Chapter 24
Madeline jumped off the horse and ran straight into the palace. As she made her way to the great hall, she could see people talking about her as she walked by. Nicholis looked up and he could see the panic in her eyes. “Madeline, I have men that are almost ready to leave to search for him.” She looked round. She had hoped that he had made it back but after hearing what the king just said, it meant that he hadn’t. “Why did it take so long for anyone to notice?” Nicholis shook his head. He had been so wrapped up with the death of his men that he didn’t notice until he told one of the guards to go get William for supper. He knew that he threw up his breakfast so he let him be for the day. Now he wished that he had checked on him sooner. Madeline walked out of the great hall and went upstairs to her room. She packed some warm clothes and a fresh supply of herbs. She didn’t know if he was okay or had harm come to him. She looked around the room and believing she had everything she would need, she made her way down to the kitchen. She wanted to make sure that she had enough food to sustain her a few days. She wasn’t coming home until she had her brother in her arms. She walked out the back door and made her way over to the stables. The guard at the door stopped her. “The king said that we were not allowed to give you a horse. You are to remain at the palace until they come back with him.” She was not going to let one guard stand in her way. “Sir, you will move or the next time you take a bite of any food, you better hope that I hadn’t gotten to it first.” He had heard how she worked with herbs and how she saved the king from impending death. He didn’t want any part of witchery and moved aside. Madeline looked over all the horses and then one walked over to her. He was a beauty. His gray coat felt like velvet as he allowed her to run her hand down the side of his neck. He was a big boy and as she walked over to the stool, the horse followed her. She took the blanket and saddle and draped each onto the horse’s back, all the while he stood perfectly still for her. He opened his mouth for the bit and she draped the reins over his head. She tied both her bags to the back and then got into the saddle. The horse didn’t need any encouragement. As soon as he felt that she was in position, he bolted out of the stable. She passed the guard, and as she did, she heard him shout out, “you can’t take the King’s horse.” She smiled as the horse made his way over the bridge and to the mountains that would hopefully bring her to her brother.
The wind had picked up through the night and William shivered under his blanket. He hadn’t gotten much sleep. He didn’t think it would be so cold at night and wasn’t prepared at all. The spring winds still had a bite to them. The morning had finally come and he hoped it would start to warm up soon. He couldn’t get the shivering to stop. Wavoon knew something wasn’t right. The boy didn’t look good. The night had been extremely cold and he knew the days were just on the verge on transition. It was that time of year. He tried to tell William to stay where he was by drawing in the dirt again but William wouldn’t give him his attention. He was too busy getting his horse ready for another day of riding. Finally, the fairy knew what he must do. Just before William could tie anything on the horse, Wavoon flashed a light in front of the horse which spooked it. The horse took off with William running after it. William came back into the cave. “Why would you do that? I need to save the prince. The king needs him at home.” The fairy drew more in the dirt. William saw what he was drawing. “I never get sick. I am the toughest person I know when it comes to illness plus I help my sister a lot when she treats people. I would know what to do.” The fairy had to give the kid credit. He was willing to die out here in the cold to bring someone back that as far as Wavoon knew, was already dead. No one could have survived the cat. As soon as he was banished from his kingdom, he couldn’t see the future anymore. William grabbed his blanket and his bag and walked out of the cave. He stood there for a moment trying to see which would be the best way to go. He knew that the sun came up in the east and he knew that for him to go to the west forest he would have to go north first. He shuddered at the thought. After last night, he wasn’t sure if he could take anything colder than that. He would have to make sure that he got wood for a fire this time. The fairy walked beside him. He knew he had no choice but to help this boy. If he wanted to go home to Fashima, he would have to prove himself.
Madeline had been traveling for most of the day. She knew she couldn’t stop but she had to rest the horse. He was such a gentle ride even when he took the lead. They came upon the river where William must have stopped. She looked around while the horse drank from the river. Just as she turned around, she saw the tentacle come out of the water. She drew the sword she had strapped on before she left the castle and brought it down to slice it in two. The horse backed away and just as he did, another tentacle came out of the water. This one tried to wrap itself around Madeline. She took her sword and turned, swinging it through the air. The tentacle dropped to the ground. She ran up the embankment and sat down, trying to catch her breath. She had never seen creatures like this before. What were they? She dug into her bag and pulled out a very strong herb. She would use the tiniest of dust particles when she would need to clear a well of unpurified water. She brought it with her in case she could only find dirty water to drink. She grabbed a handful and brought it down to the water’s edge. “Whatever you are, may you go back to where you came from.” She brought it down to the water and gentle, to make sure all went in, she submerged her hand into the water. Opening up her hand, the herbs swirled within the water. Madeline took a step back and watched as the water turned a bright red, then all of a sudden the beast came out. A sea creature that she had never seen before rose before her. The water turned, making a whirlpool and the beast screamed out in pain. Madeline covered her ears. She watched it rise, higher than anything she had ever seen and then she watched as it went back under the water. The sound gone. A few seconds later the river was a crystal clear blue.
William heard the scream from the beast but he thought the animal was following him. He started to run. He didn’t know what it was but he didn’t want to get eaten by it. He was running down the hill when his feet picked up momentum. He knew that he would need to slow down or he would fall but the hill kept getting steeper and steeper. A root sticking out of the ground was William’s undoing. As much as Wavoon tried to slow him down, he couldn’t. He watched as William fell head over heels down the side of the mountain. By the time he stopped, William had hit his head on a tree stump and laid still. The fairy looked on and knew he didn’t have the magic it would take to help him. He had been stripped of most of his by his king. He looked down at William and knew he needed to find help now. He took the blanket and covered him the best he could. He would be back but he didn’t want any other animals finding him first. Wavoon turned and flew towards the sound they had heard. It wasn’t a wild animal that was chasing them. It was one dying and that meant someone killed it. Madeline walked up to the embankment and sat down with her back to a mossed covered rock. She needed to take a few minutes before starting again. Just as she was about to get up, she heard a strange noise over at the river. Peeking from behind the rock, she saw a small blue light fly this way and that way. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her Grandmother told her they did exist but she never in her lifetime thought that she would see one. She came out from behind the rock and stood there. “Who are you looking for, fairy?” Wavoon stopped and felt relief flood his small body. He flew over to her and started talking. He shook his head because he remembered that humans couldn’t understand them. He dropped to the ground and started to draw in the sand. “Fairy, why did you stop telling me what you know? You said my brother was hurt. Can you take me to him?” He flew up to her so he could see her at eye level. He was amazed that she could understand him. He was told that humans would never be able to understand them, yet this woman understood every word he said. “You have to follow me. William has taken a great fall and I don’t think he will make another night out here.” Madeline threw her bag over the horse then mounted. “Ta
ke me to him, fairy.” The horse needed no encouragement to follow the fairy. They took two shorts breaks so the horse could get water but then carried on. Even though time wasn’t on her side, she had to take care of the horse because she would need him to get them both back home. It was mid-day by the time they reached William. Madeline looked at the small figure that lay so still under the blanket. His shoe sticking out of the end of the blanket. The adrenaline took over and she jumped from her horse and ran over to her brother. “William,” she called out as she kneeled by his small frame. She knew that she had to put her emotions on hold. She couldn’t think of him as her brother but as another small boy who was hurt. She ran to the horse and grabbed the bag and water skin. She took out a piece of leather and put it on the ground. She took out two bags and a cup. Mixing the two with some water, she gently raised her brother’s head and gently coaxed the liquid into his mouth. As soon as that was done, she looked over his head and found the wound. It was a deep cut and William had lost a lot of blood. She washed the wound and then stitched it. She gathered all her things and tied them to the horse. She grabbed her brother and carried him over to the log. The horse then came over. She climbed on with some difficulty but got them both on the horse. She grabbed the reins, keeping her brother between her arms. “We need to get back to the castle as fast as you can. Can you do this?” The horse looked at her then at the boy that lay limp in her arms. He brought his head down to let her know that he understood. The fairy flew beside them the whole time. Madeline stopped twice to check the wounds and give him some more herbs. She was going to ride all night if she had to.
The next morning, trying to keep her eyes open, she could see the palace in the distance. William had still not woken up and she was worried she had found him too late. She didn’t want to go through the village because she didn’t need anyone seeing him this way, especially her mother and father. They went through the field until the last possible minute and then they got on the bridge. The guards opened the doors and Nicholis looked up and started to walk toward her. Madeline stood there with William in her arms. Just as he reached the both of them, he caught Madeline in his arms as she fainted from exhaustion.
Madeline opened her eyes and looked around. She was back in her room. “William,” she thought and sat up in bed. She turned to see Nicholis sitting by her bed. “Where is my brother?” Nicholis got up and poured her a glass of water and brought it back to her. He took his seat again and leaned back against the chair. “William is in his room doing fine.” The door opened and her mother came rushing in. “Madeline, how are you?” Madeline put her arms around her mother and held her. “Why are you here?” Madeline sat back against the pillows and her mother took the chair beside her. Holding her hand, she explained that when Madeline got back, that she fainted and the king had caught the both of them. “With you being the only healer he knew, he figured you learned it form somewhere. He sent for me.” Madeline never knew her mother was a healer. She had seen her mother help people but it was always her grandmother and her that healed them. She saw the questions going through her daughter’s eyes. With a smile, she patted her daughter’s hand. “You weren’t the only one my mother taught. When you came along and wanted to learn, I stepped back. I didn’t criticize because I knew how hard it was.” Madeline laid her head back and closed her eyes. If she thought back now she could remember those small times when her mother offered her advice or how she knew how much to mix with what. “How is William?” With those words, her brother opened the door with a loud crash and came running toward the bed. Climbing up, he hugged his sister. “I’m so sorry, so sorry.” William took both of his hands and held his sisters face between them. He had done that since he was small to get her attention. “I will never do anything so foolish again, I promise” He laid down beside his sister and as she ran her fingers through his tousled hair, she knew that was a lie.