Chapter 189

Chapter 189: Chapter 189

Caedos did not wake for three days, and in that time, Avalan had begun to pick up its shattered pieces, smoke still rising to the sky from the battleground.

Lady Dilya personally watched over the Crown Prince whenever she could, the older Hellhound’s dark eyes were steeped in grief, dark shadows underneath her eyes.

"You should get some rest," Ardan’s voice broke into her distracted thoughts.

Dilya looked over at the young captain limping into the room, "And you shouldn’t be on your feet," She scolded lightly.

Ardan had to support his weight with a walking stick, he patted the leg that had been reattached. "If I keep lying down, I’ll forget how to use it."

Dilya didn’t push, compared to the Crown Prince, Ardan’s injuries were mild. She lowered her gaze to him once more, it was difficult to tell if his situation was improving, it filled her with unease.

When he was brought to her, she had been horrified by the blood that completely covered him, and when she cleaned him up, what was underneath was even worse.

His neck had been barely hanging on, he was covered in gashes, and his bones broken. Yet the most terrifying of all was that he wasn’t healing, it had been three days now and she still had to frequently change his bandages because blood still seeped out, it was a miracle he was still breathing.

He was completely wrapped up in bandages but a corner of the strange markings that had suddenly appeared on his arms was visible. The gold flame markings were disquieting, it was strange, and at this juncture, strange meant dangerous.

"Has General Urien found any information regarding the markings on His Highness?" She asked, finding herself appreciating company even though she still preferred Captain Ardan resting.

Ardan lowered himself to a couch, his well-crafted walking stick still in his hand. "Not a word. Millennia of history were destroyed in the Great War. Asking the few who survived the war is our only option, but if even the General knows nothing of it, there’s little hope."

Almost like the conversation prompted his arrival, General Urien stepped in. The Hellhound bore fresh but healing scars, a deep groove between his brows.

"How is His Highness?" He asked quietly, lingering at the doors.

Dilya shook her head somberly, "There has been no change."

Urien’s powerful shoulders slumped as he walked in, he didn’t walk towards the bed. Even before asking, he already knew the state of the Prince. "I couldn’t find anything. The prosperity before the Great War seems so distant now, after a millennium of enslavement, it is no surprise."

Silence fell over the room after his words, it was about noon, the parted curtains showing the clear skies. Yet, the brightness didn’t elevate the gloom in the room.

"It is definitely no help..." Dilya was the one to break the silence, her ears drooped, nestled in dark hair that was neatly bound. "...but my mother used to tell me a bedtime story about how the Deep Woods was once a sea of lava but the first Royal Hellhound conquered the ever-burning flame with his might and created the flourishing Deep Woods as it is known today."

Her gaze drifted out the window, her eyes were distant, looking into the past. "But it is likely no more than a fairytale."

"It’s a pleasant one." A fourth voice spoke up, it was raspy and low but was immediately recognized.

"Your Highness!" The room immediately erupted in a flurry of motion, everyone surrounding Caedos’ bed.

He closed his eyes once more, one of the few spots of his body that wasn’t wrapped up in bandages. "How long was I out?"

"Three... Three days, Your Highness," Dilya stumbled over her words, still in disbelief. "How do you feel?"

Caedos moved to sit up and was immediately stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Fine." He said in a calm tone that was at odds with the picture he painted.

"It doesn’t quite look that way," General Urien said gruffly, beyond relieved. The matter of the flame markings was inconsequential, what mattered most was Prince Caedos’ well-being.

"Take off my bandages," Caedos directed, laying back down at Lady Dilya’s guidance.

Dilya was hesitant for a moment, before she moved to do as she was told, prepared to cover the wounds with fresh bindings if they were still bleeding. Her mouth dropped open when she unwrapped the bandages around his left arm, the skin underneath was unmarred, none of the gashes she had seen just that morning.

She pulled her hand back with a hiss when she touched the flame markings on his arm, they had burned her. Dilya stared at her reddened fingertips - that had never happened before.

"What happened?" Ardan asked with narrowed eyes, he stood by the bed, leaning on his walking stick.

"His Highness’s markings..." Dilya mumbled, trailing off. She wasn’t quite sure how to explain what had happened.

Caedos lifted the hand she had been working on, white bandages trailing. His eyes were blank as he stared at the unfamiliar markings, "What is this?" He managed to articulate after staring at it for a long time.

Dilya recovered from the burn, reaching out to hold Caedos’ arm even after it burned her. "We have no clue. Could Your Highness turn it down?" She asked mildly, "It has never burned me before and I need to take off your bandages."

Caedos stared at her like she wasn’t making sense, "Turn it down?" He repeated, glancing down at the hand she held.

At a loss for what to say, General Urien and Captain Ardan remained silent while Lady Dilya handled it.

Without waiting for an affirmation, Dilya gingerly reached out to touch the markings again, sighing in relief when nothing happened. She then got to work, unwrapping the bandages that she had meticulously put on.

Caedos turned to Ardan, his brows drawn, seeking answers. "Report." He requested, the last thing he remembered was the explosion getting drawn to him, and then his vision whited out, the pain excruciating.