Cursed Till Midnight

Chapter Two

Elizabeth couldn't believe what she was doing. She may have just sealed her fate. But she knew it was the right thing to do.
She stopped Jasper again. "Where are you?"
"Over here." The voice was louder now. She must be close.
Elizabeth dismounted Jasper and led him by the reins. She stepped carefully between the trees, her eyes searching for any signs of life. "Hello?"
A flicker of movement caught her eye.
Elizabeth gasped and ran over, covering her mouth when she saw them. It wasn't an evil creature at all. The voice belonged to a royal knight of some kind, and he was injured.
His dark hair was matted with sticky blood, and he was clutching his side. When he caught sight of her, his face brightened, and he attempted to sit up, wincing as he did so.
"Oh my! Are you alright, sir? What happened?"
The young man chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm not quite sure, exactly. I was hunting with my men, and we got separated. That's all I remember before waking up here. It's rather embarrassing, isn't it?"
"There's nothing to be ashamed of. I must get you help!" Elizabeth knelt near him. "May I see your head injury?"
He angled his head toward her obediently. "Is it bad?" he asked.
Elizabeth bit her lip, disturbed by the amount of blood. "Well, it could be worse, I suppose. I'll wrap something around your head to stop the bleeding." She glanced around to see if there was anything she could use, but seeing nothing, she decided to tear off a strip of her underskirt.
The young man tried to see what she was doing, and blushed when he saw her tearing her underskirt. "Oh, you needn't do that, miss. I'll be alright without that, really."
"I insist. You're bleeding and this will help stop it." Elizabeth finished tearing off the strip and wrapped it carefully around his head. "See? No harm done. My underskirt was already getting old, anyway."
He smiled. "Thank you."
Elizabeth smiled warmly in turn, but it quickly faded. "Now what are we going to do?"
He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "If you take me to a road then I might be able to find my way to the closest village."
"There isn't a village for three miles. You'll never get there like this." Elizabeth furrowed her brow. "My home is less than a mile away, though. Maybe you could climb on my horse, and I could take you back. Then I can get you help."
"That's very kind of you, but I don't want to be a burden."
"I'd rather make certain that you are alright than worry about you, never knowing if you died because I didn't help you."
He raised his eyebrows. "That is a bit extreme, don't you think?"
Elizabeth laughed, standing and offering him her hand. "Come on, I'm not going to take no for an answer."
The young man chuckled, taking her hand. "I know when I've been beaten."
As Elizabeth tried to help pull him up, he cried out, clutching his side. Elizabeth froze. "I'm so sorry! What did I do?"
"It's not your fault," he grunted. "I think I may have broken a rib."
"Oh dear." Elizabeth bit her lip. "Maybe if you..." She cautiously draped his arm over her shoulders, and slowly stood up, letting him lean on her. Her face was flushed at how close they were, knowing it would've been inappropriate if he hadn't been injured.
The man's breathing was labored, but he didn't complain. He carefully mounted Jasper, wincing at the strain, but he was unwilling to show the maiden how much pain he was in. "There we go." He offered his hand to Elizabeth, so she could climb on, but she shook her head.
"There's not enough room. I'll walk."
"Are you sure? I really--"
Elizabeth was already shaking her head. "I'm sure. Now let's go."
They walked in silence for some time, until the young man broke it, saying, "I'm not sure I caught your name."
Elizabeth paused, glancing up at him, a smile on her lips. "My name is Elizabeth. What is your name?"
His eyebrows rose, his green eyes startled. He knew he must not look quite like himself, but surely she would have recognized him? "They call me William."
Elizabeth's lips parted in surprise. William is the prince's name! Could this be the prince? She didn't know what to do. She had never seen the prince in real life, but this couldn't possibly be him, could it? "William... that's the prince's name."
She could have smacked herself. Had she really just said that out loud? What would he think? Elizabeth stopped Jasper and met his gaze, certain it must be true. "You're prince William," she breathed.
William averted his gaze. "Yes."
Elizabeth curtsied deeply, her bowed head hiding her red face. "I apologize for my ignorance, Your Highness. Please forgive me."
"Please, there is no need for that. I am truly glad to know that your kindness was genuine, and it was not just because of who I am. Thank you for that, Elizabeth."
She shivered when he said her name. She could not believe she was speaking to the prince. "It is my pleasure to serve you."
"Please stop, Elizabeth. You don't have to treat me like that. It was so pleasant to talk to you when you didn't treat me differently." He sighed. "Sometimes I wish I could be someone else."
Elizabeth slowly met his gaze. "If only things worked that way. You may wish something, but that doesn't make it so." She turned away. "We should reach my home before dark. I'll... I'll do my best to make your stay as comfortable as possible, Your Highness."
***
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-Ashlynn