Broken Prince (The Broken Ones) (12 page)

Blinking up at him, she tried to get her scattered
thoughts to work. She’d barely comprehended what he’d said past the inference she
was dying. The words sent an icy chill through her body. Terror crawled through
her, speeding her heart. Sweat broke out on her forehead and all she could hear
was her increasingly frantic breathing.

Kei startled her, leaning forward over her to press a
kiss to her forehead. She tilted her head back, trying to see him.

"I’m with you."

Damon’s fingers brushed her cheek, drawing her
attention back to him. "Do you wish to live, young Arowyn?"

Words refused to pass her lips. Somehow she managed to
nod. She didn’t know what the cost would be, certainly there would be one.
Right then, she didn’t care. Rot it all, she wanted to live!

"Very well." He regarded her thoughtfully
for a moment. "Dragos rarely heal others. I do know the magic, but it is
difficult. Your story has barely begun. I find I would actually attempt it,
just to see what you might become and how it will unfold."

He sat back and gestured to the pile of furs next to
him. "Lay her down. This will take some time and I’ll need no
distractions."

Prince carefully set her amongst the furs, arranging
her arms so her hands rested on her chest, tucking stray locks of hair behind
her ears. Leaning forward, he rested his forehead for a moment against hers.

"Get well, Arowyn."

Bo appeared next, smoothing the hair back on the top
of her head and squeezing one of her hands. "You can do this, pup."

Garen pressed his wet nose against her temple. If he
spoke, she didn’t hear him.

Kei pushed the wolf aside and took her face in his
hands. His eyes glowed with that strange orange inner light. Tears streaked
down his cheeks. Despite the awkward position he leaned down and held her close
for a moment. "Remember our promises," he whispered in her. "I’m
always with you." He choked on a sob and squeezed her tightly again. "I
love you," he whispered fiercely before quickly pulling away.

She wished she could speak. More than anything, she
wanted to tell him she loved him, too. She wanted to tell all of them she did.
Tears filled her eyes and slid down her face.

Damon knelt beside her and turned her head to look at
him. "I will do what I can," he said. "However I can’t guarantee
it will work. I have never tried to heal a human before. Understand?"

She managed a faint nod and pressed her quivering lips
together.

He glanced up and gestured the others away. "Stand
back and be silent." His eyes found hers again. "Don’t fight me this
time, little one. Fall into my eyes…"

Blinking once more to clear the tears away, she tried
to do as he asked. Damon’s eyes were strange enough she found it not difficult
to stare. They had vertical slits and no whites at all. The iridescent color was
a wash of blue-green with streaks of gold and red. The colors began to swirl, making
her dizzy as she tried to watch them. A comforting thrum emanated from his
chest, soothing her as his power wrapped around her. Her thoughts drifted into
nothing.

Chapter 12:

The Price of
Life

"How do you feel?"

Aro watched the swirling dark clouds for a moment
longer before turning. Damon leaned against the stone of her mind’s fortress,
arms crossed and a satisfied smile on his handsome face.

"Nothing hurts," she said finally. Memories
returned and she quickly tried to discover if she truly was better. She felt no
pain. She didn’t seem muddled and…she was back in her mind. Looking around
quickly, everything appeared to be in order.

"Despite my doubts, the magic worked surprisingly
well. You are completely healed."

She bowed her head to him. "Thank you," she
said solemnly, meaning every word. He smiled in response and they stared at
each other in silence. "I assume you are here to discuss the price," she
said finally.

He chuckled and slowly clapped his hands. "You always
surprise me, Arowyn. It may be the time is sooner than I thought. You are
growing up so quickly." He tilted his head to the side, regarding her
thoughtfully. "Perhaps that is the human part of you, you live such brief
lives."

"Perhaps," she agreed vaguely. She didn’t
want to anger him, or get him started on the prophecy nonsense again. "The
price?"

His strange eyes swirled. "What is your life
worth?"

"I have no idea." She frowned, wondering
what he game he played now.

"I know you don’t believe in the prophecies. You
don’t need to, for them to come to pass. This does not concern me. Events will
happen as they are meant to. I believe you will become the new Fey queen. With that
title will come power, a great amount of power. Enough even, to rival my own."

"Is this why you won’t leave me alone?"

He nodded slightly. "In part. You are in debt to
me now. I have given you your life so you can become what you were meant to be.
In return, you will one day grant me a favor."

"One?"

"Yes, just one."

"What, exactly, will you ask of me?"

He shook his head. "That I do not know."

Crossing her arms she looked away, thinking furiously.
Finally she turned back to him. "I won’t hurt anyone, or kill. Directly or
indirectly."

His laugh was joyous. "Very good! That is
acceptable. We are agreed then?"

She nodded. "What if I die before you collect?"

"Then I have lost my favor."

"What if I don’t become queen?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps I will find something useful
you can do for me. If not, I am not concerned."

"Then yes, I agree." She paused. "Do we
need to make a written record of this?"

He laughed again. "No. You have given your word.
You will honor it."

"I suppose I should wake up now. The others must
be worried."

"I’ve told them it was successful, but yes, they
do still worry." All trace of humor faded from his face. "Take care,
Arowyn. Others will learn of you soon, and you will gain enemies. Not everyone
wishes the Fey to rise again."

She grimaced. Enemies were the last thing she needed.
She had a hard enough time staying alive as it was.

"Don’t stop being yourself. Your friends may call
you troublesome and impulsive, but it is natural instinct that guides you.
Because of this you have survived. You are young and full of life. Live that
life to its fullest."

Looking at him strangely, she forced a smile and
nodded. Why did he speak as if he were her father?

"It is time for me to take my leave once more.
Are you ready for my parting words of advice?"

"Oh, yes," she said dryly. "I always
love those."

He chuckled at her sarcasm. "Yet still I give
them to you, in case you ever care to listen. Your prince is fading again. The
remorse of almost losing you is breaking him apart. He still feels responsible.
Take care of him, if you can. Be wary of the Were. I would get out of their
territory as soon as possible."

She nodded, the last made sense at least. As for
Prince, she didn’t know what she could do to help him any more than she had.
Her options had run out. "Is that all?"

"The human army has moved north for now. If you
move quickly, you should be able to travel along the border to the gate
undisturbed."

"Thank you," she said, again meaning it. That
information she could use.

"We will meet again, little one. Until then, safe
travels." He withdrew from her mind, his form disappearing. "Wake up!"

* * *

Despite Damon’s parting mental shout, she did not wake
up immediately, or so the others told her. She slept peacefully for some time,
waking only when darkness had fallen and dinner was ready. After too many hugs
and coddling, they teased her about that. It didn’t really bother her; she
lived, and had her family around her.

"So what’s the word?" She looked around the
fire as she chewed. "What did I miss? Was anyone hurt?"

"We’re all good, pup," Bo answered. "Those
Were certainly gave us a good fight though."

"What were they saying? I couldn’t hear anything
at all." She grimaced and turned to Garen.
I missed hearing you.

He lowered his head.
I as well. It was a shock,
when you never answered.

I’m sorry.

You can hear me again. All is well now.

"What did they want?"

"The usual," Bo replied again. "We’re
trespassing, breaking laws, the humans must die."

She snorted.

They were shocked, finding us all together,
Garen added.

"I imagine they were. It didn’t stop them though?"

No, which was strange. They did not even question me,
they simply attacked.

"And then Damon showed up. I remember that."

Kei bumped her shoulder from beside and she turned to
look at him. "You saw him as a dragon?"

She nodded and grinned. "Impressive."

"Very," he agreed. "We saw a real
dragon."

It was my first time as well. Hopefully my last,
Garen said wryly.

"I wish he would have a waited a little longer,"
Bo said with a wicked grin. "I needed a bit of a fight." He cracked
his knuckles.

"Don’t do that!" Aro pointed at finger at
him. "Your joints will swell."

He did it again, his grin widening.

"Men," she muttered. "So did you hear
what Damon said to them?"

The others shook their heads and she ground her teeth.
"That would have been helpful. Next, what happened to them after Damon
healed me?"

"Nothing," Kei muttered.

She laughed and raised her eyebrows.

Damon threatened them to leave us be and told them to
return to their pack. They left without a backward glance.

"Strange."

Again, yes.

"Damon told me not to trust them. Maybe he
thought something was off, too. He said to get out of their territory as
quickly as we could."

"We’ll head back to the forest border at first
light," Bo said. "If you’re feeling up to it?"

She nodded. "I feel great."

"Aro and Bo should ride," Kei said. When
they all looked at him he added, "No scent trail then."

They made plans to shift their supplies around and she
would ride with Prince. Kei collected her empty plate and rose to start
cleaning up.

She glanced over at Prince where he sat slumped on the
other side of her, staring at his plate. "Prince?" She waved a hand
in front of his face. "Eat your dinner."

He jerked and looked over at her slowly. She wondered
if he had heard a word of their whole conversation. His blue eyes met hers. Such
sorrow filled his pale face her lips suddenly trembled. His brilliant blue eyes
were dark and haunted. He reached over and trailed the back of his fingers
across her cheek.

"I failed you, my child," he whispered. "I…I
am so sorry."

She took his hand and squeezed it tightly. Words
caught in her throat. Taking a shaking breath, she squeezed his hand again. His
sad eyes tore at her heart, almost as much as his words. "It wasn’t your
fault. Please, please," she quietly begged, "stop blaming yourself. I
don’t blame you at all. Understand? And I’m well now. You don’t need to worry
anymore."

He looked away and shook his head. Kei walked by and
Prince raised his full plate.

Suddenly furious, she reached out and pushed his arm
down. "Eat it!"

He sighed. "I am not hungry."

"I don’t care," she snapped. "Stop
acting like this." She sent her thoughts directly to him.
I need you,
Prince. You have to keep up your strength. We have a long way to go yet.

His gaze returned to the plate and slowly, he started
to eat. She watched him, arms crossed, until he finished.

Chapter 13:

Dark Thoughts

She stumbled about the cave with the others, packing
up. Garen woke them up before dawn and she still felt groggy. They tried to
leave everything as they’d found it, except for the wood supply being severely
depleted. There wasn’t a lot they could do about that. They didn’t have time to
chop wood.

She yawned into the back of her hand as Bo put out the
fire. The horse shifted beside her so she patted its neck. Hopefully Prince
would break out of his solemn mood soon. He’d been quiet the rest of the night,
and had tossed and turned beside her. She wished she knew what to say to make
him understand her fall had been an accident. Maybe she’d be able to talk him
out of it during their ride. If not, she didn’t relish the quiet ride they’d
have together.

Everyone finished their chores and Bo led his horse
out. She followed and quickly mounted once outside. Prince silently pulled
himself up behind her.

Kei will scout. Follow me. Quickly now.

She smiled at the urgency in Garen’s voice. After
Damon’s display, she couldn’t see the Were bothering them again on the off chance
the Dragos would return.

Garen took off at an angled route, heading south and
west, leading them carefully through the rocks. They returned to the trees and
the Were picked up the pace, pushing the horses as quickly as possible.

The group let out a collective sigh of relief when
they broke out of the tree-line to see fields stretching out before them. It
wasn’t yet noon, and the horses fared well enough they didn’t stop to rest.

Prince remained her silent companion, even though she
tried to speak with him a number of times. Eventually she gave up. The horses
made such good time she stayed mounted. She worried about the time they'd lost
because of the storm and her injury.

They stopped at noon to eat and rest the horses. Kei
raided the fields and Garen brought back a rabbit. Bo gutted it and strung it
on his horse to add to their dinner.

She’d had enough of Prince’s silence and ran with Kei
for the rest of the day.

Despite running with Kei, after they’d stopped for the
evening, set up camp, and eaten, she found herself full of nervous energy. She
paced around the camp, messing with the fire now and then.

Bo slapped his thighs. "Come on, pup. Let’s do
some training."

"Yes!" She jumped at the idea. Perhaps she’d
be able to tire herself out enough to sleep.

"Get out your daggers." He drew his sword
and then gestured Kei over. "I’ve been talking with Kei. He can extend his
claws without being in a fury of course. Since we don’t know if we’ll come
across any Fey wild enough to attack us, let's practice fighting one."

She nodded, but his words made her hesitate.

Kei extended his claws and then cocked his head to the
side. "What is it?"

"I don’t know if I could hurt a Fey." She
pressed her lips together for a moment, trying to find the words. "You’re
Fey," she finally said quietly.

A rare brilliant smile lit his entire face and then he
laughed. "All Fey aren’t like me. Just like all humans aren’t like you."

"Yes, but…it’s not their fault, is it?"

This sobered him quickly, and he nodded, glancing over
at Bo. "We will teach to subdue?"

"Good enough." Bo shook his head as he
looked over at her. "You know how to kill a man. The same will work for
Fey."

Kei crouched, readying himself to attack her. "Avoidance
is important." He sprang, claws slashing toward her. "Block with your
blades. They aren’t strong enough to cut."

She did, and then stepped back and recovered as he deflected
a dagger. "It won’t cut through your claws?"

Kei shook his head and attacked again. He barely held
back his speed.

Aro grinned. She would definitely get a good workout.

* * *

When she finally plopped down beside Prince she let
out a groan and then sprawled back on the ground. Every muscle burned.

"Do not overdo it," Prince said as she
stretched and wiggled to find the least uncomfortable spot.

"I didn’t." She rolled over onto her side to
look at him. "How are you doing?"

He frowned. "I am fine."

"No, you’ve been all sullen and miserable."

A very small smile curved his lips for a moment. "I
have." He rolled onto his back and looked up through the branches.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I want to go to sleep."

She huffed in irritation. At least he was talking, and
she’d gotten a little smile out of him.

Kei settled down beside her and she rolled over onto
her side facing him. She started to count and got to eleven before she heard
Prince roll over and then felt his hand on her waist. Smiling again, she closed
her eyes.

Can you help me for a moment?

I thought you were going to sleep, Arowyn.

I am. Can you check my walls? I want to make sure
everything is as it should be, after…what happened.

Prince remained quiet for so long she wondered if he’d
fallen asleep.

Yes, I will look.

She pushed herself inward, into the spot in her mind
where she’d build her fortress around her personal thoughts and memories.
Opening her eyes, she quickly looked around the barren landscape.

Prince stood to her left, staring up at the towering
walls. He’d shown her how to build them, so she stood quietly for a while,
letting him look them over.

They seem fine. Have you noticed anything wrong?

You mean other than it still being very depressing
here? No.

Prince glanced up at the dark clouds.
It will clear
up one day. You’ve dealt with so much loss and pain. It will take time for you
to come to terms with it all.

Grimacing, she turned her face away.
Is your mind
as dark?

Sometimes,
he said quietly.

She turned back to him.
Is it now?

He averted his eyes and nodded slightly.

You’ll get better, too. All sunshine and rainbows.

His sudden laugh was bitter.
I have never had
those.

Impulsively stepping up to him, she gave him a tight
hug.
I want you to have them. You know I’m not at all angry with you? It was
just an accident. And you took care of me.

His frown returned but he briefly returned her
embrace.

Please talk to me,
she whispered.

I am just tired. Watching everything slip away, not
being able to hold on, becoming a shadow of myself. It is frustrating.

What do you mean?

This is not who I am, Aro. I used to be strong, fast,
powerful. Not this weak thing I have become. Other than healing myself, I’ve
done no magic in almost a year. It is…painful.

She held him tighter. She’d never really thought about
what Prince would be like if he had his power.

This weakness, it is not me. Yet I can do nothing
about it. I just watch it become worse.
He shook his head and sighed.
I apologize.

For telling me what’s wrong? Don’t,
she said firmly.
You’ll be home soon. We’re almost
there! Then you’ll be yourself again.
She tilted her head to look up at
him.

He smiled faintly. Such a sad smile, it matched the
look in his eyes.
Yes, you are right. I will remember that.

I want you to be happy, Prince. I don’t know what to
do when you’re not. I don’t know what to say to you.

A deep sigh escaped him. He kissed the top of her head.

I need you, you know.

I know.

She gave him one last squeeze and stepped back.
Let’s
get some sleep. So you can be all bright and cheery in the morning.

Prince shook his head, but he chuckled and that made
her smile.

* * *

Aro grinned as she helped Kei raid a field of beans
and carrots. Not wanting to get caught, they moved quickly and tried to stay
low to the ground. It didn’t take long to each fill a pack they’d emptied
earlier. Darting back into the trees, they ran again until they met up with the
horses.

"We need to wash the carrots at the next stream,"
she told Bo as she tied her bulging bag to his horse. "Maybe Garen will
get some meat and we can have stew for dinner!"

"Stew without bread?" Prince shook his head
in mock horror.

She laughed up at him, thrilled to see he’d broken out
of his sullen mood. The last three days he’d come out of it, slowly, but he had.
Perhaps it had something to do with how close they’d come to getting him home.
Even though they’d lost time with her sprained ankle, and then the storm, Garen
assured her they were now maybe a week away. Prince could count the days on his
fingers. She wondered if he would grow happier the closer they got.

Her chest tightened and she turned away. Even though she
wanted Prince to get home so he could get well, she didn’t want to lose him.
Quite likely, once he passed through the Elven gates she’d never see him again.

Looking up at the sky, she took a slow breath to calm
herself. "Kei, let’s go look for a place to set up camp. It will be dark
soon." She forced a smile and waved at Bo and Prince. "We’ll let you
know when we find a spot."

Kei followed as she ran through the trees. Running
usually calmed her thoughts; one step in front of the other, breathe, navigate
the terrain. It took moderate concentration and allowed her to not think of
other things.

Slow down.

She forced her legs into a brisk walk. Kei joined her
side a moment later, ducking a branch and then looking over at her worriedly.

Concentrating on where she walked, she refused to look
at him.

"What’s wrong?" When she didn’t answer he
pressed. "Prince is doing better."

"I know," she answered. "He’s still not
sleeping well though, even if he’s seemed to have broken out of his dark
thoughts."

"Is that what’s bothering you?"

Grimacing, she shook her head. "We’re almost
there."

"Ahh." They walked in silence for a while. "Just
be yourself."

Startled by his words, she jerked her head around to
look at him. "I am."

"Then you’ll be fine."

She frowned at him. "I just, I don’t know what to
do. He’ll be gone soon."

Kei smiled wryly. "Do what you need to. Live your
life. Be true to the person you are. Follow your instincts."

"You’re just full of vague advice, aren’t you?"
Ducking a branch, she resisted the urge to smack him. He wasn’t helping.

He laughed and shrugged.

"I suppose you’ll be happy when he’s gone," she
muttered.

"Prince annoys me," he admitted. "I
don’t care if he stays or goes. I can live with either." He reached out
and took her hand. "It’s you I need."

His words made her smile and she squeezed his hand as
they walked side by side. The warm glow of knowing she was loved filled her. "I’m
not planning on going to Rivenward, if you’re worried about that. I don’t think
that world is meant for me. Being surrounded by arrogant Elven nobles who
consider me a pet would not be pleasant."

He chuckled. "No, it wouldn’t."

She smiled over at him. "I’ll be fine."

"I know." He paused and stopped walking.

"What?"

"If you do go. I’ll come with you."

She rolled her eyes and pulled him over for a hug, and
then messed up his wild hair. "Idiot. Like I’d do that to you. I think the
Elves hate Fey more than humans."

He laughed. "True." They wrestled while he
tried to get revenge on her hair. Eventually he won.

Laughing until her sides hurt, she sprang out of his
reach. "Enough! We need to find a place to camp. I want stew tonight!"
She tried to pull her hair into some semblance of order but gave up once she
hit the knots. "You’re combing this mess for me tonight," she
grumbled.

He grinned and nodded.

"Rotten Fey." She couldn’t help smiling the
rest of the afternoon. She was so lucky to have such a perfect best friend.