I ain't goin' anywhere

“So, þe whispers be’þ true, it seems. þe Edelweiss bitch haþ gone feral.” The wagon driver, stood some eight or nine metres from Alice, drew his own sword and slowly took a few steps forward, a sickening grin plastered on his face. “þough, I expected ye to hast been wyser þan þis. To challenge me in a place so public, alone and undisguised? Ye hast a deaþ wish, dost ye not?”

“I have undergone many years of training in þe art of þe sword, ne’er do well. I fear neiþer deaþ nor þee. If a fyte be’þ what you seek, þen come to me wiþ leþal intent!”

Alice took two quick steps forward and brought her sword down with great force. The form of the swing was excellent, even to my untrained eye. Clearly the result of years of training. But it was also telegraphed, allowing the man to parry the blow with the sword in his right hand and strike Alice’s face with the back of his left, causing her to hurriedly retreat.

“Ye hast been traned wiþ þe sword, aye, þat be'þ true. But ye hast yet to see true combat. Youre techniques be refined, but youre awareness ys þat of a novice.” The man took a step forward and swung his sword sideways towards Alice’s ribs, which she deflected beautifully, then again with the follow up stab at her gut, but her commitment to swordplay once again made her overlook her enemy’s other hand. He landed another blow with his fist, this time to her liver, causing her to keel over in agony. She had been left completely defenceless.

“Alice!” I screamed, running at the man as his sword descended towards her. My body made contact with his, knocking him to the ground. He quickly scrambled to his feet and tried to retake stance, but I launched the knife Eleanor had given me while his guard was still down, and watched it sink into his right shoulder.

“Argh! Infernal… bastard!” He yelled, ripping the blade from his flesh and wailing in pain. He dropped the knife on the ground, seemingly consumed with the agony of an open stab wound. “Ye… ye will get youre justice, ignoble wench! Ye and youre hound here! Lord Edwyn will see ye hanged for þis!”

The slippery bastard booked it for his horses, while I ran to retrieve my knife. Unfortunately, as soon as I went to aim another throw, I knew I was too late. The wagon was already in motion, and I didn’t want to risk harming one of the slaves in the cage by accident. The fight was over.

“Bugger, the sod got away…” I sighed, before turning back to Alice. “Honestly, girl, what were you thin-“

I cut myself off, horrified at the sight that met my eyes. I had been too slow to stop the sword from meeting Alice’s body. Blood stained the stone path beneath her, pouring from her abdomen, a wide gash traced downwards from her lower ribcage. She must have moved her head backwards to avoid the sword and taken the cut to her body instead.

For a moment, I was frozen in abject horror.

“Ah- I- help-“ she struggled, trying to get words out, writhing in pain.

“Alice!” I yelled yet again, running towards her blood-soaked body. I hoisted her up in my arms, which was difficult when she continued to thrash with agony. “Oh my god… Jesus… oh fuck…”

I looked around, desperately, scanning the nearby area for any sign of a medical facility nearby, but I could make out no such thing. Just the storefronts I had already seen and the confused & horrified faces of onlookers.

“Ella… take me… to Ella…” She managed to get out through grunts and cries of pain.

“To Eleanor… okay…” I had no idea how a blacksmith was supposed to save someone dying of blood loss, but I’d take any direction at all in the moment. Without thinking for another second, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me back towards Eleanor’s smithy. The crowd of people around us parted like the Red Sea as they watched me cradle the blood-stained girl in my arms, giving every ounce of my strength to keep going.

I barely even took the time to look where I was going, relying entirely on instinct, until I saw that characteristic orange glow through a nearby door. Breathing a sigh of relief, I practically bursted through the wooden door, giving the diligent blacksmith quite the fright.

“Barry, wha-“ she cut herself off as she saw Alice in my arms, her eyes widening in shock. “Good god above…”

“She told me to bring her here. Please, please, tell me you can do something.”

“A-aye, lay her upon þe graund, jently as you can.” As I confusedly followed her order, Eleanor began frantically rummaging through the storage cupboard at the very back of the workshop. “Seven hells, ware did I put þe damned þing?!” She cried out in frustration.

“What, what, what are you looking for?” I asked, equally as frantically.

“Healing powder, of course, now shut þe dor! We cannot afford a crowd amassing here!”

Not stopping to question what the hell ’healing powder’ was, I started rising to my feet to shut the door, but I was pulled back by Alice grabbing my arm.

“Please… leave me not…”

Tears welled up her eyes, and I could hardly bear to move even to shut the door. Instead, I remained at her side and reached out with my leg to kick it shut.

“I’m here… I ain't goin' anywhere…” I said, gripping her hand tightly, causing her to smile faintly.

“I þank þee true, Barry Mackay…” Her voice was quiet, and she seemed on the verge of losing consciousness, but her expression showed no fear. “Even now, I fynd comfort in þy presense.”

Her eyes began to close, and I silently knelt at her side, terrified. Her grip on my hand began to loosen. My eyes began to well with tears. Was I truly about to watch my one true friend in this world die before my eyes? Was this world really that cruel?

“Faund it! þank heavens above!” Eleanor cheered ecstatically, running across the shop with a small vial in her hand. She popped the lid of the vial and gently sprinkled some of its thin light-blue powder on Alice’s wound.

I had my doubts that such a medieval treatment would have any effect at all, but to my utter shock, the wound that had been seeping blood just seconds before began to seal up instantaneously. It was like real, unabashed magic. The kind you hear of in fairy tales.

Alice remained unresponsive, so Eleanor put her ear to her chest, before breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

“Her heart yet beateþ, and she still draweþ breaþ, þough her heartbeat be'þ weak and her breaþ shallow. We were not a moment too soon, ‘twould seem.”

Relief washed over me, and Eleanor clearly felt the same. Without modern conveniences like blood transfusion, I seriously worried for a moment that the wound would prove fatal. I wiped the tears from my eyes and breathed in heavily, trying to steady my nerves that were currently firing on all cylinders.

Once I regained my steady breath, I turned my attention to Eleanor

“What… is that stuff?” I asked, pointing at the vial of mysterious blue powder.

“Hmm? ‘Tis healing powder. You… hast no such þing in youre home world?” She asked, surprised at me asking what must have seemed like a silly question.

“We have medicines for disease and to quell pain, but a powder that instantly closes wounds? There’s nothing so convenient back on Earth.”

“‘Tis not merely for closing wounds. Healing powder be'þ an expensive but incredibly powerful concoction þat accelerateþ þe body’s own healing. It may kill cancers, heal wounds and even bring one back from þe brink of deaþ,” she explained, holding up what remained of the powder. “‘Tis one of þe greatest wonders of þis world, and highly sought after, hence why I own so little. In fact, I do believe þe Lady Alice informed me þat she used some to save youre lyfe a short wyle bakk, didst she not?”

“She did…?” At first I had no idea what she was talking about, but then I remembered the very first time Alice and I met. “Wait, this stuff can bring ya's back after a lightning strike?” I asked incredulously.

“If one’s soul haþ already passed on, þere is little þe powder canst do. þere must still have been some lyfe left in you for you to have survyved at all. þe powder merely ensured you remained þat way.”

The pieces clicked together in my mind like a puzzle. Alice claimed to have saved my life, as if that was the completely obvious truth. I had had no idea how that could be the case, but just assumed she had her reasons to claim it true. That was how she saved me back then.

“Ngh…” A groan escaped Alice’s mouth, though she had yet to regain consciousness. I imagined that the blood loss would keep her knocked out for a while, but it seemed she was stable at least.

“It seems she will recover soon. þe powder’s effects should replace þe blood she haþ lost, þough ‘twill not be kwyte so instant as before. We must give her some time to awaken.” Eleanor said, taking Alice’s other hand in her own. “Still, þe mere fact þat she survyved such an ordeal is enuff to make me want to dance in þe streets wiþ glee.”

“Well you may as well at this point, I think it’s safe to say our cover is officially blown…”

I sulked on that point for a moment, but then I began to rethink. No… what if this was the chance to get the heat off us entirely? What if we could use this.

“I… I have an idea…” I said, though even I heard how unsure of myself I sounded.

“Speak it. Wiþ a position so precarious as ours, any suggestion is worþ considering,” Eleanor replied.

“What if… what if the world believed that Alice Edelweiss is dead?”