Cinderella vs. Prince Charming

Chapter 13

“Err!” Darren shouted, breaking into a run. The two behind him followed suit.

            “What happened? Is he alright?” the prince asked Lyel.

            Lyel looked up from where his hands were pressing against the large gash in Erramun’s leg. “It was the assassin’s partner. You’d barely left when she attacked. Err pulled his usual stupidity and tried to protect me. That’s how he got like this. He needs to go back and see a proper healer.”

            Darren nodded. “Whatever it takes. Can we move him?”

            “I-”

            Valerie cut Lyel off. “I can get him good enough to move but that’s it. Where’s he hurt worst?”

            “His leg but he got knifed in the stomach too.”

            Valerie winced. “Isaac take off your belt.”

            The situation was serious enough that even Isaac didn’t make a suggestive comment about taking his belt off. He silently handed it to Val. She flashed a brief smile of thanks at him before wrapping it around Erramun’s thigh, above the wound, and pulling it tight. “Does anyone have anything we could use as a bandage?”

            Darren yanked his coat off, stripped off his sweater and tossed it to her. “Will that do?”

            She nodded, carefully wrapping it around the wound in Erramun’s leg before pulling it tight as well. She was relieved he was unconscious. Otherwise she figured he’d been thrashing about or screaming.

Finished with the leg, she pulled his shirt up to look at his stomach. The wound wasn’t deep, being just above his bellybutton, but it still bled sluggishly. She looked at the wound and then stood up. Wriggling, she stripped off her leggings before kneeling back down. She pinched the wound closed and then rapidly tied the leggings around Erramun’s middle so that the stab remained closed.

She’d barely leaned back, finished, when Erramun stirred slightly. Within moments, he opened his eyes. “What…?” he asked.

Lyel leaned over to answer, glaring. “You are too stupid to even die that’s what. I swear Err, your damn instance on protecting me needs to end. It does n’\ot matter that I have a fiancée, it’s not your job to put yourself in danger for me. Now, do you think you can move? We need to head back and get you checked out properly.”

The larger man nodded. “I got worse off the dragon.”

Isaac opened his mouth to ask what he actually meant by dragon, and then realized that he probably didn’t want to know. Life was complicated enough without things straight out of a cheap fantasy novel.

“Carefully,” Val warned, hovering as Erramun slowly and with several winces and grimaces, sat up.

“You are here as well Lady Valerie?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes. Now Lyel, Isaac, lend him your arms so he can stand up without putting too much weight on his bad leg. Lyel, get under the shoulder on his bad side. You’re going to have to support him to get him going anywhere.”

With the help of the other two, Erramun was able to get painfully to his feet. Well foot would have been more accurate as he hadn’t put the slightest bit of weight on his injured side.

“How far do you have to go? Because if it’s far, we can bring the car around and drive you most of the way.”

Lyel smiled. “We are never that far from home, Lady Valerie.”