The Royal Quest

CHAPTER 25. Ambush

Dahlia, Massimo and Baron travelled for weeks engaging themselves for different kinds of difficulties and luck. Massimo tried his best to be nice to Baron for the sake of the princess. However, he still can't help to envy the man for his closeness to the princess and just takes a step back to avoid any commotion, as he knows that he has no match against the man when it comes to the lass.

"Baron, stop the horses." Suddenly Massimo let out anxiously as he tried to verify what he heard, a rustling sound around them.

The sun is still up brightly and the vampire couldn't get out of the safety of the wagon that's protecting him from the sunlight during their journey.

"Moss, what is it?" Dahlia inquired, worriedly.

But before the vampire could answer, a rain of arrows suddenly poured in their direction.

"Princess!" Baron abruptly covered the princess and pushed her back inside the wagon to avoid the sharp objects hitting her. However, the man did not make it on time as he got shot in the back of his shoulder.

"Ugh!" He winced as he immediately took the arrow out of his skin.

"This is not good. For all of  the hours, why did these hungry wolves suddenly attack during daylight?” Moss worriedly stated as he peeked outside through a small hole, seeing the bandits starting to walk in their direction while some stood in their way to avoid them from getting away.

“All of you inside, get out of the wagon.” One suddenly shouted loudly.

“Stay here.” Baron said to Dahlia and moved to face whoever was the people that suddenly attacked them.

“Be careful.” Dahlia reminded the man who started showing himself to the unwanted people that surrounded them.

“Good day, Everyone.” Baron greeted the middle-aged man who stood in front of the others while gripping his shoulder. 

“What hypocritical greetings you have, young man. After getting hurt by one of our arrows? Seriously? But I apologize for disappointing you. We are not here to talk but to demand you to surrender all of your belongings, including these horses and the beautiful princess with you.” 

Baron ignores his shoulder’s wound and immediately places his hand on his sword.

“Opss!” Not so fast.” quickly the other men charge their weapons to the soldier.

“How did you know about the princess?” Baron inquired with his sharp eyes, but the man just mischievously smirked at him and signalled the others to check the wagon.

Meanwhile, Massimo hears the whole conversation.

“You need to escape out of here, they are after you.” He told the lady. 

“Huh? But why?” Dahlia anxiously inquired, whispering.

“I have no idea. But there must be someone behind all of this.” He said and started wearing his thick cloak, preparing himself to get into a fight under the sun. 

"What are you doing?" Dahlia asked worriedly.

“I’m buying them some time so you and Baron could get away. Just keep going without me until you reach the Northriver." Massimo said, referring to the next town.

“But you can’t fight them alone, especially at this hour.” The lady disagreed.

“Dahlia, listen to me. Baron is already injured and I don’t know how long I can stand in the daylight. So you have to do what I asked you to do. Don’t look back. Do you understand?” Massimo strictly demanded, staring at her eyes.

“Fine. But swear to me that you will find me later. You need to return to me. I need you.” Dahlia begged with her welling eyes.

“I promise, sweetblood.” Massimo responded as he slowly leaned and kissed the princess on the forehead, which made her eyes widen.

“That’s how I seal my promise. I hope you don’t mind,” he whispered, with a smile.

“No, as long as you don’t break it,” Dahlia countered.

“Never.” He said and finally moved to back up Baron.

Massimo strikes the men surrounded by Baron through the air without them noticing him coming. Everyone was stunned and was frozen in their spot for sometime.

“Run!” He yelled at Baron while trying to block the bandits from chasing him.

Baron immediately found his grip and turned, climbing back to the wagon to save the princess.

“They are escaping! Get the princess!” the man said, but Massimo immediately blocked himself.

“Vampire!” The men shouted and pulled their silver weapons.

“Moron! I think you’d lost your mind, you ugly immortal. What makes you think that you can defeat us in the daylight, huh!?” One of the men said.

“Look at yourself, you’re starting to get burned!” He continued to mock the vampire.

“Then I’ll fire you all.” And with that, Massimo charged towards the armed men, not minding the pain from the sun that pierced through the fabric of his clothes.

“Moss,” he heard Dahlia whisper his name while baron had already coached the horses to gallop away.

‘Don’t look back.’ Massimo uttered to himself, as he didn't want the princess to feel bad about herself again.

“Baron, we need to do something to help Moss.” Dahlia couldn’t help but say as she witnessed how the vampire sacrificed his own to save her and the memories of Mr. Hugh starts to haunt her again.

 “Princess, please. Just stay. Ugh!” Baron said, followed by wincing.

"Baron, are you okay?" The lady inquired as she noticed how the man started sweating and shivering while holding the horses’ rope.

"Yes, Yo-your Highness," Baron forcibly confirmed, even though he suddenly felt something unusual inside his body. 

"Your shoulder looks bad. We need to stop the bleeding." She said and immediately took the medical kit that Doctor Gilbert provided her before they left the ridge.

“Dahlia please, I’m fine. But we need to get far enough where they couldn’t follow us or else Moss’s effort will be wasted. Besides, I don't think I can manage to fight with this condition." Baron explained as he suppressed  the sudden surge of pain throughout his body.

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to be useful." She honestly uttered as a tear escaped from her eyes. 

However, Baron failed to hear her anymore as he suddenly passed out while running the horses and that made the wagon stumble as it ran on its own.

"Baron?" Dahlia wasted no time and quickly jumped to the front side of the wagon carefully to grab the horse's rope, which surprisingly she did without much effort, thanks to her adrenaline.

She halts the horses and checks on the man.

"Baron?" She tried to wake the man up.

"Please, wake up, soldier. What is happening?" The lady asked worriedly, while gently shaking the man, and when Baron did not respond, Dahlia pulled the man's clothing from his shoulder to see his wound and her eyes widened, seeing it terribly swollen.

The lady looked around them first, checking if any of the attackers had followed them, and when she was certain that everything was quiet she immediately moved and pulled Baron's body inside the wagon, lying him sideways.

“Ugh!” She grunts because of the heaviness of the man but still manages to do it.

She immediately took the medical kit and cleaned the wound.

'Something is wrong.' Dahlia thought as she noticed Baron was sweating and panting hard, also his temperature suddenly changed.

"Baron?" She still tries to wake him up but still got not a single response from the man. Dahlia continues patching the man's wound to avoid it getting any further infection.

"I need to find a healer in the next town immediately." She muttered.

"Hang in there, soldier." She said and moved in front of the wagon, grabbing the horses' rope again and started to run them but pulled back when she remembered Massimo. 

"He-He needs me too." Dahlia told herself, feeling hesitant about what she should comprehend first. She took a glance at Baron again, who she knew needed quick medical attention, but the other side of her brain kept showing Massimo struggling alone under the sunlight.

Dahlia took a deep breath as she finally decided who to choose and what to do next.

'Moss, you promised me.' Dahlia thought and struck the rope to start the horses moving again, heading forth to the Northriver.

Dahlia ran the wagon as fast as she could, eager to save the soldier's life. 

‘Who are they? How did they know about me?’ Dahlia kept on questioning, as she had no idea why they would suddenly ambush them and want to take her.

‘Are they still Sullivan’s?’ She wondered.