Page 4 of Her Royal Blood

“Can we please get some water?” The woman asked a guard standing outside of our door. “He’s had ficus berry elixir shot in his veins, they could constrict without hydration,” she told him in clinical terms.

“Don’t worry,” she said to me kindly. “I know who you are,” she whispered as she sat down on the ground beside me and propped my head on her knee.

“Nothing for the prisoners,” the guard said without even looking at her.

“You can’t deprive us of water and food,” she said, scolding him. “We won’t be much good to you dead,” she added.

“You’ve had dinner,” he scoffed and remained standing with no intention of fetching anything.

“If you can call a chunk of bread and rancid ale a meal, he slept through it.” I had to hand it to her, this lady had grit. “I’ve heard that our Lord Polonius wants to train able bodied men and women to fight for his army. You’re willing to lose one of the strongest on this ship?” She came at him fighting with logic.

“Isn’t so strong now,” he laughed as he looked at the men guarding other cells.

“Ficus berry elixir packs a punch,” she laughed too. Only her laughter was sardonic and controlled. “It’s a poison that wreaks such havoc on the body it shuts down immediately after being administered. Some don’t survive the first dose. I can see why our Lord Polonius uses it. It’s cheap and effective and who cares if a few of us die?” I wasn’t sure where she was going with her line of conversation, but I trusted her, though I didn’t know her.

“That’s right,” the guard affirmed.

“Well, I think our Lord will care,” she said with a strange confusion. “As it directly contradicts the order to save the strongest.” She shook her head. “I’m a medic. I plan to support his army. I don’t want to see us lose one over something as silly as a Ficus berry overdose. I don’t think Lord Polonius would like hearing that he lost a good one to your stupidity.”

Oh this lady was good.

“Fine. I’ll get him ale just to shut you up.” The guard left our cell and I fantasized about getting up off of the floor and out of the cell so I could kick his teeth in.

I could probably muster enough strength to take a few of them on. Only I wasn’t actually feeling my limbs at that moment and nausea bloomed through my whole body.

“I am a doctor,” she said to me quietly. “The ale won’t do much more than hydrate you a little, but you need whatever you can get. You’re going to be feeling poorly for a few days I’m afraid.”

“I heal pretty quickly,” I told her and thought of Aria.

She could have sped up my recovery with her magic, but she was as far from me as she’d ever been. My heart ached and for one solitary moment I lost the will to go on. I could have died right there and given up, I was that deep in despair.

A few minutes later the door to our cell opened and the guard handed the medic a metal cup.

“That’s all he gets til morning,” the guard said. “Ask for more and I’ll dose you as well,” he threatened as he walked back out of the cell and locked the door behind him.

“Brutes,” the woman said under her breath as she lifted my head and brought the cup to my lips. “Drink this slowly,” she instructed and I did as she asked.

As soon as I had finished the cup, I didn’t feel much better, but I was no longer in such a dire state. I was able to sit up and scoot so that my back was against the wall. I still didn’t have the strength to stand.

“The poison is very rudimentary. It’s a field weapon, something that is cheap and easily accessed. It works fast so if soldiers in battle can crush it into water and either have their victims ingest it or they inject it, the ficus berry will kill in minutes or do as it did with you, knock you out by debilitating your organs and limbs. The good thing is, it’s a simple drug that leaves the body relatively fast. You should be feeling better by morning,” she said as she got up off of the floor and sat back down on the wooden bench.

“Thanks,” I huffed out, still in a dark and desperate state of mind.

I looked around the room to see that I was being housed with soldiers. The other four women were wearing military uniforms. One of the things Aria had been working on with Bindi was creating a unified outfit for the soldiers of Onyx Rah to wear as each battalion had immigrated from different troops around Tobran. Their fatigues were varied and reflected the kingdoms they came from.

Most, I noted, were from Navarrah City. The women looked at me and nodded their recognition, but didn’t say anything so as not to alert the guard who we had already angered. Imagine what fun he’d have taunting if he knew I was a prince of Navarrah City. It was then that true depression set in. Iwas trapped and couldn’t protect Aria or help her and at that moment, I was of no use to my family either. Aria was mine, and I was losing her. Granted I knew that there would come a day when I’d see Polonius fall either by my hand or hers, but until that day she’d to endure him and that cut me to the core. I had to know more about what was happening so I could strategize.

“The prisoners in the other cell mentioned Polonius getting married.” I didn’t want to know why I had to hear the horrible details again, but I was trying so hard to come to terms with them.

“Yes,” the medic, whose name I hadn’t even asked, said. “At sunset. There will be a magical projection in the sky over all of Tobran. There was a similar projection last night, where Polonius addressed all of Tobroan. Polonius and Queen Aria announced that they’d be joining their kingdoms and getting married the next day. The queen of Onyx Rah said nothing, but Polonius spoke for her. He also mentioned a bounty for the capture or killing of the Redveign royals who have gone missing.” She gave me an empathetic look, knowing she was talking about my family.

“He put a bounty on their heads?” I asked, shocked to hear that he was planning on having my whole family killed.

“He said they posed a violent threat to his rule. The Redveigns have been made public enemy number one. Queen Nadine of Angeline Falls and The Lupine Coalition both surrendered to Polonius this afternoon, but Navarrah City declared war and Lady Halo and her siblings have gone missing.” She leaned her head back against the wall. “It was supposed to be a new beginning for all of us.”

I could feel the despair in her tone and my heart hurt. Aria had wanted to give them all a new beginning and a place to call home. Polonius not only stole her kingdom, but he stole all of their hope.

“This war isn’t over,” I assured her.

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