The Expedition III

"Where did this young lad come from and how did he get here?" A hoarse voice came from the entrance asked.

Zagan had already passed out and didn't even hear what these strange people were saying. Maybe they were the angels of God and had come to take him to the heavenly bliss.

"I have no idea. I just left this place for a minute and didn't even see him come in." Another voice replied. Now, this voice was not hoarse; in fact, it sounded more gentle and calm compared to the first voice. Although she was a girl she was dressed in a warrior suit making her look strong yet elegant.

"Where are the guards? How come they let him in without permission?"

"I'll go look for them. They must be at their post."

"Let it be. I'll go. You just stay here while I check on the guards. Who knows? It might be dangerous."

"You know I handle danger perfectly Father." then a chuckle followed. The man didn't say anything and just strolled out of the room.

The sound of the door opening and shutting was heard and a maiden that looked like she in her early twenties, unhurriedly walked up to Zagan and studied his appearance. He was putting on his maroon robe which was the same one he was wearing at the top of the mountain and the same one he wore for the grand master's welcoming.

"What a strange outfit." she murmured but as she looked further, she saw that this beautiful yet strange robe of his, was torn at his side. The color of his robe made it difficult for the maiden to know that Zagan was badly wounded but when she squinted her eyes, she realized that this young lad was seriously injured. She struggled to help him up a white mat which was placed at the center of the spacious room.

When she tore his robe, she saw the deep wound which looked like it was caused by an arrow. It was obvious that it was infected because the young lad was already burning up. She used a scarf to hold her hair up, then squatted in front of Zagan. Thankfully, she knew a little about medicine.

After examining the wound, she ran out of the room into her personal herbal vine then took some herbs and rushed back to the room where Zagan laid. She cleaned his wound with a clean cotton pieces of cloth which she brought along then applied some herbs on his wound. She then wrapped his wound with a clean cotton clothe and laid him properly.

Her hands were so swift and skilled. She did everything properly, without making even the slightest mistake.

In all this while, Zagan did not lift even a finger. In fact, he didn't wince in pain rather, his body laid lifelessly on the mat.

"How in heavens did he get here? And where did he come from?" She muttered.

After arranging his body properly, she was about to go back to her initial position but when she looked at his face which she didnt pay attention to initially, she stared longingly at it yearning to see what his eyes would look like. His carton brown, long hair was alluring, his long lashes fell on his cheek and his brows were arced in a manner she had never seen. His nose was long and slightly pointed, his peach colored lips were slim but not as slim as that of her race. She also looked at his eyes which were closed and stared at his huge eye bag which were dark. Although his skin color was not as light as hers, it too wasn't dark as well so it was easy for her to know that his eye bags were darker than usually.

"He must have gone through a lot of stress."

She extended her hand and touched every path of his face which looked strange yet familiar to her.

"Why does he look strange yet so familiar?" She couldn't help but wonder. Suddenly, she heard the sound of numerous footsteps and realized that it must be her father and the guards when she tried to get up, something clung to her necklace.

The position she was in right now was not good and if her father and the guards were to meet her like this, she would have a lot of explanation to do and her father would probably start searching for the perfect suitor for her.

She didn't pay attention to what clung to her necklace instead, she quickly took off her necklace and placed it in the sleeping boy's robe then swiftly stood straight and just as she did that, her father came in. 'Phew! That was close.'

"Did he wake up already?" He asked with his voice calmer than the first time. The young maiden shook her head in denial. Her father looked at the guards and indicated that they take him away.

When the maiden saw this, she quickly stopped them. "Wait! Father, I think he needs to rest a little longer. He's badly injured and besides, he looks harmless. I'm sure he's just lost and needs somewhere to stay for a while. Once he gets better, I'll make sure he goes back to where he came from even if it means that I'll have to take him to the border."

At the sound of this, her father's face did not show any sign of reluctance.

"You cant tell who is harmless or not just by looking at the person's face. But just three days. I give you three days. If he isn't up by then, I'll be left with no choice but to send him away."

Judging from her capabilities in medicine, she would be able to make the lost boy better in just a day so she was delighted by her father's words even though she didn't know why.

This young lad will not only get better but would also have a few days to rest. What a lucky lad!

Her father stared at her obviously confused as to why she had taken up interest in this lost and strange looking boy. But seeing her excitement which was rare, gave him a sense of happiness. She was a girl who liked to try out new thing so, he thought the poor boy was going to be her next experiment.

A voice came from the door. "King George, the ministers are waiting for you."