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𝑨 𝑭𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑰𝑺𝑯 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑻
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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐓 𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐇 still lingered in the air when the sun peaked above the horizon and the rays of sunshine warmed up the desert in an instance. The sky around the oasis already started to shimmer as if in a mirage while the golden sand grains seemed to sizzle in the heat.
Rosaleen wasn't sure if it was the horrible smell or the relentless heat that caused her to feel feverish. She trembled all over her body and her muscles ached from the exhaustion that came with it. Cold droplets of sweat ran down her unusual pale skin and her breathing came out in a squeak every time she took a new gulp of oxygen. A throbbing pain shot through her bruised ribs when she struggled to sit up straight and she took a few moments to gather her strength before climbing with strained movements out of the slightly rocking hammock.
The ten hammocks of the company hung between the several palm trees scattered over the oasis. The fabric hovered a few feet above the desert's soil and protected those sleeping inside it from scorpions and venomous snakes that roamed through the sand.
Rosaleen tried to stretch her back when she had finally placed her feet firmly on the ground, but a sharp pain shot through her body and her breath caught in her throat.
Seren, who was already up because he had the last watch, noticed her movements from out of the corner of his eye and he stood up from his place by the smoldering campfire.
'Rose?' he asked, setting a few steps towards her in concern. 'Are you alright? You don't look all too great.'
She waved it away, carefully walking towards the pool to splash some fresh water in her face. 'It's nothing, just a few bruised ribs.' However, as she crouched down near the pool, another sting travelled through her body and she lost her balance, landing ungracefully on her bum in the sand. She took in a sharp breath to fight back her painful groan and in an instance, Seren crouched next to her.
Rosaleen's eyes flickered up to his when he placed a hand on her forehead, a deep frown resting between his eyebrows as he took in her grey-like skin.
'You're burning up,' he said, meeting her gaze and she gently enclasped his wrist, pulling his hand away from her face.
'Yes, well, it's because of the heat,' she reasoned as he dropped his hand next to his side again. 'It will get better once we're out of the desert.'
Seren let out a sigh, wiping a hand over his tanned face. 'You can be most stubborn,' he said before standing up again and offering her a hand.
Rosaleen grimaced as he pulled her back on her feet. 'It's only another half day's journey until we reach the border of Archenland, I'll be fine,' she said.
'Yes, and it will be another day until we reach Anvard,' Seren retorted.
'What do you want me to do, then? Complain? Wallow in my pain and stay behind?' she snapped at him. 'The only way is forward. I'm not a damsel in distress.'
Seren's eyes softened. 'I never said you were. But please, Rose, there's no shame in admitting you're hurt. I'm your friend.'
Rosaleen hesitated for another moment but just when she was about to open her mouth and admit it, a hammock at their left moved in the distance and Hashim's face appeared, sending them a suspicious look.
'I'm fine,' she whispered to Seren, before turning around and setting course towards the horses to prepare them for another journey through the scourging heat. She was the only woman in a company of men, she couldn't show weakness.
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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐓 𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐋𝐘 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐃 into the mountainous countryside of Archenland as the sun described her course through the sky.
The continuous rocking in the saddle by the horses' swaying rhythm had long sent Tisroc and his aghas in a bored state of mind while the foot soldiers marched forth as if in a trance, their faces stoic and their eyes unseeing.
Seren's senses though, were on high-alert as he kept a close eye on Rosaleen. Despite them leaving the desert far behind them, the blonde fell only more ill, but every time Seren wanted to ask the company to halt, she shot him a stubborn look.
In the last few minutes however, she had barely blinked at all while she stared at the reins in her hand, her green eyes glazed over in pain and exhaustion.
With a trembling last effort, Rosaleen pulled at the reins and her horse stopped walking. 'Ren,' she whispered, glancing aside to catch his gaze and Seren immediately jumped off his horse, ordering the others to stop as well. Still, he wasn't fast enough when her eyes rolled back in their sockets and her limp body fell out of the saddle. She collided harshly with the rocky ground, landing in a messy heap and the thud echoed through the air.
Seren suppressed a curse, dropping on his knees next to her head and turning her over to her back. He pressed his fingers against the vulnerable skin under her jaw to feel her heartbeat as her chest only moved up and down faintly.
'What's wrong with her? What happened?' Rabadash asked, sliding out of his saddle as well when he saw the commotion behind him.
'I don't know,' Seren answered, 'but her pulse is weak.' Her skin burned dangerously under his touch and he opened one of her eyelids, but the pupil didn't show any sign of awareness.
Seren leaned back on his heels with a thoughtful expression just as the Tisroc halted next to him.
'Is she ill?'
Seren wanted to answer that it was a possibility, but then something caught his attention. Above the collar of her shirt, he saw some faint dark lines and he leaned back over her. He carefully pulled the fabric a bit farther down, revealing a series of blackened veins and he let out a shaky hiss.
'She was poisoned.'
Rabadash frowned. 'Poisoned? How?'
Seren made a half-shrug before examining Rosaleen's unconscious body further, his hands working gently and as respectfully as he could, until he reached the small cut in her side, hidden between the layers of her clothing.
'The sand bandits. . . Their daggers. Of course.' Seren couldn't believe his own stupidity, he should have realised it sooner. He jumped back on his feet and sprinted towards his satchel hanging on the horse's saddle.
'I can slow down the infection, but we need to get her to Anvard as fast as we can,' he said while rummaging through the satchel until he found the vial with the powder of a crushed and dried Maeris flower. It was nothing like the juice of a Fire flower as it wouldn't miraculously heal her, but he hoped it could serve its purpose long enough.
Seren mixed some of the powdery substance with the water out of his flask while walking quickly back over to Rosaleen and sinking again on his knees. He dropped some of the liquid in her mouth, closing her nose to force her unconscious body to swallow it. Her breathing became less shallow as she did so and a short wave of relief washed over him.
'How long does she have?' Rabadash asked as Seren moved one of his arms under her leg and his other around her back, lifting her up from the ground. Her body radiated with heat while her skin seemed to drain of more colour by the second, and Seren answered he didn't know.
'We must make haste,' Seren encouraged the Tisroc, walking over to his horse with Rosaleen in his arms and although Rabadash nodded in agreement, Hashim cleared his throat loudly.
'A Tisroc does not race over the lands, not for anyone' the aghas said with a low voice, looking directly at Rabadash. 'Your father would not be pleased.'
Seren turned halfway around to look between the Tisroc and the aghas, and to his horror Rabadash seemed to lose his backbone.
'Your Grace,' Seren began, the muscles in his back straining from keeping Rosaleen lifted. 'She's your emissary, you have a responsibility to take care of her. If we do not ride to the castle as fast as we can, she will die. The Kings and Queens of Narnia would not be pleased,' he repeated parts of Hashim's words between gritted teeth while shooting the aghas a furious look.
Rabadash silenced both of them by raising his hand, the gears inside his mind spinning rapidly, but then his dark eyes snapped in Seren's direction as he made a decision. 'Get her to the castle, fast. I, aghas Hashim and my foot soldiers will follow as soon as we can. I think I know the way from here, I've been to Anvard before as a young boy.'
Seren searched the Tisroc's eyes but he seemed to be genuine. Still, a bit in hesitation, Seren closed the remaining distance between himself and the horse, but Rabadash nodded in encouragement.
'Go. You and Rosaleen promised to guide us through the desert, which you did. We can take it from here on by ourselves.'
'Thank you, Your Grace,' Seren said before lifting Rosaleen's body in front of the saddle and quickly climbing on the horse himself as well.
Rabadash helped him to get her in a sitting position and Seren wound one arm around her middle while grabbing the reins with his other hand. He pressed his heels in the horse's belly while Rabadash smacked the flat of his hand on the horse's gear, and the animal sprang into a thundering gallop, its black manes and tail dancing wildly with the wind.
Time slowed down and sped up simultaneously as the horse raced over the land, and all Seren heard was the whistling of wind, the thundering hooves and Rosaleen's struggling breath.
At the horizon, the sky darkened to a kingly purple and the first star glittered at their north side, above the towering mountains. A white foam appeared on the black horse's flanks from exertion and its staccato breathing became shallower and shorter as the hours passed, but still, Seren kept forcing the steed forward, almost relentlessly.
At times, Seren could barely feel Rosaleen's breathing under his touch and in those moments his heart skipped several beats until he felt her chest rising and falling softly again.
'Don't give up, Rose,' he whispered, glancing shortly at her closed eyelids as the back of her head rested against his shoulder. In the faint light of the upcoming sun, Seren could swear he saw her eyes moving behind their eyelids in a response, and although she didn't open her eyes, he added, 'We're almost there.'
He focussed his gaze upon the horizon again, pressing his heels in the horse's belly once more when the steed threatened to slow down.
The red-stoned castle rose proudly against the morning sky, its many towers reaching for the clouds above, and Seren truly hoped Rosaleen had enough strength left in her to stay alive until they reached the court's physician. . .
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