Chapter Five – Frozen Flower
The scream which emanated somewhere deep within the darkened forest had caused the two dogs to bolt, closely followed were the men in search of Queen Elinor, Fergus had ordered his men to remain vigilant as an enemy of the clan roamed the forest. As he raced to catch up with his men, his mind was in turmoil as he fought to maintain the calm and confident facade in order to lead his men whom had volunteered in the search, most of them were the best and skilled warriors of the clan but with mysterious threat against the queen and clan, they insisted that Fergus pick them.
Currently, he was alone; his shoulders were burdened with the mammoth task to find and deliver his beloved back safety back into safety of the castle, and to hunt down the beast that dared to harm the queen of clan Dunbroch. His jaw clenched tightly when he remembered the commotion in the castle grounds, hours ago when Elinor's horse returned with two arrows protruding from its body, red crimson blood stained the virginal white coat of the animal then the news began to spread like a rampant fire around the clan that the queen was currently missing and that her horse had been attacked although with each passing rumor the facts quickly grew into gorily detailed rumours that the queen was either dead or enemies from the sea had captured her due to their king's failure to have made trade with them.
But despite the rumours, the common theme was for King Fergus to avenge is wife and the clan by capturing the villain responsible for such a heinous act. Fergus vowed to his clan that his wife would return safety and peace would be restored to the people of Dunbroch. He pulled harshly on the leather reins, signalling for the animal to sped up and join the rest of his men. The adrenaline coursed through his protruding veins as the scream continued to echo in his mind, Fergus purposely shook his head to rid himself of the scenarios and images which surrounded Elinor to be in grave danger, agonizing pain or something far worse that he dared not dwell on the matter.
"My king!" shouted a voice from a straggler of the search party
Fergus gripped tightly on the reins to slow the horse down and instantly the young boy had the full attention of his king.
"What is it lad?" Fergus demanded impatiently
The young boy perhaps only a teenager was suddenly nervous and trembled in the prescience of his king, he pointed towards a clearing, "The rest of the clan...they follow the dogs...I.." began the boy
Fergus signaled for youngest member of the search party to remain silent and pushed the leather reins of horse into the boy's hands. Fergus pulled out his sword and slowly made his way into the clearing, his eyes constantly darted, keeping vigilant should this be a clever deception. There was a howl which sounded from another part of the maze like forest, Fergus continued to skilfully creep through the long grass, his eyes fought to blink but he stayed focused.
He gasped loudly and instantly dropped his sword to the ground, his knees finally crumpled upon the pale sight of his motionless wife. Fergus reached out tentatively but paused as he was afraid of inadvertently causing pain or worse yet, to find out that she had left this world, leaving him behind.
"Oh...Eli..." his voice broke, completely overwhelmed by the events which had unfolded in these long hours
Fergus cradled her gently as he lifted her from the wet ground; his muscular arms protected her fragile body which felt cold to touch. He maintained his temper as her pale skin and dress where evident that Elinor had been through hell in the short hours of being stranded lost and along in the forest with the threat of an enemy, who's intentions were not clear.
He offered a small smile to the young boy who had been lucky enough to have noticed something, "Lad, I owe you a debt of gratitude."
Fergus felt a sense of peace and calmness returned to him now that he was reunited with Elinor and he journeyed back towards their home, he could not risk further harm or exposure by delaying any treatment that she may require, Fergus had been unable to determine signs of injury but he was not trained and was not willing to leave anything regarding Elinor to chance, "You're safe now, lass...I promise." He whispered into her cold forehead
"Lad, best you go...inform the others that I have the queen...return to the castle." Ordered Fergus
"Of course, sire." Replied the young boy and he raced into the forest
Maudie and the practice physician whisked the still unconscious Elinor and Fergus felt a sense of dread emanate from his chest which increased with each heartbeat as the abrupt separation from his wife rendered him useless and lost.
"Oh! She's absolutely frozen to the bone." Complained Maudie, leaving briefly to acquire more blankets
Fergus paced the royal chambers in an attempt to occupy his swirling thoughts while he waited for Maudie and the physician to return Elinor to him; he stocked the log fire to distract himself. Soon, the hearty fire roared and the wood crackled, the warmth would surely prevent Elinor from a cold related illness.
He walked to the window and briefly observed the general comings and goings of his clan, he wondered if his men were fortunate enough to capture the beast that remained a free within the forest. Fergus snatched the thick material of the curtains and pulled closed to extinguish the menacing clouds that remained over the sky and threatened to unleash a storm.
Maudie timidly knocked on the door of the royal chambers but received no answer, despite her best judgement; she tentatively pushed open the door to witness a defeated king, his head rested heavily in his hands.
"My lord." She started
"How is she, lass?" he quickly replied
"My queen is resting now...no serious injuries although it appears she put up a valiant fight...I've cleaned her as best as possible." Reported Maudie
Fergus offered a small smile, eternally grateful that he had been reunited with his much beloved Elinor, "You've done a grand job, hen."
"I think my lady queen is busy dreaming." Maudie casually mentioned
"Dreaming?"
Maudie nodded eagerly, "Aye, sir...my queen mutters in her sleep."
Fergus nodded although slightly confused, "Thank you Maudie...when possible I want her moved...to her rightful place..."
Maudie bowed her head in acknowledgement and common courtesy for her king and gently closed the door behind her.