rose & the forgemaster

heal me

"Uncover her already and see if she's awake!" Said one of the soldiers from Rose's troop.

When the battle was over and won, one of the men had picked up a woman who they had guessed was Rose, and now she lied between them on a rolling chariot back to the kingdom.

Removing the drape from over the unconscious woman between them, Tum felt his eyes widen, "You fucking idiot. Who the hell is this?!" He asked Bebti, who was the one left in charge to find Rose.

He blinked quickly, "I-I- I didn't see! It was dark and I- didn't see.." he said.

The men began to scold him all at once, "Are you dense, you fool!? We will be killed if we return without Omarose!"

"W-Well maybe she's still there." Bebti reckoned.

~~

When she awoke, she saw that the battlefield had been abandoned by those who'd survived its horrors. Her troops were gone and so were the enemy.

They left her.

Groggily she looked to her aching side, "Shit." She murmured at the spear sticking out of her waist.

"That's not coming out any time soon.." she went breathlessly, suppressing a shout as she stood on wobbly legs and looked around for a horse. Her shivering hand gently skimmed the spear handle hanging out of her side, her eyes out on the abandoned field.

Far off to the left, she saw a horse limping on its white legs over bodies in search of his rider. In the midst of a fast wince, she pinched two fingers together at her mouth and whistled for the horse.

~~

The voyage back home was agonizing, taking her the entire day. On the way back to the kingdom- still with this spear in her side, she'd made a single stop at an old woman's little farmhouse in the middle of the desert.

"Really- just let me remove the spear, sweetheart. You'll bleed out soon enough." The old woman pleaded with her, helping Rose out of the house so she could return to her journey home.

"If I bleed out so be it- but I just can't take it out. It hurts too much." Rose insisted, getting back on her horse, and taking direction back to her kingdom.

Finally, after many, many hours, she rode up on the gates to her palace in the deep night. She noticed that the guards weren't there, and wondered if Osahar had sent out a search party for her yet.

Did he even care that she hadn't returned?

Her eyes were droopy, hardly able to keep open anymore as she and the horse proceeded through the gates. Spear still in her side, she walked with her head hanging low up to the massive palace doors. Just as she went to knock, they opened up.

She weakly descended to her knees, her headpiece falling and her messed hair as well.

"Queen Omarose."

That voice.

Lifting her head weakly, she saw him.

The forgemaster.

He was getting ready to leave somewhere, draped in a cloak and many layers of clothing. She looked down again, "I-I'm fine." She said softly.

When he spotted the half-spear projecting out of her side, his expression subtly tensed for a moment- then went neutral again, "You have a spear sticking out of you, your highness." He said.

She remained on her knees at his shins, her hair curtaining her face and upper body. Gently, he took hold of her right arm and lifted her so he could see her face, "Just leave me here to die." She said, her head falling back as tears surfaced her pretty eyes.