Her own way

Chapter 4 {Edited}

Turning away, James began to make his way to the small staircase to check the upstairs of the cottage. Luckily enough there was only one room upstairs so it did not take him too long to examine the room for any signs of life. Picking up several items off the floor, James looked at them closely enough to realise they were charred pieces of parchment. It seemed to him that the lady was hiding from something or someone, and judging from these burnt papers, she was trying to write to someone probably to ask for help or say where she and the little girl were.

“Father!” Peter called from around the house where the back door lay in ruins, jolting James back into focus

“Peter? What is it?” James called as he hurried back downstairs towards the back of the building where Peter stood just outside of the cottage staring into the kitchen

“There’s someone here still father. I can’t see if she’s breathing.” Peter pointed towards a dark corner of the room where there lay a large broken barrel. Giving Peter a slightly puzzled look, James carefully moved over to the corner moved a large broken section of the barrel out of the way, revealing the little girl partially inside it. “I wonder where her mama is.” Peter murmured, his voice seeming to come out louder than intended.

“Help me get to her, we need to see if she is alright.” James directed Peter to the other side of the barrel and together they freed the girl. Gently turning her over, they saw a large gash on her forehead with dried blood thick on one side of her face. Concerned that she was not breathing James placed one palm on her chest and held another above her mouth and nose. “She’s alive, thank goodness. But we need to get her home and away from this.” James passed his hunting bow to Peter and proceeded to lift the girl from the wreckage. Just outside the building, James lay the girl down and said to Peter “go back inside and find blankets and anything that may have belonged to this girl. She’s coming home with us.”

After Peter disappeared into the house, James examined the girl properly. Unfurling her hands to check for any injuries, he was slightly surprised when a piece of parchment dropped from her grasp. Reaching forward, he began to read and as he read the short letter, he understood a few simple facts: this child needed protection and anonymity. But where had the lady, this child’s mother gone? Soon enough, Peter emerged from the house and James pushed the letter into his pocket. Once more he picked up the girl and the three of the retreated back into the forest towards home.

 As they neared the house, James sent Peter on ahead to warn his mother that they were coming and needed some assistance with the child. Hannah, James’ wife met the them at the door, and upon seeing the girl lying limp in her husbands arms, gave him a questioning look.

“We found her in the old Hunters cottage, no sign of her mother.” James explained in a grim voice. “The place was smashed up.”

“Bandits?” Hannah gasped, appalled to think of them so close to home. James shook his head.

“I doubt it. It didn’t look like anything had been taken, the rooms were turned over as if they were looking for something,” he paused. “Peter take those things and put them in the spare room.” Indicating for Hannah to move closer, James lowered his voice. “I believe thy were looking for her or at least her mother. Looks like the lady escaped.”

“Leaving the girl behind? How could she do that!” Hannah exclaimed. James reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter.

“Maybe this will explain it to you.” He handed her the letter. Hannah skimmed through it quickly, reading out loud without realising it. 

"To whomever finds this note,

Please help my child. Keep her hidden from the world, protect her in any way you can - do not let anyone take her away. She is the future of this Kingdom and deserves a life free from being chased by the enemies of my brother. I beg you, keep my Katrina safe. There may come a time when others come looking for her. Trust no one with her care.

I will be with Katrina again but until then, look after her like she is your own.

Princess Sarah Hunter, Lady of Earendel"

Hannah's eyes widened at what she was reading. Upon reading the last words she looked up at her husband and spoke in a shocked whisper:

“Princess Katrina?!?” James nodded. “How could we not know? I mean, how did we not realise…” She trailed off, her gaze drifted over the unconscious child. “We’ll raise her,” Hannah decided. “We’ll keep her and raise her as our own. No-one needs to know her background, just that she’s ours.”

“What shall we call her? We can’t call her Katrina else everyone will know who she is.”

“Kate, after my grandmother. It’s a good strong name and I’m sure she will like it. It's close enough to her real name that it should be easy for her to remember.” James gave Hannah a thoughtful look as he caught on to her train of thought.

“The kids shouldn’t have a problem, she’s the same age as the twins if I recall correctly. Maybe a year or two younger. I'm sure they would love to have another sister.” Hannah nodded at this and began bustling about the living room.

“Take her to the spare room James, she needs her rest and I'm sure she would do better waking on her own without us hovering around. I'll be along in a moment to clean that blood off her face. Oh the poor dear, I hope it doesn't pain her too much.”

 At that request from his wife, James carried Katrina towards the back of the house and placed her on the spare bed. Looking at the items Peter had brought in from her former home, James reached for one of the blankets and covered her with it. Quietly he left the room and pulled the door closed behind him. The only one that would be going into that room would be Hannah to make her more comfortable. Hopefully Katrina would be able to recover quickly and accept what was most likely one of the biggest changes in her short life.