him back. He needed to do that and he would also pray that in his frail condition he would survive the long journey so that he could be brought to the operations center where the doctors could treat him.

* * *

They made it back, and as if by a miracle Lord Garrick, Cara and Evie's father, was still alive. Trent had him ushered immediately into the operations center.

Cara learned right away of the return of the expedition and of her father and she had already rushed to where she knew he would be taken. However, by the time she got there, the doctors had taken him into one of rooms where they would attend to him. She saw Trent and rushed into his arms. "Oh, Trent, you have brought back my father. Evie has already told me everything. Trent, . . ." She hesitated as her eyes fixed on his with an all important question. "Trent, will he live?"

"I am sorry, Cara. That, no one but God alone knows. We found him on the ground, without any appearance of being among the living. The paleness of death was on him, for he had apparently lost so much blood. But thankfully, he was not dead. But now that he is back here where he can be attended to, we can hope, Cara."

"Trent, I must see him. I must see my father!" she said, feeling a desperate need. She left him to go to the door of one of the operations rooms. Knocking, it was opened, but only part way and a doctor spoke to her.

"I am sorry, my lady, we are in the midst of attending to your father. He is in a most critical way. I cannot stop you but I advise you most strongly not to come to see him at this crucial time."

Cara turned away, and the door closed. She turned back toward the door, wanting to ask when she could see her father, but then realized it was too late for that now. She returned to Trent who told her, "They will tell us when we will be able to see him, Cara. He is in a very serious condition."

This was definitely not what Cara wanted to hear, and though Trent was holding her she dropped her head and tears began to flow.

"Cara, Cara," Trent told her. "The doctors are skilled and will do all that they can do for him. They will also tell us when we will be able to see him. Let us go back to our suite now. I want to see our children. It has been too long since I've seen them.

They went back together and once inside Cara dismissed their babysitter after thanking her. Trent took both Brendan and Kirah in his arms and Cara could see from the big smile on his face how much the children meant to him. Glad she was that neither was in the least hesitant to be with their father after his long absence to deal with those who had captured her father and brother.

There was a quick knock on the door and in came Gilbert, Evie and Richard.

"Cara, Trent, they won't let us in to see father!" said Evie.

"I know, we were just there ourselves. The doctors are attending to him."

"Do you know anything of his condition?" asked Gilbert.

"Oh, my brother, I wish I did. Cara stepped forward to welcome him with a hug. Then, aware that Richard was with Evie, she turned to tell him, "Richard, it is so fine of you to return with Evie to see how our father is doing."

At that, Evie seemed to be at a loss for words, unusual for her. Then Richard came close and they held hands facing Cara. Trent had gone with the children and her brother into another room of their suite.

Evie began to speak, hesitantly. "I was hoping, we were hoping. . ."

Cara looked on at the two of them, still holding hands.

"I mean," continued Evie, "I love father very much. If he could. . ."

"Evie, what is it that you are trying to say?"

Evie looked into Richard's face, several inches above her own and he looked back at her with tenderness. "I want to marry Richard. He wants to marry me," she said quickly, almost as if she needed to blurt out the words. "But now I don't know if father will ever be able to give his consent."

Cara could see how Evie lowered her head as tears ran down her cheeks. She saw how Richard put his hand on her back in an attempt to comfort her. The feelings Evie had for her father were the same that Cara felt as well. Yet Cara was the older sister and she felt the need to be strong, to be one to brave the worst.

"Evie, father may yet recover. We all hope and pray that it will be so. But you and Richard, are you two really so much in love at such a young age?" In saying those words to Evie, Cara suddenly felt herself much older and yet in reality she was only a few years older than her sister.

Cara had regretted that their mother had died so young, and now she felt a bit strange in acting in a motherly way toward her younger sister. But the question needed to be asked, especially as they were both so young. Cara did not wish for her sister to be swept away by a love that might not last. She cared for Evie far too much and wanted only the best for her.

Note: What will Evie's answer be? Will Cara and Evie's father recover? Do you have some ideas on what is coming? Let me know if you do. Maybe, your thoughts can become part of the story.