The Prince's lost lady.

"Yes, my lord." The scrawny squire replied to Prince Renat. The squire, John walked briskly to the murky pond where a strangely shaped figure lay very still. "It looks like some kind of animal." He shouted, "Perhaps a deer, my lord." He walked closer, more tentative this time. Grabbing a long sick, he prodded at the figure, causing some large leaves on top of the figure to fall away. "My Prince!" Prince Renat dismounted his horse and walked in steady but quick strides to where his squire stood. He went closer to the figure and crouched low. "That is no deer." The woman lay unconscious, covered in bruises and dirt. What seemed to have been a dress was torn and tattered, leaving parts of her body exposed. "Quickly! Help me remove her, " he shouted. Some other men dismounted as well and ran to the pond, startled that a person was in the water. They pulled her out, and Prince Renat touched the nape of her neck. "She's alive," He sighed in relief, "but just barely." Her face was smudged with dirt and cuts. "We must get her to Holmes immediately." He removed his Tabard and covered the unconscious woman whose garments were nothing more than rags. The other men turned their faces away from her exposed body while Prince Renat wrapped her in his cape. He stood with the woman in his arms and took her to his horse. He handed her to John, mounted, and took her again. He put her in a sitting position, with her head falling against his chest and taking hold of the reigns, commanded his horse, "hiah!" The rest of the men followed. *** He looked down at the woman he'd saved from the river. She had been in a critical state, but now, two weeks later, she had healed up quite well. She'd been bathed and dressed daily and she smelled of lavender and coconut oil. Her long dark hair lay in curly tresses around her head. Her skin, which had been rather dull and bruised, was healed and shone a warm ivory. He studied her face longer. Her lips were round and plump, and he found himself desperately wanting to see the eyes that those long black lashes concealed. He put the back of his fingers to her cheek, It was soft and smooth and he stroked it with his thumb. He felt something stir inside him. "My prince, what brings you here?" Prince Renat turned, a bit startled by the physicians voice. "I wanted to see how she was faring. She has not awoken yet, Holmes? Not once? "I'm afraid not, Sire. I've done all I can and she should be recovering. It seems it is some kind of deep state of sleep. I've seen it before and we can only wait." The prince sighed, " Aright, inform me when she does. She is to be treated as a guest of the Whitewood house, I hope that is clear." "Yes, Sire." Prince Renat pulled himself away from her and walked out, feeling a reluctance to leave. *** She squinted against the blinding light that streamed in from the windows. She sat up, holding her palm to her throbbing head. She could smell lavender and something else that was sweet. She opened her eyes slowly, allowing it to adjust to the brightness. Looking around, she wondered where she was. She lay in a big bed strewn with pillows and a grey overhead canopy. The room she lay in was rather large and ornate. Hues of pink and red paint covered the walls and on them, intricate gold flowers and petals were drawn. On the far end of her right, two large windows stood, with gold colored curtains drawn back. There was a mahogany chair and a small matching table right in front of it. She looked around the room and spotted a red couch with grey pillows atop it. Right in the middle of the room, a gold carpet lay on the floor. The room oozed of opulence and yet not in an overdone manner. She liked it, it was warm and quite lovely. Beside her on a table, there was a vase full of flowers she couldn't recognize. She brought them to her nose and discovered the source of the sweet smell she'd perceived earlier. A girl suddenly walked in and didn't seem to notice her until she got closer to the bed. It was clear when she spotted her on the bed because her face took the expression of one who'd seen a ghost. She dropped whatever she was holding and it fell with a loud thud. "Who are you?" The girl backed away and ran out the door, leaving her confused. She pushed the covers aside and began to stand when a voice interrupted her, "Don't! Stay still, you might get dizzy." A man with greying hair and ruddy cheeks walked hurriedly towards her. "Call the Prince, Jemina." "At once, milord." The girl scurried out of the room. "You may call me Holmes, my lady. How do you feel? Any pain anywhere?" " My head hurts a bit, but not too much." She twisted her body, " I don't think anything else does. Who are you? Where am I?" " Well, you've been asleep for three weeks now, I would say you've healed quite nicely, so no pain is good. You are at the Kent Castle, my lady. You were in a terrible accident, do you not recall?" She stared at him, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "An accident?" "Yes." A deep voice came from the entrance of the room and her head snapped in its direction.