Chapter 1: Here I Lie
So is this to be it then? Am I finally going to die at the hands of some worthless bandit? I can't fight this; I can't fight death like he can. So now I lay here, a sword in my stomach, blood seeping through and staining my fur. My head lies to the side and through fluttered eyes all I can see is are my fingers occasionally twitching. My breathing slows down and my fingers stop twitching. But I'm not dead yet. I still have time to think, but I don't want to think about the past, instead I look to the future. Tales of what was beyond death never fascinated me, but now I am actually laying here dieing then now would be a good time to think about them, would it not? Would I really meet God? Or would I be thrust down into hell for dishonouring my country? The latter sounds fitting enough… It's happening now.I can already feel my heartbeat slow down – death is upon me and I should accept it. I close my eyes and soon the blackness consumes me…
But wait. I can feel something. That has to be strange for someone who is now dead… Arms. They're clasped under my back and the hook of my knees and now I swear I am being lifted, but by who? I try to open my eyes, these dying eyes that won't even move. I can hardly feel myself breathe and yet this stranger is taking me away.It is probably a bandit. Maybe it just wants to steal my armour, I'm sure it could be of some sort of value. But then again, they could have just stripped me of my armour and left my body here.
" Grab her sword, but be careful. It may burn." spoke the masculine voice. Yes, I should believe it would harm whoever the man was addressing. Laevateinn carried the flames of my own soul within her, only I could wield her power. However, I hear no gasp or shriek of pain. I do not hear the sound of my rapier clattering on the stone floor. I shake my head – mentally of course. How could someone shake their head on the verge of death? I'm a little confused, but I'm going to die soon, so what would be the point in worrying about such a little thing.
It's amazing that I'm still alive; we have been travelling for quite a while. There were only two people – the one who was carrying me and the other whomost likely a young boy by the sound of his voice who trailed behind us. I could tell from the occasional complaints from my carrier. He stumbled often and my carrier had to keep on instructing him in which direction to go. Odd. I feel strange lying in the stranger's arms. I know I must be in pain, but I can't feel it at all. I just feel numbness and the strange metal lodged through my stomach. I still can't open my eyes, but for some reason I don't even want too. Opening them would only lead to more confusion and why would I want to be confused at my time of death? Hold on. I've stopped moving, or at least my carrier has.
"Darius?" the older man calls somewhere. No reply, however his voice echoes through some sort of cavity – a cave? My thoughts are confirmed as we walk down some sort of rocky path, my carrier almost slips but he regains his balance quickly.I can hear water dripping down the cave.It is strange – how all my other senses have closed down except my hearing.I had never thought about what it would be like to be blind, but I guess I'm experiencing that right now.I have to rely on my hearing now, to try and understand what might be going on, even if Iam going to die soon. Suddenly, my finger twitches. I mentally breathe a sigh of relief but also confusion at the sudden movement. I thought I was getting worse?I don't understand what's happening here.
"Ah,Garrett,you've returned. And who is this?" speaks a new voice, feminine this time and s ome what young. Maybe she's the same age as me? I'm not too sure at the moment.
"Julianna is Darius here?" asked the man, Garrett must be his name. The women, Julianna? She was addressing him, wasn't she?
"No, he left earlier, now are you going to answer my question or are we going to stand here while you hold a corpse?" replied Julianna. I would chuckle if I could; I guess I've already taken to this mysterious woman.
"Don't you recognise her? She's a Knight of the Round Table." answered Garrett coldly. I have a feeling these two don't get along very well…
"Well, that is obvious. But why do you have her? Are you the one who lodged that sword in her chest?" My carrier growls at her. Should I be worried that they're arguing?After all, they do seem to be arguing about me.
"There isn't much time for questions. As you've probably guessed by now, this cat is dying and we need to save her." he hisses at the women through what sounds like gritted teeth.
"Fine, then lay her on the alter and I'll-"
"She needs to be near fire!" Garrett cuts off Julianna and she gives out and exasperated sigh.
"There's a fire lit in the other room, now let me go and get the vessel." Vessel? What vessel? But I have no time to think about that, instead I'm being carried away again.This is all too strange for me. I don't understand what's going on at all and the confusion is making my head hurt. Does someone like me really have to go through this when she is dying? What? My finger is twitching again. That's a good sign, right?
Suddenly I feel warm. My body is engulfed in flames but it doesn't hurt. In fact it relaxes me and I lay in the fire for a few minutes, taking in its heat. I finally realise now that my breathing has grown heavier. I've started gasping in for the smoky air that surrounds me.
"Just fire won't work, you know." mentions the solemn voice of Julianna as I believes here- enters the room.
"Well isn't that why we have the Grail?" snapped Garrett. I'm starting to dislike him now and the way he's talking to Julianna, but then again I'm not in the position to complain, nor can I physically complain all the same.
"Bring her out for a second," Julianna instructs and Garret does so, gently dragging me from the flames. I noticeably wince as my head leaves the flames. Julianna seems to have noticed this and her dainty hand wraps around my head and pulls back my helmet. I already know that there is blooded crusted across my nose and lower lip, but Julianna chooses to ignore this and instead presses a cold metal against my lips. A cool, sweet liquid pours into my mouth. I still had no feeling in any part of my body so all I could do was let the drink pour down my throat. It's a strange feeling, letting some pass down your throat without swallowing it. It's an instinctive thing that you don't often think about…
Ow, now I feel the pain again, but for some reason I'm not worried. Isn't the whole point of pain to tell you that something is wrong, and if I am feeling pain does that mean in an odd way I'm getting better? This is far to strange… I don't understand anything, but wait, no don't leave me, come back!I… I-I'mslipping…
"Garrett, her pulse has disappeared. I think you were too l-" started the tall wolf.
"No I wasn't, she's going to be fine." hissed the wolf next too her. The two druids were sat beside the lilac cat, the she-wolf cradling her head and the male glaring sternly at his companion.
"Well, there's not much we can do for her now. We should leave her to rest in the fire, and then maybe attempt to pull out the sword later," Julianna compromised and rested the knight inside the flames once again. She stood up and brushed down her skirt before walking out of the room.
"I don't understand why you care so much about this knight anyway? Not some silly prophecy?" she called out. Garrett growled before following her through.
"That cat is a Knight of the Round Table, I just don't think she should have deserved to die after her fellow knights deserted her leaving her to fight of around ten bandits at once." replied Garret.
"Well that wasn't very nice, was it?" Julianna pouted as she rested the vessel she had been holding to its place on the altar. Once positioned, the dark she-wolf quickly looked around the cave before resting her eyes on the young boy in the cave's entrance.
"Cornwall, are you coming in or are you just go to stand there in the cold?" she questioned sarcastically and rested one hand on her hip. The young wolf stared at his mother coldly.
"I thought you weren't going to use that anymore." he said angrily, not moving from where he stood, gesturing with a nod at the vessel on the altar.
"Cornwall, we've discussed this before. The Grail is to be in our possession until the Knight is chosen, until then, whenever it may be, we are to use anyway we wish." replied Julianna with a sigh.
"So you're just going to heal a load of random people for the hell of it? This isn't right. You can mess around with who lives and who doesn't!" shouted her son.
Julianna raised a hand to her head. "Cornwall, you're too young to understand."
"I don't want to understand. I just want that thing gone!" Cornwall yelled.
"Cornwall, that is no way to address a woman, let alone your mother." spoke Garrett sternly, glaring at his nephew. The young wolf glared at his uncle through clouded eyes, before pivoting on the spot and storming off into the forest, tripping on a tree root as he did so. Julianna sighed as her son left.
"He just too naïve," Garrett commented before turning to return to the knight in the other room.
"He's not naïve. I think he understands perfectly well what's going on, but his views differ from ours, so if you could please not interfere with how I raise my son." Julianna's head turned to face Garrett with narrowed eyes, who happily returned the look, but eventually the she-wolf broke eye contact and left to find Cornwall.
Garrett turned back and entered the room with the crackling fire in the corner. The lilac cat was now breathing steadily, but the sword lodged in her stomach made the wolf grimace.
"Seems like Julianna is naïve too, knight. Silly prophecy? I'd like to see the look on her face when you're the one who discovers the Holy Grail once again." Garrett smiled at the cat, leaned forward and swiftly yanked out the sword causing the cat to curl over. Her eyes fluttered opened for a second, strained and bloodshot, but closed quickly once again. Garrett smiled once again at the cat,
"Sleep well, Percival. I have big things planned for you."
