She tried to grip something, anything. She felt something within her reach but her hand slipped farther and her side hit the carriage door as it fell to the ground, she gasped as air pushed out her lips.
The force propelled her head forehead and she heard a snapping sound as her head came in contact with Vae's. A scream erupted from her lips and the scream echoed back at her, only then did she realize Vae was screaming too.
She could vaguely hear the cries of the horses under her own scream. They pulled at the carriage dragging it across the path as Mauve screaming increased, the sound of the carriage against the road was deafening. A loud whistle and the horses went quiet, almost immediately the carriage stopped moving and Mauve heard her scream seize.
Something had hit them but even though she had been looking out of the window, it had been too fast for her to see. She did not even realize they had been hit until the carriage began to fall.
She heard a slight thud as something landed on the side of the carriage that was now facing up. The curtains fell aside which gave Mauve a clear view of what lay above her, the only shield being the weak carriage door.
The beast was pale as it stood on the carriage on all fours. So pale was it that it looked almost white underneath the moonlight. The eyes were red as it stared downwards, saliva drooled out of its mouth and landed on the glass window of the carriage, obscuring Mauve's view of the beast.
It was unlike anything she had ever seen, its face was thin and dry, just like the rest of its body. Dark green veins could be seen everywhere and the creature looked as though it was in pain.
It snarled and growled, and with a single punch, it broke through the window. Mauve and Vae screamed as the beast pulled the carriage door off its hinges. She lifted her free hand to protect herself but what could her bare hands do against a beast who was effortlessly pulling out carriage doors?
A flash and the beast was off the carriage, if Mauve had blinked she wouldn't have seen it. She tried to stand on her feet but it was hard to get her footing. Her foot slipped out from under her. She heard a snarl, a loud growl, and heavy grunting, and wondered what was happening outside.
She reached out for something to hold that she could use to pull herself upwards. Vae could be seen doing the same, after a bit of struggle they both stood to their feet supporting each to avoid falling. They couldn't stand to their full height because of the small enclosure of the carriage so they crouched a little by keeping their knees and head slightly bent.
"What do we do?" Vae asked.
"I don't know…" she started to say but then a force hit the carriage and Mauve swayed, screaming. There was no question of what to do, they both knew it was best they remained in the coach. Outside was worse. "What was that? She murmured.
Vae wasn't sure whether the question was about the beast they saw or the force that had hit the carriage but in a way she knew the answer was one and the same, she didn't know. "I don't know, Princess."
"A Paler!" She whispered and Vae nodded. "I have never seen one before."
"Me neither," Vae replied. She wanted to add that a Paler had killed her uncle but decided against it. They were certainly scarier than the stories had said.
The weird sounds outside slowly dwindled and Danag began yelling out her name as she heard him rush to the carriage. "Princess, princess!" He called and pushed his head over the fallen carriage
"Yes, we are fine." She answered calmly even though she didn't feel the least bit calm.
"We need your help," Danag rushed on as if he didn't hear her words. Mauve could literally feel the worry ooze out of him.
She frowned, wondering what was wrong, she couldn't think of why vampires would need her help. She glanced at Vae who had her eyes fixated on Danag. Mauve didn't say anything at first but rather stretched her hand to Danag who immediately understood her gesture and carefully helped her out of the turned carriage.
No sooner was she out of it that she knew what the problem was. She gasped at the sight before her. Never has she seen so much blood. Her eyes watered and her stomach contracted, wanting to pour out its contents.
"Gah!" Escape from Vae at the sight of the figure on the ground. "For Damn's sake!"
He pressed his hand against his guts as if to prevent the contents from spilling out even as he lay on the floor. His once bright-colored shirt was soaked with blood and even his trousers. He didn't look like he would last long bleeding like that. His pale skin was even paler, the bright moon gave it a dying glow.
"What do you need me to do?" She asked, breaking the silence. She knew Vampires were almost invincible but she didn't need a soothsayer to tell her he wouldn't last long if he kept bleeding like that.
"We need blood," Danag replied darkly and he kept a keen look on Mauve. She could feel his gaze and her first thought was to scream.
"What?" She asked, even though she wasn't the least bit surprised. They were vampires, what else was there to expect from her, a human? "Would that help?"
She glanced back at the figure that lay on the ground, he looked to be gasping for air but she didn't think vampire breath. It was Damon, her heart wrenched at the sight of him because she knew he had gotten this from trying to protect them. She remembered the incident at the inn and closed her eyes.
"It should." He said. "If we had been able to get some at the blood bank, there wouldn't have been any reason to ask for your help but alas, we were turned away."
Mauve froze as she remembered the incident. They had stopped at the village and when Danag had asked for blood, they responded rather rudely that their ration for the month had already been taken away.
Danag had asked for only a little for the rest of the journey but the commander in charge had not cared to listen. She sighed, she had been completely useless during the trip and cannot help but think if the real princess had been with them, it would have made their journey a lot easier.
They never went to an inn after the first one and Mauve could guess why. This was the only thing she could do, it was little compared to what they had endured. She started to squat but her knees were barely bent to an inch when Danag stopped her.
"Not you, Princess. Never you!" He sounded a bit harsh as though he could not believe she was offering herself.
"But…" She started to say as she followed Danag's gaze which stopped abruptly as soon as it landed on Vae. "She wouldn't be able to handle this alone."
It made sense, she didn't know how much blood the vampire would need to get better but she knew Vae didn't have that kind of blood alone. Together he stood a chance, they all stood a chance.
"She would have to," it was a simple sentence but Mauve felt the gravity of it, there was no doubt that nothing she could do or say would change his decision. She was the vampire King's property and not even his trusted soldier who had just risked his life to save her could touch her.