Chapter 8
Ayron looked at the ring in his hands. This is beautiful. Where did Varen find it, he thought to himself. Juniper was also entranced with the ring. He was admiring the way it sparkled as Ayron slipped the ring onto his hand.
Abruptly, Ayron stood up and was just about to mount his horse when he heard something. It sounded like a fight. He heard the clash of swords and shouts. Juniper jumped off Ayron's shoulder as he mounted his horse and bolted towards the fight.
Ayron didn't notice that the ruby eyes of his ring began to glow.
Aiden knew they were in a desperate situation. Even if the princess was able to defend herself they would eventually be overcome. He hated to think about what could happen if their attackers succeeded.
He was engaging two men at once, and another was joining the fray when something unexpected happened. Arrows flew out of the trees, taking the attackers by surprise. Another man, this one wearing muted greens and browns, began aiding the two guards. He engaged their leader in a duel with his sword, and Aiden ran to help. Just before he got close enough the leader disengaged with a final cut and fled. Aiden turned to the stranger.
"Thank you." he gasped, feeling out of breath.
Ayron nodded as the soldier thanked him and began walking over to where the other soldier crouched on the ground, holding his head in his hands. Sitting next to him was a young woman dressed in simple riding clothes. Ayron, grabbing his medical supplies on the way, sat down beside the young man and asked to see his head. Nodding, the man slowly removed his hands, revealing a sizable lump that bled slightly. Ayron wrapped a cloth around it and moved on to the other injuries. As the adrenaline rush of battle died down Ayron was suddenly aware of a stinging pain in his arm.
"Are you all right?"
Ayron glanced up to see the young woman looking at him concernedly.
Lilliana gazed at their rescuer with some concern. Either he didn't notice the gash in his arm, or he was ignoring it. Whatever the reason it was bleeding heavily and she wanted to bandage it before the wound got worse. He slowly nodded his head, but the princess could tell he really wasn't.
"I'm alright my lady. Are you unhurt?"
"Yes, I am unhurt. Are you certain you're alright?" Lilliana asked this while subtly glancing at his arm. Opening his mouth to say "yes" he followed her gaze and promptly closed his mouth again. The sleeve was already dark with blood and was surely as bad as it looked.
"Here," the princess said, grabbing some cloth scraps, "let me wrap this around your arm."
Ayron watched as she applied a salve and bandage with quick efficiency. As she finished, sunlight filtered through the leaves and landed on her long, black hair. It brought out a hint of brown that he had not noticed before.
His thoughts drifted as to the nature of this surprise attack. Why did those men attack here, of all places? What was their purpose?
Ayron asked if they thought it fit that he should come with them back to Beruna. The princess thought it fit, and the guards were glad of the company, so he went with them.