Flameshore, Chapter Four

Flame was battered and bruised, cut and scraped, but he was still there, alive. He was still breathing.

She rushed over to his side, and gently sat down on the side of his cot. In the dim lighting of the candles, his eyes seemed to glow an amethyst.

“Flame,” She whispered, brushing the back of her hand slowly across his cut cheek. He took his own and held hers there.

“No! Stop crying!” He grunted, his voice gravelly. She hadn't realized she had been crying until she looked up and her vision was blurry, clouded by a film of unshed tears.

“I'm so sorry, Flame. For everything.” Her voice seemed unable to bring itself above a whisper, although she was surrounded by the Kind, the Queen, the Healer, and two Royal Guards.

“Don't be, love. I should be sorry for what happened to you. What did happen? No one will tell me anything!” He sounded annoyed, and she couldn't help to laugh. It sounded strange and distant, but at least she was capable of something other than a whisper.

“Ahem,” An old voice cleared its throat to get the attention of the room, “Flame has just gotten here. He must rest, is his body is to heal itself.” The Healer chided.

“What is your name, Healer?” He had never answered her earlier.

“Niblin, Princess.” He bowed slightly, then straightened up, as if the movement made his old joint ache.

“You may call me Muse, Niblin. Please, just help Flame.” She couldn't look him in the eyes.

“But Muse! You need to see him yourself!” Queen Druda reminded.

“No. He needs to tend to Flame.” She argued.

“Actually, I have done everything I can do for him today. What do you need healed, Princess?” He sounded genuinely concerned. It touched her, and for some reason she couldn't help but to smile to herself.

“I have this cut, right on my thigh...” Her voice trailed away.

“Could we have some privacy please, Your Majesties?” She thought she was going to like Niblin very well; he seemed to be able to read her mind. Honestly, she didn't want the Kind to see her thighs, and she especially didn't want the King's Guards to see her either.

“Muse, I will expect you in the Dining Hall when you're finished. You must be hungry, and we must make arrangements for where you'll be sleeping until you recover.” King Velhort lectured, and she playfully smacked him.

“You think a few scratches will keep me from riding home? You must be joking.” She threw back her head and laughed, a real laugh, for the first time in days.

“Until later, little Princess Muse.” Velhort smiled at her grimace in reaction to the word 'little' and she bid the King, the Queen, and their personal guard farewell, until later. She turned to Niblin.

“It's not very deep, and I don't even think it needs stitches. I just don't want it to get infected.” She said quickly, her fear of needles showing through. She would fight a whole town of angry people, just as long as she didn't have to see a needle.

“I'll go get the medicine that prevents infection and festering, Princess. One moment please.” He walked out of his little room and into the hall, and she waited for his footsteps to fade out of hearing before speaking.

“What happened to you, Flame?” She could barely retain the anger that shook in her voice. He was close to dieing, she could feel it. She didn't know how, she just could.

“I saw you fall in the meadow, and ran to you. When I was picking you up, I was ambushed by the hooded riders,” He said bitterly, trying to sit up, and groaning in pain and defeat when he couldn't, “They knocked me out, and when I woke up, they already made camp. I was bound and gagged and tied to a tree. I saw this guy come out from a cart, smiling, and I heard him saying to the other men, “She's a feisty one, that Princes.” When I realized that you were in that filthy meat cart, with him doing Goddess-knows-what, I wanted to kill him. Kill them all.”

She waited patiently, stroking his cheek, while he gained strength to continue. Finally, he did.

“The one that came from the cart came over and tried to feed me. I bit his hand, and he really didn't like that all too well. That was the first day of what he would come to call 'Recreational Beatings.' I got them whenever he was mad and needed something to take his anger out on. Sometimes I only got one a day, but mostly I got them from whenever he came up from the cart. You really got to him, Muse. The worst one was when you were singing. He was in the middle of hitting me with a flaming branch, and your voice broke through the silence like glass shattering. It only got worse, until he was calm enough to go to you. When he reached the cart, I blacked out.” His voice had dropped to a whisper, and his eyes had closed.

She couldn't keep quiet any longer.

“I promised him that if he touched me ever again, I would personally dismantle his body, and if he called me girlie, I would cut his tongue out.” She was startled when Flame chuckled.

“What?” she demanded.

“As always, you threaten before you ask. Its amusing.” His eyes had opened and they glinted mischievously, like a kid saying something he knew he shouldn't, but he also knew he wouldn't get in trouble. She couldn't help but smile at the tone of his voice, and before long they were both laughing so hard they were crying.

“We were both so close to death, and here we are now, laughing like nothing every happened!” She said when she could finally catch her breath.

“Whats in the past, is in the past.” he said finally, all the joking gone from his voice.

“So, since I rescued you from all those men single handedly, with a sword, and absolutely NO DAGGERS, and it was in the past, it doesn't count, right?” I said in an offhand tone, and he laughed.

“Correct. I'm still your protector.”

“Well, you fail at it.” She grinned.

His face dropped, and Niblin chose that time to walk into the room with her medicine.

“Sorry Princess, I went to get the vile for the stuff and dropped it all over the floor, so I had to clean it up and go get another vi-” He stopped short when he realized the tension in the room.

“Just hitch up your dress and I'll put this paste on it. It should be clean within a few days, then you may return home.” She did as she was told and when he was done, her leg was numb.

“I think Flame needs his rest, and you don't look so good yourself. Go get something to eat, and you can come and chat tomorrow.” He was very kind, and she bid him a goodnight.

“Goodnight, Flame. Sleep well.” She whispered.

He didn't say anything, and when she went out the door, she heard his voice and paused.

“Until we meet again, Princess.” His voice was so full of loving that, despite his command, she couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks as she walked out of the room.