A Lifetime Ago

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

"My lord" A knock came at the door as expected. "Sir.Galen is here to see you." The guard's voice was heard from the other side of the door.

"Let him in." Ragnar ordered as he walked out of his bed.

"Prince Ragnar!" Galen bowed to him. He was an old man with a small body, wrinkled skin and shaggy,grey hair. He wore a huge cloak which covered the whole of his body. He was the chief royal physician, who spent most of his life in the palace.

"You called.. Good heavens!!?" He gasped when he found the bloodied body of a young woman, lying on the young prince's bed.

"Sir.Galen, I want you to treat this lady's wounds." He walked closer to her and slipped his fingers between hers. Her hand seemed lifeless but he could still feel the sparks emitting from the touch. Her face had deep red colour on it due to the severe beatings that she had received.

Galen quickly walked and sat on the other side of the bed as he opened his wooden chest, where he stored all his medical supplies. He started to clean the blood stains with acid vinegar from her damaged skin using cotton balls. Her limbs, back and abdomen were marred with cuts, which looked deep and he was sure that, it would leave lasting scars on her pale body. The piece of cloth that she had wrapped around her body was almost torn, just covering her intimate parts.

"May I ask who she is, my lord?" Galen asked the Prince.

"I don't know... I was out on a general inspection to the villages on the east of the highlands, when I saw a man whipping her remorselessly." His temper flared, remembering the scene from the late evening.

Galen studied the woman's face while applying Opium over her broken skin to suppress her pain. He could say, she did not belong to their country nor the neighboring ones.

"My lord! You shouldn't have brought her to your chambers. She could be a threat to you." He said, picking up a full grown red ant using a pair of tongs, from a box and placed it over the slit on her skin. He pressed its thorax and the ant clenched its mandible tightly, suturing the slit. He repeated the process until all her cuts were closed.

"She doesn't look like a spy to me." The prince replied, not removing his eyes off her face even for a second.

"My lord, but you still shouldn't keep her so close to you. Let me please keep her in the dormitory for the sick." He requested politely.

"No.." He refused bluntly. "Just tell me what I need to do."

He handed over a small vial which contained a yellow liquid. "My prince, her wounds need to be cleaned once every day and dressed freshly until they are dry and itchy." He instructed the prince politely. It took him almost an hour for cleaning and dressing her wounds.

"Do not say a word to anyone about the woman.” He said in a slightly threatening tone. Galen was a clever old man who had learned to live among the royals. He wouldn’t utter a word to anyone about whom the prince brought into his chambers but, he was also sure that the prince couldn’t hide her for a long time, since the king had many spies in the palace and they would make sure to keep him informed about this mysterious woman.

“You may leave now, Galen." He dismissed him before placing the small bottle beside his bedside lamp.

Galen bowed and walked out of his young master's chamber.

Prince Ragnar noticed that the woman was shivering in cold since her thin piece of cloth neither provided her warmth nor protected her dignity. He covered her body with his soft feather like covers.

He had brought a lot of woman to his bed who could fulfil his manly desires but no one could manage to sleep beside him, since he would ask them all to leave once he finished his business. Strangely he liked to have this woman, sleeping on his bed. He fixed his gaze at the woman, who was a true essence of beauty, with her unique auburn hair, long, slender neck and just the right amount of curves on her body. He was just too drawn to her with an unknown attraction, as her chest raised up and down while she breathed in and out. He fought the strong urge to kiss those plump and soft lips.

Without disturbing her beauty sleep, he cautiously laid next to her. He wanted to stare at the goddess like woman for the whole night but he felt a slumberous influence watching her sleep so peacefully, as his half open eyes drooped with drowsiness.

Early the next morning, Prince Ragnar woke up stretching his limbs which caused his joints to let out crackling sounds. He looked beside and found the beauty still in her slumber. He reached out and brushed her hair aside that was falling on her face. The swelling on her face and hands were still visible surrounded by purple patches of clots. He fumed with rage. Those five hundred lashes seemed less of a punishment.That son of a b***h deserved more.

He wanted to wake her up since he yearned to see the colour of her eyes, when it crossed his mind that he had seen her only with closed eyes. He climbed down from his bed, keeping himself from disturbing her and walked near the huge window. He looked down at the soldiers who had already started their training. He had to be there too, but at the same time, he did not want to be away when she woke up.

There was a small knock on the prince’s door. He knew it was Sevin, the master of wardrobes.

“Come in..” He called him in and behind him, followed his two helpers, whose main responsibility was to take care of the prince’s attires and looks.

Every day they would come to his chambers right after he woke up. He wondered each time, how they knew he was awake. They would prepare his bath with essential oils and give his a massage if he needed one. After his bath, they would help the prince with deciding a suitable dress and accessories, according to the occasion that he was attending.

Sevin had been the prince’s personal designer from the time the prince was a young boy but it was the first time he saw a woman sleeping in his chambers. His two helpers discreetly shared a look of disbelief.

“Sevin, I want you to deliver some silk gowns to my chambers.” He instructed while Sevin helped him into his fur cloak.

“Yes, my Lord” He bowed to his prince. He fixed the heavily jewelled metal belt around the prince’s waist. The prince grabbed his sheathed sword and fixed it to his belt, gesturing his servants to leave him alone.

Ragnar waited for an hour or more, before he decided to pay a visit to the King, as he did every morning.

“Be here and guard my chamber. Do not allow anyone in my absence.” He stopped his guards who began to follow him.

He walked past the magnificent corridors and the two knights, guarding at the head of the king’s chambers as they announced loudly of the prince’s arrival.

“Your highness.” He bowed in front of his father who stood majestically in front of him. His long grey hair was tied at the back loosely while his long white beard reached just above his huge belly. He was a giant with a girth to match his height but even with the height of six and a hall feet tall, he still couldn’t be a match to his son’s height.

“My son!” He greeted, stretching out his arms widely while walking closer to his beloved son before hugging him. They discussed about their courtly duties and other crucial matters that needed their attention for some time.

“Son, I want you to go to the north of the Highlands in a month’s time.” The king informed his son.

“May I ask for the reason, your grace?” Ragnar asked.

“The king of Triyad has several daughters and he seeks matrimonial alliances with us by offering one of his daughters. I have given my word. You should go there to confirm our alliance by deciding a girl of your chose among the many.” The king ordered his son in a very authoritative voice. Ragnar wanted to decline his father’s orders but he was aware of his father’s promise to the king of Triyad and he had to soon marry the woman his father had chosen for him, for strengthening their relationship with the neighbouring kingdom.

The prince fell silent and his mind drifted back to the beautiful woman in his chambers. He was sure, she would have woken up by now. Without bothering to answer his father he bowed lowly in front of him, “Father I have to leave now. I beg your pardon.”

The king stared at his son for the longest few minutes. He had been trying from a very long time to convince his son to marry soon. His sone had to understand that breaking a matrimonial promise would lead to a disastrous war between the two kingdoms. He likes it or not, he ought to marry the princess of Triyad.

“You may go now.” The king dismissed Ragnar with a sudden sourness in his face.

Ragnar knew that the king was mad at him but he would deal with him later. All he could think about was the mysterious woman on his bed.