A Quick Regret

“Water! Bring me water! Wizard, come here at once!” his commanding voice could be heard throughout most of the camp.   

The Wizard stopped his eye rolling as the witch pouted about the soldier that ran away and went into the tent.  

Seeing the stranger covered in leaves and bruises he sucked in his breath.  

“What happened sir, that she ended up in such a state? I will apply some salve to her cuts and those nasty bruises, it will take a day or two for them to subside.” Shaking his head, he reached in to his robe and pulled out a small metal jar.  

Reaching up with his hand to the wizard, Nikolas didn’t take his eyes off Ally.  

“Nay, I will apply it, tis again, my fault for not watching the lass more closely. More scouts came upon her wandering in the woods. Pray now she realize the situation and not stray far from camp. War is not to be taken lightly.” He took the salve the wizard handed him as he explained what happened.

Applying the honey like concoction on the abrasions on her face and chest, he didn’t want to open her robe further with the old man there. Not that he worried, but it was uncomfortable enough for him to look, it would be disrespectful to her also having an audience.  

“Leave us now, I will take care of the rest. Grateful I am for yer help, and we will talk more when I am finished here.” Nodding at Nikolas’s words, the old wizard turned and left the tent, closing the stretched fabric behind him securely.  

Gently pulling open her robe to expose her ripped nightie, Nikolas could see the fingertip bruises on her flesh, and small nail marks that had cut into her chest. Shaking his head, he applied some salve around her breast. More than anything, he felt pity for her.

Dabbing more along her hair line, and along her cheek bones he noticed how delicate her skin was. It didn’t resemble the skin of women who worked hard at the fields or in the pubs. He was really starting to wonder if maybe she wasn’t an angel the old witch and wizard didn’t accidently pull from Heaven. Shaking this thought away with his head, he remembered the fierceness she used to cover her fear when trying to hold his sword. A smile creeped along his mouth briefly. He was snapped out of his light musings once he heard Caspians voice outside the tent.   

“Cap'n, is..she going to be alright? The wizard told us what happened.” Caspian spoke softly with his worry.  

“Aye lad, she will be. Roughed up a bit, but she be fine come a day or two. Do me a favor will ye

e? Tell Barreth I wish to see him if he is up and moving, if not, tell another to come see me as I have some cleaning up that must be done.” Caspian was about to say okay to Nikolas’s request when Barreths voice could be heard through the walls of the tent.  

“Hunting again without me Cap’n I may soon take offense to ye!” Barreth chuckled.   

The wizard had already been into check on him and explained what happened. Barreth decided he was well enough to get up and out to see what’s happening with this new stranger. Being it was a woman he thought to himself how could he not be interested?  

“Nay, not the sorts I find worth lifting a finger to, but they are dead none the less. I need some men to head in to the woods where I had come from, and follow the trees marked. They should come upon two scouts no longer breathin. I want their bodies removed from the area and buried somewhere.” Nikolas was angered as he remembered the sight of Ally laying there violated, so much that his words came out louder in the end.  

“Aye, Cap’n, I will see to it. Meanwhile, if ye need anything, don hesitate in asking.” Barreth could sense the Nikolas’s anger as he replied.   

 "I needn't a thing, other than to get this woman sent back to where she was taken from and to get the lad to safety. Our time is coming to an end for action." He absent mindedly answered as he closed her robe, being careful not to disturb the salve. Touching her forehead, he also noticed she was a bit warm, concerned, he called for water again. Getting up and leaving the tent, he met Caspian waiting for him holding a pail of cool spring water. 

"Take it and get a cool cloth on her head for me boy." Nikolas patted Caspians shoulder knowing he would follow through with the request. 

Walking over to where the witch was still pouting, drinking some ale, Nikolas took the mug out of her hand causing her to protest and start swearing. Holding up his hand and giving her a very stern look that even his men fear, she stopped protesting and placed both hands on her wide hips. 

"Donin be lookin at me like that Nikolas, I'm neigh yer soldier nor child!" She quipped, knowing he obviously wasn't in the mood for her drunk antics. 

"Aye be assured ye are not, but ye are, however, responsible for lacking in the duty ye were asked to perform. I need a solution witch. Ye and the wizard need be sending back that woman, and also getting Caspian to somewhere, or someplace safe. No more magics, just do it, their lives are at stake here, and the longer ye both are here, the longer yers are as well." Being stern with telling her this, he could see she was barely in any state to be preforming anything, let alone stand. 

Just looking at him, the witch was at a loss. It never dawned on her that her life would be at stake for hanging around until he just explained it as so. 

"Aye, we need to leave then, I not needen to lose me hide here! Vermanius, lets get, we needen to be goin at once!" In a frantic drunken mess, she didn't realize the wizard had walked back up while she was speaking. 

Nikolas had noticed when he came back from the woods, the witch was giving Vermanius a hard time about leaving. He knew it'd only take the witch feeling her life was being threatened, to put fire under her butt. 

Turning to Nikolas as the witch stood up clutching on to her stick with the look of urgency, the wizard thanked him for the help convincing her to leave now. 

"Tis nothin, she just be needing a push is all. Catch the wind and fly safe, swift, be back as soon as ye both are able, we still have a bit of time to get this mess fixed." Telling this to the wizard as the witch reached in to her haggard cloths and pulled out what looked like common walnuts, Nikolas backed up to watch the magic. 

Throwing the stones gently in the air 3 times while whispering in some unknown language, she threw the stones at the wizard. As they landed at his feet, blue smoke swirled and engulfed him. The smoke suddenly caught the breeze and revealed, once again, a lethargic boney horse.