'She agreed' a voice called out within my mind. I slid the ring onto her finger and placed my hand back beneath her thigh.
I pressed my lips to hers until I could feel her breathing more heavily. I pulled back and looked at her swollen lips and dry tears.
"I can't begin to imagine the hurt I've caused you over the years, Elle. But I promise you this, I will spend every day making this up to you. I will show you how cherished and loved you are, not just through words, but through actions," I spoke.
She stared up into my eyes, stifling the pain from being held in this position. Her wounds hadn't yet healed, and I could feel the effect they had on her. She grew pale. "Ivan, I don't feel so well," she whispered.
"We need to get you back to the hospital wing. There's an elixir you need to have twice daily," I replied worriedly. I carried her over to her horse and hoisted her up onto it.
"Take these," I commanded, handing her the reigns. I gathered the reigns from my horse and took hers from her. I guided the horses together, back toward home.
About ten minutes into our journey we arrived at a small farm. "Wait here a moment," I whispered to her and taking gathering the reins of my own horse.
I knocked on the door of the farmhouse and an elderly man opened the door. "Please, look after my horse, it is an emergency. Guards from the palace will come to retrieve him," I asked the man.
"It would be my pleasure, your majesty," the man smiled, grabbing his cloak from the hook beside the door. He hurried after me, chasing me as I made my way back to Elle.
As I approached her horse, her body started to go limp. I reached out to steady her, worry coursing through me. "Elle," I spoke, climbing up onto the horse behind her.
"You're so warm," she mumbled as I pulled her against me, her arms wrapped around me.
"Thank you, sir. I will not forget this," I spoke handing them a few gold coins.
"It is my pleasure, your majesty," the man spoke bowing his head in respect as he gathered the reins to my horse.
With that, I took off towards the castle. "I need you to stay awake Ellie," I growled in her ear.
"Don't call me that," she spoke weakly.
"How can I not refer to you as Ellie? That is how I have always called on you," I teased.
"No more. I like Elle though," she mumbled.
"I'll make you a deal, stay awake for me until we return, and I promise to only call you Ellie when I'm picking on you," I smiled, breathing in her scent as we rode.
"This is twice now," she rambled.
"What is twice?" I asked her.
"This is twice that the townspeople will find me weak and in your arms," she laughed cynically. "I'm not sure if I actually even believe that it is happening."
"What do you mean?" I retorted.
"Here and now, I'm wearing my mother's ring as your fiance. But when I open my eyes I'll be alone again. I'm not meant to have a happy ending, but if this was all I am allowed to have, I'm glad I had it with you," she smiled sorrowfully as she placed her hand on my cheek. I could see the walls of the city surrounding our palace. We were so close.
I looked down at her as she kissed me softly. "Goodbye Ivan," she whispered as her body went limp.
"Don't you dare," I growled at her. "Sing to me, sing that song your mother used to sing."
Her eyes closed gently as she began to sing softly.
"Deep in the meadow,
Sat stories untold,
Now gather my children,
And let them unfold.
A king and his queen,
A love that grew old,
A child, a beggar,
So gallant, so bold.
Their stories unraveled,
Their secrets were told,
Their hope had run dry,
As their bodies grew cold.
Then one solemn day,
As legends foretold,
A child fell ill,
Its soul had been sold.
A savior, a fighter,
Her future, behold,
The future young queen,
That the past had foretold," she sang softly before her body gave out.
We rode past the shocked townspeople, the glint of her sheath no doubt catching their attention as they were drawn in by her soft singing. We were so close.
I yelled out for help as I rushed up the stairs toward the medical wing. The doctor was waiting with the elixir in hand.
"Please don't be too late," I pled as I poured the liquid between her lips.
YOU ARE READING
The Sovereign's Sacrifice ☆ EDITING ☆
FantasíaMature audiences only. 18+ Eliana was a small girl when her parents were killed in the raid of her small village in the kingdom of Elluveria. As an orphan, she was brought into the city to be taught at the academy. Ivan was the future king. He took...
