Chapter 5 ~ Who are you?

Who are they??? lol

First I felt. Nothing in particular, just felt. I felt the hard ground beneath me. I felt the breeze blowing my clothes. I felt a warm hand resting on my cheek. I felt my hand being warmed by another wrapped around it. I felt a twig digging into my lower back. Then I smelled. I smelled the air. I smelled the clean forest air. I smelled the crispness. I smelled blood. I smelled dirt. Then I heard. I heard the wind rustling threw the trees. I heard murmuring. A deep male voice. Then I saw. My eyelids opened. My vision was blurry but I could make out the blueness of the sky and the frame of the trees. I realized my lungs were burning and I needed to breath. I took a gulp of air and my vision cleared. Another breath.

I realized what had happened and what I needed to do. I turned my head slightly and caught sight of Jeric. His eyes bolted open and he jumped back. Stunned and afraid, he simply stared.

"Jeric..." I said softly. My meore was low. If I didn't get warm, I would die, forever this time. "Jeric, I need to get..." I lost my voice. I swallowed and pulled in another breath. "warm."

He stared. "You were dead. I know you were."

I looked at him. "Jeric..." My voice was gone, I swallowed, I opened my mouth to speak but my mind was going fuzzy. I focused hard, using all my energy for one word. "Please." My vision faded. I was surprised when I didn't go unconscious. I was fading but slowly. I felt arms loop under my legs and around my waist. Jeric was carrying me. In my daze I smiled. I felt safe.


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I woke up lying on my back, there were heavy clothes wrapped around me. I felt stronger, obviously my meore was replenishing itself. My first sight was of the stars. I stared then turned my head slightly to look around for Jeric. I was surprised as I saw him shirtless staring into the fire. I raised an eyebrow. "Jeric. Where's your shirt?"

He looked over at me in surprised then stood. He strode over and knelt down beside me. His expression was emotionless. Then it changed to a grin almost. I was still extremely aware of his shirtless chest, and the muscled frame that accompanied it. I looked up to his face. "What happened to your shirt?"

He smiled slyly. "You're wearing it." I gave him a confused look and he continued. "You were so cold. Dead cold. I didn't know how to get you warm so I carried you a ways down the road looking for a camp site. Then I came across this point and built a fire. But you still wouldn't warm so I gave my all the clothes I had and set you close the the fire."

I stared up at him. All the clothes he had? I looked away into the fire. My brain was still working slow. Everything took a second longer to process.

He spoke. "Jameel. You were dead. Of that I'm sure. Would you like to tell me the truth? Why'd you try to kill the king?"

I sighed. "That is a long story." I stared into the fire, watching the embers crack.

"More importantly why didn't you?" He continued, ignoring my comment.

"That is an even longer story." I laughed, I felt as if I drank one too many glasses of Ale.

He put a hand on my shoulder and I turned to look at him. "I saved your life. I deserve to know."

I sighed, contemplating all the reasons he didn't deserve to know. I thought back to Bassian custom. I grinned slightly. "In Basia, when someone saves your life, they have the right to ask one thing of you. You must complete this request before your life is yours again. Is this your request Jeric?" I asked amused that I was in this predicament. But I must obey the Gods. They are the life givers and the life takers.

He nodded.

I didn't have to tell him as much as I would but give generously and the Gods will repay.

I began, hoping that maybe the payment would come in the safe keeping of my father.

"19 years ago, a year before the king had his youngest son, when the King of Kale was strong and his reign stretched from the shores of the East to the far mountains of the West, the King hired a helper, someone to help him with the day to day managing of the Kingdom. This man was named Nathanial. Nathanial had served the King for 6 months when the King sent Nathanial on a special mission. A mission to Basia. To ascertain information about the land and it's inhabitants.'

"So Nathanial boarded a ship with a loyal crew and sailed across the sea to the forbidden land. After four days of sailing there was a great storm and the ship capsized. Nathanial was the only survivor. He clung to a broken piece of wood, drifting for three days. When finally he caught sight of land. He swam for solid ground. When he was able to stand he took in his surroundings. It was a tropical forest lining the sandy beach. He explored for two days eating what he could find. He fell sick, ate poison fruit most likely. He soon lost the strength to stand and collapsed. Assuming he would die." I swallowed and looked into the fire.

"He was rescued by the Queen of Basia. Queen Jameel." I looked back at him. "Queen Jameel had a daughter named Tira. Tira nursed Nathanial back to health. They fell in love. One year later they were wed, making Nathanial the Prince of Basia, Prince by marriage. Two and a half years later Tira became pregnant. 9 months later she had a daughter whom they named Rasha. The night Rasha was born Queen Jameel died. In their grief they added a name to their daughter's, naming her Rasha Jameel. This child grew for 10 yrs in the lush comfort of Bassian Palace. Ten weeks before her eleventh birthday Queen Tira and her husband King Nathanial decided it was time Nathanial complete his mission and go back to Kale to report his findings.'

"They made the trip as a family. A week later Nathanial approached the King and told him his story. At first the King was overjoyed, but as Nathanial began to tell him about how advanced the Bassian civilization was the King became weary, he was not about to give up any power to Basia. He ordered the Queen murdered at a public execution. Queen Tira was drowned before her young daughter Rasha and her husband Nathanial." I felt my throat tighten, I saw my mother thrashing in the water. I saw my father crying and calling out to her. I saw my mother go limp. I shook my head and returned to the present, refusing to let tears well up. "Rasha and Nathanial were thrown into prison to serve a life sentence. They escaped 2 months later with the help of a sympathetic guard. Then they ran. They went into hiding for 4 yrs." I stared hard into Jeric's eyes. "He killed my mother before my eyes, then locked me away. That's why I'm going to kill him. Because he's an evil man."

Jeric stared. "uh... wow. So you're a..."

"I'm the princess of Basia yes." I said staring into his eyes.

We were silent for a long while. Jeric contemplating what he'd just heard. My mind wandered back to the men that had killed me. As I replayed the scene in my head I realized those men weren't after me. They were after Jeric. He wasn't just a simple foot soldier, but if not that, then what? I thought through the possibilities. He had great skill with a sword, he was cocky. Most likely he had a high position in the army. But that still left the question of why he had men coming to kill him.

"What does all that have to do with you coming back to life?" Jeric's voice interrupted my thoughts.

I looked at him. "Bassians have a pocket of energy hidden behind their heart, we call this meore. This energy is dormant most of the time, but anytime we get hurt our meore goes to work for us. Healing our wounds faster, and more efficiently. In normal circumstances, Bassians don't have any scars." I said sitting up. I tried to peel the layers of clothing that now felt suffocating. Jeric stood and helped my pulled his cloths over my head. He put the cloths back on himself. I stood. Refastening my front lacing of my bodice. I looked down at my cloths. A deep red tunic that was fitted to my small frame, it laced up at the bust, tight leggings that came mid calf, followed by soft footed shoes. I looked up and stretched myself above my head yawning.

"You said Bassians don't have scars." He said curiously.

I turned to face him, knowing why he was asking that question. "Unless of course the blade is dipped in pure gold. Gold leaves scars on Bassians. The King did this to mark me. As the accursed half child. Another reason I'm going to kill the king." I said with a touch of sarcasm.

He looked at me sternly. "You keep saying you will, but you had the chance and didn't."

I kept my gaze steady, remembering perfectly why I didn't. I remember the reason I didn't kill the king, I remembered his green blue eyes. His perfectly tan skin. His hair that reminded me of the sand on the shores of Basia. I remembered the way I felt toward him, I remembered why I didn't kill the king. But that wasn't a bridge I was ready to cross. "Later. But it seems to me you have some explaining to do yourself."

His look turned from stern to impenetrable. "I don't know what you mean."

I gave a short laugh as a smile touched my lips. "Jeric. Those men weren't after me. Which means you have to be a little more than just a foot solider. And besides that, you have too much skill with a sword. They don't train expendables. So tell me. Who are you Jeric?"

He stared coldly. "I am a simple foot solider. Who's father was a sword master."

I cocked my head to one side. "Come now Jeric. I told you my story now it's your turn."

He shook his head. Then met my eyes, and with a sad smile said. "I am the King's youngest son. Prince Jeric."

I stared, I'd given myself up to the king's son. I turned and ran.

Author's Note

ignore the weird diff color text. It won't fix. I've tried. lol