The arrow buried itself in one of the men's shoulders. Before the other commoner could react, a second shaft hit his thigh, forcing him to release the women.
– Your High—
– Sir Lionel!
A knight reached the bewildered women. He meant to lead them back to the safety of the carriage, but they were stopped by a commoner who charged at them with a pickaxe.
He pushed the women behind him and confronted the man, but before they could clash, the commoner suddenly collapsed with an arrow lodged in his right thigh.
Sir Lionel and the women looked around just in time to see the nearest knight staring in confusion: the commoner he had been fighting had dropped to the ground. An arrow was embedded in his arm.
All four glanced up and saw an archer flanked by two swordsmen fire one more arrow.
– Who are they? – the younger woman asked.
– Our allies, apparently – the older woman observed. Sir Lionel signalled the other knight. They flanked the women as the archer struck again and instantly nocked another arrow.
By then, the commoners had spotted the new archer, and their own archer began firing at him.
– Careful!
Stephan had been watching the young archer and pulled Nick behind a tree to shield him from the incoming arrows.
– Thanks. This way.
Without hesitating after being yanked to safety, Nick led them towards a thick oak further ahead and down the slope. He already had a plan.
Once they reached the tree, Nick peeked out from behind it to confirm the location of the enemy archer—and noticed some commoners heading their way. He had to act quickly.
– On my count, run to that tree! – he said to Connor, gesturing toward a nearby maple on the right.
– Great… I'm the bait. – Connor murmured.
Stephan was about to chastise him for challenging orders, but Nick yelled
– THREE!
Despite his complaint, Connor obeyed, muttering under his breath about teaching Nick how to count. Nick jumped to the left of his cover and aimed at the exposed enemy archer.
The knights and the women watched the young archer collapse, clutching his arm as the arrow struck him.
– He is skilled – a knight remarked.
– He doesn't want to hurt them, though. – Sir Lionel said, parring an attack from a man with a sickle.
– How do you know this? – the young woman asked.
– It would be much easier if he aimed for their vitals since they have no armour, but he has been targeting their arms and legs, which is much harder to do – Sir Lionel answered, panting.
After fending off one more attacker, they saw some commoners desperately reach the archer to stop his onslaught, but the archer's companions quickly disarmed the men with their swords.
Unfazed, Nick had already shot down two more commoners, leaving even more confused knights wondering who was helping them.
After one more commoner dropped his scythe when an arrow lodged in his arm, a hoarse woman shouted:
– Retreat! Retreat!
And at once, the commoners started to flee.
– Capture them! – Sir Lionel commanded.
With that, the tide reversed. The knights began pursuing the commoners, and chaos erupted
Once the shock subsided, the women looked around and noticed the knight impaled on the carriage by the pitchfork. He was breathing heavily as he groaned and tried to pry the tool from his back.
– Sir Darius!!
The younger woman yelled as she moved towards him, but once she arrived she froze, not knowing how to help him. After a moment's hesitation, she reached for the farming tool with trembling hands...
– No! Leave it in! Leave it in! Don't touch him!
She looked up to see their new allied archer running hastily down the slope towards her, but her knights immediately blocked his path swords raised.
– Don't come any closer! – Sir Lionel barked.
Connor responded by pointing his own sword at the knights and trying to get in front of Nick.
– Sheath your swords – Nick said calmly, meeting Connor and Stephan's gaze as he lifted his hands in surrender.
– I just want to help.
– Who are you? – Sir Lionel asked.
– He might just have a chance – Nick said, pointing his chin to the fallen Sir Darius. – May I have a look at him?
– Sir Lionel, let him through – the young woman said.
– Your Highness, we don't even know who he is! It could be a trick. Do you remember? He has been deliberately avoiding their vitals!
Stephan and Connor were shocked when they heard how Sir Lionel addressed the young woman. Nick's eyes also widened, but he reacted immediately by dropping to one knee, lowering his head, and extending his bow before her, hands turned upward like an offering.
– Your Highness, Princess Rowena, I, Sir Nicholas of Shekerhaven, place my bow—and my life—at your service.
If the revelation that they had just saved the Princess of Edenhold was not enough to paralyse Connor and Stephan, seeing Nick down on one knee, swearing loyalty to the daughter of the enemy king, certainly was.
Nick's declaration of loyalty seemed to appease most of the knights, but seeing his companions frozen in place, he used his foot to forcefully nudge Stephan, urging him to react.
Shaking off his shock, Stephan also dropped to one knee, pulling the frozen Connor down with him, and managed to say:
– Uhh... so do we.
Nick rolled his eyes and said:
– These are Stephan and Connor, who are unfortunately too awestruck by Your Highness to remember their composure and courtesy.
– What part of Shekerhaven are you from? – Sir Lionel asked briskly.
– Immaham – Nick replied.
– All three of you?
– Yes – Stephan caught on.
– Well, almost – Nick interjected. – Are you familiar with the smaller towns in the Mirmahvale?
Nick pronounced the valley's name like a local.
– The Myrmahvale? – Sir Lionel asked back, mispronouncing the name.
– Never mind, let's just say we're all from Immaham. – Nick responded casually.
He turned to the Princess before Sir Lionel could intervene.
– Your Highness, your knight is badly wounded. If you pull the tool out, he will bleed out instantly. I might be able to help him, but we don't have much time. May I approach?
– Yes! Let him through, Sir Lionel! – the Princess commanded.
Once the knights had sheathed their swords, Nick got up and asked his companions:
– Could you two please get a fire started and find my bag? It's up there somewhere...
He pointed to the place where he'd been shooting from, careful to make his request sound like just a request, not a command.
While Stephan and Connor heeded his non-command, Nick approached the wounded knight and asked the Princess:
– What's his name?
– Sir Darius.
– Sir Darius, you'll need to hold on like this a little longer, yes? We can't remove it yet or you'll bleed out. Alright? Just focus on breathing and staying still for now. You are alive, that's what matters.
Nick gently guided the knight's hand away from the pitchfork. Then, addressing the knights who had gathered around them, he said:
– He is exhausted and needs help standing. Can you support him like this?
The knights looked to Sir Lionel for confirmation, and once he nodded, they helped support their wounded comrade.
– I'm going to have a look at you, alright?
Nick addressed the fallen knight, who nodded between shallow, ragged breaths.
– Can you please help me, my Lady? Could you please hold these?
Nick asked the older woman while lifting Sir Darius's iron mail and clothing. She looked displeased, so the princess said with pleading eyes:
– Please, Your Grace.
– Your Grace?! I apologise for not recognising you. Please, excuse my lack of courtesy.
Nick lowered his head as a sign of respect, and the duchess helped as he had asked.
With the affected area exposed, Nick tried to determine the severity of the wound. The left tine had managed to pierce through the mail and was embedded in his right side, mid-back. The middle tine had just barely missed him, its tip was stuck in the wood of the carriage, while the right tine was firmly lodged into the timber. A thread of blood flowed from the wound, staining his lower back.
Nick pressed gently around the wound to locate his ribs and confirm his suspicions. Sir Darius groaned sharply between breaths and tried to move, but Nick used his own body to hold him in place and spoke to him gently:
– I'm sorry, I know, I know… hold on. You can do this. It's lodged between your ribs—that's why it stayed in place, and that's a good thing; it's stopping you from bleeding out. Just hang on a little longer, alright?
Once Nick looked up, the Princess asked:
– Will he recover? Can you do anything? Are you a healer?
– I am not a healer. I'm just an archer, but my mother is a skilled healer, and I've picked up a few things. I think the tine isn't in too deep, though it still might have pierced his liver. If it really isn't in too deep, and we can stop the bleeding, there is a small chance he might recover.
– What do we need to do?
– First we need to reduce the bleeding using pressure to buy us time. Would you be willing to help me, Your Highness?
– Yes, of course.
– Thank you, Your Highness. You'll need to press firmly with both hands around the tine. It will hurt a lot, but you must not stop. Does he have a family? Is he married?
– Yes, he is married and has four children, three boys and a girl.
Nick nodded and addressed the knight while placing a hand reassuringly on his shoulder.
– Listen to me, Sir Darius, this is going to hurt, but it will buy us precious time to get the things we need to save your life. Think of your family to draw courage. Alright?
Sir Darius faintly noded with a frown.
– Alright, put your hands here, Your Highness, and press.
Nick instructed the Princess, guiding her hands with his. Sir Darius gasped and arched his back under the pressure, turning his gaze to heaven.
– Keep him still! – Nick instructed the knights supporting him. – Talk to him, and don't let him move. The more stable you can keep him, the higher his chances are of survival.
The knights complied and pinned Sir Darius against the carriage. Nick stepped back.
– Now where is my fire? – he murmured.
– Oh, and give him something to drink. The stronger the spirits, the better – he said while walking away.
He found his friends nearby, tending to a newly lit bonfire. Connor asked as soon as he saw him:
– And? Will he live?
– Maybe, just maybe.
Nick responded while receiving his bag from them.
– You're going to burn the wound, aren't you? – Stephan said, drawing his brows together.
– I might have to, and even then, I don't know if it'll be enough because the liver can bleed a lot. – Nick said while looking over in the knight's direction. Then he sighed and added:
– But we have to try.
– Do you really? – Stephan said, scowling.
– What do you mean "do you really"? – Connor retorted almost offended. – He'll die for sure otherwise!
– It'll be like torture for weeks.
– Yes, but the alternative is certain death! You heard Nick!
– And if he dies anyway?
– Then at least we will not regret not having tried – Nick interjected sharply, cutting off what could have become a long bickering episode. – I think he understands. He has a family... with young children.
The other two did not respond. By then, Nick had filled a pot with water and placed it by the fire. He added a large piece of bark and some small white flowers to the water.
He also unwrapped a long, slender knife and used rocks to prop the blade where the flames could lick it, keeping the handle as far from the heat as possible.
– Can you watch this? – he asked.
Then he walked back to Sir Darius with something in his hand.