Fallen From Grace

Part 9

Hearing the chanting suddenly had her blood running cold. She shot to her feet and remounted her horse. Visions of her childhood experience flashed in her memory and she knew that whatever the cost she had to leave. Urging her steed along at breath breaking speeds she tried to get a bearing on her exact location only to realize that she really had no idea where she really was. In her haste to escape real life she had ventured much deeper into the blood wood then she had ever been. So deep in fact that she wasn't sure where the woods even ended. She glanced behind her to see if anyone was following her only to see nothing but the shifting shadows. She couldn't hear anything over her ragged breath and pounding heart but still she urged on, following the river. At one point she thought she heard her name being called out in urgency only for the sound to be brushed up into the sounds of the night before fleetingly disappearing into the darkness. The darkness, once her enemy was now quickly becoming her cover, her sanity and she fully embraced it. Embraced the coldness it brought, and the danger along with it. She let her fear and grief guide her as she plunged even deeper into the woods, that was the moment she sensed rather than saw another rider running parallel to her. Her horse suddenly becoming spooked and sharply jerking in the opposite direction which also happened to be in the direction of the river. Briefly thinking she might be able to get away from her pursuer only to reach the middle of the river and discover that not only was it really deep but there were even more horsemen bearing down on her from the opposite side. They were trying to corner her and it was working. She didn't have much of a choice so she did the only thing she could think of. She flung herself off from her horse into the deep frigid waters of the river and let the current carry her downstream. She lost sense of time as the cold water rushed in around her as the current seemed to become stronger and moving much more quickly sending her further away.

She wasn't sure how long it had been but when she woke she found herself on the shores of the river bank. Sore, covered in mud and soaking wet she shivered as she tried to pull her tired body up. The air had turned cold and she could see her breath. She knew she had to get out of the cold she wouldn't survive much longer. Dragging herself into a semi sitting position she looked around to find out where she was. She saw no sign of anyone or anything. She also had no idea where she was. She looked up at the sky only to find it covered with a thick overhand of branches. She was still very deep in the woods. She went to pull herself into a standing position only to find a shooting pain running up her leg. She cried out as the sharp pain registered and she fell back on the river bank. Pulling her wet heavy dress up she felt around her leg and hissed in pain as she found the wound and her hand came away feeling sticky and wet from the cut she must have gotten when falling in the river. She tore a piece of her dress and wrapped it around her cut. Once she had tied it off she managed to pull herself under a thick of brush. She had to get warm or she would never make it through the night. She covered herself in leaves in hopes of getting warm at least until day light so that she might have a better chance. She suddenly felt very tired and finally fell into a deep dream filled sleep and prayed that she would wake up.

She found herself once again in the woods as a child. The air was thick with a summer rain and the sounds of the woods had come alive. Emilia looked around to see if she could see something, anything but it was so dark. She heard her name being called but when she turned around now one was there. She tried calling out but found she had no voice. Suddenly she started to run. She ran as fast as she could but felt like she was barely moving at all. She heard her name again but still found no one. She continued running when suddenly she was falling. How far she fell she couldn't tell but she found herself looking up at the stars when she heard her name and then a face appeared before her.

"Father!?" She called out in confusion.

"Yes, my sweet child. I am here."

"I am so scared Father."

"I know child but you must fight."

"But I don't want to. I miss you so much." She felt tears in her eyes as he stroked her hair.

"I know child but there is someone else would miss you more." He slowly started to fade away.

"No." She shouted. "Please don't leave me." She cried out.

"It alright child, it is not your time. We will see each other again but you must go back. Fight for your life, fight for what is yours. Never let them beat you down." With that he finally faded away from her vision.

"Please don't leave me." She cried out.

"Please, don't leave me" She heard a very familiar voice say above her. "Francis why won't she wake up? Please Emilia open your eyes." She could hear Bash beg above her but try what may she didn't have the strength to open her eyes. She felt his arms tighten around her as he pulled her up into his lap lowering his forehead to hers. "Please my princess, do not leave me. Not like this. I have been to blind and I am so sorry. Please come back to me."

"Come brother, we need to get her some place safe and warm. She is still breathing so there is a chance."

"Francis I cannot lose her." She heard him say in a desperate voice but try as she may she could not open her eyes.

"Then we must hurry." She felt herself being lifted up and then the sudden violent shooting pain in her leg. This brought her out of her sleep and she shot up crying out in pain.

"Emilia, Emilia... what is it?" Bash had taken her face in his two hands as he looked into her pain filled eyes. He wiped a tear that had leaked out with the pad of his thumb. She couldn't answer but Francis did for her.

"Sebastian, her leg." Looking down he noticed the rag that was now soaked in blood. "We need to get that cleaned before it gets infected."

"But the castle is nearly a day's rid from here. She won't make it."

"Then I suggest we clean and rebind it. You are the fastest rider I know so I suggest we get moving. You need to hold her down; this is going to be painful for her. She felt Bash tighten his hold on her.

"Listen to me Princess, this is going to hurt but I am right here and I promise you I won't let go." She nodded her head and was able to grasp his arms that had a vice grip around her. He pulled her up so that her back as pressed to the front on him. His lips her to her temple as he kissed it slightly and whispered in her ear "I'm right here" over and over again. The pain was the worst she had ever felt as Francis set to work. She met his eye briefly right before he set to work. Unknown to her when she looked down she noticed a branch was sticking from her leg, not very big but enough to cause the damage. How she had missed that she didn't know but there it was the source of all her pain. She squeezed her eyes shut as Francis looked at her one more time.

I'm going to have to pull this out and I am so sorry." His eyes full of regret as she felt Bash's hold tighten even more as he held her still. She closed her eyes as she felt him tug it from her leg. That was when she let out a very load very painful scream, her sound echoing in the woods around them. As she started to lose her focus once more all she heard was Bash's soothing words over and over again.

"Stay with me. It's going to be alright Princess."

The next few hours passed in a blur as they made their way quickly to the castle. She faded in an out with the bouncing of the horse. Every once in a while the throbbing in her leg would become too intense but she was too tired to call out. Finally they came to a stop and she heard Bash speak from behind her for the first time in hours. His voice laced with a sense of relief.

"We made it." They were home. At least what had used to be her home. Now she wasn't so sure.