Chapter XIII: I only have to say goodbye.

- "Gideon, how is the situation inside the town?"

- "It is just as His Highness predicted, the population is in a state of maximum alert. Despite the fact that they were busy getting their belongings packed, I could feel their distrustful glances piercing the back of my neck despite my disguise."

- "We must then prepare ourselves to wear insignia of peace ahead, I do not want citizens to see us as a threat for any reason." – Just outside the city of Theseus, just thirty minutes away on foot, Prince Remius's small contingent stood guard with all flames extinguished despite the inclement night that was falling on them.

Taking a map that was inside his bag, the prince circled the location of the city, while scrutinizing the trail of blood that his spies had informed him regarding the advance of the coalition army.

- "Then everyone ready, get ready to get on your mounts" - Just at that moment that the prince was willing to get on his steed, a threatening shadow covered the sky like a storm cloud that fell on them in the form of a gust of lightning. arrows.

- "Take cover, we are attacked!" – Raising their shields to create a diamond formation, the soldiers of Remius's contingent strongly resisted that onslaught; of such magnitude, that the surface of the shields with the royal emblem was completely covered by the arrows that were stuck into them.

- "My lord, the camelius are dead!

"Damn it, Gideon! Didn't you tell me there were no Sidelia soldiers in the city?"

- "Your highness, there was not a single soul in the city that belonged to the national army! Much less indication of a backup contingent sent by Kalifuto."

- "Gideon, give the order to the magician to launch the signal to the sky to identify us. I have a hunch" – Giving instructions from a distance, covering himself with his shield, the prince's assistant alerted the wizard to cast a flare spell that could only be seen by the eyes of a particular species.

When the signal was embodied in the sky, the rain of arrows ceased for an instant, giving a break to the prince's men, who felt immense cramps in their arms from holding their heavy shields during the time the threat lasted.

- "Your Highness, we have no casualties among our men. But we have lost all our steeds. Not a single one is left alive."

- "Calm down, Gideon, I'm going to demand compensation from the commander of the garrison that attacked us" – Without warning, a lone arrow crossed the night sky, piercing the prince's armor at the level of his left shoulder.

- "Damn! Squad, surround the prince and protect him!" – With the signal of the faithful assistant, the prince's men formed a circle around him with their shields and spears in front. Awaiting the advance of the distant enemy.

In that sepulchral silence where only the breaths of the combatants resounded in unison, the death scream of a man was heard a few steps away in the gloom of the desert.

Carrying a white banner bearing the emblem of the kingdom of Antioca, a man in black armor walked holding the corpse of an archer who wore the uniform of the siege troops of the kingdom of Sidelia.

- "Are they still alive?" – A male voice with a slightly effeminate accent was heard as he approached Prince Remius's contingent.

With an expression of concealed concern, Lucretius waved the banner as his battalion emerged from the shadows under the faint rays of moonlight.

- "What the hell is going through your head Lucrecio? How dare you attack the prince. Is it that so much is your desire for death that you dance on the edge of the abyss?

- "Lieutenant Gideon, do I strike you as someone who would attack royalty on a whim? Look at the corpse of the Lupus bastard I have dragging around with me. This is the commander of the archer battalion that we just massacred." – Placing his arm around his assistant's chest, Remius ordered Gideon to lower his sword as he made his way through his men to face Baron Lucretius.

- "You have my gratitude, Lucrecio. It seems that they arrived at the opportune moment to suppress our attackers."

- "Your gratitude is undeserved for this humble servant, your highness, I only did as dictated by the duty of a faithful follower of the crown."

- "Then according to your words, Baron. I request that you return the thirty camelius that we lost in the fray just now. Well, I guess it's not a disgrace for someone so devoted to the royal family" – With a sarcastic smile, Prince Remius knew the intentions of Lucretius' heart. Who bit her lips to hide a smile, while clenching her fists behind her back digging her claws into her skin.

Giving an order to a shout, Lucretius placed the mounts lost in combat at the hands of the prince, while trying to withdraw from the place in a hurry.

- "Before Lucrecio leaves, I would like to know how they found out we were here. Was it because of the cease-fire signal?" – With a cold sweat that began to bathe his forehead, the prince felt that his senses were becoming clumsy as he struggled to stay firm on his feet.

- "It was just a lucky coincidence, your highness, my men and I were forming a detachment to enter the city. While we were waiting for the signal from our commander, it happened that I saw the cease-fire signal and understood that something was happening in this direction."

- "Detachment? Who is the commander?

- "I think you already know that I never separated from that man. I don't think it's necessary for me to tell you his name with that said" – Faced with such disrespect, Gideon wanted to throw himself at Lucretius with his drawn sword, being stopped by a weakened Remius. Who could hardly maintain awareness of his body.

- "My Sir! What's wrong with him? – Removing the arrow from the prince's shoulder, the assistant sniffed the metal tip looking for signs of poison in it.

- "Your Highness, this arrow is not the same as the rest. We were certainly attacked by a detachment from Sidelia, but this particular one, its feathers don't match the pattern they use."

- "I know, Gideon. That bloody liar is a lapdog of the Barbosa family. I do not doubt that he was the one who fired the last arrow that hit me squarely."

- "Then why do we allow him to leave? Give me the order and I'll go kill him."

- "Gideon! What is the duty of a sovereign? Answer to me?" – Pausing briefly while gnashing his teeth in rage, the knight lowered his face and exclaimed in a calm tone the answer his lord wanted to hear.

- "A lord must see to the good and safety of his vassals"

- "Exact. The men who are here with us entrusted their lives to me because they believe in me; if I were to act at my own will, their lives would be wasted uselessly. A king should rule for the will of his people, never for his own interest." – Saying those words with a sorrowful expression on his face, the prince collapsed on the sand while his escort gave the order to the troops to find water and a blanket to help him bear the chills.

- "My lord, please! Resist!"

- "Gideon, was there a healer in that city?"

- "I'm sorry my lord, all the mederi that were there were recruited by the army more than two months ago. But…"

- "But?"

- "In the slums there was an improvised clinic, but the person who attended it was a woman. I have never heard of a woman healer in my life, I think she is a charlatan who has taken advantage of the need in that city." – Grabbing him by the arm with his hand with barely any strength, the prince looked into Gideon's eyes and ordered him to go immediately in search of that woman.

Full of skepticism, the servant took one of the camelius and hit the horse's reins hard, beginning its gallop at full speed in the face of the imminent threat of the coalition army's offensive on the city. Meanwhile, with the tumult of people swirling through the streets of the city, a small office remained open with a woman waiting for her partner.

- "Mederi Aurora! Is the clinic still open? – Knocking insistently on the door, a middle-aged woman had her little son tied up in a shawl on her back.

- "Mekley? What are you doing here woman? I thought you had already left the city this morning" – Leaving aside her belongings outside a velis, the doctor took her stethoscope allowing the mother to pass, who had a disconcerted expression of concern.

Placing the child on a table, Aurora proceeded to listen to him, realizing that the infant's ribs were marked with each attempt to breathe, while his lips and fingers were already showing signs of cyanosis.

With the passing of the months and the sudden cut off of supplies to the city, diseases that could be treated in a simple way, became extreme situations where the lives of the patients hung by a thread.

By placing her stethoscope on her left side, the doctor was able to see that the patient had a pneumothorax. With a visible bruise on his lower back, the boy had suffered an accident while moving with his mother through crowds.

- "There are no fractures in the ribs, but your son has a trauma that is compressing one of his lungs. Hold it firmly and whatever happens, don't be afraid; please, trust me." – With tears rolling down her cheeks, the woman nodded, carefully taking her son while placing him in a prone position.

Taking out a handmade needle that she had made with the help of her memories, the doctor spilled a little distilled alcohol on the minor's skin and proceeded with an incision over the intercostal space. Reaching the pleural layer, listening to a slight wheezing sound with which the child's breathing gradually returned to normal.

- "Thank you, Mederi!"

- "Meklei has not finished yet. I need you to keep holding it, I'm going to place a catheter to seal the area."

- "A what?"

- "Forget it, just hold your son." – With the emotion of the moment, Aurora had forgotten that this was no longer the world in which she once lived. Casting his gaze to the ceiling, he thought with a slight feeling of nostalgia for the years of his youth that he dreamed of being a doctor.

- "Okay, it's done. But I need you to stay here with me to monitor your son, at least I want to be sure that his condition does not relapse until my partner arrives" – Feeling a slight pang in her abdomen, Aurora sat on a chair sighing at the same time who was touching his back with an expression of annoyance on his face.

- "Is your baby about to be born yet?"

- "Not yet, there is still a month left until I give birth. But lately these days I have felt these discomforts that do not let me rest well at night "

- "Wouldn't it be better if I saw a mederi?" – Provoking Aurora's laughter, the woman smiled when she saw that this new mother looked relieved in the middle of that disastrous scene of war. Being then, that a stranger knocked on the door, knocking hard as if he wanted to break down the planks.

- "Mederi, do not open!"

- "Calm down Meklei, it may be about Max. Lately he's been more stressed than me with this pregnancy thing. So much so that it seems that he is the one who is going to give birth" – When she opened the door, the smiling expression on Aurora's face changed, experiencing an ominous feeling when she saw those amber eyes that reminded her of the incident in the royal palace.

- "Are you the healer?"

- "Yes, I am. What do you want?" – Regaining her composure a bit, steeling herself with courage, Aurora stood her ground before the threatening figure of that man, whose height almost reached the threshold of the door.

- "Come with me, I don't have time to lose" -Roughly holding her wrist, Gideon pulled the woman's arm to the point that it caused discomfort in her belly.

- "You are a beast! Can't you see that she is pregnant? – Meklei, who until a few moments ago was paralyzed by fear, seeing how the woman who saved her son was treated, did not take into account her own integrity, attacking the soldier's arm.

When Gideon saw those green eyes resting on rosy cheeks with a pained expression, he released his grip on her hand and apologized to the doctor. Being hugged by Meklei, who kept looking down on Melina's proud soldier.

- "Please, my friend has been poisoned and has fallen ill in the desert on the outskirts of the city. I beg you, I need you to come with me" – Kneeling, leaving his honor aside, the faithful Gideon did not estimate his value more highly, preferring to sacrifice his pride for the well-being of his lord with that gesture.

Seeing that act of submission on the part of the Aspirtene, Aurora felt moved with compassion for her vocation as a doctor. But as soon as he was about to give him his hand to follow him, he thought about the fact that this man was an enemy.

- "No, I'm sorry, but I don't have to go with you. You and your people have slaughtered countless villages on the way to this city. If your friend has been poisoned, better pray to the goddess for their salvation, if they are worthy of reaching it" - Upon hearing those words from Aurora's lips, Gideon, blinded by rage, took out his dagger and put it on the girl's neck. woman raising the blade dangerously against her chin.

- "Unlike you, I don't believe in gods or myths. But you know what I do believe? I faithfully believe in the idea that anyone is more cooperative when their lives are at stake." – Feeling Gideon's agitated breathing in her ear, Aurora knew immediately that the man was not lying about cutting her throat if she refused. Fearing more for her son's life than her own, the doctor with her trembling voice begged her to put down the dagger.

- "Okay, I'll accompany you! But please don't do anything to my baby. I swear on my life that I will do everything you ask of me, but allow me to return as soon as I finish curing your friend" – Sensing that Aurora's oath was legitimate, Gideon released her to let her take her briefcase to keep everything she needed to serve the prince.

- "Meklei, if my husband arrives before I return, please tell him not to worry. That I went out to look for the herbalist for some things that I needed"

- "Mederi don't go, I beg you!" – Taking the doctor by her wrist, Meklei's expression was full of anguish at the uncertainty in which her benefactor was. Being comforted by Aurora, who smilingly told her that she would return as soon as she was free and that she would keep an eye on her son until he returned.

Pulling a hood over her head and a diving helmet over her face, Aurora asked Gideon to lead the way to the man who needed medical attention. Shielding her belly from any accidental bumps from the crowd, the young woman felt Gideon's stocky arm around her shoulder as he pushed past the passers-by to make their way.

- "I will keep my promise to protect your life and that of your son, it is better that you keep yours" - The hard expression on the soldier's face contrasted with the fear reflected in his eyes, like the fear of someone at the idea of losing to a loved one. Aurora knew that feeling very well, remembering how she suffered in her childhood to save Maria's life.

How will my mother be? That question hit the doctor's mind with force, feeling guilty about the fact that since that day when Eusebio tore her away, the young woman had left all thoughts of her in the face of the anxiety of surviving in the Rivera mansion.

Helping her onto the mount, Gideon leaped after her, careful not to knock her off her feet, hugging her to his chest in this race against time to save the prince's life.

Using an alternate route to avoid the watchmen of the coalition army's advance guard, Gideon cast a spell on his steed to silence the trot, surprising Aurora, who thought it was just a mere foot soldier.

- "What's wrong woman?"

- "Nothing happens, it's just that I didn't expect him to know how to use magic."

- "This spell is very common for a troop commander. If I wanted to, I could silence the footsteps of a thousand men to carry out an ambush."

- "It's amazing. But that doesn't explain how your friend was attacked if you are such a formidable magician" – With a frown, Gideon clenched his jaw, pulling hard on the rein of his steed. Shuddering Aurora, who preferred to keep quiet the rest of the way so as not to provoke him.

-"We have arrived, I'll help you get down" – In the middle of a sand wasteland, hidden behind immense dunes that covered their positions, the men of the prince's brigade kept guard waiting for Commander Gideon. Seeing him arrive, the lookouts were relieved to see that he had succeeded in bringing in the rumored healer from Theseus's slums.

- "Is this the patient?"

- "Yes, he is" - Prostrate on his cape and covered by a blanket, the prince's face looked pale with clear signs of being in shock. With tremors running through his body to the point of making his teeth chatter, this vigorous gentleman looked so vulnerable that anyone who saw him could bet that he would soon die.

- "Gideon, you brought her"

- "Yes my lord, I have returned with her"

- "Perfect, let her come closer" - With a low tone of voice that could barely be heard as hatred approached his lips, the prince was sooner to give his last breath than to a recovery.

Tearing the fabric of his clothing, Aurora proceeded to check the wound on the prince's body, noticing a pattern of blood vessels with a blackish coloration due to incomplete coagulation.

- "Do you have the weapon with which they wounded him?"

- "Yes, he was wounded with this arrow." -Carefully bringing her nose closer to the tip of the arrow, Aurora began to sniff, seeking to recognize a familiar scent that matched the poisons she had worked with before. Immediately surprised by the coincidences with a scent that seemed distant from his childhood days.

- "This man is not poisoned!"

- "What nonsense are you talking charlatana? It is evident that he is suffering from poisoning."

- "I am telling you that it is not poison with which they attacked him! The scent on the arrow is alcorn root oil, a remedy for ailments used by commoners suffering from mana poisoning. But it's strange, this plant is harmless to nobles, except in the case of a mestizo" - Feeling the cold brush of the sword on her neck, to the point that a light trickle of blood flowed from her skin, Aurora turned her face towards Gideon. Who had an expression of anger with the firm intention of cutting off his head.

- "Gideon, leave her."

-"But my lord! This woman has offended your highness."

- "She has only said what her eyes have seen, there is no lie on her lips that deserves the death penalty. Put down your sword." – Raising her hand to her neck, Aurora felt nauseated and moved away a bit to vomit in panic. While his pupils trembled with cold sweat running down his back.

- "You can heal him"

- "Sorry?"

- "Are you deaf woman? I have asked you if you are capable of curing him."

- "Yes damn unhappy! I can cure him, but if you threaten my life or my son's life again, you will have to mourn your master at his grave. Well, I won't cure him if you dare to put a finger on me" – With her eyes full of determination, Aurora stood up pushing Gideon to get closer to the prince once more.

While taking a small scalpel from his briefcase with which he tore a vein in his right wrist.

- "If you want to live, drink. Only the blood of a mestizo serves as an antidote against the effects of the horn in his mana torrent" – Placing the delicate skin of her doll on Remius's lips, Aurora turned her face while the prince began to drink giving light sucks. Reminding him of the night that Aurora used that same method to save Maximiliano from the injuries caused by the evil Berenice.

As the blood slowly flowed over the shallow cut, the prince's face slightly regained its healthy appearance. While the veins that surrounded his wound began to return to their original state, expelling the clots through muscle spasms.

- "Thank you woman, please tell me your name"

- "My name is Aurora. And if you really want to thank me, please let me go find my husband in the city. We were about to run away when your man arrived at my office and I'm afraid he won't find me there."

- "Take this royal emblem woman, take it with you and look for your husband. With it, I can guarantee you safe passage if you travel towards the east" – At the moment that Aurora was about to take the medallion, the dark sky lit up with a glow as red as the sunset sky. Followed by an explosion that shook the ground with a shock wave that raised a cloud of sand.

- "My lord, the coalition army has begun to attack the city!"

- "That explosion! Where did that explosion occur? Answer me!" – Holding firmly the edges of the collar of Gideon's cloak, the expression on Aurora's face was plunged into agony by the answer she was about to hear from the soldier's lips. Who took her firmly by the shoulders, while struggling to contain her.

- "That explosion came from the area of the slums, near the office where I brought it from"

- "My husband! I have to go back for Max!"

- "Woman reacts! That explosion was an attack from a fifth circle magician. Anything near the blast radius…"

- "What? Reply!" – Keeping a slight silence, Gideon took a breath trying to steel himself for what he was about to say to the woman in his arms.

- "No one survives an attack of that magnitude. The woman, the child and even your husband. They are all dead" – Feeling the strength leave her body, Aurora fainted in Gideon's arms, hearing that the man she loved had perished under the infamous enemy fire.

Being contemplated by Remius, who lowered his face cursing himself for not having been able to stop the advance of the coalition army.