His strong arms imprisoned me and his lips fed me sweet nectar.
- Diary Of Ophelia
Jason found himself unable to embrace slumber and walked towards the windows. The moon resembled an ethereal beauty who had numerous beaus; the clouds competed to be around her. Yet, her aura was not diminished. She stood detached and her brilliance lent an otherworldly glow to the mortals on the surface of the Earth. Jason stood motionless and let the breeze caress him while he admired the peaceful tranquility of the night.
A loud neigh broke the serene atmosphere and drew Jason's attention towards the direction of the Royal stables. He saw a beast who had shimmering silver coat lead by a slender figure, ambling away stealthily. Jason couldn't fathom the identity of the rider since the Royal stables were quite a distance away from the infirmary. Curiosity piqued, he continued to watch the pair of horse and rider. The short statured figure had two swords at his hips that reflected the rays of Moon. It was that flash of light which caught Jason's attention.
' Is that Lieutenant Perseus? His horse is white and he has two swords too. Where are they off to? '
Jason noted the direction of their journey and went back to his bed to retrieve his sword. Then he went out surreptitiously so as to not let his subordinates know of his adventure at night. He made his way towards the Royal stables and led his horse away in the direction the previous pair had gone in. After a while they came to the entrance of the forest.
' Into the forest? At night! Why did he chose such an unfavourable time to go into the forest? '
Jason mounted his horse, Hercules, and rode into the depths of the deep, dark jungle.
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Celosia dismounted and stroked the mane of her horse to soothe him after the unexpected ride.
" Stay here. Good boy...here. " Celosia crooned to Pegasus and fed him an apple from the bag she had on her shoulder. Pegasus whinnied and nuzzled her cheeks and hair affectionately before gobbling up the apple. He could be heard munching it while she moved towards the pond.
" The pond filled with piquerel flowers. What mysteries does this place hold, I wonder? I hadn't come across this pond before the last time. I am sure about it. Then how did it appear in my dreams? " Celosia muttered to herself and walked towards the edge of the pond.
It had crystal clear water and had a tempting aura. She felt drawn towards it and she plunged into it headfirst, as if in a trance. Celosia, who had learnt to swim like a fish in her early childhood, found herself in a predicament. Something prevented her from staying afloat. She couldn't move her limbs. She gasped when she somehow managed to break through the surface of water, but was again pulled in by some force.
This was the sight that greeted Jason when he broke into the clearing. He had been riding his horse cautiously, trying to find the location of the rider and the animal that had preceded him. It was the panicked neigh of a horse that drew his attention towards the direction of the pickerel plant lake. He had ridden with all his might and found a figure drowning in the lake. A stallion with silvery white mane that glowed in darkness was prancing around, neighing loudly. It seemed like a helpless beast, longing to help his master, but afraid to approach the water.
Jason got down, patted Hercules to calm him down and then rushed towards the lake. He jumped into it right away and got hold of the now barely-breathing Celosia. She offered no resistance since she had been exhausted from the incident; almost unconscious. Strangely enough, it seemed as if he encountered no strange force sucking him in and forcing him to stay in the lake. Jason pulled 'Perseus' out of the lake and lay 'him' down on the firm ground. He got himself out of the lake and made sure that 'he' was breathing.
Jason looked around and found that Pegasus has calmed down. He noticed an ancient tree a few feet away with a grassy carpet beneath it. He gathered 'Perseus' into his arms and brought 'him' towards the tree.
" How did this guy managed to be a proficient swordsman with his frail health? He is light as a feather. " Jason wondered out loud. He lay 'him' down on the grass and kept his palms on 'his' stomach. Jason exerted barest of force to expel the water that may have entered the stomach of 'Perseus'. He was careful not to hurt the fragile Lieutenant by exerting too much force. After a few pushes, 'he' coughed out water.
" Wh-a-t..." He couldn't complete his question since he had to cough again and again to clear his windpipes.
" Shush! Don't try to speak. It's me, Jason. Do you remember what happened? You were almost drowned. What were you doing here in the middle of the night? What about your injuries? Here, let me see. " Jason reached out to remove 'his' clothes.
" No...No. " Celosia who had been observing the handsome face of Jason being distorted with obvious worry, managed to croak out at last, holding onto her clothes.
" I may not be as proficient as your sister in the art of medicine, but as a soldier, I'm familiar with wounds and their cures. " Jason reassured 'Perseus' in a grim tone. " The wound has touched the water. It may get infected if not dried soon. "
The mention of her sister brought back all the bitter thoughts and memories back to Celosia. She stiffened visibly.
" You were also injured, Crown Prince. You better take care of yourselves. You would surely not like to face Epione's wrath!? " Celosia replied in a haughty manner, her voice fortunately hoarse enough from the incident a few minutes ago, did not give her secret away.
" Of course, not. Your sister seems sweet enough, until someone ruins her handiwork. Surely, you too don't want to face her like this!? " Jason answered her naturally with a doting smile as if recollecting certain memories and started to remove the upper part of his chiton from his body.
Celosia tried to sit up and gave a snort, " Mind your own business, Crown Prince. What...what aare you doing? " She sounded shocked.
" Huh? "
" You are removing your upper clothes. " Celosia stated the obvious in a dark tone.
" Yes. " He shrugged. " I jumped into the lake to save your ungrateful life, kid. As you mentioned, I was injured too. Oh, no. You had injured me. And now, again, because of you, my wounds may get worse. I'm trying my best to save the situation under the current circumstances. " Jason sounded angry.
" You may catch a cold. I was just looking out for you. " Celosia bit out with difficulty.
" I can take care of myself. Mind your own business. " Jason sneered back her response to herself.
" Ungrateful lad. He is getting on my nerves. Of course, he's just a kid. What else could I expect from him!? He must have lied about his age to me. No eighteen-year old is this immature. " Jason strode back to Hercules while muttering beneath his breath.
Celosia had tried to sit up and having failed to do so herself, she reached out to the trunk of the tree. She pulled herself up and stood holding onto the trunk. Unable to support her weight on her legs, she let her whole body lean on the trunk.
In the next moment, Jason, who had been about to urge Hercules to move, heard a loud crash and a cry. He turned around and found that 'Perseus' has disappeared. A huge hole had been formed on the trunk of the huge ancient tree beside the pickerel plant lake.
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Mila Alaia