Bardulf and Philippa returned to the village the next day, this time with Flik and Seth, who the woman was able to recognize as wolves and didn't panic like the day before. Philippa explained how she felt about being put to sleep for Serrill to fix her ribs. Bardulf kissed her and said he'd stay beside her the whole time, that she had nothing to worry about.
As they entered the village this time, Philippa held on to Bardulf with all her strength as they rode past the tipi, they had met the man and towards a pile of rocks and boulders. Bardulf halted the reindeer a few yards away and got off with Philippa in his arms. Flik and Seth shifted and dressed before following them down a steep staircase and into darkness.
Philippa held tighter onto Bardulf, scared, and feeling utterly trapped within the dirt walls. "Seth, can you provide some light?" the king asked. Seth obliged and a candle from nearby was lit, creating a flickering orange glow on the otherwise dark place.
"Sir, I'm afraid I don't see any sign of Serrill here," Flik said, scanning their surroundings.
"I know that. I am here early for a reason," Bardulf explained and started forward. Philippa watched their path take many turns but couldn't remember the order. She saw what looked to be human bones on the ground sometimes...though maybe they were just sticks? Soon, they entered a large chamber and they saw a large bed with white linen on it. Bardulf headed straight there and lied Philippa down. "Give me a minute alone," he said to his men.
They bowed their heads and went back the way they had come.
Philippa curled up and Bardulf tucked a strand of her black hair behind her ear. "I will stay beside you; I promise."
She nodded, but a tear rolled down her cheek.
Bardulf wiped it away and laid beside her, pulling her close to him so she could get warm. "Hush, my Sweet. You will be fine. Serrill is trustworthy. I wouldn't have asked him to do this if I didn't trust him."
The tears became a stream as she cried. Philippa was so scared to fall unconscious due to some drug. What if she never came out of it? What if it was all for nothing?
She held onto Bardulf, even when Serrill entered the chamber and sat beside them. The king held her tighter and grabbed the cloth from Serrill, wet from the drug he's using to knock Philippa out for a few hours. He bent his head to her ear and started to whisper. "This place used to be a castle. Large walls, fine china, luxurious furniture.... everything you can imagine in a castle."
Philippa quieted some, the story catching her interest, even when the sentimental aroma from the cloth invaded her nostrils.
"It was said a beautiful queen lived here, defended this castle until her very last breath. Her men were loyal to her. The women looked up to her. Even the animals seemed to tame in her presence."
Philippa smiled as her eyes began to droop and her head became foggy. She felt her grip on Bardulf slip, and shook herself awake, holding him harder than before.
Bardulf stroked her hair and continued his story. "She never married, but always had her lovers. She never had any children because all children of the kingdom were hers. She treated everyone as if they were royalty." He felt the woman finally relax but didn't stop. "Her last breath was trying to save her people from an enemy so terrible, so powerful, even she could not defeat him. And so, her spirit resides here in this castle to haunt anyone who dares to take it for themselves."
Serrill had his supplies ready beside him as Bardulf laid Philippa flat on the bed, keeping her hand in his, but moving so he was above her than beside. Her chest rose and fell evenly while she slept. Her hair, in a braid like the day before, lay underneath her in a long rope. Serrill came up to Philippa with a knife in hand, shining in the dim light. "Are you sure you want her to go through this?"
Bardulf kissed his mate's head before nodding. "I need her to be well. Not in pain all the time."
Serrill understood and began his work.
In the depths of her mind, Philippa was panicking. She didn't know where she was or how she got there. She felt all alone. King Bardulf wasn't here to help her. None of his wolves were either. It was just her in a world of...of...shadows. She screamed as one came towards her at a fast pace. She used her arms to hide her face and crumpled to her knees. Something hit her square in the stomach, and she lost her breath. Doubling over, she coughed. Again, she was punched in the stomach, and it was impossible to find air to breathe, impossible to give her body anything because it hurt so bad.
Back in the ruins, Serrill was working diligently on fixing the broken ribs as fast as he could while blood seemed to flow out from the gaping hole in Philippa's stomach. Bardulf held her hand as he watched his friend work. He started noticing how fast Philippa's breathing became and saw the sweat on her brow. He wiped it away and kissed her. "I'm here, Sweet Philippa. I'm here."
Serrill cursed under his breath and began re-stitching her stomach.
"What's wrong?" Bardulf demanded.
"She's losing too much blood. I can't finish my work."
Bardulf glanced at Philippa's face and narrowed his eyes. She was pale and growing cold under his touch. Her breathing got more uneven and it seemed like her heart was skipping. "Why is she not acting like she was? /"
Serrill stared at the young woman's face and then glanced at Bardulf, a hint of fear eminent in his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Bardulf glared at him. "She's hardly breathing!" he roared.
Serrill swallowed and stepped away from the bed, hands covered in blood. He took the knife he used to open her up and looked at it for a long moment, as if wondering how he had managed to hurt someone so innocent. When his eyes turned back to the king, they were full of menacing glee. "Poison, my King. Poison."
Bardulf's heart thundered in his ears as he comprehended the man's words... Poison? Philippa was dying. The king set the woman's hand down across her chest and kissed her head, whispering that he'd be back soon. He carefully stood up, no jostling the bed once as he did so, and faced Serrill. "You are going to wish you had never done that."
Serrill smiled. "Am I?"
Bardulf rushed him and had the man's throat in one hand while holding his own dagger against the man's stomach. "She was your Luna! I trusted you!"
Serrill sputtered out a laugh, then with strength Bardulf didn't know he had, the man had shoved him into the opposite wall. Bardulf sputtered and got up to his feet. When he turned to face the man again, he was gone.
He heard soft gasps coming from the bed and ran over to his mate, pulling skin together and stitching her up the best he could for now. "Hang on, Philippa. I'm not going to let you die."
Somewhere through the corridors of the ruins, a crash sounded, and the world shook. From the ceiling, dirt fell and dusted them both. Bardulf lifted his mate up carefully and ran the way he had come in...using his wolf senses to see where he was going. He thought he was going the right way but found himself at a dead end. Turning around, he ran through more corridors, only to find places where the way out was caved in. It was only when he had returned to the first way out that he realized he was stuck in the ruins with his mate. He didn't even see Seth or Flik. All he knew was that he had to find help for Philippa fast or she was going to die much faster than him.