Forget About Me (Knight!Tom AU)

Forget About Me (4)

Warnings: mention of animal death (nothing graphic), a splash of death, closing a bloody wound with fire (cartelizing), a little hint of fluff, blood

The sun was steadily rising in the eastern sky, leading the way back to the center of the Eastern Kingdom. The princess spent the latter part of the dark hours searching for another horse that hadn't been slaughtered by the ruthless knights of the Southern Kingdom. She had never seen so much blood in her life, but it didn't phase her as much as she expected. Her entire focus was on getting her father back from King Gideon and making sure she, Tom, and Prince Sam made it out of their current situation to do so.

She tiptoed through the dimly lit trees with her bow at the ready as her eyes scanned the landscape. A white horse caught her eye as it grazed on a small patch of grass. It had a saddle and the sword of its rider was still in the holster, and she presumed that its rider had been killed in the battle. As she approached, the horse glanced up, nickering softly as she came into view. Just before she could grab the reins, a knife zipped past her, landing in the trunk of a tree just behind her. She glanced up, seeing a large, black figure running towards her, fast. She raised her bow, following the figure's steps with acute accuracy before releasing the arrow, hitting her mark directly in the heart. She wasn't sure if the sound she heard was the thud of his body hitting the ground or the thump of her own heart in her ears, but as she approached, she saw that he was dead. A Southern Kingdom assassin, much like her own mother was to the Northern Kingdom. She checked his pulse, being sure to keep a knife to his throat in case he wasn't really gone, but he was. She pulled the arrow from his bleeding chest, wiping the blood off on his clothing before placing it back in her quiver and retreating back towards the horse.

She returned to the battlefield with the horse in tow, only to find that the prince hadn't come to yet and his wounds were advancing. They would need tending too as soon as they reached the castle, but she bandaged him up the best she could with some ripped clothing from their fallen comrades. Although she had devised a plan to get them home, the hardest part would be getting there.

Tom was sporting many cuts and bruises, a gash to his right side, and some broken ribs to be certain, but he insisted on helping Y/N lift the prince's limp body onto the second horse, her own standing by. His brow was covered in sweat that mixed with the dried blood that was splattered across his face and he stifled his own groans as he lifted the majority of the prince's weight onto the saddle of the horse.

Once the prince's body was tied down, Tom stepped back, his cheeks flushed a rosy red and one hand was splayed across his side.

"Okay, I'll walk the prince back, your majesty. You go ahead and warn the queen of what has happened," Tom sighed, suppressing yet another groan in the middle of his sentence. Her brow rose and she couldn't help the chuckle of disbelief that escaped her lips.

"There is absolutely no way I'm leaving the two of you alone again," she retorted, pulling on the reins of her horse to bring him towards the pair. "You can ride on my horse with me, and we will tie off his reins to my saddle," she continued, causing the knight to step back, as if in shock. She read his reaction, and before he could protest, she spoke again. "That wasn't a suggestion. I hate to use my authority, but you're hurt and leaving you alone with him is like leaving the lambs to be slaughtered, so you will do as I say," she finished, holding her hand out for the reins that rested in Tom's black-gloved hand. The knight sighed, handing them over without question.

She tied off the leather rope to her saddle before climbing onto her horse and reaching her arm down for him to grasp. He looked between her hand and her face for a moment before taking it and settling himself behind her on the saddle. He reluctantly reached around her waist, holding on to her so he didn't fall backwards. Her abdomen tightened at his touch, taking her by surprise as she glanced to the side, catching his face in her peripheral vision.