Angel of Light: This will be the last chapter for about a month… I'm going to be at camp for about a month, and I'll have no access to a computer. I'll update as soon as I get back! Sorry…but don't worry, I'm not abandoning you!
Hikari looked over through the trees. She saw the shape of a man standing there, and another on the ground. She couldn't tell which one was which. After a few moments, the one that had been standing wasn't standing anymore. He too had fallen to the ground.
Stunned and scared stiff, Kari slowly stood up. Her hair was strewn with mud and grass, and was plastered to her forehead. Her cloak was torn and tattered, and was also covered in mud. She was filthy, and her body ached all over. Being thrown from a galloping unicorn and then landing in a pile of bushes didn't really do much good for the body. What made things worse, was that the branches were like thorns, and pierced her flesh. Scabs started to form as the blood dried.
The Princess looked at the two bodies lying motionless on the ground. She hoped that the Prince was alright. She wasn't sure which one he was, and was scared to find out. Deciding that she had no other choice, she slowly stumbled over to where the battle had taken place. She also had to wonder what had happened to the horses.
For a fleeting moment, her thoughts dashed to Erowin. She had no clue what became of the unicorn mare. But that was the least of her worries, for the moment.
After falling a few times, she was able to make it to the two of them. The rain was still pouring down in buckets on them, and the water flowed in little streams at her feet. She couldn't see the details yet; it was still too dark.
The sound of laboured breathing caught her attention, which meant that one of them was still alive?
Questions raced through her mind. Which one was alive? Alive for how much longer? Should she run? Stay and help?
She thought of running, in case it was the other that had survived, but what if it was Takeru who was alive? She couldn't just leave him. In the end, her overwhelming nature to help people, took over.
Kari approached them cautiously. She came across the first body. She rolled it over.
"AHHHHHH!" Her shrill scream pierced through the silence of the forest. She stared wide eyed at the face of the…the thing.
She couldn't call it human, but she didn't know what to call it. Its face was ghostly white. Its eyes weren't really there, just sockets. Its nose was crooked in a grotesque way, and its mouth hung open. It had no flesh, or so it seemed. The Princess looked down a little further, and noticed that there was a sword through its abdomen.
Kari pulled back, and closed her eyes. She took a few moments to recover from what she had just seen. After recuperating, she stood up once more. Slowly, she made her way to what had to be the Prince.
When she found him, he was lying face down in the mud. The rain poured down, plastering his hair and whatever cloth to his body. Blood covered his body, and trickled into the water that surrounded him. She looked over him to see if it was him that she had heard breathing.
When he didn't move, tears formed in her eyes. She knew that he was the reason the he was dead. It was all her fault.
Kari sat back, and leaned against a tree. For all she knew, Erowin was dead as well. And this was just one of the three that had been chasing her. All of a sudden, she was alone, and afraid.
Her head sunk into her hands, and she began to sob. This whole mission was a failure, because of her. The kingdom would fall, they were all dead anyways. It was hopeless. At it was all her fault.
~*~
Running, faster and faster. Never stopping, not even to rest. Tallow ran through the forest. Dawn was beginning to break. It had stopped raining.
He found the clearing, where the mare was laying. He stopped. His fur was drenched, his main and tail dripping with water. He lowered his head, mournfully. He had run, hoping to lead them away, hoping to save them. The other two were gone, for now.
The stallion nuzzled her gently. Getting no response, he backed up. He turned to head back to the forest.
A snort forced him to turn his attention back.
The mare looked back at him, with curious blue eyes. She tossed her head, snorted again, and stood up. She shook her whole body, and then bolted into the forest. Tallow wasn't far behind.
~*~
"Ugh…"
The groan caught her attention. She stopped sobbing, and looked up. Takeru was beginning to move. He was weak, and trying to push himself up. He hadn't realized that Hikari was watching him.
Forgetting everything that she had ever felt for him, she ran over, and threw herself around his neck, causing him to fall back down. Once again, she broke out sobbing.
Needless to say, the Prince was far beyond confused. He didn't know how to react to her sudden outburst. He had to admit, he wasn't about to object.
"Uh…"
She pulled away. "I'm sorry…" she whispered.
"I-It's alright…" he replied, still stunned.
"Why did you do that?" she asked suddenly.
"Do what?"
"Save me."
"Well, I didn't exactly know it was you…"
"Oh…" He noticed that she looked a little disappointed at his answer.
"But I mean, I had a feeling it was, and I couldn't let you just die like that, I mean, if I wasn't around, I wouldn't pay any mind to it, but since I was, I figured I may as well rescue you."
She nodded lightly, not looking at him.
"It looks like you won the bet." she whispered.
"What do you mean? Neither of us have arrived yet, and it isn't over."
"I'm not going to make it. Besides, no one would care if I did."
He suddenly felt guilty.
"Don't say that, it's not true."
Kari broke out crying again. "But it is!" she exclaimed.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I can't do anything. The only reason I'm here is because they wanted me out of the way. I thought I could prove…prove to my father, my brother, myself, and even…" she hesitated a little on this one, "…and even to you."
Takeru was shocked by her answer. "To me? But, why?"
"Because, like everyone else, you thought I was worthless. At least, that's what you always said. I think that you're the only person that's ever said that to my face. I needed to prove it to you because, if I could do something that you couldn't, I thought that maybe I'd earn a little respect. I thought that maybe you'd admit that I was better at something. I became big headed, and prideful. It looks like that the only thing that got me was a hurt pride…not to mention a few physical scars as well. No one's going to miss me. You said yourself that you'd be better off without me. I know that you were right all along."
Prince Takeru was overcome with guilt and shame. He had no idea that she felt this way.
"Well, you can think again, because I'm in no shape to go anywhere either. And if I was, I wouldn't be leaving you here. To tell you the truth…" he faded off.
Kari looked up at him, teary-eyed.
"…I only said those things because I thought that I needed to prove something to you."
She was visibly shocked by this.
"I'm not sure why, maybe it was the fact that you're the only Princess, or any girl for that matter, that wasn't always chasing me and harassing me. Maybe I felt that it wasn't fair, and even though I loathed it, I guess I felt that it wasn't right, that everyone had to like me. I know it was pure pride. I guess I'm just as guilty."
The two were engulfed in silence.
"It looks like we've learned a lesson." Kari stated.
"What kind of lesson would that be?"
"That pride swallows people whole, then spits them out and leaves them to die."
He broke out into a small smile. Kari tired to resist smiling back, but didn't prevail.
"Still, I would have gotten there faster then you." she told him as-a-matter-of-factly.
"I don't think so. I was way ahead of you. I had to double back in order to save you."
"So you admit that you came back for me. I guess that means that you actually care about me."
His face was red, and he tried to hide it.
"Now, I never said that. Not in a million years would I care about you. I just felt sorry for you."
"You told me before that if I was in trouble, you wouldn't help. How do you explain that?"
He opened his mouth to retort, but Erowin dashed through the trees, with Tallow in tow. They were bloodied and bruised, but they were still the same old unicorns.
Forgetting her pain, Kari stood up to greet the mare.
"Ow!" she exclaimed while falling to the ground again.
Prince Takeru refrained him self from reacting, in fear that she would think less of him. Is seemed that pride was still in the matter.
The mare lowered her head, and nudged her urgently. She kneeled down on the ground, and Kari clamoured up. Quickly, the unicorn got up.
Takeru managed to scramble up onto Tallow. Without giving them much time to get comfortable, they were off again.
The two of them were slightly confused as to why they were in such a hurry to get out. That was soon answered.
The two others things that had been chasing them, were after them once more.
Desperately, they clung to the sopping manes of the unicorns.
They were rapidly approaching a bridge that led across yet another ravine. The bridge was a rope one, and was only wide enough for them to go single file.
Tallow and Takeru were in the lead. He was about to go across, when he stopped. Takeru motioned for the Princess to go ahead. He went in behind them.
The bridge rocked and rattled as the two did their best to cross it. It was hard to go fast and keep balanced at the same time. Soon, the other two…things…were on the bridge behind them. They stomped across it, causing the bridge to shake, and making it even harder to cross. And with all the weight, it looked like the bridge would collapse.
Kari was slowly drifting out of consciousness. The fall had taken more strain on her body than she had realized. Now, she was suffering for not resting. She tried to keep herself awake, but it was hard. She began to see double. But she wasn't about to show that she was in need of assistance.
Finally, Erowin's hooves touched on solid ground. Tallow followed not long after.
Turning his mount around, Takeru looked at the oncoming pursuers. He smiled evilly, and raised his sword. He slashed one of the ropes.
There was a snapping sound, and the bridge was no longer under the hooves of the others. The two horses, and one of the things, went careening down the ravine. The other grabbed on to the rope, just in time.
Its hood had fallen off, and for the first time, Takeru could see its face. He was almost too disgusted to move, but slashed the rope. The thing hissed at him, but didn't let go. The bridge was still intact on the other side, and it was left dangling there. The Prince couldn't look at it anymore. He felt that if he did, it would burn his eyes out. He'd never seen anything so hideous in his life.
Prince Takeru turned around.
"Let's just hope there's another was across, for the return trip", he said jokingly.
But the Princess wasn't listening. The pain and tiredness finally overtook her, and she slipped into unconsciousness. She slid form the back of the unicorn, and landed on the ground with a soft thud.
"Hikari!" Takeru exclaimed. He hopped off Tallow, and rushed over.
He rolled her over, and looked at her. He hadn't realized how much damage she had taken. The only thing he knew was that time was running out for them, and they had to find the kingdom quickly. Deciding that it was the best thing to do, he picked her up, and mounted the stallion. She as in no shape to ride by herself, as she wasn't even conscious. The Prince also knew that Erowin would follow.
Takeru looked up. Before him, was a sight that he thought he would never see. Overcome with joy, he urged Tallow on as fast as he dared. As he predicted, Erowin followed.
Ahead of them, was the place they were heading in the first place; the kingdom of Asterix. Tohuw wasn't far beyond that.
