Chapter 2 - The second battle

Odette got there just in time to keep the prince from hitting his head on the stone tiling. There was so much blood. "Oh Derek!'', she softly cried. Bromley slid to a stop next to the pair and helped Odette lay Derek down on his back. "We have to slow the bleeding, princess." And then he did something he'd never done before. He pushed down onto the wounds hard, causing blood to seep through his clenched fingers. The sight nearly made him pass out but he held strong. Derek moaned, his face scrunching up in pain. "I'm sorry Derek. It has to be done." Bromley said. Odette looked at her love. It broke her heart to see him suffer like this. The princess lifted his head onto her lap and stroked the matted hair away from his face.

Not wanting to intrude, Jean Bob, Speed and Puffin looked on from a distance.

Derek's breaths were shallow and ragged. His skin felt strangely cold to her touch. Even his color seemed off. Odette looked up at Bromley. His mouth set in a thin line, his face grim as he tried to staunch the bleeding with his hands. Here was a man instead of the boy she once knew. Bromley studied the prince's features. He was far to pale, washed out like he was dead already. 'He isn't going to make it.' Suddenly he met her gaze. There was a sadness in his eyes as he almost imperceptibly shook his head. 'No', "NO!" Odette frantically grabbed Derek's face. "Please Derek, wake up. You can't die!" Tears were streaming down her face. "Derek... Derek!"

"Odette!" Bromley shouted at her shocking her. "Princess", he said softly. "I'm sorry, it doesn't look good. He's d...", he couldn't say it. As if saying it out loud would make it even more real. He couldn't, WOULDN'T think about his best friend dying "He... We have to get him back to the castle. It's his only chance."

"But how...?"Odette looked at Brom.

Puffin perked up at this. "His horse!" He wouldn't have gotten here as quickly if he didn't ride one. "We should get his horse!" Puffin called to Odette and flew of in search of the animal. He flew fast and hard, zigzagging through the trees looking for anything and everything resembling a horse. What he came upon was not only a horse but a whole contingent of guards led by a white haired noble. He squawked trying to get their attention.

"His horse." Said Odette "Puffin is going to find his horse."

"Who?" Bromley looked around angrily. 'How could anyone watch what happened and do nothing!' "Puffin is a, never mind. I'll tell you later" Odette felt some of the despair she felt earlier melt away. There may still be a chance. "Please, tell me what I can do." Bromley looked down at his hands. The blood flow seemed to lessen but the prince's skin was turning slightly gray. 'Not good...' At least he's still breathing, barely. He looked up to Derek's face to see his eyes cracked open a sliver. "Derek", he called softly. Blue eyes slowly tracked the moonless sky without really seeing it. "Derek, help is on it's way. I hope..."

"Brom!" Admonished Odette, "Help IS coming." She kept stroking the prince's face singing softly, trying to get him to focus. Bromley thought about moving his friend. It would be impossible to do so with his hands incapacitated and he didn't dare let up on the wounds. He then looked to the princess' long skirts. Odette saw his gaze go from his bloody hands to the hem of her dress and caught on quickly. "Brom, do you have something to cut it with?" Bromley shook his head. "Just the arrowheads." Odette carefully laid down Derek's head and stood. She didn't know how long she had been sitting in the same position but she felt like she was walking on pins and needles. Odette was glad she finally could do something constructive. It lessened the feeling of complete helplessness at their current situation. She grabbed an arrow from Bromley's quiver and started to rip strips of fabric from the hem of her dress.

Puffin was ready to bash his head against a tree in frustration. 'Why are humans so incredible dense!' He had been squawking, circling, pointing and even he'd tried biting to get his point across. He'd caught the white haired man looking at him thoughtfully. 'Finally!' Puffin circled the man's head and flew in the direction of the lake, waiting at the edge of the forest path. It took a few more tries for Lord Rogers to get the message but when he did he ordered his men to follow the bird. After a few minutes they came upon a seemingly dead end. Derek must have continued on foot. The sky lit up with a ominous red flash. Rogers eyes widened. He had to hurry! He dismounted, leading his and Derek's horses by the reins. His men following suit. "Lead the way, bird."

The ripping of fabric sounded harsh in the silence covering the lake. Bromley looked up at Odette. She was beautiful even with her tear stained face. I hurt to think about life without her. How close he'd come to losing them both. How he's still close to losing his friend. He shook his head, trying to disperse his dark thoughts. Odette knelt next to him, holding the strips out to him. "How are we going to do this?" she asked. Bromley thought back to his training days as a page to the prince. He was taught field medical care, but the sight of the smallest drop of blood usually made him faint. So his knowledge was basic at most."Uhm, we need to ball up some of this fabric to put pressure on the wounds and use these long strips to bind them." Odette nodded and started to fold some of the white fabric into thick squares. "Like this?", she asked him. He nodded. "We need to take of the mantle first though." Bromley looked at the prince. His eyes were still open and clouded over. He almost thought they were too late, when he felt more than saw Derek's chest move with a shallow breath. He directed Odette without removing the pressure from his Derek's shoulders. She loosened the clasp at the front and removed the empty scabbard. Now came the worst part. "Derek." He called to his friend. "Can you hear me?" The prince blinked slowly. "I'm sorry, we have to dress these wounds. It's going to hurt." Bromley normally would have been panicking right now, but somehow he remained calm. He saw the smallest nod from Derek. "Odette, as soon as I let go, push the thick pads onto his wounds with all your strength. Do not let up, do you understand?" The princess swallowed thickly and nodded. "This is going to hurt him." Bromley looked at her, his eyes hard. "Ready?"

Prince Derek was lost in a haze of pain. He could faintly hear Brom talking. It was hard to stay awake, but he knew he had to. Letting go would lead to his death. Oh, how easy it would be to just let go. No more suffering. But then he thought about Odette, how she would be alone when he died. "'m sorry...wounds... hurt." He tried to understand what his friend was talking about. 'His wounds... oh' With difficulty he nodded once indicating that he understood. This wasn't going to be pretty. Clear as day he could hear Odette's sweet voice reply to Bromley's. "Ready!"

The pain was blinding! A hoarse scream left his throat as he felt the pressure lessen and being replaced by smaller hands pushing down. He felt his arms being manipulated and wrapped tightly. Without warning he was pulled upright and he let out a groan, panting hard. His head fell to Bromley's shoulder as his friend wrapped his shoulders and torso. It hurt, everything hurt! The sudden movement caused him to become nauseous and as soon as he was carefully laid down again he heaved. He heard Brom cursing. Small hands stroked his back as he lost what little he ate that day. He tried, oh god, he tried to stay awake but he lost the battle with consciousness.