The Princess's Secret [completed]

Chapter 61: Another Tale.

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Hiram.

He began to raise his sword, but found it was no longer in his hand. He scrambled, searching for it's black hilt. Then he saw it, several feet below him, half buried beneath the loose rock. Out of reach.

He turned back to the beast and tried to rise, but found that his feet were not obeying him. He stared at the beast preparing to leap. This was not how he'd imagined his death, being eaten by such a brainless creature- It leapt!

The lion landed on his chest and roared into his face, fangs seeking his throat. Hiram didn't have time to think- He grabbed the beast by the head and twisted it aside, finding more strength in his hands than he'd thought. SNAP! 

The sound was sickening, and followed by a silence. And he knew the beast was dead. He shoved the foul thing off of himself and stared at it. He had just killed a lion with his bare hands.

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Caspian.

It wasn't a long ride, but it felt like an eternity before they reached the streets of his master's old village. He dismounted as quickly as he could with a child in his arm. Ashia didn't stir, sound asleep. She'd seemed to enjoy the ride, to his relief.

He made his way directly to the home of Matilda, telling his men to do what they could for the villagers. He reached the home and felt the dread grow in his stomach. The door had been utterly destroyed, and now lay in splinters, spread all over the place. 

Stepping inside, his eyes widened in horror. It looked as though a tornado had been through the place, throwing furniture, pots, pans, everything all over the place. Blood splattered the wall to his right, coating it in crimson. The only thing that remained untouched was the bedroom door. 

A lady came out of the room as he was taking in the sight. She looked startled to find him there as he turned to her. He just nodded in greeting, glancing towards the door behind her. "Is she here?" 

The woman nodded, still flustered, and quickly bowed. Just then Ashia took the opportunity to awaken and cry hungrily. He noticed the woman's face soften as she looked at the child. "Is there anything to feed her? Her mother was killed last night and I have no idea when she last ate." 

"I could look after her, my King, until you are ready to travel again." The woman offered timidly, though her eyes betrayed her excitement to care for the child. 

Caspian smiled and carefully handed her the child. "I would greatly appreciate it." The woman accepted the baby stroked her head, where fluffy dark hair had begun to cover the skin. 

He said no more as he passed her, heading to the bedroom door. He quietly pushed it open, fear mounting as he considered what he might find. The sight of the blood on the wall behind him had warned of great injury, and he feared for the future of the dear old woman. 

The room was dimly lit, sunlight filtering through the curtained window. And there, on the bed, lay Matilda. Her left leg was wrapped in bandages, her right arm as well, but he could not tell how bad the wounds were. Her face was tired, and she was asleep.

He slowly sat in the chair beside the bed, taking her uninjured hand in his. It felt warm, a good sign of health. But her lack of reaction worried him. She hadn't noticed his presence, nor his touch. He touched her forehead, brushing her hair aside. Her head was warm, but not hot. 

Before long, there was a knock at the door. "Come in." He said quietly, not taking his eyes off the injured woman.

The door opened, and someone pulled a second chair over to sit beside him. He glanced over and saw it was the village leader, an old man who he'd spoken to often during his visits to the area. As a young knight he'd butted heads with the man occasionally, but since then they had gained a mutual respect for each other.