Blood Bond

Sunlight warmed my face, thick with the scent of roses and honeysuckle. Laughter echoed, bright and carefree—Anya's shriek, then my own answering giggle. "Can't catch me!" I yelled, darting behind a marble statue, my nine-year-old legs pumping.

Anya, barely older than me, her brown braids flying, rounded the corner, pretending to search with exaggerated frustration. "Princess! Where are you?"

Giggling again, I spotted the perfect hiding place—a massive rose bush thick with deep crimson blooms. I scrambled inside, ignoring the thorns that snagged the fine silk of my play dress, burrowing deep into the fragrant green shadows. Through a gap in the leaves, I peered out, waiting for Anya to find me.

But my attention was caught by two figures standing further down the gravel path, near the old stone bench under the willow. Astrid. And Kael. He looked stiff, determined, though a faint flush colored his neck.

"Astrid," he began, his voice tight, "there's something I must tell you."

Astrid turned fully towards him, her expression shifting from thoughtful distance to slight surprise. "What is it?"

"It's... not just admiration," he said, forcing the words out. "Remember... after Theron's seeding? Last year?" He finally met her gaze, earnest and intense. "Everyone was fawning over him, but you... you found me by the library steps. We just sat there for a while... Remember how cold the stone steps were? Our shoulders brushed for just a second, and you didn't pull away. That tiny moment, sitting beside you like that... it felt like we were one. Astrid, I couldn't think of anyone else besides you..."

The confession hung heavy in the warm air. Astrid looked down too, perhaps studying the patterns on the gravel path. When she looked up, her eyes were filled with a kindness that somehow felt more painful than anger would have.

"Kael," she said softly. "I remember. Theron was being insufferable with his new scholarly insights." A tiny, fleeting smile. "It was... nice, to escape. To sit with you. You're always so steady." She hesitated, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something vulnerable in her expression, maybe regret. "You're my friend, Kael. Truly. My shield-brother." Her voice firmed, though still gentle. "But... it isn't the same for me. What you feel... I wish I could return it, but I can't." She shook her head, looking genuinely pained. "My path... it's set. And my heart... isn't mine to give right now. I'm sorry."

Kael stood frozen for a moment. He gave a stiff, jerky nod, then turned abruptly and walked quickly away, disappearing around the hedge maze. Astrid watched him go, then turned her back to me, facing the stone wall bordering the garden. Her fist struck the wall, a sharp crack against the stone. I thought she was angry, but then her shoulders began to tremble, and I heard the faintest choked sound. Sobs, held back with fierce control. My invincible sister was crying. The sight felt wrong, unsettling. I started to back away slowly through the roses.

Thorns snagged at my silk dress again as I retreated deeper into the bush. The sharp points barely registered.

Then, a strange lightness blossomed in my own chest, quickly followed by a faint, wet, trickling sensation against the fabric of my bodice. Confused, I looked down.

Crimson rose petals were spilling from the center of my chest, tumbling down the pale silk, leaving dark, damp stains like blood. Soft, impossibly red petals, pouring out in a steady, horrifying stream. Panic seized me, cold and sharp. This wasn't right. This was bad. It felt like life itself draining away, petal by fragile petal.

"No," I whimpered, dropping to my knees amongst the thorns. I frantically tried to scoop up the fallen petals, pressing them back against the impossible opening in my chest, but they felt ephemeral, dissolving almost like mist against my skin, even as more flowed out relentlessly. Tears of terror pricked my eyes. Stop! Please stop!

Through my blurred vision, my gaze caught on movement further down the path where Kael had disappeared. He stood frozen, facing me, but the same impossible thing was happening to him. Crimson petals streamed from his stomach. They flowed faster from him, a torrent dissolving into the air. He looked like he was unraveling, fading into a swirling storm of red.

He'll disappear! The certainty slammed into me. If I didn't stop it, for both of us, he'd simply dissolve into petals and be gone. The thought propelled me forward. I scrambled out of the rose bush, ignoring the fresh scratches, and ran towards him, hands outstretched, desperate to somehow catch the flow, to hold him together, to stop the bleeding roses before it was too late—

My eyes snapped open, gasping for air that smelled not of roses, but of dust, hay, and something vaguely animal. Dim light filtered through cracks in rough wooden walls. Rough, scratchy fabric—hay? a coarse blanket?—lay beneath me. Above, thick, worn-down rafters crisscrossed the shadowy space under a high roof. What is this heinous place?!

"Princess!" Kael's voice, hoarse with relief and exhaustion, came from directly above me.

I blinked, focusing. He was kneeling beside me, his face pale and drawn in the dim light, dirt smudged across one cheekbone. His usual neat brown hair was mussed, sticking up at odd angles. But it was his eyes that held me—wide with worry, yes, but also carrying the lingering shadow of the raw horror I'd seen just before collapsing.

"Kael?" My voice was a dry croak.

"You're awake," he breathed, relief washing over his face, though the underlying tension remained. "Gods be praised. Are... are you alright, Your Highness?"

My gaze flickered down his body, landing on the thick, crude bandage wrapped around his waist, clearly made from strips of torn cloth. Dark patches stained the fabric, stark against its lighter color. "You..." I whispered, ignoring his question. "Are you alright?"

He shifted uncomfortably, a hand instinctively going to his side before he seemed to force it away. "It's nothing, Princess. Just... aches a bit." He avoided my eyes for a moment. "Some movement, perhaps, bringing you here... might have started it bleeding again. It's nothing." His gaze fixed back on me, sharp with concern. "Yours looks worse."

Following his gaze, I looked down. My chest was also tightly bound with strips of cloth—probably torn from my own ruined blouse or his tunic. The makeshift bandage was soaked through with dark, dried blood, a horrifying testament to the wound Trevor's sword had left. The memory slammed back—the agony of that sword inside of me, the blood, the hunger, the rising dead... I squeezed my own eyes shut against the wave of nausea and dizziness.

I tried to focus on the blood flowing just beneath the blood soaked cloth and was instantly one with it. I felt the seam that was my gaping wound and the threads of blood pulling it together. It seemed to be doing it all on its own. Images of the wall of blood covering the hole going through my chest flashed through my mind. So my blood will try to heal me on its own? To what extent?

I glanced over to Kael, and reached out to my blood flowing within him. Beneath the bandages and skin, his wound seemed a little less severe than mine. The gash was not nearly as long or frayed. Some of the blood threads might've loosened, and so I pushed new ones over them and sewed his tighter shut.

I looked up and he was watching me, his face wary. Did he know that I'd been working on him just now? He didn't say a word.

"Thanks… for not killing me." The words came unbidden out of my mouth, my gaze dropping to the hay-strewn floor.

Kael's eyes widened. He shifted his weight, moving awkwardly on his knees. "Why would I even think of killing you, your highness? I'm your Protector!" His voice was a little too loud, too forced.

"Because, I'm a monster." I whispered the word.

"No." He reacted instantly, leaning closer. "You're my High Princess. I have sworn myself to you. And that will never waiver." He seemed to draw strength from reciting his oath. "Besides, you did nothing monstrous. You saved my life."

"But those others, I drew-" I started, needing him to understand.

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"You did nothing but defend yourself." He cut me off sharply. His expression hardened. "No, let's not talk about what happened there."

I could only stare at him. Was he in denial? A sense of unease came over me. I rubbed at the back of my neck. There was a poignant void in the space to my left. A stern gaze that wasn't there anymore.

"Meris?" A hollow plea escaped me.

An uncomfortable silence answered. Kael shook his head, his expression tight. "She's fine, I'm sure. She can take care of herself."

His assurance felt hollow, leaving me with the cold reality. There wasn't anything I could do. Here I was in this strange, hovel of a place: the hay, the rotted wood, and the awful, pungent smell. Somewhere in the shadows behind a crude stall, large creatures shifted and breathed heavily. Was that a cow?

My memories of shows on Earth and the fairy tales that lined my bookshelf converged. "Is this… a barn?"

Kael turned back from his watchful gaze at the half-ajar, sliding barn door. "Yes, I'm sorry your highness. But I didn't know where to go after the battle. I knew we couldn't stay where we were. I had to carry you, since… you weren't conscious, barely breathing even." He grimaced at the memory. "I took some clothes from those sell-swords, and was trying to blend in with the pilgrims, when I saw the patrols coming through. There were a lot of them. And they were flying a number of colors that weren't ours."

Kael let that sink in for a moment. Aethelgard had fallen.

I held back against the weight of tears in my eyes. "We need to get back. I have to save them, Kael!"

He came over and grabbed a hold of my arms; the sensation was like cold water splashed upon me: No one else had held me before in this body except for my parents. "No, your highness. You can't."

"I have to. My powers, maybe I can do something, for once please… I just need help getting there."

"And what are you going to do once you are there? You nearly died…" There was a bitterness in his face that I had never seen before. "Facing just twenty sell swords, these are professional soldiers and there are legions of them."

"But… Astrid. We have to save her. You can-"

"She's a strong woman. And she's Chosen, even if she's not." He gave me a knowing look. "They won't touch her because she's a useful tool. You on the other hand…" He paused, perhaps realizing the implications of what he was about to say. "What did Astrid tell you?"

"... to keep quiet."

Kael nodded, his shoulders sagged. "Let's just figure out what's going on first. This is a farm on the outskirts of a village on the road to the temple. Once you're better I can go collect some information."

Panic seized me, all around me were shadows lurking about, and the pungent smell stinging my nose that made me want to retch. "Wait, don't leave me. I'm ok to go now."

I sounded silly, like a scared little girl, and yet, there was a gnawing sense that if I let him leave, he'd disappear as well.

—

Just as Kael opened his mouth to argue further, the large sliding door scraped open a few inches more, casting a brighter shaft of light across the dusty floor. A shadow fell across the opening.

Kael moved like lightning, dagger instantly in hand as he flattened himself against the wall.

A young woman, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, peered into the dimness, carrying two empty wooden pails by their handles. She wore a simple, faded homespun dress and her feet were bare, coated in mud and dust. She took a step inside.

Kael intercepted her, forearm against her collarbone, dagger point hovering. "Who are you?" he growled.

The girl gasped, dropping one of the empty pails with a clatter. "Larie!" she choked out her name, eyes wide with terror. "Sir! Please! I-I'm just here to fetch the milk! I saw nothing!"

"You saw nothing," Kael repeated, his voice low but carrying authority.

Larie flinched at his tone, her eyes widening further. "My lord?" she stammered, perhaps recognizing the refined accent in his words. Her gaze then flickered past him, landing on me and her jaw dropped. She snapped back to him. "Are... are you perhaps, 'playing farmer' today? My lord? I'm so sorry to intrude!" She bobbed an awkward curtsy, eyes darting nervously between us.

A look of obvious displeasure clouded Kael's face. He looked insulted, but he stepped back, sheathing his weapon. The milkmaid was obviously harmless, if a little dense.

Now that Kael had moved, Larie got her first proper look at me. Her gaze locked onto my face, and then onto my hair spilling over the rags. Her mouth formed a silent 'O'. The awe was back, unmistakable, but now mixed heavily with confusion as her eyes scanned the rest of me. I realize what she must be seeing—the dirt smudges, the torn remnants of Kael's tunic I clutched, the crude, blood-soaked bandage at my chest—I must look like an utter wreck.

I pushed myself up on the rags, and glared back at her, trying to hold on to some shred of my dignity.

Kael stepped forward, his expression carefully neutral, blocking Larie's view. "You saw no one," he repeated quietly. "No noble lord. No beautiful lady. Just an empty barn. Understood?"

Larie nodded frantically, eyes still wide but now fixed dutifully on Kael.

He reached into a salvaged pouch at his belt and produced something small, pressing it into her hand. "For your silence. And for your help."

She gasped, staring down at the heavy gold coin gleaming dully in her dirt-stained palm. Her hand began to tremble violently, her mouth falling open again, speechless at the sight of it.

It's just one gold coin. My first reaction was dismissive. Why was she shaking over a single coin? Was she just that dumb?

But the other me knew that look. I'd seen flickers of it in Mom's eyes when an unexpected paycheck arrived, that overwhelming wave of relief when a desperate struggle eased, just for a moment. I didn't know what the coin could buy here, but I could tell that for her it was life altering.

"Bring clean water," Kael commanded, his voice low and urgent, snapping her out of her daze. "And food – simple fare. Bread, cheese, whatever you can get your hands on discreetly. And clothes. A sturdy dress, a bonnet, something plain a village girl might wear for travel, and clothes from maybe your father. Bring them back here. Tell no one. Understand?"

She clutched the coin, nodding rapidly. "Yes, my lord! No one! Right away!" She curtsied again, awkwardly, then turned and scrambled out of the barn, leaving one pail behind in her haste.

The wait stretched, filled only by the heavy breathing of the cows in the stalls and Kael's soft, restless movements near the door. Finally, Larie scurried back, leaving a tied bundle and a full waterskin just inside the entrance before vanishing as quickly as she'd come.

Inside the bundle were rough clothes—a grey wool dress, thick stockings, worn leather boots, and a simple linen bonnet—and the food. Kael inspected the clothes, then unwrapped the food: a chunk of dark, coarse bread, a wedge of hard, pale cheese, and several links of greasy, heavily salted sausage. My nose wrinkled instinctively, but beneath the disgust, a sharp, demanding hunger gnawed.

I took the bread Kael offered. The sand grated against my teeth, but I chewed and swallowed, tearing off another piece. The cheese was sharp, the sausage overly salty and tough, but I wolfed it down. Kael watched me, a flicker of surprise in his weary eyes, before eating his own share.

—

When the last crumb was gone, Kael's expression turned serious again. "Before we change, Your Highness," he said, his voice low. "The wounds. We need to see if they're holding."

He knelt beside me, carefully unwrapping the bandage around his own waist. I watched him wince as the cloth stuck. Beneath it, the skin was closed. Miraculously healed, yet not perfectly. A thin, angry red scar traced the path where Trevor's sword had sliced him open. He touched it gingerly, his expression a mixture of relief and bewildered awe.

Then he turned to me. "Your Highness... may I?"

I nodded mutely, my heart starting to pound. He moved closer, his touch hesitant as he reached for the bindings around my chest. His fingers were gentle as he unwound the stained strips of cloth. I braced myself...

But beneath the bandage, my skin was... smooth. Pale. Completely unmarked. No scar, no redness, not even a faint line where the broadsword had been buried. It was as if it had never happened.

I stared down, bewildered. Relief warred with a deep, creeping unease. Then, with a jolt, I registered Kael's closeness, his gaze fixed on my chest. The bandages had been peeled away, and there wasn't much of my blouse left to begin with. I am completely exposed! Heat flooded my face – burning, absolute mortification.

A choked gasp escaped me, and my hand flew up—an instinctive reaction.

His own hand shot out, catching my wrist mid slap. We froze. His eyes, wide with startled confusion, met mine. Then his gaze dropped for the briefest second, taking in my bare skin, and understanding dawned. A deep flush spread up his neck.

"Forgive me, Your Highness!" he stammered, instantly releasing my wrist and scrambling back, looking sharply away towards the barn wall. "I... my apologies! I only meant to check... I did not intend..."

Flustered and still absolutely mortified, I snatched the rough wool dress Larie had brought, pulling it defensively around myself, turning away from him. The heavy silence in the dusty barn felt suffocating.

The awkwardness lingered as we dressed in the simple, rough peasant clothes. The grey wool dress scratched. I fumbled with the drawstrings up front, not knowing what to do, then my fingers automatically tied the rough cords into the neat, double-looped bow of a shoelace that looked utterly out of place. Kael glanced over at the knot, a flicker of puzzlement crossing his face before he wisely looked away.

The bonnet was the worst, itchy and tight. Kael carefully tucked every strand of my tell-tale red hair beneath it, then hesitated before lightly smudging some dirt from the barn floor onto my cheeks. I wrinkled my nose but didn't protest. He, meanwhile, had donned a simple, dark tunic, hiding his own Soul Seed. His disguise as a common traveler was now complete, though there was no hiding those eyes of his, always on alert.

"We should leave now," he said quietly, eyes still looking away after the earlier incident. "Midday is past. It's best to arrive while the village market is still busy."

"You're... you're not going alone?"

He shook his head, finally his eyes met mine. "No, Your Highness. We go together."