Lilith Talto

Ch. 3

Prince Ashton was not expecting the Poor girl to return his extra change but was astounded when she ran after him.

He was also astounded by how many lashings she received before fainting.

He walked over to the man whipping the girl. He tapped his shoulder and when the man turned around, Ashton hit him his two pressure points and the man collapsed into a giant heap

It was then that the crowd realized who he was. The woman who had ordered the whipping spluttered in shock and dipped into a deep bow.

"Prince Ashton," she murmured.

He looked down at her.

"What crime did this girl commit to deserve that type of punishment?"

"My apologies, Prince, she is my daughter and is always trying to destroy the rest of my family."

Ashton's guards came out of the crowd

"Men, restrain this woman and ready my carriage so I can take this girl to the infirmary."

They nodded and grabbed her.

Ashton picked the girl up and almost sent her flying. She was much lighter than he expected. Her long blonde hair tangled around his arms as he held on to her and walked through the crowd.

"Hold on a little while longer," he whispered to her as he passed through the gathered crowd.

Her long hair was soaked with blood and she was as thin as paper. Ashton felt her ribs and wondered what kind of life she had.

She stirred and he felt more blood oozing out of her wounds.

He let the coachman help him into the carriage and they took off.

The castle was only a few minutes away but to Ashton, it felt like an eternity. The girl was barely moving and had become even paler.

When they finally reached the castle, he waved off the servants and swept into the infirmary where he laid the girl down.

The head nurse came over and took one look at her and immediately grabbed the necessary supplies.

"Ashton," he said, "you know what the king thinks of this stuff!"

Ashton ignored James and cut the dress off her back.

James handed Ashton a damp cloth and he caught a whiff of brandy.

"We need to restrain her," Ashton said.

James nodded and grabbed the straps and tightened them around her wrists and ankles.

He started to clean her wounds and she writhed in agony, her mouth opened in silent screams.

After he finished cleaning the lashings, he helped stitch the wounds closed before letting James finish up.

He washed his hands and returned to his chambers.

He threw off his shirt into a discard pile for the servants to clean up later. He sat down on the edge of the bed, his hair now a sweaty mess. The scars across his chest shown brightly in the mirror.