IV. The Impact of Her

~ Fourteen ~

Grandpa Ben was slumped onto the floor.

Blood trickled down his face. HIs brown shirt was soaked in blood. He looked exhausted. He was left there to die.

"Grandpa Ben?" I knelt beside him as I turned him around.

Grandpa Ben whimpered as I laid his back on the counter. He struggled to open his eyes. But when he saw me, he was able to utter, "Robert?"

"Young man," the old lady called from the door, clearly worried, "Is everything all right in there?"

I peeped up from the counter and replied, "Yes, madam. It is Grandpa Ben. And he is gravely hurt." I returned to Grandpa Ben and gasped as I saw his bleeding arm. "Don't you worry, Grandpa Ben," I said as I grabbed my knife. I tore a long piece from my shirt, gently wrapped it around his arm and continued, "I am here. I will take care of everything."

"Robert..." Grandpa Ben then reached his hand out towards me.

I held his hand and slowly put it down. "Rest yourself, Grandpa Ben. You must not move too much." I shouted towards the old lady, "Call a physician, madam!"

"That won't be necessary."

My eyes widened as I froze. It was another familiar voice. I slowly stood up and was immediately shocked as James stood by the door. The guards stayed outside whilst the old lady was nowhere to be found.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as my jaw clenched. "And where is the old woman?"

"We sent her on her way. Don't worry, we weren't rude towards her," James answered as he approached me. "The question is what are you doing here?" he replied.

As Grandpa Ben moaned once more, I knelt beside him and searched for any other injuries.

James knelt behind me and asked, "Who is this?"

"This is Grandpa Ben. He is Laura's father," I replied as I tore another piece from my shirt. I quickly wrapped it around Grandpa Ben's head to stop the bleeding. I explained, "I don't know what happened here. But clearly, people were harmed. I must bring him to the nearest physician in this town."

Without a word, James sat beside me and reached out for the old man's hand. He checked Grandpa Ben's pulse. James then put a hand on the old man's head and closed his eyes.

After a few seconds, James said, "He needs immediate care. Waiting for a physician to arrive isn't the best solution to this matter. We have to take him with us."

"With us?" I asked as James took off his coat.

"Guards!" James bellowed as he wrapped his coat around Grandpa Ben. He then stood up as the guards arrived, "We must bring this man to our castle. He needs treatment and fast. One of you, fetch for the Medicine King and hurry."

Two of the guards rode back to our realm whilst the remaining five took care of Grandpa Ben. In one flick of his hand, James created a cot from the ruins of the bakery so Grandpa Ben could be transported without any pain.

As the guards carried him out of the bakery, a piece of paper fell from Grandpa Ben's hand. I quickly grabbed it before I followed James.

"Please, be careful with him. He is in a very fragile condition," James instructed the guards.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the guards replied as James headed to his horse.

"James," I called.

"We can talk later, Robert. Right now, your friend must be brought to the castle before it is too late," James replied before he mounted his horse.

I grabbed Wonder and we made our way back to the kingdom.

~*~*~*~

Time seemed to have stopped as we waited anxiously by the guest room.

The Medicine King was already here when we arrived. The guards wasted no time. They immediately brought Grandpa Ben and the Medicine King into the guest room.

James, on the other hand, stood by the window. Completely unbothered.

"James," I said as I walked up to the king.

"Hm?" James turned to me, with his brows arched.

"Thank you for helping Grandpa Ben. I didn't expect that you would do such a thing," I continued. My gut dropped as I gave him my thanks. I was still furious with him but I couldn't show my gratitude. Without James' help, Grandpa Ben would have died in the Mortal Realm.

I owed this matter to James.

"I may be unenthusiastic to assist you. However, that doesn't mean that I am numb to everything," James replied as he faced me completely. With his hands behind his back, he added, "I am aware that this man shouldn't have been dragged into this mess. He does not deserve it."

"But why were you at the bakery? And how did you know I was there?" I asked.

James sighed before he answered, "The captain of the guards told me what happened. I also spoke with the guards who survived the incident."

The image of the three deceased guards haunted my conscience once more. My heart, still shattered, broke even more as my mind persisted to remind me of such a horrible sight.

"I know that this is not the right time to lecture you. But that was poor decision-making on your part, Robert," James said with a calm yet firm tone. He continued, "Perhaps, the mastermind already planned on raiding the bakery. Unfortunately, our guards were there and fought valiantly to protect the innocent."

James added, "By how I see things as of the moment, your enemy has planned everything."

I sighed and hung my head. "I know, James," I replied, "I am aware of my idiocy." I raised my head and looked back at him, "But I never meant for others to get hurt. I didn't know that something such as this was going to happen."

Silence came in between us before James put a hand on my shoulder. "We all make mistakes. And I cannot judge you for that."

I stared at him, surprised. I didn't expect that response from him. James would have scolded me if this were about something else. He never forgave me so easily for all of my shortcomings.

Why the unexpected answer?

The door of the guest room opened and we immediately ran up to the Medicine King.

"How is he?" I asked as the Medicine King closed the door.

"Thankfully, I was able to stabilise the situation. I have stopped the bleeding and all he needs now is to rest," the Medicine King replied.

I sighed out relief whilst James asked another, "Does he have any internal wounds?"

"No, which is another thing that we should be thankful for," the Medicine King smiled. He remarked, "I am astonished that he was able to survive the mistreatment that he was given. He seems to still be a strong person."

"Thank you, Medicine King," James smiled.

The Medicine King bowed and went on his way. "Oh, and another thing," he suddenly turned back to us, "He also said that His Highness should read the note that he left behind." He bowed once again and walked away.

"What note?" James asked as he turned to me.

I quickly reached into my pocket and opened the note that fell from Grandpa Ben's hand. It read:

'Happiness does not come without a price.'