Sequel: The Game ›
Status: complete, but revisions are being made
The Pauper Princess
Chapter Twenty-Four
We made for the nearest town as quickly as was possible, sometimes cutting through the woods, to bypass large bends in the road. When we finally arrived, the people of the were surprised to see foreign riders- and so covered in filth- but they rushed to aid us when they saw that Mehta was injured. A large man with a leather apron rushed up to us and took Mehta so Ekohl could dismount. The man then led us to the healer’s house. The healer had him lay Mehta on a cot, where she swiftly cut away the cloth and assessed the wound. She said it was not a serious injury, and told the blacksmith to get us cleaned up.
“Don’t worry,” the large man assured us, “Your friend is in good hands.” We were still reluctant to follow the man, but we obeyed the healer’s order to leave. The prince arrived just as we entered the blacksmith’s house. He rushed to the healer’s house and didn’t emerge as far as we could tell. Meanwhile, the blacksmith offered us clean clothes and a bath, which we gratefully accepted.
We rushed to clean up and returned to the healer’s house as quickly as possible. The blacksmith had mistaken me for a man, what with the caked mud all over me, so he gave us two pairs of his clothes and sent us to the bathhouse. Ekohl allowed me to go first. I stripped off my soaked clothes, quickly scrubbed the mud from my body, and dressed in the oversized clothes I was given. I remembered to grab the Ekohl’s badge from my muddied cloak. I fastened it to my shirt collar and left the bathhouse.
I decided to get the mud out of my braid out on the porch so Ekohl could clean up. The soldiers were just arriving as I sat on the rough wooden steps with a bucket of water. I leaned over and dipped my braid in the water. It quickly turned brown, but I knew all the dirt wasn’t out yet. Deciding I didn’t care to bother with my hair at the moment I dumped the bucket and loosened my hair. I quickly worked it into a braid around my head and tied the rest in a bun, finishing moments before Ekohl stepped up behind me. Without a word, we walked back to the healer’s home. The old woman informed us that she had been moved to a room in the back of the house to rest, and that a young man had come and refused to be parted from her.
“It’s strange though,” the woman recalled before we made our way to Mehta. “When I inspected the wound, it was nearly healed already.” She studied us suspiciously, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. As she got up to see who was calling at this hour, Ekohl and I took the opportunity to slip down the hallway and find Mehta. She was in the first room on the left, laying in a small bed and reading some book she had managed to get her hands on. The prince was sitting fast asleep in a chair beside the bed. It was well past sunset, and after such a strenuous day, he had a right to be exhausted.
Mehta looked up as we walked through the door and smiled brightly. She looked perfectly fine for someone who had been shot with an arrow a few hours earlier. I rushed to her and wrapped her in a careful embrace. The prince stirred at the sudden sound of my footsteps. Ekohl caught his eye and motioned him out of the room. I listened to their footsteps as they faded down the hall and out the front door the building before I turned to Mehta and leveled a serious gaze at her.
“You are raising suspicions, my friend,” I whispered.
“What do you mean?”
“The healer encountered the most peculiar thing when she looked at your wound. Apparently it had almost completely healed already.” Mehta’s cheeks grew red and she looked out the small window to her left, avoiding my eyes.
“That’s what happened in the forest, when the bandits attacked, isn’t it? That’s the only way Ekohl and I could recover so quickly from such serious wounds.” She looked at her clasped hands resting on the overturned book in her lap.
“Would you rather I had the ability but refused to use it?” she choked. I could see the tears forming in her eyes. I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her close to me. She laid her forehead on my shoulder and I stroked her hair soothingly.
“I’m not angry,” I whispered. “I know you read the healer’s books back in Kyshia. I know you came across the ancient secrets and learned the skills the healer used, but that knowledge is forbidden here. If anyone realizes what you are doing, they’ll have you killed for practicing sorcery.”
“Don’t worry,” the large man assured us, “Your friend is in good hands.” We were still reluctant to follow the man, but we obeyed the healer’s order to leave. The prince arrived just as we entered the blacksmith’s house. He rushed to the healer’s house and didn’t emerge as far as we could tell. Meanwhile, the blacksmith offered us clean clothes and a bath, which we gratefully accepted.
We rushed to clean up and returned to the healer’s house as quickly as possible. The blacksmith had mistaken me for a man, what with the caked mud all over me, so he gave us two pairs of his clothes and sent us to the bathhouse. Ekohl allowed me to go first. I stripped off my soaked clothes, quickly scrubbed the mud from my body, and dressed in the oversized clothes I was given. I remembered to grab the Ekohl’s badge from my muddied cloak. I fastened it to my shirt collar and left the bathhouse.
I decided to get the mud out of my braid out on the porch so Ekohl could clean up. The soldiers were just arriving as I sat on the rough wooden steps with a bucket of water. I leaned over and dipped my braid in the water. It quickly turned brown, but I knew all the dirt wasn’t out yet. Deciding I didn’t care to bother with my hair at the moment I dumped the bucket and loosened my hair. I quickly worked it into a braid around my head and tied the rest in a bun, finishing moments before Ekohl stepped up behind me. Without a word, we walked back to the healer’s home. The old woman informed us that she had been moved to a room in the back of the house to rest, and that a young man had come and refused to be parted from her.
“It’s strange though,” the woman recalled before we made our way to Mehta. “When I inspected the wound, it was nearly healed already.” She studied us suspiciously, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. As she got up to see who was calling at this hour, Ekohl and I took the opportunity to slip down the hallway and find Mehta. She was in the first room on the left, laying in a small bed and reading some book she had managed to get her hands on. The prince was sitting fast asleep in a chair beside the bed. It was well past sunset, and after such a strenuous day, he had a right to be exhausted.
Mehta looked up as we walked through the door and smiled brightly. She looked perfectly fine for someone who had been shot with an arrow a few hours earlier. I rushed to her and wrapped her in a careful embrace. The prince stirred at the sudden sound of my footsteps. Ekohl caught his eye and motioned him out of the room. I listened to their footsteps as they faded down the hall and out the front door the building before I turned to Mehta and leveled a serious gaze at her.
“You are raising suspicions, my friend,” I whispered.
“What do you mean?”
“The healer encountered the most peculiar thing when she looked at your wound. Apparently it had almost completely healed already.” Mehta’s cheeks grew red and she looked out the small window to her left, avoiding my eyes.
“That’s what happened in the forest, when the bandits attacked, isn’t it? That’s the only way Ekohl and I could recover so quickly from such serious wounds.” She looked at her clasped hands resting on the overturned book in her lap.
“Would you rather I had the ability but refused to use it?” she choked. I could see the tears forming in her eyes. I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her close to me. She laid her forehead on my shoulder and I stroked her hair soothingly.
“I’m not angry,” I whispered. “I know you read the healer’s books back in Kyshia. I know you came across the ancient secrets and learned the skills the healer used, but that knowledge is forbidden here. If anyone realizes what you are doing, they’ll have you killed for practicing sorcery.”