Kaewyn awoke suddenly. A sudden, loud noise had torn him rudely from his peaceful slumber. With his eyes still blinded by sleep and the darkened interior of the tent, his other senses worked overtime to ascertain what had disturbed him. He could still faintly hear the sounds of soldiers drinking and celebrating their victory, but little else. He realised quickly that whatever it had been, it must have happened outside of the tent. Probably a drunken soldier stumbling back to his bedroll, Kaewyn thought to himself. He listened briefly for a few seconds more just to be sure, but when he heard nothing further that alarmed him, he grumbled sleepily and decided to try to go back to sleep. He then grabbed at his sleeping furs and attempted to pull them back over himself, but much to his irritation, the furs would not come.

Kaewyn wiped and blinked away the sleep in his eyes and soon his ability to see improved. He then sat up, looked to his left, and found that most of his sleeping furs were wrapped around somebody else. A woman, he quickly realised. It was Camilla. Her arms held the sleeping furs tightly around herself as she continued to slumber peacefully beside him. A smile came to him as he recalled the previous night. Camilla had told him then that she had decided not to go with him back to Xu Castle, a fact that even now caused his heart to ache. He understood her reasoning, but that hadn’t helped ease the sting of disappointment and sadness that their plans were not going to come to fruition any time soon. What did help to alleviate his disappointment, was that she had also chosen to stay with him for the night.

Kaewyn turned his body to face her and rested his head back again upon his pillow. He did not want to disturb Camilla’s sleep, so rather than fight her for control over the warm furs, he decided to snuggle up against her as close as he could in an attempt to share some of the warmth from her body. He placed an arm over her but he did so carefully so as to not risk waking her. Perhaps by instinct, she responded to his touch by moving closer to him and tucking her head under his chin, a sleepy, loving smile on her lips. Even fast asleep, he found her exceptionally beautiful. Her long brown hair was frizzled from sleep and itched at his bare skin when he moved but he didn’t mind. He was completely content to just hold her close in the darkness.

A brief rustling sound caught his attention, but this time Kaewyn was awake enough to perceive it better. He sat up immediately and looked to the entrance to the tent. A sudden chill ran down his back as he saw a cloaked figure whose face was covered by a hood just standing there. The hooded figure didn’t move an inch, but he was holding the tent flap open with one hand. By the light of the moon shining outside, he saw that the hooded man wore armour, but to his surprise, he found that he recognised the armour as the standard issue for the Vinum recruits. He had seen many like it during the battle. For a moment, he hesitated to act as his mind raced to answer why a Vinum soldier was entering his tent uninvited. Camilla stirred sleepily beside him as she sat up and rubbed at her eyes, and upon realising someone was there, she quickly covered herself with the furs. Kaewyn rose to his feet quickly, suddenly aware of his own nakedness in facing the stranger. The hooded man stepped inside the tent and allowed the flap to close behind him, returning the interior of the tent to near-total darkness.

“Guards!” He cried out, cursing himself for not acting sooner. “Guards!”

The hooded man drew a short sword in his right hand and produced a small dagger in his left, and then rushed at them. Camilla gasped and retreated further into the corner of the tent, letting out a short scream when the hooded man came closer. Kaewyn continued to shout as loudly as he could for help in the hope someone would hear him and come to their aid, but all his yelling did in the short term was gain the ire of their attacker. Kaewyn moved swiftly and positioned himself behind the desk and used it as a barrier between himself and the hooded man. Seeing now that there was nothing between the hooded figure and Camilla, Kaewyn grabbed some of the heavy candles that sat on the desk and threw them as hard as he could at the hooded man’s head. Undeterred by his candle throwing, the hooded man lunged forward and slashed and stabbed at him with a wild growl, but Kaewyn used his foot to send the desk toppling forward and into the sword-wielding assassin, sending him reeling backward. Now without anything between himself and the attacker, Kaewyn felt incredibly vulnerable. He became painfully aware that he was stark naked with not even casual wear to protect his dignity, let alone his flesh from the sharp steel of a blade. He knew full well that without his armour, any glancing blow was likely to be severe.

The attacker now having recovered, stepped over the toppled table at came at him with a renewed vigour. Kaewyn was ready for him though and managed to slip backward in time to avoid the sharp blade as it whizzed past like a flash. Angered by his failed attempts, the attacker instead turned his attention toward Camilla, who was shouting for someone to help them as loudly as her lungs would allow. She was trapped and defenceless in the corner of the tent and the attacker must have realised this. Before the attacker could even make a single step toward her, Kaewyn charged. The hooded man sensed his approach and turned to meet him, his short sword slashed wildly, but just before the blade’s edge met pink flesh, Kaewyn grabbed the hooded man’s wrist with both hands and began to wrestle for control of the weapon. Just when he believed he was getting the better of his opponent, Kaewyn felt a hot sting in his left leg, just above the kneecap. He looked down to see a bright red gash beginning to bleed and drip down his leg. Camilla screamed as Kaewyn felt his wounded leg give way from underneath him. As he fell, he lost his grip on the hooded figure’s wrist and the attacker easily wrangled his weapon away from him.

Now on the floor and injured, Kaewyn knew he was at the mercy of their attacker. But this was no duel of honour, no contest between soldiers on the field of battle, he told himself. He was naked and sleeping in his tent and this man was likely an assassin. Mercy was not something he could expect. He looked up and heard the man mumble something akin to a curse, a second later there was a loud smash and a grunt of pain. Camilla had managed to somehow make her way around behind the hooded figure and used Kaewyn’s helmet as a bludgeon. The man stumbled briefly, but he quickly regained himself and swore. He lashed out violently with the pommel of his weapon and collected Camilla on the side of her face before she could dart away. She let out a pained gasp and staggered backwards toward the tent’s entrance. The hooded figure moved to pursue her, but Kaewyn put all of his remaining strength into his uninjured leg and kicked the man’s shin as hard as he could with the heel of his foot. The blow only managed to stagger the figure for a second, but it was a strong blow and he knew that it had hurt him. Swearing once again, the hooded figure shook his head and raised his short sword at Kaewyn who was still on the floor, his leg pulsing with pain.

Kaewyn knew Camilla was too far away to help him now. There was nothing around him he could find to grab and use to defend himself from the incoming blade. It was all he could do to raise his bare arms to cover his face and torso and hope for the best. He waited for the strike to rend his arms to pieces, but thankfully, no such blow came. He looked up at the hooded figure and saw him clutching at his throat as a massive arm strangled him from behind. The man choked and gurgled as his throat became desperate for air, but the vicelike grip around his neck did not relent. Kaewyn also noticed that the hooded figure’s other hand, the one wielding the knife, was also being controlled by the wrist by another hand. Within seconds, the hooded figure dropped the knife and tried to claw at his throat with both hands to little use. With a sickening crunch, the assassin’s neck was broken and his body crumpled to the floor of the tent. Standing there in the darkness was the person he had least expected to see.

“…Renlai?” Kaewyn said between pained breaths. It was getting harder for him to concentrate and his vision had become blurred and out of focus.

The Ralerai Chieftain nodded his head and knelt down over the body of the assassin. Whether he was checking to see if he was still alive or for another reason, Kaewyn couldn’t tell.

With the immediate threat of danger apparently gone, Kaewyn’s leg flared up again and began to burn with pain. Even as he shifted his weight to lay more comfortably, the effort sent a fresh wave of pain through his entire leg. Camilla rushed over and hugged him, telling him to lay still. Even as she spoke, her words sounded muffled and unclear to him, as if she was speaking to him through a wall or over a great distance. He could see the worry in her blue eyes as he looked at his leg in a panic. Only when Renlai stood up and made his way to the far side of the tent and then returned with his sleeping furs in hand did he remember that both he and Camilla were still completely bare to the world. Renlai smiled warmly and offered the furs to Camilla. While she thanked the Ralerai Chieftain and took them to cover herself, it was the wound on Kaewyn’s leg that she was most concerned with.

Despite the pain dulling his senses, Kaewyn heard shouting outside of the tent. It wasn’t long before Yohren stormed inside, sword drawn and a look of utter panic in his eyes. Immediately, his eyes fixed upon Renlai.

“Traitor!” He yelled. “Assassin!”

Kaewyn felt his heart race. He tried to call out for Yohren to stop but realised to his shock that he couldn’t voice his words. He felt Camilla’s arms cradling his shoulder and head, but even her touch was somehow faint and distant. Before he could dwell on it further, he found that he could no longer support his head without Camilla stopping it from falling limp. He tried to speak again, this time summoning all of his strength and willpower to do so, but alas he knew for certain that he hadn’t been able to make a sound as even his lips refused to obey him. To his added horror, he then also realised that he could no longer hear. He saw Yohren’s mouth moving, he must have been saying something but Kaewyn couldn’t read his lips through his blurred vision. All sound had become muted. He started to panic, especially when his vision then failed him a moment later. His world had quickly turned into one of emptiness and darkness. But his mind now seemed tired, even distracted, as though the fact that he could barely feel anything and could no longer see was somehow something he didn’t need to worry himself about.

***

Kaewyn coughed and sputtered. His throat was raw and painful, and he felt a wetness running down his chin and onto his neck and chest. He tried to wipe away the wet feeling with his hands but they felt heavy and cumbersome, and no matter how hard he tried, he hadn’t the strength to lift them. As he continued to cough, he heard a worried voice beside him.

“He’s coughing it all up! Athaia? I did what you asked of me but he—”

“It’s fine, Yohren.” Athaia answered sternly.

Kaewyn felt a cool palm come to rest upon his forehead for a few seconds before it was pulled away. He let out a few more painful coughs and realised his head was pounding so badly he could barely form a coherent thought before it was lost. The voices he had heard faded away as quickly as they had come and Kaewyn found himself feeling as though he were unwillingly floating down a river of darkness at the complete mercy of the current. He wasn’t comfortable. His body felt irritated, both itchy and sweaty at the same time. Every unwilling movement seemed to jolt fresh pain through his body, mixing up his thoughts into a mess that reminded him of his book collection back in his chambers at Xu Castle. Before he could make sense of it, he found himself back there. In the middle of his chambers, he saw several half-read books and tomes laying open wherever his mind’s eye saw fit to look, and countless others were stacked in unorganised heaps about the room. He forced himself to concentrate and reached out and picked up one of the books from the pile closest to him, but when he tried to read the title, he just couldn’t. The words were there. He could see them, but it was almost as though they were too far away for him to be able to read, like a distant sign at a crossroads. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but fared no better the second time. Frustrated at his newfound illiteracy, he threw the book back at the pile and watched as the pile collapsed to the floor with some satisfaction.

Kaewyn paused. He heard more voices. He moved toward the door to his chamber and placed his ear against it and listened again. The voices were muffled and unclear, too hard for him to understand, so he reached for the door and went through. Rather than find himself in the upper castle rooms, Kaewyn realised he was standing in the Great Hall. A wave of relief washed over him and the familiar surroundings calmed his mind.

My son.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Kaewyn rubbed at his eyes. His vision was still blurry. The entirety of the Great Hall, from the banners on the wall to the tables and chairs all seemed a blurry mess to him, as if he was standing in some badly or perhaps hastily created painting. But that deep, warm, welcoming voice was familiar to him.

I did not expect you to abandon your books to join us at court today.

Knowing that rubbing his eyes had no effect, he looked up to the dais and saw a blurred figure sitting in the lord’s chair. His facial features were hard to distinguish but he had little difficulty in identifying his own father. Feeling a wave of emotion, Kaewyn rushed up onto the dais to get a closer look. Much to his frustration, the figure resembling his father did not become any clearer as he came close.

You have made me a happy man, Kaewyn. Come, sit. I would welcome your input in today’s council.

Kaewyn wanted to speak, to ask him how he was alive, to ask him what had happened to him, but no matter how much he willed it, his lips refused. Instead, he found himself sitting down beside his father and looking down from the dais at the gathered civil and military officials. On the left, He saw Seneschal Talbury leading the civil officials, and on the right, General Alaric, the late General Alaric, standing at the head of the military men of Greystone Province. Kaewyn saw no Marcus, nor did he see Yohren or Athaia for that matter. He tried to speak up and ask where his advisors were, but again his lips refused him.

Lord Corrhen. Final preparations for the march to join Lord Valehran’s Coalition of Lords to oust the Great Traitor are complete.

Good. His father replied. We will restore the Empire and rid it of the Great Traitor’s corruption and tyranny.

Kaewyn squirmed in his seat. He wanted to tell his father not to go. He wanted to warn him of Lord Valehran, of the ambush on his march home. He wanted to warn him of Lord Severus and his invasion, he wanted… to apologise, for never attending court, for avoiding his responsibility at every turn. But still, the words would not form on his lips. As the council continued, he became more and more frustrated. He fingered at his mouth and lips and wondered why he had been cursed to silence, but then he realised that he could move, and act with no trouble at all. As his father and the Greystone council continued to speak, Kaewyn stood up from his seat and drew his sword. To his surprise, no one paid him any mind. He slammed the edge of his sword into his own chair, embedding the blade several inches into the thick, Greystone timber, before ripping it out and hacking at it again. Why won’t you listen to me! He screamed in silence. He walked over to his father and tried to speak with him one final time, but again he went on unheard. Fed up, Kaewyn reached out with his hand to grab his father’s shoulder, but as his hand touched the fabric of his father’s tunic, a terribly bright light blinded him. He shut his eyes and winced in pain as the pounding in his head returned in full force.

When the pain began to finally subside, Kaewyn hesitantly opened his eyes. He saw Yohren and Athaia crouched over him. One of the pair looked worried, the other, much less so. He realised quickly that they were in his tent and that he had been placed back into his bedroll and covered up in furs. His throat was sore but his body was worse. Without realising it, his hand reached down to where he remembered seeing the wound on his leg and came across bandages. Even the slightest touch reignited fresh pain that forced him to grit his teeth.

“Rest a moment, my lord.” Athaia counselled him. “Yohren, use that cloth I gave you to dry him and wipe away the rest of the tonic he coughed up. I will return in a moment and check up on him soon.”

Kaewyn wanted to speak, but when Yohren wiped his chin and chest with the cloth, he let him finish first. After he had been properly dried, he shuffled around so that he could sit up. Yohren cautioned him to take care and his advice was well warranted. Kaewyn’s body felt stiff but once he had managed to pull himself up into a sitting position, he did feel a little better. After coughing a few more times, he held out his hand and gestured for water. Yohren quickly poured him a cup and handed it to him. The water tasted foul and he nearly spat it out instantly. Instead, he endured the thick, slimy texture and gulped the water down as best he could. He realised that whatever tonic he had been given was the cause of the foul taste and texture and that the water had simply washed it down.

Kaewyn coughed again, though this time markedly less than he had done so before. He lifted his head and saw Yohren’s face expressing perhaps the guiltiest and most remorseful look he had ever seen in his life.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there Kaewyn.” Were Yohren’s first words to him. His retainer held his head low and shook it slowly. “I should’ve been there to protect you from the assassin.”

“The assassin… The last memory I have is of you storming into the tent and confronting Renlai.” Kaewyn explained, clearing his throat at the threat of another coughing fit. “I tried to tell you it was not him who assaulted us, but I could not manage the words. Please tell me you did not do anything drastic, Yohren?”

The retainer shook his head. “Nearly. When I heard the shouting and rushed over to your tent. I saw the two guards stationed outside of your tent, limp and lifeless on the ground. I drew my sword, charged inside, and prayed I wasn’t too late. When I saw that barbarian…” Yohren sighed. “When I saw the Ralerai Chieftain standing over you and Camilla on the ground, I lost control. It was like all my fears and suspicions had been proven true all at once. If Camilla hadn’t stopped me, if she hadn’t been there to explain what actually happened…”

“If Camilla had not been there, I would not have survived long enough against the assassin for Renlai to have saved us to begin with,” Kaewyn added. “Without either of them, I am almost certain I would be dead now.”

“Without either of them,” Yohren repeated sadly. “I should’ve been there to protect you, but instead I was off sulking about my own problems. I’ve been sitting here for nearly two days straight hoping I could ask for your forgiveness. I would never have forgiven myself if my childish behaviour ended up with you being killed. Can… Can you forgive me Kaewyn?”

“Hold on a moment…” Kaewyn said as he rubbed his forehead. “Two days you have been sitting there? Just how long has it been since the attack?”

“Well, it’s midday now, so near enough two and a half days.” Yohren explained.

“It has truly been so long?” He asked.

“You were poisoned, Kaewyn. Your fever only broke this morning.” Yohren said. “The assassin’s blade must have been coated in some vile substance. The cut on your leg was Athaia’s guess.”

“Poison?” Kaewyn repeated. “Then how do I still live? Surely an assassin’s poison would… well, kill.”

“All I know is Athaia said she recognised the work of the poison almost immediately. Made up some foul-smelling brew which we’ve been giving you every few hours since the attack. Horrible stuff. Half the time you coughed it all up, but you always breathed easier afterwards.”

“You really sat here with me the whole time?” He asked.

Yohren nodded. “I can’t forgive myself for letting this happen to you Kaewyn. I can’t.”

Kaewyn smiled. Though his head still ached and throbbed with pain and his leg hurt something fierce, he could not deny that he appreciated his retainer’s efforts in remaining by his side, even if he didn’t know it at the time.

“You were going through some issues of your own Yohren.” He said. “You have learnt some things that I imagine have not been easy to hear. Of course, Yohren. Of course I forgive you. I am just gladdened that you did not skewer Renlai and start yet another war.”

“We can thank Lady Camilla for that,” Yohren said. “Are you sure that you forgive me? You nearly died because of my negligence.”

“Hmm, well, truth be told Yohren, I think everything would have turned out similarly whether you were off on your own or not.” Kaewyn explained as he shuffed to get more comfortable. “You see… Camilla and I, we…”

“…I did not want to pry.” Yohren said tactfully.

“So you see, I would have sent you away regardless. So please do not blame yourself overmuch.” He asked. “We are just lucky that Renlai was apparently near my tent at the right time.” Kaewyn paused in thought. “Do we know why he was even there?”

Yohren nodded. “I asked him the very same thing after Camilla explained to me that he was not the assassin. Of course, no one could understand what he was saying at the time, but he claimed to be coming to give you a gift.”

“The gift he mentioned during our meeting? The one I tried to tell him could wait till morning? That’s what saved my life?” Kaewyn said bemusedly. “Are you saying that the only reason Camilla and I live is because of an error in translation?”

Yohren nodded his head and smiled.

“Some gift…” He said. “I suspect that whatever Renlai’s actual gift to me is will hardly compare to saving our lives.”

“Oh… you might be surprised.” Yohren teased. “Do you think you are well enough to stand?”

“Athaia said she would be coming back soon, did she not?”

“We won’t be going far. Just outside is all. What do you think?”

Kaewyn took a moment to assess himself. Despite the coughing which had cleared up the longer he’d been awake, his body felt okay. While still quite sore he believed his throat was a little better too. His only real concern was the injury to his leg. He leant forward and put his weight on it as a test. He winced as the pain began to throb, but altogether it was not unbearable. He nodded to Yohren and slowly climbed up to his feet. He then reached out for support and leant upon Yohren’s shoulder as he was led outside.

The midday sun shone so brightly that Kaewyn was forced to shield his eyes. He asked Yohren to wait a moment while his eyes adjusted to the brightness and soon enough he was able to look around without being completely blinded.

“Where are we going?”

“Nowhere.” Yohren chuckled as he let go of him. “Your gift.”

Kaewyn lifted his head and looked forward through his narrowed eyes. Tied to a hitching post by rope was the most beautiful white-grey horse he had ever laid eyes upon. It was smaller than the other war horses he had ridden, but there was no denying that the animal was strong and muscular. While mostly white, at least half of the horse’s body was covered by grey splotches mostly present on the chest and sides. He ran his hand across the horse’s back and found the hair to be soft and thick. His touch had gained the attention of the animal who then flicked his tail and turned his head to look at him. It was then that Kaewyn noticed the odd shape of the horse’s head. The nostrils were wider than he had seen on other horses and the long gap between the nose and forehead of the animal was flattened and dish-shaped.

“What a wonderful-looking animal,” Kaewyn said in amazement. “I have never seen a horse like this before.”

“The Ralerai Chieftain was on his way to your tent the night of your attack. To gift you this horse.” Yohren added.

“Then I shall count myself fortunate two-fold,” Kaewyn exclaimed happily as he continued to pet the horse. “This is truly a wondrous gift. I must thank Renlai personally. Do you know where he is?”

Yohren paused. “…I can find him for you.”

“What are you doing out of bed!” Athaia shouted across the camp. Kaewyn pried his eyes away from his new horse to see the older woman making her way toward him with purpose.

“My lord.” She huffed when she arrived. “You should be back in bed for a while yet before you go roaming the camp. Yohren! Why have you let him exert himself?”

Yohren didn’t respond, instead, he shrugged his shoulders meekly and lowered his head.

“Oh, do not fuss overmuch Athaia. I am feeling better. Besides, Yohren only wanted me to see Renlai’s gift to me.” Kaewyn let out a sigh of awe. “I would very much like to take him for a ride.”

“Absolutely not.” The physician scolded him like a strict parent. “You are not to ride for at least a couple of days until I am satisfied the poison has left your blood completely. Pushing yourself too early could bring back the fever.”

Athaia started to usher him back toward the tent. Kaewyn tried to complain but the physician was having none of it. He explained that he must thank the Ralerai Chieftain for his gift but Athaia countered and said that such business can be done from the comfort of the tent if needs be. With a tired sigh, he relented. He knew no matter his words, Athaia took her role as Court Physician too seriously to be swayed by anything other than the most serious of arguments. Forced back inside the tent and into bed, Kaewyn reluctantly accepted that he was not well enough to wander the camp just yet. Satisfied, Athaia gave him something foul and unpleasant to drink and sat beside him.

“This poison.” Athaia said, her voice grim and concerned. “The only reason I have been able to treat you is that I recognise it.”

“You do?”

She nodded her head. “It is from the Heartlands. Whether that helps in identifying who sent the man to kill you, I do not know, but all I do know that that the poison is not supposed to be immediately fatal, that is to say, to kill you quickly. Rather, the poison is meant to take its time and be extremely unpleasant in doing its job. If I were not familiar with it then I expect you would have had a much more difficult fight on your hands in overcoming it. Perhaps even with a less experienced physician, you would have died.”

“Then I suppose I should be thanking you, Athaia.” He said warmly. “How did you recognise it? The poison?”

Athaia chuckled. “I told you I have lived an interesting life before coming into your service my lord. Suffice it to say that I have prepared such concoctions before and, truth be told, I find that I prefer using such poisons as the one I used to aid us in escaping Garren and his deserters, over such lethal and potent measures.”

“Heartbreak grass,” Kaewyn said with a smile as the memory of their escape came back to him.

“Yes. You have a good memory.” Athaia said with the faintest sign of a cheeky smile. “Garren and his men had a difficult time in pursuing us in such a sorry state, which I must say, is a state you will find yourself in if you do not heed the words of your physician and get some rest. Understood?”

“Are you saying you would poison me?” He teased.

“I would never do such a thing.” The older woman said with a smile. “Nor would I joke about it with one who still recovers from actually being poisoned. It would be most distasteful of me to do so.”

With her advice given and satisfied that Kaewyn had taken her message to heart, Athaia bowed her head and moved to depart. Before she left, she gave a stern warning to Yohren that Kaewyn not be allowed to leave without her permission. Yohren nodded his head and soon enough, the two were alone once again.

Kaewyn wanted to learn all that had transpired since the attack but he had suddenly started to feel a great deal of fatigue. His exertions had taken a toll on his tired and sore body. Even though there were many things he wanted to know, Yohren simply assured him that all was being taken care of and that he should rest. Not entirely satisfied with being kept in the dark, Kaewyn grumbled but he hadn’t the strength to argue. With Yohren watching over him, he slowly felt himself drifting off to sleep.