Her Trail

21

Another month passed like a blur, all I know is we continuously received patients each day, and as time passes the more they come. I am the witness to how the healers became restless, they do not even sleep enough. So I did my very best to help them by assisting and doing surgeries with the tools and equipment I have.

Good thing is, they all trust me now as I do my works. Finally, finally, we had the sense of companion.

The same thing happened each day, and as for me, it is filled with joy, and excitement, sometimes exhaustion, and always worries for my family.

I heard a lot of news that some troops were plotted against and they were invaded and some are captures, even tortured to death. Everything the news carries scares me to death, and sometimes it leads me to cry endlessly at night.

It just scares me that they can fall victims to the traps of the enemies, but I do trust them, and the Universe that performed the miracle to have me here.

I gulp as I heard another devastating news, on the north part, they were knights who have fallen, it hurts me that each day is a passing of everyone who chose this journey as their passion. But it is honorable to die in a battle protecting the empire they bowed upon.

Sometimes, I am wondering how Father and brother are doing along with the knights, I am scared for them, I am writing them letters but I have not received any so I can not help but overthink and cry myself to sleep because of worrying, I do not even know if they are alright or if they are hurt.

There are also times I am thinking about Donovan, I am also hoping for his safety because after all, he is the crown prince, the future leader of the empire.

"You look like you carry the world again."

I turn my head to the side and as always, it was Halo, for the past month we became really close, and we already knew a lot of things about each other.

I frowned at him. My elbows are on the top of the railings, and my arms are stretch and clasped against each other, while he is just leaning on it as a support, his head looking on my side.

"You fine?" he asked again, serious now.

I shake my head and chuckled.

"Just wondering why after almost two months, I have not received any letters from them. I kept wondering, did they forget about me? Of course, that is just the negative side of my thoughts, but I wanted to know badly if they were fine if no one of them were hurt, I wanted to know even through letters their real situation there because I know they were on the center of war, not on the other locations just guarding if some of the enemies are trying to infiltrate. They are on the location where explosions usually happen, and like what you told me, there must be monsters there and wizards of the other empire who are strong enough to fight and kill them. It scares me, and it is making me restless than all my duty here."

I almost did not breathe after saying everything, and I am doing my best to hold back my tears. I clutch my chest to ease something even though I know that is not enough for it.

"The fact that they were not sent here means they are not injured, Elora. But yet, all your worries are valid, if my family is here I would probably go to the war point to check on them, to see if they were fine."

I nodded, and a stubborn tear came out.

Papa... older brother... please be safe. Please let me know how are you doing.

I prayed really hard for it.

At first, Sir Adalius was there to tell me news about them but suddenly, he was called to where the war is happening and it started to plant fear on me.

Is there something wrong? I wanted so bad to know and sh*t, it seems like I can not wait for another day I am clueless about everything.

"I am going to where they are," I announced. That made Halo widened his eyes in disbelief.

"When I said I'd probably go there it does not mean I am suggesting that you do that! Bloody hell, Elora!"

I purse my lips, "But I am really worried."

"And you will let them feel the same worry the moment you step outside the premises of this place!"

He sounds like a father scolding me to shut up. I noticed how he inhale and exhale exaggeratedly as he look at me with both madness and disbelief.

"You rotten child, how dare you even think of it!"

"Chill, Grandpa, fine, I won't go, you look like you are going to chain me," I playfully said even though it seems like he is not joking at all.

I tried to lighten up the mood but his eyebrows are still furrowed, forehead still creases, his lips are also in a grim line.

"Mad?"

"Yes, Elora Ember, because you do not know what you are planning to do. The risk is too much for everything. You might die along the way, do you understand that? You did not even have your coming of age ceremony yet to know if you were bestowed the power of a Healer. Are you willing to sacrifice everything, even your dreams, the happiness of meeting your family again, for the risk of going there?"

That silenced me. I sighed and nodded, understanding his point really well. And it seems like he calm down when he saw my expression.

He ruffles my hair and he pinches my left cheek.

"Stay here and wait patiently, they will come. They were the strongest and the most honorable above them all."

"Thank you, Halo. Your name suits you sometimes, but most of the time you don't give justice to it."

I smirked and he raise a brow at me, after that we found ourselves chuckling.

Another week have passed until we heard the devastating news. Almost half a hundred knights died because of the strategy of the enemies to invade the part there were least knights, and they were overpowered because our knights were centered at the war point.

I almost collapse when I heard the news and everyone here felt how the place became gloomy. Everyone was affected by it. I, myself, thought everything is doing well because these past few days, the number of patients decrease, but now, she wanted them more than none and dead. It's better to be injured than lose their lives completely.

How evil it is to take someone's love ones, but I realized both sides are doing the same.

I remembered everything is part of the war and I wanted to puke, I wanted to vomit how cruel it is. It is heartbreaking and depressing, even though I am not really there and here on the safe side, still, it is making my stomach churn.

I lean on the wall to support my weakening body. Hell, just hearing that made our morale this low.

I even heard a cry from the healers because her husband was one of those who have fallen.

It made me tear rivers, the cry was the heartbreaking one, the lost ones, the heart-shattering one, the one I am most familiar with, just remembering my past, of losing my child, of having nothing but pity to myself until I was numb.

I run away from the building and hid inside the entrance of the forest. I sat below a tree, and I cried hard there, wishing no one would come to hear these cries.

Just a cry of longing and heartbreak of losing someone dear trigger everything like this. When I think I have already moved on and slowly moving forward, the world reminded me again of it, and I feel so lost again.

I covered my mouth because I can not afford anyone to hear my sobs, like a cry of a child wanting warmth, for help, to someone hold her little and cold hand.

I stopped crying when I heard a noise coming, it was footsteps and it is really coming here really fast, I tense up because of nervousness.

When a sound of a horse came, I wanted so badly to stand up and run away immediately but I am stone-cold from where I am sitting.

Sh*t, Elora Ember, run or you will die here!

When the horse came and a person fall from it I screamed. I felt like my heart would explode from fear and nervousness combined.

I look at where the body fall and I saw that he is unconscious. When I suddenly had the power to stand up, I walk towards him and to my horror, there was blood on his white uniform, and more to my shock, I saw the familiar face of the Crown Prince of the Empire of Vanzelion.

"Help! Help!"

I cried hard for help and I tried to let Donovan's body sit up and lean on one three. I test his upper clothes part and when I finally saw his wound, it was deep, near his heart, and one on his side. He is also full of bruises, I gasped and cried more because of the state of his body.

I don't know why I am so scared for him, I am hurting seeing him in a state like this. I am really really afraid because he is already on the verge of death.

The thought of him, dying breaks my heart and I do not think I can afford to witness his last breath.

Not on my watch, Donovan, have mercy on me. Not on my watch, I am begging you...

I tear off my dress to stop his bleeding, I can not even carry him towards the building because I really feel so weak and his body is much bigger than mine. It will only cause his injuries worse.

I cried as I tried to stop the blood from coming out. The blood is already all over my hands and my dress was almost soaked on it just like what happened to his.

"Donovan..."

"Donovan, please, you need to open your eyes... please."

My eyes watered more when I saw him slowly opening his eyes but failing so.

"I promise not to treat you badly again... just please, stay... don't fall unconscious, please... please..."

Other footsteps were heard, and they are from where the building is. Suddenly, all my hopes went really high, and although crying, I am relieved to see their white capes coming near, invading the darkness of the entrance of the forest.

"T-The Crown Prince is injured! Please, quickly do something!"

That alerted every one of them, some even run fastly for his aid. I sit on the ground trying to calm myself from everything, that is where I saw Halo, looking down at me, his eyes are dark.

"Were you that scared? Can you stand up, Elora?"

I shake my head. Feeling so weak and vulnerable.

"Do want to watch them treat his highness or I will send you back there?" he asked again.

"S-Stay..."

My nails dig deeper on the skin of my arm when I tried to calm myself but I just can not stop shaking. All that I previously felt before witnessing Donovan fighting for his life were suddenly overpowered by it.

How much more it will make me shake, and scared, and feel when it was my family?

I do not even want to think of it.

Halo's cape suddenly covered my sight. He just throw it rudely at me and it covered my whole head!

What a devil!

I glare at him with blurry eyesight as I cover myself with the cape he gave.

And as I sit there, waiting for the five other healers to heal Donovan, I fell asleep in exhaustion.