Ex-Wife
“Hurry and help her… Hurry… Hurry…”
“Calm down! Calm down!”
Ciara trembled as she ripped open the paper bag in her hand, almost spilling the white powder out. Angelina pressed down on Veirya’s wound with one hand and kept me at bay with the other. Veirya no longer spoke. She bled a tremendous amount, and there was no stopping it.
“All right, all right, this is an elven drug to stop bleeding, but her wound is too serious. She needs to be treated. We must send her off!”
Ciara quivered as she poured the bag of powder onto Veirya’s wound and staunched it with a bandage. The white bandage turned red as soon as it touched her body, while the powder seemed absolutely useless. I couldn’t bear to look.
Angelina turned around and yelled, “Prepare a horse carriage, now!”
The scent of blood on Angelina’s hand instantly shot up my nostril. I shuddered and dropped to my knees. I felt insanely nauseous. I couldn’t hold it in and saw dinner a second time. My tears burst out of my eyes. I didn’t know if my reaction was due to an adverse response to the sight and smell or if I was just overwhelmed with grief.
“What should I do? What do I do?” I panicked in my head.
I couldn’t stand the scent in the air. I couldn’t breathe the air with Veirya’s blood. I just wanted to puke. I couldn’t move, either. I had no clue what do. All I knew was that I needed to save Veirya. I wanted to save her…
“Veirya will be fine. I’m sure Veirya will be fine. She’ll be fine… She’ll be fine. She will definitely be fine…” I repeated to myself.
“Pull yourself together! Veirya’s life is riding on your shoulders now! Calm down! Hurry and get a carriage! We’ll take her to the doctor! If we delay any longer, Veirya will die! You must save her!”
Angelina didn’t give me time to calm down. She pressed me to the ground and slapped me across me face as if she was slapping her dodgy television. Although it was violent, it was effective. While keeping my eyes on Veirya, I staggered to my feet.
I contemplated, “Veirya will die here. Veirya will die. I must save her. Should I go to the city or the imperial capital? The imperial capital would have the best doctors and medicine… Yes, yes, we can treat her at the city, and then rush to the imperial city. We should make it. We should make it in time. We just need the elven drug to stop her bleeding. We can save the rest. It won’t take three days to reach the imperial capital. Veirya will make it. She’ll make it. Yes… Yes… That’s the plan, then. I can save Veirya. I can save her. I can save the woman I love.”
As soon as I yanked the door open, the rain hit me. The loud thunderclap cut through the ominous. The cold rain and air sobered me up. I wiped my face and silently peered at the sky in place.
“What are you doing?! Hurry up and get me a damn carriage!” Angelina kicked me out from behind.
I staggered into the rain and mud. I turned around and, in a quavering voice, voiced, “We can’t get there…”
It only just occurred to me that we couldn’t go to the imperial capital. Forget the imperial capital; we couldn’t even get to the city… The problem wasn’t Veirya but the heavy rain and me.
Before Veirya got hurt, I destroyed the entire road to make it impossible for the coal to be transported. Now that there was a downpour, it would take, at least, a week to clear the path to get a horse carriage through. Seven days. Add the time to reach the imperial capital and that’s ten days…
Angelina also froze. Veirya wasn’t in good shape. Ciara wasn’t Lucilia. She just happened to be an elven soldier who always had the elves’ drug to stop bleeding on her. It was just akin to first aid, though. Ciara wasn’t a medical practitioner, while all Angelina could do was a simple job of bandaging that she learnt for use on the battlefield. Veirya was bleeding from three holes in her body. We had already done all that we could to reduce her blood loss volume. If we didn’t rush her to a doctor for treatment, then…
My brain cogs turned: “I have to save her. I must save Veirya… I love her. I love her. I can’t lose her. It was so hard to have someone I loved and my own family. I don’t want to lose them. I’ll save her even if it costs me my life. I must save her regardless of the price… Wait. I do have somewhere to go. I think I know where to go now…”
***
“Ma’am Lucilia.”
Lucia slowly opened her eyes and carefully propped herself up with her hands in order to avoid waking the child. With a window curtain between, her servant stood at the door, holding an oil lamb. Lucia picked up her coat and cape. Quietly, she expressed, “What’s wrong? Did something happen? It wasn’t easy for Travor to sleep, so don’t wake him.”
“Sir Travor is back.”
“Tr-“
Lucia hastily got up and got dressed as fast as she could. She flicked her cape and commaned, “Raise the oil lamp up. Does my face look all right? Do I have any marks from sleeping? Help me wipe my face with a handkerchief.”
“You need not be so panicked, Your Majesty,” conveyed the attendant, with a short chuckle. “Sir Travor looks horrible this time. He has come to us with a request. He will not be concerned about your appearance.”
“Travor… has come to us with a request?”
Lucia’s attendant used a huge leaf as an umbrella for her Queen who dashed into the rain and briskly walked to the guest hall. Though Lucilia never explicated it, everyone knew how she felt about Lin Dongqing.
Upon seeing Lucia enter the guest hall, I supported myself to my feet using the table and uttered, “Lucia…”
Lucia revealed a bitter smile: “Travor… you don’t look too good. Did something happen? Did the humans do something to you?”
I shook my head and then dropped to my knees in front of Lucia, startling. She frantically rushed up to me and supported my shoulder: “What’s the matter, Travor?! Just tell me. There’s no need for you to kneel. You left me, but we’re still husband and wife. I won’t hurt my husband. Travor, hurry and tell me what happened! What can I do for you?!”
I tightly gripped Lucia’s arms and whimpered, “Please… save Veirya…”
I know that I was extremely shameless. I tricked the elven maiden to save Sisi last time. I stole her heart, hurt her feelings and incited a massacre, only then to casually strut off. Instead of approaching Lucia to keep her company or apologise, I asked her to save my lover. I was asking my ex-wife to save my current wife.
Lucia froze when she heard Veirya’s name. I refused to release her arms because she was my last hope. It didn’t matter if I had to sacrifice my eyes or life. I wanted to save Veirya at all costs!
“Is she that important to you? You weren’t even willing to go near the forest to avoid me. I’m aware you’re scared, but you lied to me the first time you came here for Veirya. The second time, you came knowing that I might kill you, yet gave up even your dignity. Is Veirya worth it? I consider you to be mighty and brave, yet you’re willing to kneel and beg with an ashen face for Veirya’s sake. Why? Why do you appear big and tall to me, yet so pathetic for her…?”
“… I beg you… Lucia… Please… save her… Save Veirya. I’ll promise you anything afterwards… but… please… save Veirya…”
Lucia lowered her head. I couldn’t see her expression underneath the shadow of her bangs. She was silent for a brief moment. She then touched my cheek with her hand and, in a heart-melting voice, replied, “Understood. You’re my husband. No matter what, I love you. I’ll save Veirya. As long as she’s not dead, I should be able to do something. As for you, Travor…”
I was mentally prepared. If she asked me to stay, I’d stay. It was my own decision, and I was ready to bear all the consequences. I didn’t care what happened to me as long as Veirya could make it. I wanted to know she was alive even if I wouldn’t get to see her again. I couldn’t force her to leave the beautiful world due to my blunder. She had her family and life to live. I still loved her.
“Get up, Travor. You have a job to do,” stated Lucia, as she pulled me up from the ground. She gave me a push on my back and conveyed, “I won’t force you to stay. I love you. Nonetheless, I like to see your smile even more. Since you haven’t chosen the forest, I won’t force you. I just hope that you come back to visit me. Right now, though, there’s nothing for you to do here. I’ll save Veirya. You need to get revenge. Whoever put your most beloved woman in this state needs to pay the price! Go, my Travor. You aren’t someone’s pet dog or a bird in a cage. You’re the wolf of the forest; the eagle in the sky. I believe in you, Travor. Spread your wings and fly. Ferociously dig your enemies’ eyes out!”
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