by Jen Wylie
He glanced over at her and shook his head. "I am fine."
"No. You're not," she said with a frown. He barely looked alive. She wished she knew what to do. What to say. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment. "How far back did you drop your pack?"
He grimaced. "Not too far."
She nodded. "Kei can find it, when he gets back." She worried her lip in the silence which came again. "So... I made a new friend. A Were. He's helping look for you and Bo."
Prince raised his eyebrows and frowned. "Lovely."
She forced a smile. "You are a troublesome Elf. I hope you know that."
He glared over at her. "Where's Cain?"
She froze. Turning her head away she tried to fight the pain within her. "Dead."
He sucked in a startled breath. "Aro..."
"It's like you said. People die to protect me. I understand." She clamped her mouth shut over her stiff and angry words.
"That explains–"
"My mindless killing?"
"Arowyn." He leaned forward and reached out a hand to her. When he swayed suddenly, she scrambled closer and caught him, holding him against her. "You're not fine," she whispered. He turned in her arms so he rested on his back, looking up at her. His blood and dirt streaked face looked so broken and weary she clenched her jaw to keep from crying.
I am sorry. His voice whispered through her mind.
I know. We'll have you home soon. The horses will help.
Aro, I do not...
She squeezed her eyes closed and held him more tightly to her. "Shh..."
Feeling his hand on her cheek she looked down at him in surprise, blinking back the tears in her eyes. Don’t leave me. Don't die.
He smiled faintly as he looked up at her. I am trying not to.
His wry reply forced a small laugh from her. "Stupid prince."
Closing his eyes he sighed again. "The things I do for you."
"I know, living and all. Such a hardship," she replied blandly.
His lips curved up slightly. She couldn’t find it within herself to smile.
"I’ll get you home," she whispered. "I promise."
You have saved me enough already.
As you’ve saved me. It’s what friends do. I won’t ever stop. Don’t ever ask me to.
Aro, you do not–
Despite the fact he spoke to her with his thoughts, she pressed her fingertips to his lips. "Hush. You need to rest."
She looked up and saw Kei returning quickly, having found both of the horses. "We have horses."
As Prince mounted she stood next to her horse for a moment, taking in a deep, shuddering breath and closing her eyes.
While holding the beautiful, broken man in her arms, acceptance had suddenly flooded through her. He was her friend. Her family. More than that, she finally understood she truly was in love with him. Months of trying to deny the feelings, to hide and ignore them, had failed. The emotions he created within her would not go away. She just had no idea what to do about them.
"Wither me."
* * *
She and Prince moved quickly back into the trees. Kei went in search of the lost pack. Heading south again, Prince followed behind her. Once certain he wasn't going to topple off the horse, she closed her eyes and pictured Garen.
Can you hear me? She waited a moment, and then tried again, thinking of the human form he’d shown her and attempting to push her thoughts out further. Garen? Are you there?
Yes. I have not found your friends yet, he finally replied.
Relief flooded her he had answered. We found Prince. We're heading south again now and still looking for Bo.
Very well.
"Aro, what are you doing?"
"Talking to Garen," she replied. "Letting him know we found you." She turned in the saddle to look at Prince when he didn't answer.
He was staring at her incredulously.
"What?" She frowned, wondering what she had done now.
He shook his head. "You should not be able to talk to him."
She shrugged. "I've had a lot of practice. With you, with Damon."
He opened his mouth and closed it quickly again before looking off to the side and shaking his head. "Troublesome child," he muttered softly.
She turned back around, keeping her eye out for Bo. Kei would be pacing them within the fields and doing the same. She hoped they found him soon.
* * *
She and Prince made their way south slowly, stopping a few times to rest. Kei checked in on them occasionally, tying Prince’s pack onto his horse on the first visit. They met again at noon to eat a quick lunch, fill their water skins, and do a quick wash at a small stream.
The new horse drew her attention when they stopped. She’d noticed it had a small pack. It didn’t take her long to go through it. She found some food, a small knife, and other odds and ends they could use. The best discovery was the sword. They’d only had two, and John had carried one of them.
"Is it any good?" She set the sword in Prince’s lap.
"Where did you get this?"
She shook her head. "It was on your horse. How did you not notice it?"
He looked down, his brow furrowing. She’d been teasing. However her comment seemed to hit him hard. He wasn’t doing well at all, and he knew it, too.
Pulling it out of the scabbard he then tested for balance and looked briefly at the blade and hilt. "It will do. I can sharpen it for you later." He looked up again. "Or did you want to give it to Bo?"
Prince carried the other sword. Kei had his claws when needed. She bit her lip, wondering who could use it better. "We’ll give it to Bo. I’m quick enough with my daggers. They will do for now."
He handed it back to her and she went and put it back on the horse. She spent the rest of their stop trying not to stare at Prince and worry about how awful he looked. At least her thoughts distracted her from thinking about Cain.
They had started packing up again when she heard from Garen.
I found your human.
Grinning, she quickly told the others. Is he hurt?
He is being very troublesome. I dropped your note for him. He threw it at me. I'm not an over-sized dog.
She burst out laughing at the mental picture his words brought to her mind.
Can he even read? Garen's mind voice sounded extremely annoyed.
She paused. She had assumed he could. She knew Kei and Prince could read. So could Cain. During the long winter he had picked up books now and then from somewhere and read to them all. She closed her eyes for a moment, the memory of her lost friend bearing down heavily upon her heart. Letting out a long, slow breath she got back to the problem.
She couldn't once bring to mind ever seeing Bo actually reading. Rot it all. Apparently not.
What would you like me to do now? He won't follow me.
I'll send Kei. Where are you?
He told her and she quickly relayed the information to Kei who set out immediately. She grinned at Prince. He had a rare smile on his face. She just didn't know if it was from Bo being found, or from what he had done to the Were.
The way his smile made her heart pound and face flush irritated her. Now wasn’t the time to think such thoughts. Being happy Bo lived, she could deal with. Anything else just felt wrong. She hurried him along so they could meet up with the others quickly.
They rode silently for quite some time, keeping within the trees, until she spotted Kei ahead of her further in the forest. He beckoned her on and she turned her horse to follow him to the others.
A smile of relief spread across her face when she spotted Bo washing up at the edge of a pond. He truly was alive. Pulling the horse to a stop she slid off, carefully minding her twisted ankle. Kei took the reins and she quickly limped toward her friend.
Bo grinned and came to meet her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, pup," he mumbled into her hair.
Nodding against his chest, she held him tightly and fought back tears. Kei must have told
him about Cain. She had been trying so hard not to think about him. There wasn't anything she could have done. She couldn't have saved him. He had died, like Kendric and Avery, and there wasn't anything she could do about it.
Despite wanting to stay in his big, strong arms she squeezed him once more and pulled away. "You hurt?"
"Nothing major, and all far from my heart," he said with a crooked grin.
She forced a smile, blinking away tears. "Good. We’ll get you taken care of–"
Something thumped behind her and she turned quickly when Bo cursed. Her eyes first found Kei where he stood a short distance away, tending her horse. Just beyond him Prince's mount shifted beside a prone body.
"Prince!"
She and Bo raced for Prince. Surprisingly, Kei reached him first, dropping to a knee and bending over him.
Her ankle burned with pain from the short run as she dropped to the ground beside Prince, her hands reaching out for him. "What’s wrong?"
Kei shook his head, his brows creased with worry.
Your Elf does not fare well.
She glared over at Garen. "I know."
Prince moved beneath her hands, bringing her attention back to him. He had collapsed onto his stomach and she quickly shifted her hands under him, either to help him turn over or sit up.
Tears threatened again when he turned and his arms came up. With her help, he pulled himself up against her chest, his head falling weakly against her shoulder.
"Prince," she whispered, bowing her head over his and wrapping her arms around him. He felt so light, so thin, like he had truly started to fade away into nothing. He didn't move within her arms, his breath came slow and shallow against her neck. She wasn't sure if he had lost consciousness or not.
"Prince?" She gently shook him. "Wake up, you have to wake up." Her hand shaking, she gently brushed hair from his face. "What should we do?" She looked from Kei to Bo, hoping one of them knew.
Bo ran a hand over his face, shaking his head slightly. "We'll not be moving tonight I think." He glanced over at Kei. "We should set up camp, maybe start a fire and have some decent food. Maybe that will help him."
She nodded and looked over at Garen. "Is a fire safe here?"
The wolf cocked his head slightly to one side, considering. Keep it small. It should be safe. We mustn't stay long however. Other Were may come to investigate.
She nodded and relayed the information to the others, grimacing slightly at the inconvenience caused because they couldn't hear Garen. Bo took the Were's sudden addition to their family without comment. Kei must have introduced them while they waited for her and Prince.
Kei frowned down at Prince, though it was different than normal. It wasn’t directed at the man, but the situation. "I’ll get his pack."
She remembered Prince had been wounded in the fighting. How badly had he been hurt? Nodding at Kei as he rose, she tried to see where the injuries were.
Bo moved to quickly set up a small fire pit near the pool while Kei took Prince's horse away to tend to it and unload all of their packs. She remained where she was, holding Prince. She didn't know what else to do.
Kei brought the pack of supplies and a skin of water over and helped her treat and re-bandage the wounds Prince had taken. None would normally be life threatening, but in his weakened condition, she didn’t know how serious they would affect him. She held him to her again when they finished, wishing she knew if he would get better or not.
Kei watched her silently.
"Can you help treat Bo? Please," she asked quietly.
He squeezed her shoulder as he rose and gathered the supplies.
The frustration of it all began to tear her apart. They had come so far, were so close to his home, surely only a few more weeks at most, yet she didn't know if he would make it. Tears ran down her cheeks and she bent her head over him again, gently rocking and mumbling a quiet children's tune.
After a while, Garen's voice came tentatively into her mind. He is very weak...
She nodded, not looking up, trying to hide the stupid tears. Do you know how long it would take to get him home?
To Rivenward?
What?
He snorted. Has he told you nothing? That is the name of the Elven lands.
He doesn’t talk a lot about his home. How long?
Riding hard, as the crow flies, maybe five days. However you are not crows and the northern border is warded. There is only one entrance and it is south. With the fighting going on, I do not think you would make it through. Best would be to keep moving south along the forest boundary until you reach the wardwall and then head west. Two weeks perhaps, now that you have the horses.
I don't think we have enough time.
No, Garen agreed. You do not. He is very far gone.
Squeezing her eyes tightly together against a sudden torrent of tears, she sucked in a shuddering breath. They weren't going to make it. Prince was going to die.
Just like Cain had died.
She gritted her teeth suddenly. "No." Looking over at Garen she shook her head. "No, I won't let him die. There has to be a way."
Garen rested his head on his paws. He needs power. That is the only way. Elves are bound to their land. They need its magic to survive.
She thought a moment. The slavers took his amulet.
He has been too long without it. Too long from home.
She stared down at Prince. Garen's words made sense, but didn't really help. Where was she supposed to find power? "Elven power?"
I imagine any would do at this point.
"Where do I get some?"
Garen snorted and raised his head off of his paws. It's not as easy as that. It's not like any of us can simply give it to him. With the Fey and the Were, we don't practice magic, it is part of us.
"You're not really helping," she complained.
He sighed. If he was part of a pack, he could draw some small power from it. How the Fey might share power, I don't know.
Frustration started to overwhelm her. They weren't Were, they weren't a pack, so a packs’ power would not help. She looked over to Kei. "Kei, is there any way you can share power with Prince?"
He looked up from collecting wood and shook his head. "No. Not that I know of." He grimaced at his words, reminding her he didn't know all of his heritage. His parents had taken him across the sea when he was little. They had died when he was ten. She imagined it frustrated him as much as it did her.
"What about…" She looked at him knowingly. He had done some sort of magic with her, a fey binding which bound them together as friends and later again as family.
Kei shook his head. "He would never agree."
She grimaced. "True."
"It is not an exchange of power either."
Also true. Holding Prince to her, she struggled to think, to come up with anything at all.
"So," she said finally, raising her head to look at Garen. "A pack. Does it only work with Were?"
He stared at her. I would assume so. He paused and cocked his head to the side. I don't know.
She nodded once, determination suddenly filling her. "Boys! Come here!"
What are you doing?
She didn't answer him, waiting for Bo and Kei to come over. When they did she looked up at Bo. "Take Prince. We'll do this by the fire."
"Do what?" Kei looked at her questioningly, moving forward to help her up once Bo had easily picked up Prince’s limp form.
She raised a finger. "I've an impulsive and insane plan!"
He rolled his eyes and helped her over to the fire. She sat again and beckoned for Bo to pass Prince back to her. She held him to her again, his head against her chest. "Sit close, everyone. You, too, Garen."
They sat around her and she let out a deep breath, sorting out her thoughts. "Prince is fading away. Dying. The only thing which will help him is power. I don't know how to get any for him." She looked at each of them solemnly. "We are already friends, a family. I want to try to make us a pack. Like the Wer
e are. Garen says packs have power. Maybe it will help."
Bo shrugged. "If it will work."
Kei frowned and shook his head. "I don’t like this."
"But–"
"Magic is dangerous, Aro."
"I know that!"
"No. You don’t."
She pressed her lips together tightly to keep from screaming as she glared at Kei. Fine, she didn’t know anything about magic. But he didn’t know everything either.
"It might work," she said quietly. "We just lost Cain. I-I can’t…" A sob caught in her throat and she shook her head violently, hugging Prince tightly to her. "I can’t lose him, too. I just can’t!"
Kei wilted under her emotional plea and looked away. His face looked haunted, defeated. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Please. Please let me try," she whispered desperately.
He looked back at her, his golden eyes staring into hers for what seemed like forever. Finally he nodded and then lowered his head, staring at his hands.
She reached a hand over and squeezed one of his. "Thank you, Kei."
She looked over at Garen. Well?
The Were sat and let out a sound which sounded like a snort. You're insane.
Probably. I doubt it will work. But it just might. I…Sometimes I can do things I shouldn’t be able to. I have to try. "You in or not? I'm thinking it has a better chance if there’s an actual Were involved."
Very well.
She smiled.
Bo raised his eyebrows. "He up for it?"
"He is. So..." She let out a deep breath, trying to think of how, exactly, one created a pack. Do you know how to do this?
We simply are. So...no. I don't.
His words weren’t what she wanted to hear. Tell me about your magic.
Magic is everywhere. It’s all around us. We live and breathe it. We are born from it, we return to it when we die. It simply is and always has been.
This is the same magic the Elves use?
He cocked his head to the side. Yes. Magic is magic, Arowyn. It is everywhere. The Elves have bound themselves to the magic within their borders to make themselves stronger there.
Hope sputtered within her. It might actually save Prince, if she could figure out how to make them a pack. She held out the hand which wasn't holding his limp body to her. "Everyone touch."