The Talons of a Dar Heart

Chapter 10

The generals bowed before Gareth, their words of condolence seemed muted and the world moved in slow motion. The generals signaled to the rest to continue on home.

"Could he be alive?" Talyis begged the warriors that rode on somberly, their horses towered over her.

"Not likely and if he was, he won't last in this storm," one of warriors replied.

"Why didn't you search for him? He is your prince!" Talyis couldn't stop the words from flowing out in desperation. She couldn't allow herself fathom that Novak was gone.

"We couldn't find him," the warrior repeated. His men nodded in agreement. "We all would have died if we stayed in this storm. It is what he would have commanded us to do." The generals bowed and made sincere apologies to Gareth, who was stunned as Talyis. Novak, who had been just like a little brother, was gone.

"Gareth-" Talyis's voice broke through his frozen state. "Gareth, we have to find him."

"What?" Gareth responded blankly.

"Please, help me find him. I will not do this again. I won't let my chance pass." Talyis clutched at his arm, great anguish and desperation flooded her face.

"It's too dangerous. It's probably too late." Gareth made the standard protests with no great feeling, emotional exhaustion had overtaken him, and he was lost in grief.

"Then I will go alone. I will not make the same mistakes. I'm not afraid," Talyis said. "Regardless of his commands, how could they leave their master to freeze to death?"

"Talyis," Gareth snapped back to reality and tried to dissuade her. "He probably fell in battle. They wouldn't have returned otherwise."

"Gareth, he's the green-eyed boy. I love him, Gareth. I need to tell him I love him!" she shouted and her body shook wildly. "I am going to find him. He may be alive and need help. I am going, with or without you." Her feet began walking towards the castle. She was fierce in her determination.

"Wait!" Talyis kept walking. Gareth growled in frustration and jumped on his horse. When he caught up to her he said, "I will go with you."

Talyis smiled slightly despite her determination and took his offered hand to mount his horse. "Gareth, we have to hurry."

***

It was a macabre tableau of red and white, composed of the partially snow-covered dead. Appendages of the horses stuck up from the snow, jagged, bloody sticks rising from the white covering.

"Talyis," Gareth said gravely. "I don't think we will be able to find him." The snow whipped around them and frigid gusts slapped their wind-burnt faces.

"Novak!" Talyis called, jumping off the horse.

She clawed at the snow around the body, clearing off the faces of men frozen in agony. Nothing about the display of war was romantic or glorious, and all the achievements of rank were void in death. She hunted blindly, calling for Novak until her voice was hoarse. The wind continued to blow a white screen of snow, giving illusions to what was moving in the snow and what was dead. Her burning fingers cleared snow from bodies she jumped to and fro from each headless body to limbless bodies, her desperation growing by the second.

"Gareth," she cried and her voice was carried away by the wind. "Did all these men die in the battle?" She looked around at the bodies unable to fully comprehend the reality of war - bodies were everywhere. War was suddenly so real to her; she had thought of it only in theory and discussions of ideals in her studies as a youth.

Gareth admired her strength to stay calm in seeing such a display and respected her more for her steadfastness to find Novak. "Yes," as he uncovered a body wearing the official garments of Onor, he quickly covered the body up with snow and took over digging for Talyis at her side. "Princess, your hands will freeze, let me. Keep calling him; look for anything moving in the snow."

"I don't care, Gareth, I have to find him." She continued her search and ignored Gareth's attempts to shield her from "dirty" work. She stopped and stood very still suddenly and tried to convince herself that she had heard a noise. "Novak!" she cried.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw snow shifting and turned and ran towards it. She heard rustling and began to dig frantically. The cold burned her skin and it felt as though her fingers turned into icicles, daring her to stop. She saw the blue and red jacket barely keeping him warm and called out for Gareth as she brushed the snow from Novak's prostrate body. Gareth was stunned, then gathered his wits and helped pull his prince up.

By gods, she found him. This love is truly of twisted fate,

Gareth thought, astonished, as he struggled to lift Novak's body.

Talyis panic finally broke her resolve, she screamed, "He's bleeding Gareth!"

"Calm down, Talyis," Gareth said sharply. "You need to be calm or we will share his fate in this storm."

Gareth pulled Novak's almost lifeless body up and over his shoulder, struggling as his feet battled for balance in the deep snow. Talyis jumped about like an untrained pup, trying to frantically care for him as he walked was no help. The princess was desperate, he prayed they would be able to save the prince.

He carried Novak back to his horse and braced his body upright. "Gareth, help me strip his shirt," Talyis commanded, strength back in her voice. He complied and together they managed to remove Novak's armor and tunic. Gareth raised his eyebrows but said nothing as Talyis removed her own ruined tunic and threw it next to Novak's. She put her coat back on and mounted the horse.

"Gareth, put him between us. We'll keep him warm together." Her teeth chattered. Understanding her goal, he placed Novak on the horse in front of Talyis and she wrapped her arms and coat around him, pressing her body -- with his child in it -- against him in a life-giving hug. Gareth jumped on his horse in front of the lovers and galloped back to the castle.

He rode his horse right into the castle hall. Delia had arrived as instructed by the generals and rushed to him. She both admonished Gareth for going into the storm and thanking him for coming back in one breath. The watchtower guard came and helped Gareth carry Novak to his bedchamber. Delia immediately started the fires. Talyis ordered the remaining guards to board up the windows to prevent the wind from chilling the room.

"Luv, he doesn't look too good," Delia whispered to Gareth trying not to draw Talyis's attention. She removed her sewing kit and branding sticks from her bag.

"Take care of him, Delia," Gareth said quietly, trying not to disturb Talyis, who was frantically trying to warm the room for Novak, ordering the guards around her.

Delia snapped her fingers to get her attention. "Pige, I've got to heal him or else he'll go to the in the underworld. Brace his heart, Luv."

Talyis nodded, disrobed, and laid across his chest trying to warm his frozen, stressed heart as Delia began to thread her needles. Gareth brought over a bottle of strong spirits and doused the wicked stab wounds that frothed white and bubbled more blood to the surface. Delia gently examined his deep wounds, then motioned to Gareth and he brought over a slender white-red hot iron stick.

Delia cauterized the injuries and Novak thrashed under the sizzling treatment. His vibrant jade-green eyes dulled to a grey, staring blankly at the ceiling as he hovered between two worlds. He groaned deeply as Delia seared another wound, then his breathing settled to a shallow wheeze. Talyis tried to hold back her tears as she feared he was slipping from her.

Gareth watched, both puzzled and heart-broken as Talyis cradled Novak's face, tenderly soothing him as each wound to his once perfect body was melted closed. She kissed his face, her tears of anguish falling from her face onto his. Gareth sat beside his wife as she carefully began to stitch the less-life threatening wounds closed. The tormented grunts stopped and Talyis was about to panic when Delia assured her he was merely unconscious.

"Keep warming his body with yours, Pige," Delia instructed quietly as she cleaned up the operating area around them and placed piles blankets over the couple. "Gareth and I will stay in the other chambers." She wished she could say that everything would be okay now, but she didn't want to make false promises.

Talyis was exhausted from the search, the surgery and the baby in her belly was urging her to sleep, but she could not. Delia snuck into the chamber and put coals at the foot of the bed to help warm them. Through the night Talyis held Novak as tightly as she could, trying to calm his violent shaking and trembling. The wind whistled outside, matching Novak's own hoarse breathing. Talyis held him so closely that her own pulse beat loudly in her ears. His body was so cold it chilled her own. She worried that her own heat was not enough and prayed silently, urging his faint heart to follow hers.

***

Morning light broke through the cracks of window boards, casting prisms of light onto the walls. The smell of cold sleet mixed with the damp wood. Talyis stretched lazily as if in a dream, then turned to Novak and pressed her ear to his chest. His heart beat was stronger than the night before. She sighed with relief. She carefully slipped out of the bed, hunger was calling her to care for her baby. She replaced the dying embers with hot coals in the bed warmer at Novak's feet. She found more blankets to warm him before she tip-toed out to the kitchen to eat.

"Aie, Pige!" Delia clucked as soon as she opened the door to the kitchen. "Go back to bed, you need your rest." Delia was already preparing food for the day. She gave Talyis a bowl of broth and a piece of bread and turned her around by her shoulders, shooing her out. "Go on."

"Delia, I cannot-" Talyis objected.

"No more about our food, you are here now. Try a bit, I bet the babe doesn't mind it at all. She'll probably love it."

"Thank you, Delia." Talyis gave in. Delia started humming as she resumed her tasks. Talyis stood in the doorway dipping her bread in the yellow liquid. "Delia, can I sit with you please?" Talyis asked shyly.

"You may, your majesty." Delia bowed fancily and grinned from ear to ear.

"I am no longer a princess." Talyis frowned and sat at the table where Delia busily chopped carrots and chives.

"Not of Onor, but an Aricin Princess, and a good one too, I might add," Delia said.

"Delia," Talyis pleaded. "Please, not today." She played with her broth, as she brooded over her promise to herself to wait and not confess her love until Novak had recovered. The possibility that he could easily reject her weighed on her. "I am nothing here."

"Praghhh!" Delia scoffed.

Talyis rolled her eyes at Delia who replied with a happy giggle. Talyis tried to crack a small smile but gasped and grabbed the side of her stomach. Her heart pounded nervously, wanting more than ever for everything to be all right. The baby kicked again. She closed her eyes and prayed that everything would be alright and she would not have keep her promise to depart the world.

"Eat! You are too small for a pregnant woman. Eat, eat!" Delia barked.

"I thought you said, 'get back to bed,'" Talyis reminded her.

"That too," she grinned and laughed. "How's our Novak doing?"

Talyis sighed. "He's sleeping; he shivered and trembled all night. And when he was lucid, he moaned all night about his horse."

Delia walked over to a pot simmering on one of the open fire pits. She uncovered it and the smell almost made Talyis want to vomit. Delia covered her own nose with her skirt as she stirred the concoction and quickly covered it.

"It's almost done. When it is, you'll give him a cup of this and make him drink it." Delia instructed, and Talyis gave her a look. "You be sweet and he'll drink it. You are his long lost luv, aie?"

"I don't know who would want to drink that," Talyis said, "nor that Novak would listen to what I say anyway."

A loud moan of exasperation bounced off the stone wall. "Well, get to it, princess," Delia said as she removed the lid from the pot. She poured a cup of the dark, putrid liquid.

Talyis took the drink, holding her breath as she climbed the stairs to Novak's rooms. He was sleeping but moaning in pain. She sat on the bed and lifted the drink to his lips, whispering to him to relax and drink. He sipped at the drink. She smiled as his brows furrowed at the first taste. It must have tasted as bad as it smelled -- like old cured meats that sweat and fish slime. She urged Novak to finish the entire cup, if only so that the smell would be gone. He did, too weak to argue, and quickly fell back into a deeper sleep.

She delicately took the salve that he had applied to her and dabbed the gel to his swollen knuckles, the bruises on his face, and his cauterized incisions. She enjoyed listening to the rain patter outside. Then the storm clouds rolled in as it seemed like each roar of thunder came ever closer to her inside the castle. The rain poured hard and then at last ebbed into a drizzle. A light wind made the naked branches scrape against the boards of the windows.

On the fourth day, Novak finally woke up strong and well but still muttering angrily about his departed stallion. Talyis happily snuck out of bed when he awoke, more so to avoid confessing than to help Delia prepare the medicine. Gareth instead sat with his ornery friend, dressing his wounds and kept him occupied during the morning hours.

"What happened?" Novak demanded, his voice still hoarse from non-use.

"Calena had always planned to siege our kingdom." Gareth told him, "and other sources have said that the remaining Onor joined forces with the Navapa."

Novak nodded absently and memories of the battle rushed into his mind. "Yes, there was a small army of the Onor. And the man Delia described that was inquiring about our kingdom while we were taking the princess was with Calena"

"Yes. About that, Novak...." Gareth squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. "What is your plan for the Talyis?"

"Send her away!" he growled. "I do not want to ever lay my eyes on her again. She has never changed and has actually become just as treacherous as her father. There was a reason why he bargained his life for hers. He knew how vile she was. Where is my horse?"

"Novak, you can't mean that." Gareth stared at him, then sighed, remembering how Novak had fought with his soldiers so as not to fulfill his bargain to the letter

Novak chewed on his lip, he still couldn't bring himself say it. "It should have been done. You shouldn't have bended to my whims."

Talyis cleared her throat and entered the room. She had heard everything as she stood behind the doorframe. Afraid to draw any more attention to herself, so took careful steps towards the bed.

"Here." She handed Novak the cup, her hands shaking.

"Get out!" Novak yelled at her, she jumped and stuttered to begin her confession. "Get out!"

"I am sorry, Novak. I meant to tell you-" She didn't get to finish her confession of love-again.

"The sight of you repulses me. I hate you, Talyis of Onor. Get out, you are a wicked girl and you have only brought destruction on my people and me." Novak face reddened and his eyes flashed at her.

"Yes, your majesty," She said, dumbfounded. She quickly turned to leave the room. Her wits were strung so tightly she felt as if a single pluck would pull them all apart. She leaned against the stone hallway walls that cooled her back and listened in on the men.

"Novak, you shouldn't treat her that way," Gareth admonished vehemently and paced about the bed like a lion. "She's been taking care of you since we've found you. Everyone had left you for dead, but she insisted on finding you."

"Gareth, it was my weakness that started all of this," Novak said darkly. "We should have killed off the Onor as our people wanted and deserved. We should have killed the King and his daughter. He wanted to kill his own daughter himself, but instead he got us do the dirty work. My weakness was a grave mistake that I couldn't kill her and instead I brought her here. I lured a cat to the home of mice."

Tears streamed down Talyis's face. Her heart seemed to stop. Her people were finished. What was left of the Onor army had died on the mountain side. Her father truly did hate her and she had loved him so much. She had driven Novak and her father away, she was the cause of her mother's death. Novak was right, she had brought on so much destruction herself.

He had bargained to kill her, her father had traded his life for hers. The line of her people had depended on her becoming queen, and her father would rather the line die out than die himself. Every chance to please her father, every victory she won in her studies, continuing the gentleness of her mother, had been returned void. Every attempt to make up for her fatal and selfish mistakes were futile. Her entire body felt heavy and weightless at the same time. Her ultimatum ran strongly through her mind. She ran out of the castle and towards the woods as fast as she could. Her feet splashed in the mud that was left from the melting snow.

***

"King Anorich was an evil soul that cared not for his people but himself. So much for himself that he would have us kill his own daughter," Novak went on. "Anorich did not love his own daughter. Yes, he was a ruthless man, but if his own daughter was not so dangerous then why would he want her dead? Do you know that she caused the death of her mother?" Novak ranted on, debating with Gareth.

"What lies have you told yourself over the last month at war?" Gareth demanded furiously. "She has changed, even since the day we plucked her from her bedchambers. Even before we came, I don't believe she was the spoiled princess she was. You've seen it yourself."

"She's selfish, Gareth! She would have ruled like her father, and probably wiped us out and countless other kingdoms." Novak spat intensely.

His chest rose and fell fast until he calmed himself. Weak now that he had vented his anger Novak sighed heavily. The red flashing through his mind subdued and he began to remember how he wanted everything to be right between Talyis and himself. How he had mdae love to her and cared for her while she slept at night fighting nightmares. He recalled trying to give her the best that he could while marrying Calena for his countries sake.

For his countries sake, he had sacrificed so much for the Aricin, he wanted to apologize and give her a chance to live in peace but, she spat at him, dishonored his dead parents and she did not let him speak a word edgewise. She had done the same thing right before his escape from Aricin as a boy.

Novak growled, "I meant to make things right by the girl but-"

"Novak, I don't think you know what you are saying," Gareth said. "Talyis was the one who found you. Your men left you to die in the snow and bleed to death. When she heard you were dead, she insisted we find you even if she had to by herself."

"That means nothing." Novak pouted.

Gareth scoffed, "Means nothing? She is a mere slave and she was determined to find you with or without help. And she did find you, and nursed you back to health."

"What's that supposed to mean, that the wench loves me?" Novak snorted and rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"Yes! It does mean that she loves you," Gareth told him, eyes flashing. "She has always loved you. Your acerbic heart has blinded your eyes from seeing the truth about Talyis. Your revenge twisted your mind and caused you to hurt your true love. It will be incredibly hard to take it back. To earn her forgive--"

"I tried to apologize!" Novak exclaimed defensively.

"Novak, you are missing the point," Gareth said in frustration. "We- you- You were so intent on taking her. Do you know who she was thinking about that night in the woods?"