Don't Forget to Dream (38 page)

“
My father and Master Thomas, Martin helped a little,
”
she said casually as she pulled away from him just enough to lean around to his back. Rhyla
realised she must act to stem the bleeding. Tearing open the back of Callum
’
s shirt she
expose
d
the arrow shaft protruding from his flesh. Callum winced slightly but remained still, allowing her to examine his wound.

“
Martin knew
,
but I didn
’
t?
”
he asked conversational
ly
, as Rhyla struggled to work on the wound
. He even managed to sound a little indignant.

“
He walked in on a session.
”

“
And where
does my Grandmother think you are going when you are training?
”

“
She knows exactly what I
am doing. She sits and watches me and at times passes
comments
.

Callum laughed ruefully,
“
Of course she knew.
”

Rhyla tore off a strip
from one of the underskirts of her divided riding dress and started wiping away the blood so she could better see the laceration and
the shaft of wood deeply embedded within.
Blood no longer welled up but
the wound
continued to ooze.
The arrow head penetrated
the bone.

“
I can
’
t get this out by myself Callum. I can only try to stop the bleeding further.
”
 
She
tore off another portion of her underskirt and packed it
tightly
around the wound.

“
The men will be here soon.
They
will get us back soon enough for Master Roburt to patch me up,
”
he said reaching around to take her hand and guide her down to his side again.

Rhyla attempted to smile at his easy confidence but could not maintain it for long. How had such a simple, beautiful day turned into
this
disaster? S
he had given up dreaming and accepted the
harsh reality
of her world. Just a few short hours ago she had ridden
free of the city, free of the guardsmen and just enjoyed riding with Callum at her side. And now the most wonderful day had become violent, and despite his reassurances, Rhyla knew that Callum
’
s life hung in the balance. She gently brushed his black fringe from across his eyes, wanting to clearly see them for every moment she had left with him. Those intense blue eyes told her more than any words ever could
,
how deeply he loved her.

“
The men will be here any minute Callum. Hold on,
”
Rhyla reassured him as she glanced down the tree lined lane-way.  The
wind softly ruffled the leaves.
The
horses remain
ed where their reins had fallen.
She
could only wonder why they hadn
’
t bolted in
fear with the thud of the first arro
w, let alone the clang of steal as the combat ensured.
How could the clearing be suddenly so peaceful? Rhyla strained to hear the faintest hoof fall or chatter of men. The minutes dragged by. A brief blush coloured her cheeks as she realised the men were giving the
m as much privacy as they could.
Who
else would discover the truth just by being in their company? She debated taking Sunset back to the guardsmen but she couldn
’
t bring herself to
release her grip of Callum.
She tried to tell herself it was because she was holding the wad of material over the wound to stem the bleeding but in truth she knew she was selfishly clinging to every moment she would have him in her arms.

Eventually, mercifully, the sound of approaching horses came to Rhyla
’
s straining ears. Before the guardsmen could be seen she screamed
harder than she ever had before calling,
“
HELP! CALLUM IS WOUNDED.
”

The guardsmen must have heard her as their pace immediately leapt from a sedate walk to a charging gallop. They rounded the final bend and erupted into the clearing. The site of the Prince
lying
wounded and the three dead men littering the ground nearby
,
instantly had half the guardsmen spread out to su
rround the clearing, each focusing
on the forest in front of them. Some held their blades draw
n and others their arrows
no
tch
ed as they guarded against further attacks. The remaining men leapt from their saddles before their mounts had completely stopped.

“
What happened?
”
demanded Lieutenant Tomlin fiercely as he crouched at Callum
’
s side, assessing him with the quick eye of a battle experienced officer.

Rhyla attempted to answer but before she
could utter a word Callum spoke.
His
voice
was
much weaker
but still commanded
authority.
“
Calm yourself Tomlin. These three,
”
he said indicating with a brief glance over his shoulder,
“
surprised us. This arrow was the first we knew of them. They were on us too quickly for me to send Rhyla back for you. She put on a very good show for her first battle.
”
He attempted to laugh but was quickly reduced to coughing and struggling to draw breath.

“
If it is as you say my prince,
it is best we talk of it later.
”
Lieutenant Tomlin said looking pointedly at Rhyla.
“
For now we need to get you back to the Palace.
”
He quickly counted off two men to go to the closest farms to commandeer two carts and the horses to pull them.
“
And make sure one is well padded with hay,
”
he shouted as the young men flew into their saddles, to thunder back down the laneway.
“
I shall take it from here,
”
he said turning back to Rhyla,
“
you have done enough.
”
He indicated for one of the remaining guardsmen to take her place.

Still coming to terms with what ha
d happened Rhyla
obeyed
,
releasing Callum as the guardsma
n knelt beside her. But even in his weakened state Callum caught the lieutenant
’
s implications.

“
I hope you are not implying Rhyla had some involvement in this attack Lieutenant Tomlin,
”
he said forcefully, attempting to sit up straighter to emphasise his consternation.

Stammering
,
the lieutenant struggled to respond,
“
I..
no
, no my Prince
.
I didn
’
t mean that.
”

“
Rhyla saved my life. You will treat her with the respect and courtesy she deserves. She is trusted by Master Roburt so she can tend
to
me if she is well enough.
”
His anger had brought a touch of colour to his face but the brief exertion took a little more of his strength. Rhyla was forced to take his weight agains
t her once again as he finished his outburst.

Lieutenant Tomlin looked abashed and the nearby guardsmen glanced uncertainly at each other before returning their attentions to the fallen bandits or the horses.
“
I apologise if I gave offence your highness, Miss Rhyla. Your safety is my only duty and I have failed in that, but I shall see you safely returned to the Palace.
”

Callum nodded acceptance of the man
’
s apology before resting his head against Rhyla again. She coul
d feel how cold and weak he was.
Silently
she urged the riders and carts to hurry.

“
What would you have us do, Miss Rhyla?
”
Lieutenant Tomlin
asked
clearly uncertain but following orders.

Looking up at him and at the guardsmen still crouched beside them Rhyla knew she needed to act and not just sit there like a dumb fool as the man she loved bled to death in her arms.

“
I cannot pull the arrow head out, perhaps you can. We need to lay him down. Fetch any blankets you can find and get a fire started to boil water. Do any of you carry bandages?
”
Rhyla said with a renewed determination.

Within moments Rhyla had the guardsmen running. They found blankets in the
recently occupied
hunting lodge and made Callum as comfortable as possible
l
ying face down on the ground where they found him, blankets padding the ground beneath him and covering him. Rhyla didn
’
t want to risk carrying him inside only to then move him back out when the carts finally arrived. They didn't have to wait much longer
as a young guardsman soon arrived
carry
ing
a steaming pot of freshly boiled water from the kitchen hearth. The few bandages to be found were gathered and a couple
of which were
dropped into the pot. Using a wooden spoon Rhyla fished one out and hung it to cool for a few minutes before carefully wiping away the blood that had oozed up
from Callum
’
s wound,
despite her hasty earlier attempts to stem the flow.

“
All right lieutenant
,
I am ready. Callum this will hurt,
”
she said leaning down so her face was next to his. His beautiful blue eyes were fixed in determination, no doubt he knew what was to come but Rhyla couldn
’
t help but quietly adding,
“
I wish I didn
’
t have to hurt you.
”

Callum smiled ruefully,
“
You didn
’
t put
the arrow in my shoulder Rhyla;
you have nothing to apologise for. This isn
’
t the first wound I
’
ve taken, and I doubt it will be the last or the worst.
”

Rhyla tried to smile and reassure him but she couldn
’
t find the words. Before she could stop herself she gently stroked his cheek and his black hair from his face, for a moment oblivious to the men looking on. Yet reality quickly returned and she blushed slightly as she sat up. Quickly clearing her throat
she took hold of Callum
’
s shoulder to pin him down. Two guardsmen helped her restrain him, one on his other shoulder and one on his legs while Lieutenant Tomlin stood ready to pull out the arrow. She couldn
’
t bring herself to tell the lieutenant
that she was unable to inflict the
unbelie
vable pain on the man she loved.
It
sufficed for her to nod that they were ready.

Leaning over the restrained Prince, Lieutenant Tomlin grasped the arrow shaft firmly with both hands and pulled with all his strength. Callum screamed a sickening, agonising bellow as his entire body tensed, his shoulders arching up as the arrow seemed to pull him from the ground. Rhyla needed to apply all her strength to push him down. It seemed an eternity but was truly only moments before the arrow head jerked free. Callum collapsed with a gasp as blood instantly poured from the wound. Rhyla grabbed the second length of dressing from the hot water and frantically tried to clean the wound. This brought another groan from the Prince.

“
I'm sorry,
”
she whispered over and over as she cleaned his blood covered back. Realising the blood flow was not stopping she grabbed a clean, dry wad of dressing and pressed it firmly over the wound. Wi
th her free hand she clasped his.
Instantly he
clenched her hand as he fought against the trembling that was building
within his wounded body.
Rhyla realised he was going into shock from the pain and the blood loss.
“
I have to keep the pressure on to stop the bleeding Callum. Please hold on.
”

Callum couldn
’
t spare the breath for words but nodded briefly and continued to tightly hold her hand. Gradually his trembling reduced and the tension in his body started to ease. Finally his grip relaxed but he didn
’
t let her go. His breathing calmed but he looked deathly pale now. After several long minutes she eased the pressure on the wound and gently lifted the edge of the wadding. No blood welled up and Rhyla breathed a sigh of relief.