Betrothed

Elaina's rude awakening wasn't near as much of a shock as Jeffry's words. Different from the tone and demeanor the man had earlier that day, this was threatening and scary! Her confusion with his warnings only grew worse when he began screaming and let her topple on to his pallet. While he shouted, she fumbled to get back to her feet and stumbled out of the shelter. A quick glance found her bodice untied, and she was frantically trying to right it once again while he cheeks burn and she was trying to make some sense of the scene!

"Are you crazy!" she shouted back, almost hysteric. Elaine could understand his worry, but his actions was another story! But now everyone was exiting the shelters and staring at her with wide-eyed disbelief. Did they really think...?

Flustered with embarrassment and a now rising sense of anger, she pointed a finger at Jeffry. "You! Tell them what you told me, before you started screaming like a crazy person!"
 

"Bobbin, will you help me up, please?" Jeffry seemed drained of energy, his coloring pale. Standing, accusing, were the rest of the guards "Have some decency, princess and retie your bodice if you would, before the prince comes out and you upset him" Warren said cooly, turning his face away. Alone, Peter searched her face for some kind of emotion. He alone looked fatally lost, like a pup within a viper nest. Pipa stood, her expression a mess of confusion, at the back of the shelter. Bobbin had hobbled over to stand with Will, who gave him an arm to lean on.

Jeffry got weakly to his feet, stabilizing himself with what appeared to be difficulty. "Princess, if somehow you interpreted my wishes for you to have sweet dreams in the wrong way, I am afraid..." Jeffry trailed off, squinting his eyes as though in a great deal of pain. Darren moved to help Jeffry. All eyes were on Elaina though, all except for two pairs. Will had gone in to fetch Evan, whose pillow was stained in blood because his injury was not healing well.

A hush fell over the clearing, even the grass seemed to still and the bugs silenced their chirping. A mournful howl in the distance eerily heralded Evan's entrance as a rustle came from his sluggish movements aided by Will. "What... is the meaning... of this commotion?" Evan's voice was hoarse with sleep and strain.
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"You're a liar." Elaina was so very close to tears, but she wouldn't dare give him the satisfaction. With all of the pride and presence she could muster, with shaking fingers and jerking movements she tied up her bodice good and tight.

"I did not come to you, and I am not like his sister, and I not going to allow you to tell stories to lies about me!" Her words were stronger than her voice sounded. She was struggling to keep her tone even as she pointed angrily at Jeffry again.

"Have your wishes then! And your assumptions! All of you! I'm going home." With those last words she couldn't stop the tears from slipping, but she could turn away so no one saw them. Elaina walked away, picking a direction that looked like it could lead her towards a path to get around or over that mountain and take her back home. It may have been running away, and maybe she should have stayed to fight for her honor. But how would any of them believe her? They were the prince's loyal men and she was a stranger!
 

Evan made noises to stop her, utterly confused about what was going on. Peter was torn, but ultimately, he retreated to Evan's side as he saw the gash drip, nothing more than a single red droplet but it was enough to remind him where his love lay. Silently, into the shadows, Pipa stole away after Elaina. Evan called for Elaina a few times, his voice breaking a little. He couldn't understand what happened, and no one was explaining. Was she leaving him? Evan sank down to the ground, his head in his arms working not to allow any signs of tears to show. He was miserable now, body and mind, he thought of simply sleeping forever. Not death, real sleep, dreamless and peaceful.

Pipa was trying to be stealthy, although it might have been hard to believe. She squeaked each time her skirts caught a branch, rustled loudly as they brushed the ground, and snapped twigs under her feet. Elaina had not left her sight, but she was cold and wishing she could just tackle her because catching up while being sneaky was VERY hard!
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Elaina was doing her best trying to ignore the fact she was being followed. Brushing tears away from her face and determinedly stomping forward without even a single inkling of which direction she needed to go. She figured as long as she moved straight, she would find a path past the mountain and perhaps ask for directions on the nearest road.

...but Pipa's struggling was so hard to ignore! Elaina slowed, then finally stopped. Her head tilted back as she stared up at the sky with a heavy sigh. Finally, she turned around and met Pipa. Pulling the girl's skirt free from a thorny bush and making sure she hadn't scratched herself up in the process.

"Pipa, please go back to the camp. A young girl shouldn't be out in the wilderness alone. The men will worry about you and I need to get home." Elaina's anger had subsided now, to a dull throbbing ache. But she still had no intentions of going back and having them all glare at her.
 

Pipa was nearly quaking, with being strong or stubborn or whatever they called it, but she stuck out her lower lip. "Y-you just left. They were saying awful things about you, and you j-just left. It's not true, right? I d-didn't think it was t-true, but you didn't stay. If you're r-right, then you have to stay! Y-you have to tell P-prince that you love him and live h-happily ever after! Prince is so wonderful, he'll b-believe you! If you tell him the truth, he'll know what is t-true and protect you, just l-like a real king. I b-bet he'd even right dragons for you!" Pipa looked more now like a frightened child than ever, clinging to Elaina's skirts, her small body curled into itself with worry, fear, and timidity.

The sounds of voices could still be faintly heard from the camp, and from the sounds of it, it wasn't happy by any means. "Prince deserves you to give him a chance! You d-didn't even talk to him" Pipa mewled finally. But perhaps Elaina's chance had run out, as Evan fell to the ground. To Peter, it was like slow motion, calm as though everything were happening in a dance.
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Elaina brushed a hand over Pipa's head to smooth out that mangled mess from sleep and waterfall diving. The girl had been brave to follow her, but it really was a futile attempt! Elaina chewed on her bottom lip, while she tried to decide what was best.

"No, none of it was true." she responded softly, pulling Pipa close to give her a hug and warmth. The girl was practically shaking! "But they are his men and best friends. Why should he believe me? He'd marry me because he promised to and not because he wanted to. His friends would hate him and no one would trust him... I couldn't make him choose."

She was intent on returning home but she couldn't leave Pipa out here floundering in the dark and cold. A resigned sigh escaped her as she moved Pipa to take her hand, and turned them both to return to the camp.

"I am taking you back to them and I will talk to Prince Evan... but I really should go back home. It will be better for everyone!"

Thankfully, finding the way back was as simple as following the path they had trudged through the trees and bushes. But as they arrived, that bravado Elaina had been feeling quickly vanished on seeing the men's faces. There was no Evan in sight.

She lift Pipa's hand in hers. "She followed me. I've brought her back. ...and she wants me to speak to Prince Evan?" The end of her sentence faded in to a soft almost fearful murmur. A Queen would demand to see him and clear her name and right everything again. ...but Elaina wasn't feeling very impressive in the face of accusing stares. Then she realized there must have been something very wrong!

"Where is he...?"
 

Pipa stood protectively in front of Elaina, quivering with cold and fright. The men gave the pair a wide range of expressions, but the one missing from the guards was Peter. Softly, Will ventured "I think it would be best if you talked with the prince. However, you'll have to stick around a bit longer for that. Peter carried him into the shelter after he ..." Will was glared at by Warren and quickly dropped his gaze.

"You ought to go see him at least, after all he's done for you" Darren chimed in sullenly. The men dispersed as Peter, hearing the noise from outside, walked out of the shelter. With even paces, he strode over to Elaina, his brow furrowed, but from distress at Evan's situation or her it was unclear. "We will talk more once you are in the shelter. A good queen's place is beside her husband, no matter how weak and uncomely the man". Peter gave her, was it a secretive wink or had she imagined it? Pipa reverted to her usual state of huddling into her own dress and making herself appear very small.

"P-prince is not well? C-can I see P-prince too?" Peter patted her head. "All right, but then you must leave so we can talk".
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In all honesty, Elaina wanted to hold to on Pipa like a life-line! She wasn't sure she could speak to Evan or even Peter without having the girl with her. But using the girl as a shield was hardly right at all. Still, Elaina held Pipa's hand until Peter had led them in to the shelter. With brows furrowed, a gasp slipped from her when she saw Evan laying there pale as death!

Elaina let go of Pipa's hand to shift and kneel by the Prince's side, brushing a hand over his forward to check for fever. He was so cold... too cold! Being out like this with a bump on the head could hardly be good for him.

"I shouldn't have left..! He's going to be all right isn't he? There isn't a fever but.." What if he died thinking his Betrothed had betrayed him? He would be in heaven miserable for eternity!
 

Peter patted Pipa's hair and gently nudged her out of the drafty little collection of wood they were using as a shelter. Evan was spread out on a cushion of pine needles covered in cloaks, but it hurt Peter to see how easily he could be mistaken for dead. "I do not know what happened, but Peter fell unconscious baffled and disoriented, so if that is your fear, he has no idea what has occurred except that Jeffry yelled and you ran away. I will ask you what happened later, but more important is his highness..." Peter bit back the beginnings of a tear.

The wound on Evan's head was evidently deeper than suspected, and it was obvious that Peter had ripped the sleeves of his shirt to bandage Evan's head. There was a spot of blood beginning to seep through. The issue at hand seemed to be blood loss, he was loosing strength and quickly. "If you could.... I do not know how you feel toward him, but sit and hold his head in your lap for me while you take his pulse, will you?" He bit his lip. Another strip of his shirt was added to stop the bleeding while he applied pressure. There was bruising appearing on Evan's face and his skin was cool and clammy.

"Pipa, get me a skein of water!" Peter called out to her. Promptly, she returned and Peter began to force fluid into Evan's struggling body. If Peter's suspicion was correct, his pulse would be too fast, trying to solve the immediate problem, blood loss. After several tense minutes, Peter felt the wound and the bleeding had slowed so that the new cloth was not stained in his blood.

"I believe, with plenty of fluids... he should recover with minimal damage...but the voyage to Ellipis will not be pleasant".
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Elaina did what Peter asked by making sure the Prince's head was comfortably placed in her lap. Once Peter redressed the wound, Elaina would occasionally brush a hand over it to make sure it wasn't been soaked through. Ever so often she'd rest gentle fingers over Evan's chest to feel how strongly his heart was beating. To see the man that had been so strong and commanding now laid down like this and knowing that his men were outside stricken with worry was nearly too much.

She shook her head softly. "He can't travel like this. Maybe there is a village nearby? An inn or somewhere safe to spend a few days?"
 

Peter rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his lips pursed as he tried to recall. "I believe that we are in the barony of the good Lord Predus, loyal knight to King Fredrik. We should be able to find a few of the outlying villages under his control that will house us without complaint". Peter scanned the area, trying to gauge where they were in terms of how far they had travelled through the mountain from the train, whose position he knew.

"We will need to organize during the day time, when it is light. Jeffry has proven himself... capable of walking. And so Darren and Warren, should they not be too tired, will be able to carry his highness... should they get tired, I will more than happily carry him myself but I have a feeling Will would be more than willing to aid me in this endeavor so do not fear. You may spend the rest of the night sleeping in here. The men will share the other shelter, and I will send Pipa in to you".

Peter shook his head at the events of tonight. Evan had been through more than was his due, for he was an exemplary man. This whole fiasco - could it be an omen? He would keep steady and strong, the girl was at no fault here and Evan seemed genuinely fond of her...


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"Thank you so much, Peter. For being a friend to Evan and trying to help me too." Elaina responded, the concern still over her face. There would be at least one person who would give shelter to an injured man. Especially the Prince of their country! With the way his men were so loyal, Elaina was sure his countrymen would be just as caring for their Prince of Ellipis. She only wished this day had gone so horribly wrong. Did it mean they weren't meant to get married?

Keeping those concerns to herself, she shifted enough to at least get mildly comfortable. It may have been better to curl up on a pallet, but Evan needed the extra warmth now more than ever. She rest her back against the semisolid wall of the shelter and let out a soft sigh. Maybe come morning things would be looking better for them.
 

Peter nodded at her, his expression somber but his gaze comforting as best he could. "You seem a good woman, my prince is the finest of men. And he is fond of you. I will do anything within my power and attempt things that are not in order to aid you both, because I believe with my life in those three truths I listed. Please do not hesitate to call on me if you need something. For now, I'm going to corral the men". Peter exited the shelter with a bow and moments later, Pipa scuffled inside.

"We've not gone long to rest" she squeaked, looking as though afraid she might be struck down by lightning for being more than a meek seamstress in this affair. She looked around nervously and curled up on a pallet. Innocent through and through, she slept the peaceful sleep of one without regrets, despite her apparent wary fear. The dark outside lightened slightly and the noises of morning began to slowly creep up. Now would be the last chance for sleep until the next night and the sleepy sounds of the men settling in emphasized that even they knew it.
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Elaina spent the brief time being restless and uncomfortable. With every little sound she was worried something was sneaking around. Be it man or creature, it varied in her imagination depending on the sound. When she did finally fall asleep, she had slid slightly to the side where she leaned against the shelter wall. One arm draped over Evan's chest and her hand curled in to his shirt.

It was late morning when people finally stirred and the unmistakable noises of the others filled the tiny camp. Elaina had no desire to move. When she did, it was only so she could shift in to a more comfortable position. Resting her head on Evan's chest!
 

Evan felt as though he had been assaulted with leaden weights, his eyes reluctant to open. Finally, after great effort, he managed to lift the lids, the soft weight on his chest having sufficiently piqued his interest to continue with the arduous task. He could tell something was not right, that he should not be feeling as though it were too much trouble to open his eyes, but he pushed the thought aside. He was curious to know what was against his chest.

There, her hair pooling over his tunic, slept Elaina. His breath caught in his throat as he gazed down at her sleeping form. She looked utterly vulnerable, her little mouth open just a little and her dark lashes spread across her cheek. Her looked, trying to focus, and saw her two hands clutching his shirt. Weakly, Evan smiled and the effort drained him. The last of his energy was devoted to lifting one arm and moving it to curve around the back oh her head in a comforting gesture. Enfeebled, Evan then passed out again.

Peter crept quietly into the shelter, but stood watching instead of his initial intent. The scene before him was one that he couldn't bring himself to interrupt. Some time in the night, she had moved to rest on his chest, and he had managed to move in order to accommodate this. The men outside gathered objects and deconstructed their shelter and Peter procrastinated by instead prodding awake little Pipa.

As she was awakened, she let out a high squeak and Peter was somehow strangely grateful as he saw Elaina stir with the sound. Evan, though he must have woken at some point, was not waking anymore for a long time, it seemed. He was all but comatose, Peter thought with worry. He needed to be treated in a village, Elaina was right. Will had already been sent to scout for the nearest village to the north and Jeffry to the east. To the west were only mountains for too long to make that route feasible. North would be preferred, a straight shot to the castle, but east worked nearly as well.
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Pipa's sudden squeak was just enough wake Elaina beyond that sleepy dozing. She shifted, but eyes widened in surprise to find Evan's hand resting gently in her hair. For the briefest moment she smiled, but it faded quickly when she noticed the blood seeping through the wound on his forehead. It hadn't ceased bleeding even with the binding and he looked pale as death. Elaina sat up quickly, placing her hands against his cheeks and then his forehead, almost fearful he had died during the night!

Her sigh of relief came quick, but the worried expression never left her face. They really did need to get him to a doctor soon.

"Will we be able to move soon?" she asked, as she fussed with the layers of her skirt. With a little maneuvering, she wiggled out of the slip layer and was trying to rip a few pieces to make bandage strips. The rest she could use to clean the blood!
 

Peter nodded quietly. It was hard to maintain a calm to soothe the others when he wanted to lash out at anything responsible, at Jeffry and everyone else. This was his best friend, the only man who had ever believed in him without a hint of doubt, and he was slipping away before his very eyes. Peter took an expression of almost feral determination. This flame was fueled when Will came darting back, sweating and exhausted shouting at the opening of the shelter.

"I've found the village, I found it!" he cheered, but had to sit down because he was out of breath. He was the most agile of the lot, thin and lacking in much muscle but he ran like an untamed animal through the trees with the stamina of an ox. Peter nodded to him. "Will, show me the way. We'll travel as fast as we are able. Pipa and Elaina will take the end of the train, escorted by Darren and Warren, as well as the sensible Bobbin. Periodically, Will will go back to make sure everyone is on the right track. Jeffry will come with me and we will take turns carrying the prince... if, Jeffry, that is you are willing to do your part in preserving his health?" Peter was taking charge in a way he knew Peter would, but his plan of action was more muddled and he could not resist the delicate undertone of his comment to Jeffry.

With little ado, the group split and Peter was demonstrating surprising strength, taking Evan in his arms as though he were the father and Evan his young son. Jeffry stood abashed at Peter's side. Will was up again, a full skein of water tied at his side and he had already downed one since his return. Through the trees, the trio quickly disappeared. Peter may be straining to do so, but his desperation was enough to try to take the way at a full run.

Pipa hung back, looking uncertainly at Elaina as their group began moving at a slower pace. "He'll be all right, won't he?" she asked, fearful.
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Elaina wasn't so sure anymore! But even with her own doubts, she offered Pipa a light smile and took her hand to hold as both of them brought up the end of the line. Though she was tired and worried, Elaina would try to be as optimistic as possible. For Pipa, for the men (minus Jeffry, she was still furious with him!) and for Evan.

"Of course he will! All he needs is a little rest and to be looked at by a doctor. Then we can be on our way home." In fact, the more she thought about it, that was all they needed! A doctor, a good night's sleep, a decent meal. Everyone would be in better spirits and maybe even that nonsense with Jeffry could be worked out.
 

Pipa squeezed Elaina's hand gently, her lower lip pouting out. "He's always been very nice to me, I think he's one of the nicest men in the whole world" she said, her eyes welling with tears. It was hard to try and express to this woman how she had daydreamed silly little plots, of him falling in love with her and making her his queen and being nice to her forever. Pipa liked Elaina, liked her so much she'd do scary, bold things to help her but at the same time... was this what jealousy felt like? Pipa looked trustingly up at Elaina, her face scrunched up in concentration.

Ahead by many yards, Peter slowed his pace, panting and sweating profusely. Among only the men, he could remove his tunic safely. With not a word, he passed Evan to Jeffry and tugged off the sweaty garment. The instant the cool air hit his bare chest, he felt revitalized. "Will, run back to check up on the others, we'll be fine here". The pair charged onward in the direction of a village that Will promised was only about half an hour of hard running ahead from this point. There was not a thought of danger in their minds, they were so focused.... even though they were charging headlong through a forest.
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