Of thorns and fire

Rosalyn

My projection faded just as I was ready to dismount the horse back in the city. "Take the wounded to the hospital and the girl to the dungeons!" I yelled heading to the hospital whilst one soldier dragged the unconscious body of Eerika ravenbournes sister away. It was overrun with a mass of swarming bodies. More patients coming in by the second as the nurses battled through the crowd to help the wounded and in the centre of it all was iona.

Where is he?

She asked desperation clear on her face. "He got hurt during the battle and in the panic he got left behind." I choked out. I could see the heartbreak in her face as she digested my words tears started to streak from her grey eyes. "We'll get him back." I started with a certainty I couldn't feel. She nodded turning back to her patient.

"Let me help." I placed my hands over the mans face and channeled my magic focusing on the image of his skin knitting back together when i opened my eyes his face was healed. Behind me I heard sobs as iona covered her face with her hands and shook her head and that's when it hit me, all of the secret smiles and affectionate teasing. How could I have not seen it before? Iona and Issac were completely besotted. "how long?" I asked quietly placing a comforting arm on her shoulder.

a few months, he wanted to tell you and got close at the ball but things always got in the way.

I nodded. " we'll help here now and deal with the rest later." She wiped away her tears and set to work.

at some point during all of the chaos claude showed up determined to help as well and to my surprise she was able to calm the patients and keep them stable. hours past and my magic depleted finally at sunset it seemed we had done all we could. Iona fell asleep on one of the beds and Claude was sitting next to me on the floor. In the deafening quiet without anything else to keep me busy i finally felt the fear and pain of not having issac with me. Hot tears escaped down my face as emotions overwhelmed me.

"I can't remember the last thing isaac said to me." I whispered into the darkness, "It must have been before the battle but no matter how hard I try, I can't remember the last thing he said to me." My words became less and less coherent as i went on finally divulging into gasping tears. After a moment's hesitation claude put her hand over mine and rubbed comforting circles into my palms. "Those nkarion brutes won't hurt your brother because we have the leaders sister. He's safe."

"I can't lose him i can't have lost them both." I shook my head staring into her pitting emerald eyes."You won't i promise you're smarter than any of them you will get him back."

I shook my head not convinced. "Branden was the one meant for this. Im just a poor imitation. He was the most wonderful brother when I was little I felt like I never knew our mother, so to make me feel better branden told me bedtime stories she had told him. I liked it so much i made him tell me them every night he never got angry with me or told me to go away no he tucked me into bed and told me stories again and again."

"I hope you don't expect me to tell you a bedtime story." she said leaning in with a smirk on her face I hadn't had the pleasure of seeing before. I laughed stunned by her blasey attitude. "But truly, it is better to have loved and lost than never loved at all." I nodded finding truth in her words.

"Thank you." I whispered, she smiled. "Any time." It was then that I noticed that she was still holding my hand and we had shuffled closer during the conversation and were now shoulder to shoulder. Quickly let go of her hand and got to my feet. "I should go back to the palace." She nodded getting up as well, "So should I." I felt like I should say something more although I didn't know what that something was so instead we walked back to the palace in silence. But even when I was safely back in my room I could still feel the sensations of her hand in mine.

The next day was consumed with planning for the nkarions attack. Keeping the armoury well stocked and the men well fed . "Princess." Claude said striding up to me. " your going to want to see this." Nowone had seen my father since branden died he had stayed in his room supposedly grieving for his child but there he was standing in the courtyard next to a carriage stocked with enough gold and food to get him far away from the city. "Your leaving?" I asked venom clear in my voice. he nodded without looking at me. "You have done some truly abhorrent things father and it kills me to say it but this is not the worst of them no to me the worst thing you have ever done is not being there when branden was put into the ground. But this time you abandon not only your family but your kingdom to. How could you?"

"The nkarions will destroy the city in a matter of days I do not intend to be here when they do."

"The gods were playing a cruel joke when they made you king. A man who won't even protect his children tasked with protecting a kingdom. Go. I'm sure nowone will miss you but if you leave you leave this behind." I proclaimed as I took the crown of fathers head. His face turned a putrid shade of purple in his fury and I thought he might scream but instead he strode into his carriage and left. I couldn't let myself think about the ramifications for this because if I did the once clear path to what i should do, how I should feel suddenly became murky. No i would not let my father ruin me even after he was gone.

"What now... queen rosalyn?"

"We prepare for war."