Protectors

Chapter 2: Wolves Vale Outpost

"Junni, please wake up!"

Someone is calling my name. Opening my eyes slowly, I see that I am in a room that is not my own. For the past few months, I have been traveling with my parents and three close friends on a diplomatic mission to Quinn. I remember something happening on the return trip just outside of our home in Valdrie, but I cannot remember what happened. I recoil from pain in my side when I try to get a better look at the room. Putting my hand on my side, I notice that it is wrapped in a white gaze that is turning red.

"Wha?" I mutter quietly gently laying back down.

Just then, an elf dressed in white walks in carrying a metal tray filled with food and medicine bottles. I pretend to still be asleep not knowing fully where I am. I leave an eye open a bit, so I can watch the elf as she sets the tray down on the nearby table.

"How is she, Doc?" asks a different person in the room.

'Doctor' turns around when she hears the person behind her, but is now blocking my view of this new person.

"Better, she should be awake by the end of the day." There is a long pause before Doctor continues, "Sir, you should be resting too. Your injuries may not have been as severe as her Highness', but you still need treatment and time to heal. The healing we can take care of in only a few minutes."

"I'm fine" The man growls, "I already failed her once. I cannot, will not leave her side again," the man sadly mutters, "I should have protected her better."

"Elven, there was nothing you could have done." The doctor says placing a hand on Elven's shoulder, "You did everything you could since you did not even see who it was that attacked you guys. With all the chaos that was going on, you're lucky you got Junni and yourselves out of there with the injuries you sustained." There was a pause before Doctor continues, "Saving Junni was your top priority along with your own safety. Their Majesties created a distraction so you could get Junni out of there. You did your job..."

Elven shrugs off Doctor's hand, "That doesn't make me feel better." Elven turns towards the window, "I could have made a distraction and been captured instead."

"Elven, for all you know the enemy would have just killed you and captured Master and Mistress and probably Junni anyway. Their Majesties knew the risks and what would have happened if the enemy had gotten Junni. You know this."

The doctor walks out of the room taking a chart with her. I could see Elven lean against the wall quiet for a few minutes before sitting in the chair next to the bed. Elven is holding his head in his hands when two shadows emerge from the corners of the room making their way towards Elven.

"He's right you know, Elven. We were with Master and Mistress till they told us to help protect Junni. There was nothing more we could have done. We got Junni out before anything happened." says one of the mysterious shadows who wore a blue strip on his sleeve. The shadow places a hand on Elven's shoulder, but Elven just shrugs the shadow's hand off before standing up and pacing around the room.

"Ellos is right, Elven," says the second shadow, "There's nothing that you could have done that would have made a difference so stop beating yourself up over this."

"I know, Nytshadow. I don't know what I would have done had you two not helped get Junni out of there, but I still feel like I could have done something else to prevent this from happening," Elven says to Ellos and Nytshadow.

I don't remember much of the ambush just that it happened when I was talking to Elven outside of Valdrie. We were on the road outside part of the forest near home called the Wolves Vale. I heard an explosion right before I saw the wagon in front of us explode and flip over. I heard orders from my parents telling Elven, Ellos, and Nytshadow to protect me at any cost and to not come back for them. They all agreed, but they did so reluctantly. The next thing I knew I had a feeling of sharp pain in my right side as our wagon exploded landing on its side, I don't remember anything after that.