Conquest of War

Chapter 12 <new>

CHAPTER 12
In the Talvok Palace
Fayrn awoke to the sound of soldiers shouting and running about around the corridors outside of her bed chamber doors. She frowned as she threw back the bed covers and got out of bed. What was going on? Were they under attack again?
"Alaina, what in the world is all the commotion about?" she called out and her maids immediately rushed from outside the room, in the corridor, where they waited for her to wake up in the mornings and call for them to come help her dress for the day.
"My lady, the prince arrived home early this morning and discovered one of the prisoners had escaped from the dungeons last night. He is furious. He has the soldiers searching the palace and the city for her...'' the head maid did not get to finish as someone began pounding on the door and Fayrn frowned, wondering who it could be. She was hoping that it was not the prince.
Alaina strode over to the door and cracked it open to see who was making such a racket. Outside the door a soldier was standing there with a grim look on his scarred face and the head maid scowled at him. He was one of the lower rank Shavendral soldiers, but she could tell that he was not fond of the prince's engagement to the young princess by the look of disgust on his face when she opened the door. 
Some of the Shavendral soldiers did not agree with their prince's decision to wed the Talvok princess, but none of them were bold enough to say anything to the prince so they made sure he never witnessed the insults to his future bride.
"The prince demands Princess Fayrn's presence in his study immediately" he declared firmly and Alaina put her hands on her hips as she glared at the man in annoyance.
"Wait outside. The princess must dress..." he cut her off with a curse.
"The prince told me to bring him to her at once..." Alaina cut him off as she gave him an icy glare that made him freeze. 
The head maid may not have been a warrior, but the soldier knew he would regret pushing her too far. There was just something about her that terrified him almost as much as the prince. 
"Well, your prince is just going to have to wait until Princess Fayrn is decent, because I will not have my mistress waltzing about the palace in her nightdress" she snapped icily and shut the door in his face before he could say another word and the other maids giggled.
"Soldiers. They think when they say something everyone should just drop everything and obey them" Alaina grumbled as she walked towards the princess's wardrobe and the other maids followed suit.
"My Lady, come on let us help you..." Alaina trailed off as she saw the princess had already grabbed a fresh tunic out of the trunk at the foot of her bed and scowled even deeper.
"I am just going to wear this today. There is no need in..." Alaina crossed her arms as she cut Fayrn off.
"Princess, I am from The Shavendral Empire and I am going to explain something to you. Women are not allowed to wear men's clothing that is unacceptable..." Fayrn cut her off as she stepped behind the screen. The princess unlaced the top of her nightdress and let the silken gown fall to the stone floor around her feet. The head maid scowled as the princess hung the white silk gown over the top of the screen.
"Alaina, if I dress like a woman of my station today, that will take forever and the prince is not a patient man. I am not fond of the idea of him losing patience and coming to find me himself.  If you would like, I can change later after my audience with the prince" the princess offered as she pulled on the tunic and trousers, making her maids groan in annoyance.
"What do you think he wants with you?" one of the other maids asked and Fayrn sighed as she stepped out from behind the screen, straightening her light grey tunic.
"Your guess is as good as mine. I have no idea what the man wants from me" she answered as she sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on her boots. The maids looked at the young princess with shock as she stood before them and she smiled at them warmly.
"You are going to at least let us fix your hair" Alaina grumbled, leaving no room for argument, as she pointed to the chair in front of the vanity with a mirror and Fayrn shrugged, walking over to the chair without a word. Alaina smiled as she picked up a brush and started to detangle the princess's long curls. Once the princess's hair was smooth, Alaina started to plait the smaller woman's long hair and one of the other maids started to place simple silver pins in the princess's long hair that were a stark contrast to her dark curls.
"There, now you look less like a vagabond and more like a princess" Alaina muttered making Fayrn grin as she glanced at herself in the mirror and sighed.
"So am I ready to go yet? I don't want to keep his highness waiting so long he decided to come get me himself" she asked anxiously and her maids looked at her with amusement.
"Please be careful with the prince, my lady. I worked for one of the noblewomen in the Shavendral court once and that man has no mercy. I have seen his cruelty first hand" Alaina muttered softly and Fayrn looked away, hiding the sadness in her green eyes.
Her heart ached for Gala. She missed being able to tell her closest friend all of her problems, having someone to confide in. Now she had lost Gala forever and she was not even allowed to mourn that loss because she was forced to hide behind a mask of a smile. She had to be strong for her people.
She was pulled from her thoughts as the soldier started banging on the door again, making Alaina scowl.
"I am coming" Fayrn called out as she strode across the room, opening the heavy door, and the soldier gaped at her attire. He knew she was the prince's bride, but he could not help staring. Never in his life had he seen a woman dressed so scandalously.
"Are you going to stand there gawking at me like I am some kind of mythical creature or are you going to actually take me to the prince?" She asked snappily and the man blink as he looked away in embarrassment.
"Follow me, princess" he said as he walked through the narrow corridors until he reached what had once been her father's study. He stopped before the large oaken doors and knocked loudly, waiting for an answer.
"Enter" a commanding voice barked from the other side and Fayrn swallowed hard as the soldier turned the handle, opening the door. The massive prince looked up from paper work as the door opened and scowled as he saw the tiny princess standing there in men's clothing. Tavrik was wearing a simple black tunic and his black hair was mussed from raking his hands through it over the morning.
"Soldier, shut the door behind you" the prince commanded and the small woman looked at the soldier pleading him not to leave her alone with this terrifying man, but the soldier quickly shut the door behind him so she was alone with her fiancé.
"Sit" Tavrik barked coldly as he pointed at the chair in front of his desk and she nervously shuffled over the plush carpeted floors to sit across the large wooden desk from the massive man.
"Good morning, Sire. May I ask what is so pressing that you called me here before I was allowed to take breakfast?" she asked softly and he set the paperwork aside as he shifted all of his attention to her.
"Your little friend escaped last night. I doubt she will get far. I have my soldiers out searching for her '' he stated bluntly and Fayrn barely hid her panic as she covered her mouth in mock surprise. She was terrified he was going to see right through her lies. That he would know she was the one who helped Gala escape and she planned on helping some of the others eventually too. However, she wanted to jump on the desk in triumph because she knew his men would never catch Gala. She was long gone by now and they were looking in the opposite direction. 
"How?!" she asked, feigning shock, as she looked at him with wide green eyes and he eyed her closely.
"Someone helped her. I don't know how they got past the guards..." she stopped him with a frown.
"How do you know that she did not escape on her own?" she inquired, making him raise an eyebrow at her in amusement. He had not expected her to question him like this and it caught him off guard, but it also piqued his curiosity.
"I know because someone picked the lock..." the princess cut him off again as she looked at the prince in confusion.
"How do you know the lock was picked? The intruder could have stolen a key" she pressed as she looked away and he opened one of the desk drawers and pulled out one of the tools from Fayrn's lock picking kit, letting it fall on the wood between them. Her heart dropped as she saw the small metal tool laying there and she slowly reached out a small hand, picking it up.
"What is it?" she asked, not meeting the prince's gaze as she inspected the tool for a second before she handed it back to him. The prince's deep blue eyes were resting on her as he watched her with an analyzing gaze that made her feel like he could see right through her lies.
"It is a piece of a lock picking set that was found outside of the cell. Whoever the culprit is, he is no common thief because I have seen a set of this quality and they do not come cheap" he said as he looked at her curiously and she shifted nervously.
"Why did you need me then? It is obviously that you have everything under control, my lord. I do not think I could be of much use in this matter, I know little about such things" she asked, her voice trembling ever so slightly, and he frowned, but said nothing.
"The woman was your friend and I want to know if you had something to do with her escape" he stated bluntly and Fayrn choked as she gaped at him.
"Me? Why would I have anything to do with her escape? I am a princess, I have no thief skills" she stammered quickly and the prince rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh.
"I am not saying that you helped her personally. You would have hired someone to do it for you. The thought of you picking locks is ridiculous" he muttered with a smirk and she blinked, stifling her smile.
If only he knew how wrong he was. 
"I did not have anything to do with this! I do not even know who to talk to about things like that. Plus, I have not had contact with anyone who could be paid to do the job" Fayrn said firmly and he scowled at her, putting the tool back in his desk.
"You could have had one of your maids get into contact with someone. That girl was insignificant. There was no reason for someone to set her free" he accused and the princess flinched, but stood up scowling at him.
"I am not lying. My maids nor I had anything to do with this. I do not know who freed Gala or why they did so, but if I could I would thank them" she hissed angrily and the prince shot to his feet, towering over the small woman.
He was very suspicious that she had something to do with the escape, but there was no way he could know for sure. He had questioned the guards and the other prisoners, but they all claimed to have seen nothing. If in fact she indeed had something to do with the escape then there was much more to this woman than he had first believed.
"I cannot prove anything, but I have a feeling that you were somehow involved with her escape. I assure you that now that I have returned there will be no more mysterious disappearances of my prisoners" he growled coldly, making the princess back down and she scowled.
"May I leave now?" she asked stiffly as he sat back down and he grumbled something in another language.
“Actually, I need for you to take a walk with me through the city. The commoners have been asking for you specifically because apparently there is some outbreak of blue fever. These people think you have magical abilities to heal that my clerics do not possess” he muttered as he stood up and Fay grinned. The poor man still had absolutely no idea that she possessed powers of true healing and she planned to keep it that way as long as possible. 
“Then we will have to stop by my bed chamber so I may retrieve my herbs” she announced as she stood up and he shrugged. 
“I simply need you to be there so that the people allow my clerics to help them so we don’t have a full-blown epidemic. If bringing your “magic herbs“ is going to help with that, be my guest“ he snapped irritably as he towered over her and she rolled her eyes. 
“I can guarantee that I’m a better healer than any of your clerics, my lord” the small woman challenged as she crossed her arms and the warrior prince cocked his head. 
“I don’t care. You are simply going to please the people, leave the healing to professionals” he muttered in aggravation as he walked around the desk and she followed him out the door. 
After retrieving her satchel full of herbs, she followed the prince out into the courtyard where several men in gray robes were waiting in a wagon surrounded by soldiers. Several of the clerics looked at her with disgust as she stepped into view and she chewed her lip. 
“I guess I am riding in the wagon?” She muttered as she started walking away from the prince while he swung into his saddle and he frowned. That was when he saw the hateful looks of his clerics and he scowled. 
“No, you’ll be riding with me” he corrected as he stooped down and hoisted her into the air, settling her on the horse in front of him. She blushed as she sat rigidly against him and he nudged his horse into a walk as the wagon started to roll out of the courtyard. Fay almost cried as she saw the city.
 There were soldiers and commoners working side by side to clear all of the ruble from years of war away.  People cheered as they saw the prince and cheered even louder as they saw their beloved princess riding with him. The healer princess wanted to hug the horrible prince as she saw his soldiers handing out food to her people and his healers caring for the sick and wounded. Tavrik watched the woman’s face as she took in all of the work that his men had done in the last two months since they had conquered the city.
“What’s the matter, my lady? You seem surprised” he muttered coldly and she smiled up at him. 
“Thank you. Thank you for everything you are doing for the people” she announced as she smiled at him and turned back to her people. Soldiers immediately surrounded the prince’s mount as a woman, obviously quite ill with blue fever stumbled forward and Fay gasped. The woman was about seven months round with child as she crumpled to the ground before the convoy of healers. The prince blinked as his bride leapt from his arms and rushed forward before he could stop her. 
“My lady, be careful!” One of the younger healers commanded as he started for the Princess, but she was already pressing a canteen of water to the woman’s lips. 
“Let me take things from here” the man commanded as he stopped behind the Princess and the woman shook her head. 
“No, the goddess has blessed our lady. I want her to heal me” the pregnant woman rasped weakly and Fay sighed. 
“I will, but first we need to get you home and into your bed” she murmured reassuringly as she stroked the other woman’s hair and a soldier set her on her feet. 
“Be gentle with her. Prince Tavrik, tell those who refuse to see your clerics to come to me” Fay commanded before slipping off after the woman, leaving the prince staring after her. 
The soldier eyed the princess as she started a large pot on the hearth and started throwing a mixture of herbs into the water that gave off a pungent smell that filled the house. After several long moments she ladled out a mug of it for the woman she was caring for. He stopped for half a second as he could have sworn he saw the woman’s eyes glittering blue, but she turned away before he could get a better look. 
“Mira, I need you to drink this. I know it tastes gross, but trust me. It will have you back on your feet in no time” she instructed as she smiled at the weak woman and gently helped her sit up, pressing the mug to her lips. 
 It wasn't long before the commenters heard about their princesses appearance and flocked to her. The healers frowned as they spotted the line of sick people in front of the princess and glowered at her. 
“Women are not allowed to be clerics for a reason. She’s going to kill these people and cause a full-blown epidemic” one man hissed to one of the other clerics and an old beggar laughed, “she’s blessed by the goddess. I have seen her save men from the brink of death after clerics failed. She is truly amazing. You all could learn from her.” 
“She is not trained like we are…” the healer trained off as he saw the pregnant woman from earlier appear from her home looking refreshed and better than ever. 
“Whatever is in that nasty smelling tea she’s made is amazing. I have never seen such miraculous recoveries from Blue Fever” one of the soldiers commented as he looked at his prince and Tavrik frowned.  The Prince honestly couldn't believe his eyes as he saw a very pregnant woman walking around again with no trace that she had ever had the disease. 
“Why are your remedies not working like hers?!” The prince demanded angrily as he scowled at the young cleric and the smaller man crossed his arms. 
“There is no cure for blue fever, we simply help the body to fight it. The only thing we can do is make people comfortable until it passes. I have never seen anything like this myself“ the healer admitted as he looked at his feet and the prince frowned. 
“Then why don’t you go over there and figure out what she’s doing. If we can successfully copy her remedy we will be able to stop the yearly outbreaks of blue fever” he growled coldly and the healer glared at him as he turned away. It was not that simple. 
“She’s a woman…” Tavrik cut him off as he snapped, “she is to be your queen and you will give her the respect she is due. You will address her as my lady or princess and if she had a remedy for blue fever why does it matter that she is a woman?” The warrior prince snarled warningly as he took a menacing step toward the smaller man and he scampered off. 
The moment the healer appeared before the woman he immediately saw how ashen she was and how her brow glistened with sweat. 
“My lady are you alright?” He asked with concern as he looked at her and she let out a shaky breath. 
“It’s just the heat getting to me” she lied and the healer watched as the tiny woman swayed on her feet. 
“Princess, come sit for a moment” he ordered as he caught her arms and led her over to a pile of rubble. She simply nodded as she took a seat and he blinked. Her body was hot to the touch as if she had a fever and he sighed.
“My lady you have been at this for hours, maybe you should rest for a…” he trailed off as the woman shook her head and said, “I can’t, I have to help my people. I am not a warrior or a builder, I’m just a healer.” 
“Princess, what is the matter, you look unwell…” the prince trailed off as the woman yawned and looked up at him. 
“Prince Tavrik, I’m just trying to catch my breath” she announced as she struggled to take even breaths and the prince looked around for a particular cleric. Master Malicari, the finest royal cleric he knew of.  He spotted the older man hunched over a bag of herbs beside a coughing child.  
" Cleric, Go take over for your master and bring him to me "the Warrior Prince snarled as he pointed the cleric in front of him towards the older man and the cleric rushed off without a word.
“Malicari, take a moment and look after the princess. I don’t think she’s well“ the crown prince commanded as he looked at his tiny bride with concern and she shook her head.  The gray haired man looked at the woman before him with surprise as he gave her a simple smile.
“No, I’m alright. I have to finish helping these people“ she protested as she forced herself to her feet and swayed for a moment before the prince gently put his hand on her waist to steady her.
“Faye, I appreciate your dedication, but I think it is time you rest” The warrior growled as he gently made her sit back down and the cleric stepped forward. 
“My lady, I insist that you let me help you. After you rest for a little while before you can go back to healing. However, let’s talk about these herbs you’re using. I would be fascinated to learn about them” malacari murmured as he began using his own magic to scan the woman’s body for injuries. However, he immediately frowned as he sensed something he shouldn’t have. The only thing similar he had ever seen was when a magic had used over the amount of energy they possessed and their body was starved for energy. He had not realized the princess was a magic.
“My lady, are you a magic?“ He inquired as he put his hand on her arm and the prince immediately snapped his gaze to her and she looked away. That was all the answer the Prince needed and he stalked forward.
“What kind of magic are you?“ The warrior demanded firmly as he looked at the tiny woman before him and she looked at the ground.
“I am a Cleric” she answered softly as she smiled up at the man and his healer went rigid 
“My lady, you have overextended your magic and made yourself ill. You have done enough for today, I think it is time that the prince took you home to rest. You may come out and help us tomorrow when you are restored. I will have one of my assistance bring you an elixir that will help you regain your strength.“ The healer snapped in frustration and the woman shook  her head.
“I will work until I cannot stand. I will not let one of these people die after all they have suffered through if I can save them” She declared firmly as she locked eyes with the Crown prince and he took a deep breath. This was a side he had not expected to see of the woman. The cleric scowled as he dug in his own satchel and pulled out a small vial of vibrant purple liquid.
“My lady, if you insist upon this I insist that you take this elixir to give you some strength. It should help replenish your magic energy“ the man muttered softly as he uncapped the vile and held it out to the woman. It smelled nauseating, but she took a deep breath and downed it in one gulp struggling not to vomit.
“My Lord, make sure she doesn’t do anything for about 20 minutes so the elixir has time to work. Then she should be alright.” The older man growled as he walked away and the prince took a seat next to the woman and she scowled at him.
“You are very stubborn when it comes to your own health. Most women would just listen to a healer and go home and rest“ The warrior murmured as he looked at her with a grin and shook his head.
“My Lord, healing is the only thing I can do for my people. I’m not a Warrior, I can’t fight for them. I am their princess, it is my duty to serve my people above myself. The only gift I have is healing and I will use it to do as much good as I can for as long as you let me live“ she whispered softly so only he could hearn and to her surprise the warrior prince looked away. 
“Let’s talk about your almost miraculous cure for blue fever. I have never seen anyone recover as quickly as that woman did. I have never seen someone recover from blue fever without permanent scarring or some other deficits such as blindness. Where did you learn this remedy?” He questioned obviously changing the subject and the small woman beside him glanced at him with a sigh.
“I like to read and I found some books that took me a little while to translate, but they taught me all sorts of healing remedies. One of the first remedies I learned was for blue fever. There was an outbreak about five years ago and I was determined to help the healers…” The prince cut her off as he interjected, “how did your father feel about all of this? Dealing with blue fever is quite dangerous.“
“There was no love lost between my father and I. He blamed me for my mother's death and never paid me any attention. So when I would disappear I doubt he even noticed. I was an oddity of my father's court and the nobility made sure I knew it” she sighed sadly as she looked down at her hands and the prince frowned.
“Why were you an oddity?” The prince asked in confusion and the woman chewed her lower lip in an adorable embarrassment
“According to the nobility, I was too fond of the commoners and because of that I was an outcast. The only friends I ever had were always from the common folk or merchants. My father's court shunned me for that. I know I’m an embarrassment, but you’re going to kill me anyway so I don’t see any point in changing my ways'' she explained keeping her voice low so their conversation stayed between the two of them and the man beside her looked taken aback at her bluntness. 
“So, let me get this right. Your father shunned you for taking care of his people? He let his court torment you because you cared too much for the people?“ He asked, sounding almost angry at it and she looked at him with a smile.
“Yes, apparently those are not princess qualities. In addition, I have the nerve to beg my father to surrender to your army…” The prince immediately cut her off as he turned to her with confused blue eyes. 
“Why? Why would you do that?“ He demanded firmly as he studied her with new interests and she looked at her hands. 
“There was no point in fighting the war anymore. Why fight a war we would never win? He was throwing innocents at it and causing so much unnecessary death on both sides. I was tired of going to widowers every day and telling them that their husbands were dead. I just wanted the war to end so that peace of some kind could be reached. Plus, between you and I, my father was an awful king and an even worse father. I believed my people would be happier under your father’s rule. My father let our people starve so he could live a life of affluence for a little longer. I know my ways are strange to nobility, but what was the purpose of prolonging a war that was causing so much devastation? Maybe you can answer that for me because I truly wish to know“ She declared vehemently as she looked at him with rage in her green eyes and his face softened.
“My lady, hi…“ The prince never finished a statement as a small child about six stumbled up to the princess with tears running down his face and the prince stiffened as he reached for his blade. Fay moved just a little quicker and scooped the boy up in her arms. 
“What’s the matter, little one?“ She murmured gently as she soothed the child and the prince relaxed. It irked him how beautiful she looked with a child in her arms. 
“My sister… She… there’s a fire“ the little boy sobbed and the crown prince immediately bounced to his feet as he watched his future wife run off in the direction the little boy was pointing. 
How had he never noticed the smoke billowing from a few streets over? His other question is how was the princess so fast for being so small? 
“Fayrn, what are you going to do? Let the soldiers handle it!.“ The prince commanded as he followed after her and she weaved in and out of the dilapidated buildings, somehow managing to stay just out of his reach. 
“There has to be something I can do“ she called back as she rounded the corner and saw a house half engulfed with fire. 
That was when they both heard a child screaming inside and the prince grimaced. Tavrik watched as the woman set the little boy down and started for the burning house. 
“Dammit! Stop right there!“ He cursed as he grabbed her by the waist and she looked up at him with fierce determination. 
“I can’t just let her die“ she begged desperately and the prince scowled at her.
“Then let a fire magic handle it. If you run in there you will get burned.“ He snarled in annoyance as he released her and walked towards the flames. The soldiers around immediately stepped out of his way and watched him with wide eyes. 
Due to the fact that fire Magic had not been seen in another magic in as long as healing magic have been gone many of them had never seen him use his magic Overstock to needed to watch 
“Be careful! The fire may not hurt you, but the building coming down on you will!“ The princess called after him and the warrior raised an eyebrow at her. He had not expected her to have any concern for his life.
Being a fire magic meant that you could not be burned by flame.
Faye paced nervously as she watched the massive warrior disappear into the building engulfed in flames
The beautiful young princess could not bear to tear her eyes from the building as she watched it starting to fall. 
Seconds later the massive crown prince burst out of the flames cradling a toddler in his arms and the princess rushed forward.
“Are you both all right?“ She demanded as she took the child from him and the toddler looked up at her with scared brown eyes. She had several burns on her arms and legs, but other than that the child seemed to be alright.
“Thank you! Thank you! You..you save my baby!“ a  woman sobbed as she took the little girl from the princess’s arms and the prince simply nodded at her.
“I have a couple of salves that will help her burns in the palace. I will be sure to bring them by later so I can check on her” Fay murmured as she smiled at the woman and the teary-eyed woman nodded her head. 
“The goddess has blessed us with your union. May your marriage bring happiness to both of you and prosperity to the kingdom“ the woman said with a smile and both young royals looked at each other. Neither one of them had expected the woman to say anything like that. 
“My Lord, you have a little bit of ash in your hair“ the princess mused light-heartedly and the warrior shrugged as he raked his fingers through his hair, trying to comb out the ash and soot. 
“I would prefer that you sent a servant with those medicines“ he stated coldly and she looked at him with a scowl.
“Why? I always interact with the people personally…” he cut her off as he raised her hand shaking his head. 
“I understand, but you are going to have a long day of healing ahead of you“ he sighed as he started walking back towards the cordoned off blue fever outbreak area.
“That’s no matter. This is not my first long day of healing. I’ll find the energy to take care of an innocent child. If it eases your mind I shall bring another healer with me“ she offered with a smile as she followed after him and he didn’t respond 
It was well past mid day before the prince realized he hadn’t seen his fiancé in quite some time and immediately walked over to another one of the oldest Cleric Malakari he