The Royal Quest

Chapter 17. Reincarnation

"My goodness! You old lad! Did you just grill yourself?" Gilbert asked when he saw Massimo's skin almost covered in smoking burn wounds.

Gilbert is a doctor in profession and Massimo's trusted friend. He is now in his seventies but thought he is younger than Massimo, his skin is already wrinkled and had blurry eyes while the latter stays young and active.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine." Massimo responded and walked straight to his own chamber below the house.

"Wait, I'll just fetch my things to treat your wounds."

"Gilbert, there's no need. It will just heal by itself." He refused.

"No, I told you, you can't let your wound be left untreated or you might get an infection." The doctor said while collecting her medication for Massimo.

"I'm a vampire, Gilbert." Massimo said before he went to his bedroom.

"And I'm a doctor!" Gilbert countered with chuckles.

Massimo lies down on his bed while his mind is occupied with Dahlia and Amaia. Trying hard to think of any possible reason as to why they have the same scent of blood and the longer he stared at her face, he kept on seeing his late beloved mortal.

But his thoughts were cut off when Gilbert burst in with his medical kit in his hand. The old man pulled a chair and placed it in front of the vampire who moved to sit up.

"Now, let me see." Gilbert said and checked on Massimo's burn on face, above his cheek.

"It's just a small burn compared to the ones you got before, but it seems to heal slower this time." Gilbert commented.

"I know, I can feel it too." Massimo muttered.

"Maybe because you haven't consumed human blood for a very long time."

"Must be," Massimo suddenly recalled how Amaia served her own blood to keep his vigour as a vampire.

"So, how's the lady last night? Did you bandage her wound properly to prevent the cut from opening?" Gilbert inquired.

"I did. I also told her to come here to get treated properly."

"Good. She can stay here with her friends if they want to while recovering. They are safe here in my place." He kindly proposed while cleaning Massimo's burned skin.

"Her name seems familiar though." Suddenly he let out, thinking carefully

"What name?"

"Dahlia? And her friends are addressing her princess."

"Princess? Dahlia? You mean the sole heir of Haru Kingdom?" The old friend announced and that's when Massimo realized that he heard the name from Alice. The Princess who wants him dead.

"Massimo, have you heard the rumors about the Haru's princess?" Gilbert asked.

"What rumors?"

"Well, I just heard it from downtown when I picked up some medical stuff. That she refused her marriage arrangement and went out of the palace to track you down."

"So that's what she meant by hunt." He muttered.

"But, what about marriage? Why did she run away?" Massimo also inquired.

"Brother, you know I'm not interested in things that don't have something to do with me so I did not know exactly what the reason is. All I thought is that she will never be a danger to the vampire king, is she?" Gilbert said while keeping his things back to his chest and stood up to let the vampire rest already.

"Gilbert." Massimo stops him before stepping out of the chamber.

"Do you still remember my stories about Amaia?" Massimo suddenly inquired as he felt like he really needed someone to talk about it and there was no one he could talk to other than his only friend.

"How could I forget? You keep on talking about her until I came to this age. Don't tell me you are going to tell another story about your sweet Amaia?" Gilbert chuckles.

"Not really. But, do you believe in reincarnation?" He let out.

"Massimo, I'm a healer. I always rely on science and things like reincarnation are out of my knowledge. Why do you asked by the way?"

"Do you remember when I told you that Amaia has a different taste of blood that could make a vampire madly crave for it?"

"Uh yes? Why?" The old man is getting even more.

"Dahlia has it too. Her blood smells like a sweet apple, just like Amaia's. When I look at her she seems to be alike in some angles. She's making me feel troubled. I feel like Amaia is there, within her." Massimo explained as he walked uneasily from side to side.

Gilbert smiled at his friend but before he could say any word, Massimo spoke again.

"But there is no one like Amaia in this world. Maybe I am just hallucinating. I need to take that clumsy woman out of my mind this instant!" He annoyingly said and dropped his body on bed which made Gilbert chuckles while shaking his head unbelievably.

"Sweetdreams, my friend." Gilbert said and stepped out of the room already.

However, while Gilbert was running some errands around his cabin, he saw Massimo standing in front of the window. Just watching the boring scene of plants outside as it sways everytime the wind blows.

"Brother, why are you still up?" The senior man asked when he noticed Massimo wasn't asleep yet in his chamber.

"Nothing, I just can't sleep." He responded while his eyes kept on staring outside the window and that didn't escape from the old man's observation.

"Are you waiting for that lady?" He asked teasingly as he stood beside him.

"I'm just worried. She was bleeding too much last night and they should be here by now, but I still can't smell her scent from here." He impatiently said.

"You sounded like a pervert, brother. Don't say that again, especially in front of her. Besides, they might not trust you enough to follow your command."

"No, they cannot do that. She needs to be treated immediately and so even if they trust me or not, they should go." Massimo hissed and grabbed his thick cloak, sniffing the smell that Dahlia left on the fabric.

"And… where are you going?"

"I'll fetch her. If that soldier doesn't want to go here then I'll take her again and bring her here."

"I thought you don't want to be close with that clumsy woman you said?" He mocked the worried vampire.

"Besides, the sunlight is madly heating up outside. You might become a roasted vampire if you go out now." The old man added.

"The sun doesn't bother me anymore as long as there are trees in the forest and would you stop it already? I am once a human, I still have my conscience and this woman is my responsibility. I wont allow her to die within my care."

"Responsible? How so?" Gilbert chuckles.

"Well, I redeemed Dahlia from her death in the hands of those vampires and now she's enduring the pain of staying alive by losing blood." He explained with no hint of hesitation.

"Really now? Or maybe because you see Amaia in her?"

Massimo did not respond and just ignored his friend.

"I just don't want you getting disappointed.If it is true that she is the same Dahlia from the kingdom of Haru, then that lady is here to kill you. What if she found out that you are the vampire she is looking for?" Gilbert warned him.

"They may have the same scent or taste of blood but Dahlia and Amaia are different from each other. Dahlia might never look at you the way the late mistress does, brother." Gilbert honestly said while remembering how Massimo broke down when Amaia died and doesn't want to witness it again if he fails again.

Massimo halted for a while, standing on the edge of shade under the roof of the cabin looking ahead to the bright surroundings. He suddenly realized that he already forgot how it feels like under the sun. How it gives warmth to his skin which now could possibly burn him to death.

*****

Baron listened to the vampire and continued the path to the north while hoping they could find a healer to treat Dahlia.

"Princess?" Jamie is worried with the poor sight of Dahlia and tries waking her up to have some fruit, thinking that it could help the princess to have energy. However, he failed as Dahlia didn't even whimper.

"Just let her be, Jamie. She'll be up later, let her get some rest to recover quickly." Baron said who is sitting in front of the waggon, holding the rope of the horses.

Jamie sighed as he wanted them to bring the lady to the doctor that the vampire told them was located at the east side of the river.

'Whoa!" Baron suddenly pulled the rope when suddenly someone appeared in front of their way and before he realized who it was he felt that someone had jumped inside the wagon where the princess was lying. When he turned to look behind him, his eyes widened seeing the vampire beside the princess.

"What-" he tried to say something but the furious vampire growled at him with his sharp eyes.

"I told you to bring her to the doctor!" Massimo hissed at the man while Jamie was just watching them.

"I don't trust you a bit. You might have saved us from those bloodsuckers like you but it doesn't change the truth that you still one one them. So stay away from the princess and get out of the wagon. Now." Baron said as he pulled the silver blade and pointed it to the vampire. However, Massimo just ignores him and faces the young man.

"Is she sleeping too long now?" He asked.

"Yes, mister. Since we started our journey. I tried waking her up to ear but she had no response at all." Jamie answered while his eyes were busy roaming at the vampire's steaming body.

"She is burning with fever. I need to take her." Massimo said as he started to scoop Dahlia's body in his arms.

"Put her down or else this blade will pierce your heart." Baron warned, glaring at the vampire.

"Try me!" Massimo growled back while making sure that he was holding the lady securely in his arms before he jumped off and stood under the shade of a tree.

Baron immediately got down from the wagon as well while Jamie also followed.

"You!" And charge forward to the vampire to stop him from taking Dahlia again. But before he could reach him the vampire shifts to another spot.

"You will never have a match against me, mortal." Massimo proudly said.

"I'm taking her to the ridge. You can follow if you want to but make sure to behave your attitude, soldier. Or else they will not welcome you."

"Mister," suddenly Jamie interrupted.

Massimo turned his eyes to the young man.

"Please take care of the princess."

"I'll see you at the ridge, lad." Massimo said before he finally fled with Dahlia.