Chapter 12

Discovery

"My king, the coroner has come, I sent him down to the dungeons a little while ago. Would you like me to bring him to you?"

"What? What coroner?" Rupert whipped around from his mahogany table and stared the guard down. "What are you talking about?"

"The…the coroner…my king? Did you not call for one? He was walking through the castle…he told me who he was, so I assumed…"

"YOU ASSUMED!?" The king shouted, interrupting the guard. "You assumed that a strange man wandering my halls was who he said he was, so you lead him straight to my prisoners without confirming it with me? Imbecile!"

"Your…your highness…?" The guard trembled before the kings' wrath.

"Quickly…down to the dungeons with you! Check on our prisoners. If they are no longer there, the rest of your extremely short life will be miserable for you. If you have let them escape, I swear by my kingdom that I will make your last few moments a waking nightmare."

Terrified, the guard ran down to the dungeon only to find it empty. He stood in the middle of the room, visibly shaking, when suddenly he heard a fluttering sound that seemed to make the whole castle quake. It grew louder and louder until it reached the door to the dungeon, which was quickly thrown off its hinges and a terrifying creature came flying through the gaping hole. It had soul-wrenching red eyes, large wings, wild black hair that was disheveled and flew in every direction, and flaming red symbols all over its body. The very air around the terrible creature seemed darker and colder than the rest of the room, and as it slowly descended the stairwell, any and all hope and light that was in the room seemed to vanquish; there was nothing left but dread, foreboding, and fear. The guard barely had time to scream before the creature was on him; and with one swift and terrible movement from it's pointed claws, the guard slumped onto the floor, never to move again.

…

A few hours had passed since Emmett and Daniel escaped with Ayden and they had been able to go far in that amount of time; they had traveled several miles away from the castle, but they were still uneasy. They both knew that the kings men could come upon them at any moment and they also knew that Ayden needed a doctor…quickly.

"What are we going to do, lad? I fear that she will not make it through the night…"

"Do not say such things, Daniel…she is going to make it…she has to," Emmett answered as they trudged on.

The companions continued in silence until dark started to fall upon the forest.

"Emmett, we are going to have to settle down for the night. I am to old to continue on my feet for much longer, you cannot continue to carry Ayden without rest, and she needs to lie still for a while. We also need to tend to her more carefully than we did back at the castle; she is grievously wounded, and if she is not treated right she will surely die."

Unwilling though he was to stop, Emmett saw there was no point in arguing with Daniel and agreed to find a place to rest for the night. Eventually, they were able to find shelter in a small thicket of trees.

"Ah, what I wouldn't give for some of Sara's cooking right about now…you wouldn't happen to have anything on you that is eatable, would you boy?" Daniel asked, patting his stomach as he reclined against the trunk of a large oak tree that served as the center of their safe haven.

"No, I wish I did, though. Food and water. Although, I believe Ayden may need it more than both of us combined…"

"Aye, you're right. Water would be a good thing for her."

"Daniel, can you keep her safe if I go looking for some?" Emmett asked. "She is going to need sustenance soon, when she wakes up." He had settled down beneath a cherry tree and placed her head in his lap. Looking down at her still, blood streaked face, he began to stroke her hair. Daniels eyes softened as he watched Emmett hold Ayden so gently.

"Of course, but be quick. I know you do not wish me to voice the worst, but I must. Emmett, I do not like the way she looks…I have seen Rupert use this method many times, and they do not live long. We also do not know what else he has done to her; her injuries may be more extensive than what we can see."

Nodding in agreement, Emmett carefully got to his feet and left to find something he could get Ayden to eat; he also kept an eye out for anything he and Daniel could eat. He did not get far though, when he suddenly heard Daniel calling for him. Emmett sped back to the little grouping of trees, hoping against hope that whatever had caused Daniel to call for him was either the old man's imagination or already gone. As he arrived, though, he realized he would have no such luck…Daniel was bending over Ayden, shaking her shoulders gently and calling out her name.

"What happened?" Emmett roared as he flew to Ayden's other side. Her eyes were wide with fright and sadness and her mouth was slightly open.

"I…I have no idea…she started to moan so I came to her side, then her eyes flew open, she let out a short scream, then stopped. She isn't moving…and I cannot get her to breathe again on her own…her heart is faint." Daniel looked sadly from Ayden lying on the ground to Emmett who was crying silently by her side.

"No, no no…." Emmett chanted over and over again. "You cannot die on me." He closed his eyes, pinched her nose, then leaned forward and blew air into her mouth. Her lungs inflated only a tiny bit but that was all. Bending over, he put his ear to her heart and heard as the last few, slow beats, disappeared.

…

King Rupert smoothed back his peppered hair as a man of large stature walked into the war room. Quickly, he fell to one knee saying, "Your highness," then rose again to face the king.

"They are gone, and yet, you are not going to chase after them? Surely they must have escaped into your hunting grounds, why do you not pursue them?"

"Damian…it is good to see you. You are correct, they are in my hunting grounds, but the reason I do no give chase is simply thus: The girl should be dead soon, and that will break the spirit of the boy. I do not wish him dead anymore…I want him alive and broken. He will serve me well that way."

"But…sire…what will the rest of the council say if they knew you were planning on using someone like him? Their kind is not readily welcomed into our courts."

"He is not aware…but when the time comes, I will take him under my wing and train him in our ways. The council can rot in the chairs they sit in."

"Rupert, he is an abomination! His mother was a wretched creature, his father committed a wretched act, and so the boy is wretched! Surely the council will not approve of this!"

"I am their king, am I not? When it comes down to it, I can do as I please! The council is only here just to make those pompous wind bags feel like they have some control, but in reality, it is I that have all control. The boy will be dangerous to us if he is left on his own and has already proven that he will be hard to kill. I wish my spies had known who he was sooner so it wouldn't have to come down to this, but it has. I was not aware of him until he stepped into my city. Had I known of him earlier, I would have put an end to his miserable, filthy life, but it is too late for that now. Now, he must become my apprentice."

"Very well, my king. But, what if the boy does not wish to do as you command? What if her death means nothing to him and he goes on unfazed?"

"If she does not break him, I will. I will have him crawling back to me on his knees, begging me to show him mercy, begging me to take him in, and begging me to make all his sorrows and aguish disappear; and I, being the kind and forgiving king that I am, will allow him to work in the castle and learn from me. I will not have any of the nitwits from the council near him. I do not want their corrupt thinking to damage his mind. Now, am I understood, Damian?"

"Yes, sire."

"Good, now get out of my sight."

…

"Ayden! Stay with me!" Emmett cried. He threw himself onto her chest and began to weep as he talked to her. "You saved me, you promised me that we could find justice for my village, you cannot abandon me now, you selfish girl!" This emotional outburst scared Emmett for a moment, but only for a moment, because it was in that space of time that he realized his true, deep affection for the girl in his arms. He did not want to live the rest of his life without her. Even if she only wanted him as a companion, he would be there for her. He would have no other woman in his life, she was the one; and no matter what, he would never leave her side nor abandon her. He knew it might sound a bit far fetched, it was true that he had only known her for a short time, but like the fire that drew him to her on their first meeting, there was a spark within Ayden herself that drew him to her. He could not deny the feeling of love he felt for her; he could not let her die. Not now. Not after coming to this realization.

Daniel came and rested his hand on Emmett's shoulder.

"Son, I do not think there is anything else you nor I can do for her except give her a proper burial."

Emmett jerked up from Ayden and stared at the old man. His eyes began to glow and the light seemed to radiate from his entire body. Daniel began to back slowly towards the edge of the trees as Emmett growled.

"No."