Promise - Epilogue

It was several days before I awoke to the singing of birds. Sunlight flooded through the room's window. I struggled to a seated position on the bed, the pain remaining present all over my body.

One of the attendants heard my shuffling, as she hurried to my side and forced me to lay back down, summoning the doctor to my side. He looked down at me cautiously, a slight smile forming on his lips. "You should stay down. It will take your body a while longer to fully recover from the damage that poison has done."

"Poison? But the King... the antidote..."

The doctor raised a finger to his lips. "The King is recovering well. There was enough of the antidote left over after his treatment to at least stop the spread of the poison within you. Your body will heal with time, although the pain may never fully subside. For now... be happy to be alive."

I nodded. The doctor and attendant left the room, closing the door behind them. I forced myself to my feet, retrieving my clothing and equipment from the bedside chair. I dressed quickly and quietly, listening for anyone approaching. After what seemed like hours of nothingness, I pulled my cloak's hood over my head and made my way out of the door.

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As I walked slowly through the woods, fighting the strong winds and my body's protests, the feeling of being watched flooded over me. My hand instinctively reached for my sword's hilt, before a gentle hand came to rest on my shoulder. I allowed my body to relax as I turned to face Amelia, concealed again in drab, nondescript garb.

"I came here to think... I didn't imagine seeing you here," she said, pulling me into a gentle embrace. "But I'm glad that you are here."

Needles shot through my body with the contact, but I ignored them. Pain had never felt so reassuring. "I didn't expect to have the opportunity to enjoy these woods again. Especially not with you."

She allowed herself to laugh lightly. "Well, you'll have plenty of time while you rest. The doctors mentioned that it would take quite some time for you to heal."

I shook my head. "I'm not staying."

Her head tilted to the side, a puzzled look spreading across her face. "What do you mean? The doctors at the castle are the best in the country. You must stay."

I placed a hand on each of her shoulders and stared deeply into her exhausted eyes. Even after the struggles of the past days, her beauty left me scrambling for words. "I... I can't stay. Not.. Not anymore. This isn't my place. You're going to be a vital part of the recovery of this kingdom. You and your future husband have a long road ahead. My presence isn't needed for that." I let go of her shoulders and turned away.

"Wait..."

I stopped and turned to face her. "Yes, Princess?"

"You're not getting out of your promise that easily."

I quizzically raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

She smiled. "I've discussed it with my father... We'd like you to stay. He'd like to reinstate your knighthood and give you command of his army, to protect the kingdom from something like this happening ever again."

I shook my head. "Princess..."

She stopped me with a hand. "We also discussed the idea of my arranged marriage... Rodrigo's attack is reason enough to call it off. My brother will instead be coming back into the country and taking over the ruling of the kingdom while my father is ill and likely beyond."

"The Duke is a good man... He'd be a good husband and king. You shouldn't allow that opportunity to slip by."

Amelia grabbed my hands. "Yes, I care for him, and he is a good man, but so are you..."

I smiled back at her weakly. "Don't worry about me... Do what's best for you and your kingdom."

"I did what was best for me and my kingdom years ago... Under these trees... I made my own promise... I made the promise to stick by your side and love you, just as you did for me." She pulled me to her, kissing me lightly on the lips. "I intend to keep that promise."