"Your Highness." Lucian bowed to the prince. "It's better to keep in good spirits." Lucian grinned. Geoffrey laughed.
The knights quickly went to go and help Lord Gavriel and Lord Baratheon kill the last of the wolves. they continued to work in organized pairs to defeat the remaining wolves, and with that the battle quickly came to a conclusion.
At the sight of Lucian, Riley excitedly wiggled her way out of Geoffrey's grasp and off his horse to go and help him. Geoffrey couldn't hide his displeased expression as she hugged Lucian. Geoffrey's jaw clenched tight and he turned away from them, his bright eyes becoming dull.
Riley quickly got to work and healed Lucian With her spell.
"Thank you Riley." He smiled gratefully at her. She smiled back happily. Lucian frowned slightly as he looked down at her, he wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but it seemed like she had become even more beautiful these past few weeks in Gismead.
"What's wrong?" Riley was concerned that she hadn't healed him properly after seeing the frown on his face. Lucian simply shook his head in response, Riley looked at him curiously but didn't push an answer form him.
Riley then left his side to go and ask all the knights to round up the people who had survived, she was planning on casting one large healing spell over all of them so that she wouldn't waste time healing them individually.
The two surviving guards, Antony and Lord Gavriel sat down next to each other on a patch of soft grass in front of Riley, who began to visualized a healing dome going over them and then concentrated her healing spell inside the dome, so as the men breathed up the magic within the dome they could be healed. After she finished casting it, she stood back to observe her work and she was very pleased to see that it worked, as all four of them were beginning to be healed.
The men inside the dome were astonished by this magnificent healing spell that was able to heal them perfectly in just a few minutes.
Lord Baratheon on the other hand insisted that his wounds were not serious and instead went to let his son out of the carriage that he had locked him in.
Torryn was furious that his father had locked him inside the carriage while everyone else had fought with the demon wolves. Torryn knew that he was strong enough to take down a few wolves with his dark Magic, he was confident that he would have been able to. He gritted his teeth as his father unlatched the door of the carriage, freeing him from his cage.
"Why did you do that?" He growled at his father as he jumped out of the carriage. Lord Baratheon realized that he had angered his son when he looked down at his child's furious pale yellow eyes.
"Don't be cross Torryn." He reached down and pushed back the hood on Torryn's head, revealing a mop of black curly hair and ruffled his hair afectionately. "Today just wasn't your day to fight..." he replied gently to the boy.
"It could have been my day if you hadn't locked me up!" Torryn scowled. He resented his father for denying him the chance to prove himself. Torryn was a gifted dark magic user, at school the had been attending in Pathagonia, he was the best magical student, on top of that, he had been training in swordsmanship and fighting skills since he was five years old and yet when the opportunity finally arose to use his skills, his father had stopped him. Once again his father had tried to shelter him from the very things he was seeking out.
He glared at his father angrily, filled with frustration and resentment.
"You always do this to me..." his voice cracked a bit as he said those words. Lord Baratheon knew his son was strong, in fact much stronger than he had been as his age, he knew that if he hadn't locked him in the carriage he would have been able to kill at least one wolf by himself. However, as much as Lord Baratheon was proud of his son for his skill, he secretly wished that Torryn had not taken a liking to battle and magical combat. Lord Baratheon had fought in a war and devoted most of his life to magical combat, so he knew that it was not a happy life. It was not a life that he wished to pass down to his son. His wife's death was only a reminder that he did not want Torryn to be apart of this world, a world where people hurt and killed each other in the name of their kingdoms. However, he knew that he could not shield Torryn from this vicious world, especially if he would carry on seeking it out the way he did.
"I'm sorry Torryn..." Torryn could hear the genuine sadness in his father's voice and suddenly felt bad for lashing out at him.
Torryn was about to mumble an apology to his dad, when he was suddenly knocked off his feet by a powerful blow to his side, which made him fall back roughly against the wood of the carriage, painfully knocking his back. Torryn quickly jumped back onto his feet to see what had happened.
His gut sank. His throat went bone dry. his eyes bulged out in horror at what he was seing.
Lord Baratheon had been completely unaware of the last remaining black wolf slowly creeping up on him from behind the bushes, ready to make its kill. In an instant the wolf launched into the air and dove at Lord Baratheon. The wolf's sharp jagged teeth made gruesome contact with Baratheon's neck and immediately began to tear and bite at his flesh. the massive weight of the beast made it impossible for Baratheon to regain balance and push the wolf off of him, so instead baratheon reached out for his long sword, his right hand desperately roaming the forest floor surrounding him trying to locate his sword, while trying to hold back the beast who was still viciously going after his throat.
The knights quickly jumped into action and aimed all of their swords at the beast and mercilously stabbed the wolf through its neck. The wolf still struggled on for a while, as if determined to give Lord Baratheon as much pain as possible before it died. The wolf's body became limp and its jaw slacked and then fell over onto the forest floor, dead.
"Father!" Torryn ran to his fathers side. Lord Baratheon was lying on the forest floor, his one hand was clutching his neck, trying in vain to stop the bleeding. Torryn immediately ripped of part of his shirt and tried to bandage to huge wound, just like how they had taught him in school. As Baratheon lay on the ground, he knew that he was going to die. The wolf had bit his neck, badly, and it wasn't something that anybody could recover from.
He looked up at his son, his brilliant son who he hadn't seen cry since his mother had died when he was five years old. He had only been alive for thirteen years and yet now he was about to experience another great tragedy. Baratheon felt a deep pain in his heart that he wouldn't be able to guide Torryn as he grew up and get to see the man he would become. He wished that he had done better as a parent and as a teacher.
He tried to speak and tell Torryn that he was sorry, but the damage to his throat was so severe that he only coughed up blood which made Torryn sink into even more despair, seeing his father in pain.
Torryn grasped his father's hand tightly in his own and squeezed it so hard, willing his father to stay alive. His father was all that he had left in the world, so he couldn't die, he just couldn't.
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I watched as the poor boy held his father's hand in his lap and cried silently, only letting his tears escape. His body was hunched over his father's and shaking slightly as he tried not to cry. One of the knight's who was standing over the pair turned to Geoffrey and shook his head solemnly. I guessed he was telling Geoffrey that the Lord wouldn't make it. As I looked at him from where I was standing, I felt the same way. The wolf had literally ripped out his throat, it was a miracle that he was still alive. The lord just lay on the floor convulsing slightly as more and more blood seeped into the grass.
At least I could try.
I began to walk over to them, but then the prince's arm caught my waist and stopped me from going.
"Do not give the boy false hope." The charm in his eyes were gone and he stared sternly at me. I knew what he meant, it would be cruel of me to go over there and lift the boys spirits telling him that I could save his father, only to have him die a few moments later. I knew that would be wrong. But I had to at least try and save this man...
I kneeled down next to the man, and the boy looked up at me. I noticed that he had dark hair like me, an extremely rare sight in Girannon. Yet his eyes were a fierce pale yellow that took my breath away. He stared up at me unable to speak. Maybe his grief had rendered him speechless, I didn't know, and I didn't have time to dwell on it.
"I'm going to try and help." I told him. He was still but then he nodded his head. His eyes were blank, I guess he had no hope left. I wondered if he had already said his goodbyes to father.
I looked down at the handsome Lord laying on the ground beneath me. His hair was the ordinary blond but his eyes were the same color as his son's. He was looking up at me curiously. He was calm even though he was on the brink of death, I could see that he had no hope left either. So I began to heal him.
I was pushing the healing magic out of me as fast as I could, but I could see the light running out of his eyes even faster. At one point I think I was just desperately pouring my life force out into him, hoping above all hopes that he would stay alive. I had managed to completely heal his neck wound and all the other scratches on him and yet he did not move even an inch.
His chest wasn't rising and his face was pale. I hated to admit that he looked like a dead man.
I watched as the boy stared at his father's face hopefully. I saw that I had restored a little bit of his hope as I could identify that small spark in his eyes. However his face dropped as he placed his hand against his father's neck. I knew it before he said it.
"He has no pulse."
The boy's head sunk in total defeat. Despair and pain were wrecking him and it was all my fault. Geoffrey was right, I shouldn't have given him hope if I wasn't sure if I could save his father. Now guilt and pain were wrecking me. Why did I do this? All I did was bring this kid pain. Why did I do this?
Actually I knew why I had done this, I wanted to swoop in and be the great hero of the day and save this Lord and have everyone praise me as they had done ever since I had arrived in this world.
I was so selfish...
... But I can't let it end this way.
I have to do something. I have to. Right now. Now. Think of something!
And I did think of something. Something absolutely crazy, but also kind of genius. Since it had only been a second or two since the Lord died, I could try it, I mean at this point I had nothing left to loose.
"Hey," I told the kid, "stand back." He opened his eyes and glared at me, but he did what I told him and shuffled a few feet back, however he didn't let go of his father's hand.
"Lightning magic!" I called out. I didn't even know what I was doing, but I was doing it. After all those years of watching medical TV dramas when I should have been doing homework were about to be worth it.
I was about about to do that thing in the movies when the doctors bring a person back to life with those defibrillator things. I had no idea how many volts were supposed to go into this, all I knew was that I was visualizing one of the scenes from Grey's Anatomy where they used the defibrillators and revived a girl.
"Defibrillator resuscitation!" I called out. Volts of electricity from the lightning magic shot of my hands and when straight to his heart and worked to shock it back into pumping blood.
I had no response from him so I tried again.
"Lightning magic, defibrillator resuscitation!" I cried out desperately and concentrated all my magic in trying to bring this man back to life, I even did a small prayer to the gods asking them for their help. I wanted to save this man so badly it hurt.
The boy and I sat back on the grass watching him, hoping, begging and praying for him to be alive. We were equally shocked and ecstatic when the sleeping lord's eyes shot open and he suddenly sat up and gasped desperately for air.
The boy launched himself into his father's arms and squeezed him desperately, hugging him tightly while sobbing loudly.
He looked so confused and shocked as his hand traced up to his neck and he felt that the wound was completely healed. His eyes landed on me and he stared at me for a moment of two.
"But how...?" He asked softly, completely bewildered.
"Grey's Anatomy..." I whispered back and smiled as he embraced his son.
Gahhh what a day... first the magic exam and now this. I was going to need a lot of ice cream when I got home.
I suddenly felt quite dizzy, a bit nauseous too. I felt myself loose balance and start to sway. But then I felt the comfort of a hard chest behind me and an earthy lemony masculine scent encircle me. It was a really intoxicating scent. I bent my head back against the chest and looked up to be confronted by furious golden eyes just before I fainted for the second time.
When I woke up again, I was happy to find myself in my night gown in my own bedroom. There was a warm fire going in the fire place and Sophie was purring softly as she slept on her pillow on the foot of my bed and Sedgwick, my snake, was coiled up in a blanket of the floor. All was right with the world.
"Oh Milady you're awake..." came Agnes's motherly voice from across the room.
"Mmm" I agreed sleepily. She chuckled warmly as she walked over to me.
"Are you hungry Milady?" She asked. I was about to say that I wasn't hungry, but my stomach grumbled on cue, speaking for itself.
"Alright then, I'll go and tell Augustus. He'll bring some food up for you." She smiled as she left the room. Honestly I thought of Agnes like my other world mother. She could be so kind and gentle with me, but also concerned about my wellbeing and stern.
Soon Augustus entered with some delicious food, which I ate so happily, savoring every delicious bite. I was bursting at the seams after I had finished my meal and was ready to fall asleep again.
"His Highness Lord Geoffrey carried you home again," started Agnes. "Is Milady sure that she does not have any feelings for the prince?" Agnes eyed me skeptically, and I tried to avoid her gaze. Even more embarrassingly I started to blush profusely.
Agnes giggled. "Alright then Milady. I will not push the subject." She said as she began to clear up the dishes. "Get some more rest. I've put the letter that his highness left for you in your drawer."
Geoffrey left me a letter...
I opened my bedside table to see a piece of paper folded in two. The front of the letter read: 'to Lady Riley Delton'
I opened it and began to read.