Star Crossed

15. Tyreen

Location: The Kingdom of Kara

            "STOP. WHAT ARE you transporting?"

A large, burly soldier questioned, the palace gates glimmering in the sunlight. I bowed in respect. I was not going to get killed today.

"My name is Tyreen Nyut and I found this girl in the woods alone. I was traveling to Kara, so I just brought her here. Please, she is injured severely, and she bears the royal insignia," I explained with an underlying tone of urgency in my voice.

            He threw a concerned glance behind his back, signaling his friend and looked back at my face. Looking at the girl who was now draped across Arman, his eyes widened. He quickly ushered me into the gates and called for a wagon.

             "Jyuda, go with this woman and inform the King of the situation. It is of the utmost importance," he relayed to a soldier in the distance. Jyuda, the soldier in the distance, hopped off the wagon and gave me a pleasant visual inspection. Men. They're all the same.

    "Seems alright. Why is this important, Kuda?" he asked, a slight edge to his voice.

    "Jyuda, she comes with a girl bearing the royal insignia," Kuda, I presumed, hurriedly got out.

    God, they were so slow.

    Jyuda looked behind me, at Arman, and once he saw the girl, I presume, his eyes widened.

    "Get into the wagon," he ordered and signaled Kuda. Obediently, I got into the cart, the driver giving me a toothless smile. Grimacing back, I looked back to where Kuda and Jyuda carried the body and placed her into the wagon gently.

    "Woman, sit in the back," Jyuda gritted, and I internally rolled my eyes. God forbid I actually sit in the front, because of course the whole city is going to explode because a woman sat in the front. Quietly, I got out and sat in the back, moving the body a bit.

    "What about Arman, my horse?" I questioned, noticing that they had not considered my beloved companion.

    "He will be at the royal stable, in the palace. Jyuda is going to the palace, so you will be able to take your horse from there later," Kuda explained. As I sat down into the wooden cart, I almost fell over the girl as the cart jumped with the bumpy roads.

    The white cloth was now blood red, turning into a murky brown color. Reaching out for her wrist, I moved my fingers around until I felt a light thump. A frail yet steady thump. She was still alive. I was momentarily shocked. It had only been a few hours since I had rescued this girl out of her predicament, but I was sure she wouldn't be able to make the journey.

    Either way, this girl might prove to be valuable to me later on.

    Focusing back to the present, I brushed the girl's dark hair out of her face, which was completely matted with mud and blood - quite the grotesque scene.

    I heard a quick shout, and all I remember was being forced out of the wagon, the girl's body being moved onto a gurney. Two men, healers I presume, carried the gurney into a magnificent building.

    A gleaming archway and majestic towers, this palace paled in comparison to the others I had seen. My eyes wide, I couldn't help but stare at the beauty in front of me.

"A maid will show you a place to stay right now. As you have brought back someone of a royal stature, you will be required to stay in the palace for further questioning and as a thanks. Your horse will be well taken care of in the palace stable," Jyuda ordered, and I nodded my head silently.