Chapter 7: Guards
"Rapidash, slow it down." May said. Rapidash came to a walk.
They had run out of the city. Away from the mansion. Away from Drew. May's leg is letting out a lot of blood and they need to find some water to clean it.
They entered a forest and eventually found a lake. They stopped at the lake and May carefully jumped down. She winced from the pain through her leg. She sat down on the ground with her legs stretched out in front of her.
"Rapidash, come." May said. Rapidash walked around May and laid down on the ground next to her.
May opened the saddlebag and took out a washcloth that she always keeps in there. She dunked the washcloth into the lake. She then wrung it out and then dabbed it onto her wound.
Rapidash neighed worriedly.
"It's okay. I'll be fine." May said. "Sure the bandage that Drew gave me before will help, but we're going to have to work with this."
Rapidash neighed sadly.
"I know Harper did this and Drew needs to know." May said. "But, if they're really going to get married, then...I can't stand in the way." Rapidash communicated with May again. "Yeah…" May agreed. "Drew doesn't seem to like her, but still, it's a family issue."
Rapidash neighed sadly.
"Yeah. I never would've thought that his story is actually like mine. He's being forced by his parents to marry some person they chose for him." May sighed. "And he wanted to escape his parents too."
Rapidash neighed.
"We have a lot in common?" May translated. "No. We don't. I mean...maybe?" Rapidash nudged his head against May's arm. "You're right. We do have a lot in common. But it doesn't mean anything. What if he'll actually marry Harper? And I'll be fine with that. It's not like I like him or something."
Rapidash gave May a look that said "are you sure…?"
May blushed slightly. "He's my friend, Rapidash. And I've only known him for a week." Rapidash neighed. "What do you mean I still like him? I don't. I'm supposed to like Princes."
Rapidash neighed.
"I know I left home because of that." May said. "But who knows? The royal guards could find me someday and take me back. And I can't let my parents force me to marry some stranger."
"If you'll excuse me." Drew said, standing up. He was eating lunch with his parents and Harper.
Drew now got up and walked out of the dining room. He went to May's room and sat down on the bed.
"Why…?" Drew muttered. "Why did you just leave?" Drew looked down. He saw red dots on the floor and he gasped. "Your wound opened up again? Why didn't you tell me?" He stood up and clenched his hands. "I...want to find you, but...my parents are still here."
"Please stay safe out there." He muttered. "Please be okay."
May completely cleansed her leg. The blood is gone...for now…
"Hmm…" May hummed. "Oh! I know." She reached in the saddlebag and pulled out a rope.
May laid the washcloth over her wound and then she wrapped the rope around her leg over and over again, tying it down.
"There." May said. "Hopefully that will hold up." Rapidash neighed in agreement. "I think we should stay here for a few days, so my leg can heal...again." Rapidash nodded.
May's stomach growled. She blushed in embarrassment and laughed nervously. "I forgot we never had lunch yet."
Rapidash stood up. He neighed and then ran off.
"Rapidash? Where are you going?" May called.
In five minutes, Rapidash came back and laid down next to May. He neighed and signaled with his head to the saddlebag.
May opened the saddlebag and saw it full of all different kinds of berries. "Rapidash...you got all this?" She asked incredulously.
Rapidash neighed and nodded.
May smiled. "Thanks. I guess let's eat."
May would feed Rapidash berries and herself too. They finished their lunch after ten minutes.
"That was great, Rapidash. You're the best." May said.
Rapidash neighed happily.
"Bye Drew. We'll miss you." Mom said.
"Yeah. Sure." Drew said.
"We'll visit some other day." Dad said.
"Bye Drewy Bear!" Harper said.
Mom, Dad, and Harper left the mansion finally after staying for the whole day.
Drew sighed. "Finally."
Drew went to his bedroom and threw himself on his bed. He's staring up at the ceiling, thinking of a certain brunette.
"May…" Drew said quietly. "We're still friends, right? You...left because of your leg and not because of me, right? Or maybe you really don't like my parents and Harper. I understand that, I just...wish you would've told me that you were leaving today. You told me that you were leaving tomorrow, so why did you go today?"
Drew placed a hand on his forehead. "I need to know why you left so suddenly. Without a note or any word to me. You said that you'd be sure to tell me when you and Rapidash would leave, but you didn't. You just left. And I don't know if you have any bandages with you for your leg."
Drew took his hand off his forehead and rested it back on the bed. "For some reason...I said that I wanted to keep you safe. I...want to protect you." Drew blushed at his own words. "I...want to be your friend. We are friends, but...why did you leave?"
Drew continued staring at the ceiling for a few more minutes until-
"I need to find you." Drew sat up. "I don't know what I'm thinking, but you're hurt," he got out of bed and went to his bathroom. "And I have to protect you. You just mean a lot to me." Drew grabbed the first aid kit and opened it. "I can tell you anything that troubles me and you listen. And the thing is…" Drew grabbed a bandage out of the kit. "We've only known each other for a week, but I feel close to you." Drew took a tube out and closed the kit, putting it away. He left the bathroom.
"And I'll admit it to myself..." He blushed. "You're really pretty. Way prettier than any other girl I've met." Drew left his room and started walking down the hallway. "I'm going to find out why you left, but I'm a little mad at you for it. Why couldn't you leave a note at least?"
Drew walked out of the mansion and completely went off of the property through the gates. "I assume you stopped in a nearby forest." With that muttered, Drew started walking towards an exit of the city.
Drew had been walking all afternoon with no sign of May. So he decided to sleep in the forest he's in for the night. At the same time, May is in the same forest, but way further ahead. She and Rapidash are going to sleep as well.
"We found her!"
"Did we really?"
"Is it really her?"
Rapidash heard the calls while his eyes were closed. His ears flicked when he heard people running towards them. He opened his eyes and saw May sleeping beside him. It's early in the morning as well.
Rapidash looked around for the direction of where the sounds were coming from. He listened. Quietly listening…
Rapidash then narrowed his eyes in front of him. People came into view from the forest and he quickly stood up, growling at them. The people stopped. They're probably ten feet away from Rapidash and May.
"Easy boy." A person said. "We just have to check your friend there."
Rapidash growled at the people, crouched down in a pouncing position. The people all seem to have armor on as well as swords.
Rapidash heard people running from different directions. He stood up straight and looked around. They were soon surrounded by twenty people in armor.
One person took a step closer and Rapidash growled at him. He knows who these people are and what they want to do. These are the royal guards of the castle and they found May to take her back. But Rapidash knows how much May hated life back at the castle, so he won't let them take her.
One by one, the guards started slowly walking closer to Rapidash. Rapidash neighed, standing up on his hind legs and swinging his front legs back and forth. The guards all backed up.
"Everyone stay back." Guard 1 said.
"Why is that Rapidash trying to stop us?" Guard 2 said. "He's from the castle."
"He's protecting the Princess." Guard 3 said. "He's been helping her with running away from home."
Guard 1 stepped forward. "Easy, Rapidash. We have orders to find Princess May and return her home to the castle."
Rapidash neighed loudly and angrily at the guard. He stepped back.
The loud neigh sounded throughout the forest and woke up May and Drew. May sat up.
"Rapidash, what's wrong?" May asked. She then noticed all the guards. "No...they found us." She said quietly.
"Princess, it is you. We must return to the castle." Guard 1 said.
"You've been missing for more than two years and we finally found you." Guard 2 said.
"Please come back with us." Guard 3 said.
May tried standing up. She silently winced in slight pain in her leg. She stood up and placed a hand on Rapidash's saddle, facing the guards.
"You have to come back with us, Princess." Guard 4 said.
Rapidash neighed loudly. At that moment, Drew started running to the sound.
("She's close by.") Drew thought. ("I have to get to her.")
May stared at all of the guards around them. They started walking closer. Rapidash neighed loudly, the guards freezing.
"Princess, you must come with us." Guard 1 said.
After a pause, May answered. "No."
"No?"
"I won't go back home. I like it out here where I make the decisions." May said angrily.
"We understand how you feel, but your parents have missed you since you left."
"Oh have they? They don't seem to care about what I felt when I was back there. Only when I leave, they care. I'm better off never returning home! And that's my decision."
"May!" A voice came from behind her.
May gasped and turned around to see Drew running towards her. He stopped though when he saw all of the people around May.
"May, what's going on?" Drew asked.
"Drew." May said. "I'll explain on the way." She climbed on Rapidash.
"No. You have to come home!" Guard 1 said.
"I don't have to do anything." Rapidash turned around and ran to Drew. "Get on." May said.
Without saying anything, Drew climbed up on Rapidash and wrapped his arms around May's stomach. Rapidash started running away from the guards.
"May, to my house." Drew said.
"I'll take you there to drop you off, but then I'm leaving." May said.
"But why? What did all those people want with you?"
"I really don't want to talk about it." May said, anger coming into her voice.
Drew didn't say anything for the rest of the ride to his mansion.
Rapidash stopped in front of the gates of the mansion. They had run super fast, the guards losing where they went. "Get off." May said.
"But May, I want to know why those people were surrounding you."
"Just go!" May yelled, shedding a few tears.
"May...please come inside with me."
"I can't. They've seen what you look like. They'll definitely disrupt you if they find you."
"But why?"
"Please, Drew…" May said softly. "I have to go."
"...No."
May blinked and turned her head, looking behind her at Drew. "No?"
Drew took May's hand in his. May blushed at the contact. "I won't let you leave me again." Drew said.
"But-"
"Please." Drew cut May off. "We're friends. I don't want to be pushed away by you. Plus, I need to heal your wound."
"I…" May paused for a moment before answering. "Okay."
Drew jumped off of Rapidash and opened the gates. They walked onto Drew's property, the gates closing behind them. They went to the front doors and entered the mansion.
Drew led May and Rapidash to his room where Drew and May sat down on the bed and Rapidash stood on the floor, facing them.
"Leg." Drew said.
May stretched her legs out in front of her on the bed. Drew carefully removed the washcloth from her wound and he squirted out the healing cream from the tube. He then opened the bandage package and placed the bandage on May's wound.
"Thanks…" May said.
"No problem. Now, who were those people in armor and what did they want?" Drew asked.
"They were...royal guards."
"From the castle?" Drew asked incredulously.
"That's where royal guards work, Drew. At a royal castle."
"Right, right...So what were they doing to you?"
May sighed. "Trying to make me come home."
"Come home? Does...that mean…"
