Chapter 11: Wake up 2
It took a few hours but Joan and his knights made their way to the isle of the blessed.
"Be vigilant" Joan whispered as he took out a dagger from his ankle. "King Sokan's men may be lurking. I shouldn't have to tell you what will happen if you come face to face with soldiers from Janna…"
They walked through the narrow cave till they heard screams.
Joan and everyone else raced towards the sound of the scream just in time for king Joan to throw the dagger at the man trying to kill Queen Tia.
Del'matal was on the ground and he looked dead.
Joan raced to where Del'matal's body was. He looked pale like he was dead.
"Keenan!" He shook him.
Joan felt the sadness in his soul. He was late and his friend was gone.
Tia Pulled herself from the spot she sat. She was either in shock or completely out of her mind. She had a split lip and her clothes were torn and blood stained.
"Is he dead?" Sir Walters asked the king as he moved closer to help Tia up but she wouldn't let him touch her.
She pushed herself until she was by Del'matal's side. She kissed him.
"Come on, Keenan. Don't you dare! Don't you dare die on me" Tia's voice was teary and heavy "Please, don't leave me alone. You promised! Wake up!"
She shook him hard but it was too late. Tia Felt tremors slowly come over her. She shook as sobs erupted violently through her, leaving her tiny cold body almost torn into halves.
Then the anger came and she launched herself at Joan and scratched him.
She still inhaled and exhaled like it was the most tedious job she had.
Joan was confused.
"You killed him! You killed him!" Tia's accusation made no sense to anyone.
She kept scratching Joan and he made no attempt to hurt her, instead he simply tried to calm her down by using his big arms to restrain her. Then he pulled her into his arms and hugged her.
Soon, Tia calmed down and relaxed in his arms but she didn't stop crying.
"I am sorry" Joan whispered as his hand rubbed Tia's hair.
"He protected me" Tia pulled away to look the king straight in the eyes "He was injured. He was bleeding but he hid it from me until it was too late. Why would he do that? He was in pain and he hid it from me"
The crying and the talking was making Tia breathe fast. Joan knew what she wanted. She just wanted to understand.
She was gaslighted and now, she couldn't gasp what had just happened to her.
"I...I...I can't breathe. I can-can't breathe. I am alone again" Tia struggled with breathing.
"Tiamat!" Joan screamed at her "Focus on my voice. Come on, take a slow breath. Breathe in....now, breathe out"
Tia was calmer in minutes.
Everyone else was in shock. Sir Walters moved closer and pressed his ear to Keenan's chest. If he was slightly alive, his acute hearing would detect it but there was nothing and so, he tried again.
"Tia, we will take care of him" Joan promised her.
Joan ignored the pain on his own chest. If he was the dead one, he knew Keenan would ignore his pain and take care of Fye..
"Don't bother" Sir Walters stood up and lifted Keenan.
It was the weirdest thing Joan had ever seen, Keenan was practically a giant and his newest knight was not. It took a lot of practice for Joan to lift his shadow knight up a few times in training but this man had done it in his first attempt.
"What are you doing?" Tia Asked the man holding her husband.
"He is not dead but he will be soon if I don't get him to a physician" the new knight explained to everyone.
Tia Stood up and wiped her face.
"There is a pond here rumored to have the power to heal the sick. Maggie, she is my nanny…she told me about it" Tia told them.
"It makes sense now why you came here Instead of Maverick" Joan told her.
"The men that attacked us had the symbol of your house, King Joan. The highlands attacked us" Tia told him bitterly.
"Everyone! I am carrying a giant!" Walters reminded them.
"Follow me!" Tia Pointed towards an entrance.
She looked around the place until she found a hidden door. Then she read the inscription on the wall asking for blood and she gave hers and the door opened. Tia saw the water.
"Come on! Hurry! I found the pond"
Walters carried Keenan inside and submerged him inside the pond but nothing happened.
"No! No! No! This is supposed to heal him. Keenan, wake up!" Tia entered the pool and held him. "Come on, wake up. I don't have anyone anymore, please wake up!"
When she saw that he wasn't moving she buried her face in his neck and let her tears soak him. She had never had anyone die for her before and this wasn't a good feeling.
At first, it was flashes. She saw a woman riding on a dragon then she saw three eggs hidden in a cave.
Tiamat tried to pull herself out of the trans she was when Keenan gasped and opened his eyes.
He was still weak from blood loss.
"Keenan!" Tia moved closer and hugged him. "Thank goodness you are alive!"
Keenan was disoriented and confused. His eyelids were heavy and kept trying to shut. But he saw the king and his wife first, then his knights and the newest knight he was yet to train.
"You gave us a scare" Joan murmured.
"Sorry. The people that attacked us were carrying the symbol of Maverick..."
"I didn't send anyone after you, Keenan" Joan was fast to say.
"You didn't let him finish....I might have believed you were trying to kill us but Keenan never did. Was he right?" Tia Asked the King.
Joan was mute.
"He won't say it but he doesn't go about killing his family members" Keenan answered for Joan.
It was a trigger for the young Queen. Don't be so sure, she wanted to tell Keenan.
She knew what those she called family were capable of doing. She still remembered like it was yesterday.
Five days earlier