The Second Son

Chapter 6

I did not expect Prince Henry to say he knew Alva. But it explained a lot. It now made sense why he was so interested in what I did. I sat and listened intently as he told his own story.

"As I'm sure you've heard, I sometimes ride ahead when my family and I are on the annual Royal Tour. I like to explore and meet people without all the pomp and circumstance. If people don't know my identity, they are more likely to have a real conversation with me. It's a good way to find out what our subjects are really concerned about."

I couldn't help but admire him. I always assumed the Royal Family sat on their throne of privilege and didn't really care about their subjects. But this Royal seemed to be different.

"A few years back, we were on our way to visit Lord Charles and I was about 2 days ahead of the rest. I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere and I ended up in unfamiliar territory. While I was trying to get my bearings, a terrible storm came out of nowhere. The thunder and lightning were really spooking my horse and after one ear splitting clap, he threw me off."

"I must have hit my head and blacked out because the next thing I knew, I was waking up in a hut with a fire going next to me. I was laying on a straw mat. My head was pounding and my shoulder was sore."

"When I tried to get up, a woman in white entered the hut and made me lay back down. She explained to me that I had a pretty large bump on my head and I had knocked my shoulder out of its socket. She had found me and had some of the men from her village carry me back to her hut so she could take care of me."

"I probably would have died out there if she had never found me and healed me. After a few days, I was well enough to be on my way. I never got her name and sometimes I wondered if I had dreamt the whole thing but hearing your story I know it was real. And I know it was Alva and the Arbors who had saved me."

His story didn't really surprise me. Alva taught me that being a healer meant we took an unspoken oath to help everyone who needed it. So of course she helped a strange man that she found passed out in the woods. I still had a lot of questions though.

"Did you tell anyone about what happened to you? Did the Arbors know who you are? Did you ever go back?"

He chuckled lightly at my barrage of questions.

"Woah there Little One. I'll tell you everything you want to know but one question at a time."

I narrowed my eyes at his use of the annoying nickname he gave me. It was so degrading.

He held his hand up and put up one finger.

"First of all, you are the only person I've told that story to. I know I can trust you and you seem to have a lot of affection towards the Arbors."

Another finger went up.

"Two, if Alva and her people had any idea about who I was, they never said anything about it to me. I was dressed in plain clothes so they probably assumed I was a lost commoner."

Three fingers up.

"And three, I've never been back. I've tried searching for their village but unfortunately it's alluded me all these years. Another reason I've wondered if I imagined the whole thing. But now I know it was all real. Because of you."

I felt honored that he shared his secret with me. I had one more question though.

"Why did you decide to tell me? You just met me."

The smile on his face disappeared and he became more serious.

"I need you to take me back there."

I felt a shiver of anxiety go through me. The Arbor village was hidden deep in the woods to protect them from outsiders. Over the years, there have been many threats against them and their way of life. Alva had told me a story about a raid on their village when she was a child. Many people had died and many homes were burned to the ground. After that, the survivors took what was left and moved to a more secluded location.

If I showed Henry where their village was now located, it could be putting them all in danger. But something was telling me I could trust Henry. That his intentions were good.

After I didn't say anything for a few moments, Henry reached across the space between us and gently took my hand in his. I felt butterflies in my stomach at his touch. I looked up to see him looking intently at my face.

"Emily, I know you care about the Arbors very much. And I understand your hesitation about showing me where their village is. I know what people think about them. But no one really understands what they are about. I want to change all that. I think there is so much we can learn from them and it's possible to coexist with them. Please, Emily. I need you to take me to them."

Before I could think too hard about it, I agreed to show him where the Arbor village is. He slowly let go of my hand and went back to eating his lunch. We made a plan for the following day to leave at dawn. It was a long ride and Henry wanted to be sure to be back before his parents arrived. I got the impression that they would not approve of any of this.

I barely slept that night. I couldn't stop thinking about how the next day was going to go. At dinner, I informed my uncle that I planned on visiting Alva the next day. Prince Henry offered to escort me and because he outranked my uncle, he couldn't refuse him.

As the first light was starting to peek over the horizon, I made my way down to the stables to meet up with Henry. He was already there putting supplies into his saddle bag. He greeted me with one of his signature smiles and I gave a small smile back. We both mounted our horses and lead them through the meadow towards the tree line. Prince Henry paused before we stepped into the woods and looked over at me.

"Ladies first. You lead the way."

I nudged my horse forward and we were on our way.

A/N   Thanks for reading my story! Feedback is always welcomed. It's amazing how the plot unfolds while I'm writing. I didn't plan on them taking a trip to visit the Arbors but it just came out while I was writing it. But now I have so many ideas about their journey. Next chapter should be up soon! 💙