The Princess and Her Loyal Wolf

How did this happen!? Calm down... She’s still in her bed clinging to your arm, while you sit in a completely separate resting tool. Nothing happened. Good, good. I’d want to remember a night with her.
That? That’s the first thing on your mind? Not ‘I should get out of here,’ or ‘what’ll happen if someone finds me,’ but that?
Yes. Those’re less important. And before you ask, because I can feel it coming, no I don’t care about whatever lies she told.
The other me simply sighs before saying, whatever. Go ahead and lust away.

This is a rather good morning. I awaken next to this beautiful woman, weakly holding my arm to her breast. Though, I know not what to do. Think, damn it think!
Do you want help? I’m rather good at thinking.
No! Go away, I’ll handle this. Am I allowed to look upon her? Is that strange? Her sleeping face is really... No this is definitely strange. Right?
So, it’s okay to ‘ogle’ her while she’s in a trance, but not while she’s sleeping?
Eh-tep, no! I mean… Yes.
How is it different?
Well… Silence! I look around the tent frantically for something to focus on. The furniture? No. The exit? No. The bath? No. The-wait what? She has a bath in here? Gah, never mind that. Although...
No damn it! The Sun! I will watch the sun rise through the tent. Yes. This is normal.
I thought you were smooth when it came to things like this? What happened?
I’ve never just woken up next to someone before, I can’t… I can just do whatever I want can’t I?
No! If you say one more thing, I’m going to cut you off and feed you to the wendigos!
You… You wouldn’t…
You think I won’t? The free arm reaches for a letter opener nearby and places it at my neck! Even through the pants, I can’t help but panic. I’ve put up with a lot of your crap and let a lot of creepy comments slide. No more. I’ll not live with molestation on my conscious.
What!? I was just going to eye her… Hello- The knife presses down harder! Okay, okay! Just… Put the knife down…

One more stunt like that, and I won’t hesitate. The letter opener slowly makes its way back towards the stand it came from and I let out a sigh of relief.
Wait! What do I do when-AHH! She’s waking up! Quick the Sun! Through my peripherals, I can see her look at the arm she’s holding and follow it up to my face. I look down at her and say in a ‘normal’ voice “Ah, you’re awake.”
No, you moron that was just creepy! Luckily, I don’t think she can comprehend what’s happening yet, so she might just forget that blunder.

“Kar? Why are you...”

Quick! Why are you here?!
I don’t know!
Make something up! “I know this must seem strange but...After you didn’t wake up yesterday, I came to see how you were doing and you grabbed my arm, so... Umm... I thought... Uhh... That you might like to...”
This is getting me nowhere. How about this? “I was worried so I just wanted to stay until you woke up.”
I can’t help but let out a nervous chuckle. At least I don’t need to convince her to my rebellion anymore.

“Thank you...”
Huh? What? “It brings boundless joy to my heart to find you here when I awaken. Especially knowing that you spent the whole night by my side.”
What? Where’d she get that?

“Well, you know. It’s the least I could do after everything you’ve done for me.”
I don’t want to leave. Yet I want to run away as fast as I can.
We should have left when we woke up!
And miss this opportunity!? I should try to leave in case someone decides to stop by. Like her father. Yes, that would be unfortunate. ‘What are you doing here! I’ve changed my mind, die!’
“Well, Princess, I should-”

Her tiny delicate hands hold my arm tighter. “Is that all you see me as?”

“Eh, no. No Aroura, I was just trying to remind you of your… Well. My position. If anyone found me, it would spell out bad for me.”

“Stay. Please. I… Have somethings I need to tell you.”
I can’t hear anything but the thunderous sound of my heart as it desperately tries to break my ribs. Against my will, my legs decide to sit back down. After all, how could I refuse the request of this fair maiden?
You can refuse when it might end up in your execution!
Eh. It’d be worth it.
How shallow are you?
Pretty shallow I’d say. I mean look at her. How could anyone refuse a request like that?
I suppose you hold some valid points. She is absolutely adorable the way she- and suddenly I have no objections.

She scoots closer towards me before leaning into my arm and whispering, “I’m sorry…”
She begins softly sobbing into my arm and I can’t help but feel stupid. So so very stupid. “I’m so sorry Kar… I’m such a terrible person.”

Her sobs gradually get heavier and heavier as she speaks. Before she continues I ask, “What are you talking about?”

“My father’s plan, I. It was supposed to kill you and, and all the others, and I could’ve opposed it, I. But I didn’t know! I had only heard rumors; I didn’t know you! I didn’t know how wonderful… Then it was too late. You were in so much pain and I could’ve stopped it, but. But… And you were so kind! I've never! Even after- after you knew, you still smiled at me! And and...”
She lets go of my arm and flings herself at my chest. “Forgive me… Please forgive me.”

I was difficult to put together, but somehow I managed to understand what she was saying. I’m not sure what to do. I have an anger burning up inside me, but I don’t think its for her. I need to make sure. Make sure she’s not just acting. As she continues to beg for forgiveness, my hands land on her shoulders and she freezes. I slowly push her away and stare into her eyes with my face as stern as it can be.
Tears build up in her eyes, replacing the ones that are streaming down her cheeks. She desperately attempts to stifle her sporadic breaths as though if she lets out a breath I’d never forgive her. I’ve only seen eyes this desperate once before. Images of dying brown eyes begging me to save them flash in my head before my face softens.

As soon as I let her shoulders go, she slams into my chest again and my arms wrap around her. “I forgive you.”
I’ve never heard wails of both regret and relief come from the same person at the same time before, but I imagine this is what they’d sound like. One of my hands reaches up to stroke her hair so that she might calm down a bit. It’s softer than I expected.
I’ve been a fool. She’s just been going along with her father’s wishes. She’s never had any plan against the demi-humans. She never even met any before me. She probably just heard that we were inhuman monsters taking up too much space in her father’s city. Then when she saw that we were just like them, she realized her mistake and she tried to fix it by sending Gore and his men.
At some point she ended up sitting on my lap. Oh well, I won’t question it. “I have to apologize for something, Aroura.”

Instead of saying anything, she shakes her head ‘no.’
With a single laugh I say, “No, I do. When I heard that the royal court tried to have the elves killed, I was certain that it was originally your idea. Even after everything you’ve done for me. Then I treated you with malice and hostility when we last spoke and I even put you in my schemes. I know that I’ve been a fool. So, I apologize.”

She didn’t move from her position on my lap. “You truly are a kind person. I’m glad to have met you.”

I let us sit there in silence for a moment before I remembered where I was. I want to enjoy this moment longer but… I inform her about our victory and her father’s new plan to install me as the new Lord of Karvithia, as well as the all the injured and the fact that we march today.
At the mention of the injured her head hung a little lower. “I doubt I can heal them this time around. I’m sorry. I can’t even help with my magic right now.”

“But I could right? Teach me that healing spell you did last time.” She looks up at me, shocked before she offers her brightest smile. With that she taught me the chant and what the words mean, what I need to envision before I cast the spell, and that healing magic took the most mana and concentration but was the least dangerous. So, I won’t blast more holes in my hands if I use it.

“I believe that’s all there is for me to teach. You should go heal the others now. I’ll join you when I’m ready.”

“Right then. I’ll be off.”

As I turn to leave I feel a pair of delicate arms gently wrap around my stomach and soft head leans into my back. “Thank you Kar. For everything.”
With that, she pushes me out of the tent and closes the entrance flaps as I stumble out. Why? Shoving someone after hugging them… I can’t wrap my head around it. I suppose it’s just another one of her quirks.

As I make my way towards the medical tents a dark feeling hits me in the gut. I’m in a good mood! That means that Stickler must be nearby, I can sense it! I make sure to scout out corners and open spaces before I cross. A black plume! I turn and run the other way and take a different path. I won’t be brought down again!
As soon as I turn my new corner, another black plume obstructs my path! This can’t be! There can’t be more than one Stickler! The rooftops! I will-there’s no rooftops! I’m so close! For Naz. For the injured. I march forward.

The black plume notices my approach and raises his visor to reveal a familiar blonde mustache. No! He salutes. “Good to see you, milord!”

“Excellent work Stickler. Dismissed.” I keep marching without looking for his reaction. He… He doesn’t follow me? It was that easy? My mood soars. I march unhindered straight for the medical tents. I arrive to the familiar scene of medics wandering from the various tents and the smell of dried blood. I settle into the middle of the tents and fall to my knees before clapping my hands together.
Apparently the true nature of mana has never been truly explained. No one is sure why people have more than others or why some are more potent than others, but according to Aroura, she believes that it’s the amount of holy influence in our souls. She didn’t go into why, but she explained it as the amount of power we can barrow from the Gods.
The chant she taught me is actually an ancient prayer used for the same purpose. With the thought of fairies growing a garden clear in my head, I begin chanting.

After the first chant, I can feel a rumbling in my core, so I focus on that with the image of the fairies clear in my mind. I get lost in the trance and watch as if I’m actually there, fairies growing a garden of various flowers. They float around and faintly glow in tiny dresses made of leaves and use magic to spread water to their flowers. When it turns dark they leave a little orb representing the Sun to bathe them in sunlight. When the flowers finally bloom, I open my eyes. I’m not sure dozen hundreds can cover the amount of pale green orbs all around me. In most cases they form a solid wall of green light, before they all disperse into the tents and disappear.

It's not long after that the pained groans that once filled the air turn into cheers. Shortly after that, the once injured emerge from their tents to look for the source of their relief. Naz comes barreling out and spots me. “Where is she?”

“She is me… Wait, that sounds weird. I healed you this time.”

He stared at me, mouth so wide that his beard actually did touch the ground now. “Ya mean? You? You did this?”

Maheed and Toross appear behind the stunned dwarf. Maheed for once is the first to speak. “Where did you go last night? What happened?”

I simply smile and explain. “I was learning some magic.”