Helping Princess Aspen

He finally found her, laying with her legs in the river. Her face had been scratched by something. She was muttering. He climbed off his horse and approached. She tried to move, but didn't get far. He picked her up and set her on his horse. Her wounds needed some tending. He kicked his horse into a gallop. They rode for a few hours. When they arrived, he climbed off his horse and carried her inside. He removed her cloak and lay her on a bed. Then he carefully removed her clothing. He washed and bound her wounds. Then dressed her in a light night gown.

"Princess Aspen," he said, caressing her cheek. "Where have you been all these years?"

She stirred and tried to roll over. But he set his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back into the bed. She rolled the other direction, smacking his hand away as she sat up. Her feet brushed against the stone floors. Then her hand came up to her face. He caught her hand preventing her from touching the bandaging.

"Princess Aspen," he said.

"My name is Oracle," she replied.

"Then you don't remember me, do you?"

"Remember?"

"It's me, Basil."

"That's impossible," she whispered, placing her face in her hands. The moment she felt the bandage, she tried to pull it off.

"Princess Aspen, don't." Basil caught her hands and pulled them away.

"Why not?!"

"Your eyes have been cut severely, they need to heal."

She stopped fighting and sat still. "How were they hurt?"

"The wounds look like they come from a knife or from the thorns of the Crategus bush."

Oracle nodded slowly before he released his grip. She grabbed his wrist. Following the line of his arm, Oracle felt for his face. She traced the lines on his face. Then her hands dropped as she thought. After several minutes, she pulled her legs up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them.

"Do you remember me now, Princess?"

"It's Oracle," she replied, not moving.

Basil sighed. "Oracle. Tell me. How did you end up in such a state?"

"A fever."

"What brought on this fever?"

She turned her face away and semi buried it behind her arm.

"Okay. Are you hungry?"

She shook her head.

"Then perhaps you would prefer more sleep."

Silently she lay down on her right side and buried her face behind her arms.

Basil left her for a time. He leaned against the hearth in the main hall. Had all this time really made her forget him? Had she really not loved him as he thought she did? It was possible since she disappeared on his birthday so many years ago. Centuries ago. He drew his hand across his mouth. Had his parent's been right? He hadn't thought so.

He left the fire and went to check on Oracle once more. She wasn't in bed anymore, but laying curled on the floor in the small patch of sunlight coming in through the window. He walked to her side, his white cloak waving behind him. He knelt beside her.

"Princess Aspen, what are you doing?"

She didn't respond, but started to shiver.

"Trying to do too much too fast?" he asked.

Picking her up, he carried her out of the sunlight and her shivering increased. He felt for a fever, but didn't find one. He wrapped her up in several blankets, but nothing seemed to help. He nearly panicked as her already pale skin took on a bluish tint.

"You're losing body heat too fast. Here, eat this."

He placed a small, spicy pepper in her mouth then counted to ten as she ate it. No improvement.

'Now what?' he thought.

He had studied herbal remedies for years and Capsaicin was one of the best to help the body regulate itself. Why wasn't it working? He didn't dare take her outside, since it was colder outside than inside the castle, for fear of making it worse. The sunlight would help, but where she was already cold, it may not make that much of a difference.

'There has to be something else,' he thought.

He laid Oracle down and covered her with more blankets before leaving to find something. It took him a little while to find it in his stores. But when he returned to the room, Oracle was gone. Where would she have gone? He hadn't been gone long. He checked the rooms out to the front of the castle. She was outside, but she stood with her back to the castle.

"Here you are," he said.

"Where else would I be?" she asked.

Basil studied her. Her olive green dress was no longer muddy, and he didn't recall her wearing the black cloak when he found her at the side of the river. The wind blew cold and she relished it as if it were a warm summer's breeze. Her shivering had stopped and her color returned.

"How is that possible?" he asked out loud.

Instead of answering, Oracle gave a shrill whistle.

"That sounded like a hawk," he said.

She held out her hand and a hawk landed on it. Stroking it for a moment, the bird was calm then it screeched and bit her hand before flying off. Though the bandage was in place she seemed to watch the bird go.

"Princess Aspen, are you okay?"

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Because that is your name."

"I am called Oracle."

"Is that what they call you now?"

"You act as if you know me, Sir. Who, pray tell, are you?"

"I told you. I'm Basil."

"Basil died centuries ago."

"No. That was my twin brother, Sebastian. I was away on a hunting trip when he passed."

Oracle groaned and knelt on the ground. Black liquid started leaking from behind the bandage.

Basil wanted to take a step forward to help her, but something told him to be still. When the feeling passed, she bolted. He chased her, but like when they were younger, he lost sight of her. Turning West he headed for the nearest Aspen trees. It was in a group of similar trees that he had first found her, and he thought she might go there. But as he searched the trees this time, she would not be there.

'Where could she have gone?… What have I done?'

Turning around he made his way back to the heath. Far to the south, he caught a glimpse of black moving further and further away.

"Where is she going?"

He whistled for his horse then took off after her.

'She was so weak before, how can she be this strong?'

Finally he was able to cut her off and she stopped short. Another wave of pain rippled through her body and she fell. Basil took her back to the castle. Her skin was warm and her body relaxed. He had not been in the castle for five minutes when her body began to shiver and her skin took on a bluish tint once more.

"What is going on? She was just fine."

He wrapped her in some blankets and sat by the fire. In the stillness of the castle, Princess Aspen's voice startled Basil.

"Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me?"

"I'm trying to help you."

"Then take me outside."

"Your pain increases out there."

"If you mean to help me," she said, her shivering increasing, "take me outside."

Picking her up, he hurried outside. The shivering stopped and she fell into a peaceful sleep. The change seemed so weird to Basil. It was colder outside than in the castle, yet she got worse when she was inside. He was also concerned because she hadn't eaten anything in almost a week. He had been able to keep her hydrated, but hadn't gotten her to eat. While he held her a young girl, who helped wash dishes in the castle's kitchen, brought out a bowl with slices of apple in it and Oracle woke up.

"How are you feeling?" Basil asked.

"Better," Oracle replied.

Her hand came up and wrapped around the edge of the bandage. Basil removed her hand and placed a few apple slices in it instead. She sighed and rested her hand on her lap.

"Is something wrong?"

She shook her head then started nibbling on one of the slices.

"Princess Aspen, you're more beautiful than I remembered."

She stopped eating long enough to say, "It's Oracle."

Basil sighed.

She finished the apple slices then walked away a few paces before dropping her cloak. In an instant she was running then she did a cartwheel, tumbled, ending with a perfect aerial.

"Whoa," Basil said, as she picked up her cloak.

"If that's amazing then you've forgotten some things, Basil."

"So you're..." he cut off as Oracle groaned and held her head. Her hands slid to her face and she sank to her knees.

"Princess Aspen," he said concerned, moving to her side.

She curled more. "Be still," she hissed.

A screech caused him to look up. There was the hawk he had seen earlier, but now it had something in its talons. Dropping it, Oracle's hand shot out and caught it. Setting it in the grass, she opened the lid then tilted her hands to let a black liquid run from her hands into the jar. He was fascinated by the way the drops formed. He didn't see the jaguar until she put the lid back on. Startled and afraid he backed away. Basil had grabbed for Oracle's shoulder, but she had twisted just outside his grab, and he missed.

"Thank you, Jaguar," she said softly, stroking the fur. "And the quill?... How far am I?... How is everyone?"

She stroked the jaguar for several more minutes before hugging him. Jaguar wrapped one paw around Oracle and growled softly as he looked at Basil.

"Put the knife away, Basil."

"But..."

"There's already been enough pain today.… Safe journey, my friends, thank you."

Then Jaguar touched her nose to nose and purred loudly.

"As soon as I am able," she said.

Then the jaguar and the hawk took off towards the south. Basil watched them go then turned to her. In her lap was a leather bound book. Her fingers ran over the corners and edges then down along the pages. Picking up the inkwell she held it in her hands moving her thumbs over the intricate designs.

"What's in there?" Basil asked.

"Ink," Oracle replied.

"How did you get it on your hands?"

Before he could stop her, Oracle pulled off the bandage and turned it inside out. There on the bandage, where it had been pressed against her eyes, was black, like the ink she placed in the bottle. She never turned her face or opened her eyes, but simply pulled from her sleeve another strip of cloth to tie over her eyes. Basil knelt in front of her and retied the bandage. He still winced at the gashes and scratches that were around and on her eyes. He would need to add more healing balm soon, but first he needed to see if she would eat some more. Cutting up the rest of the apple, he handed it to her. Oracle's head came up and cocked to one side.

"Storm's coming," she said.

Basil looked at her as if she were crazy. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. She ate the rest of the apple then stood and walked west.

"Where are you going?"

"Shelter. That storm will be here in a few minutes."

"Aspen, there is not a cloud in the sky."

"Fine. Stay here and get rained on."

Then she turned and disappeared into the trees.