Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 147

Chapter 147: Familiar face
Anaisa’s heart nearly broke as she looked at the woman in front of her. The familiar face was now more haggard, and marred with grief. It could only mean one thing.

“Deborah,” She whispered. “Your baby…”

“And my husband,” The woman’s face hardened. “Dead.”

Without thinking, Anaisa pulled the magic user into her arms and held onto her tightly. Deborah’s shoulders shuddered, but after a moment she pulled away.

“Your Highness, Sanders said–”

“I’m Anaisa.” The fake-princess grimaced. “The princess’s body double to help save her from assassination attempts, but now I have a more important job, and you’re part of it. I’ll explain outside the city, but we have to go now.”

Deborah hesitated.

“Sanders said my job would be…” The magic user looked at Anaisa’s empty arms with a question in her eyes.

“Come along, please.” Anaisa pled. “I promise, a life depends on it. Maybe many.”

The magic user shuddered and nodded, and Anaisa led her to the doctor and Trace.

Her husband was examining the woman curiously, but the doctor simply looked as if he was growing more stressed.

“Are we ready?” He whispered frantically from atop his mount. “The guards seem restless.”

“Yes, let’s hurry,” Anaisa mounted her horse, and Deborah pulled hers into line and then climbed atop it as well. She seemed wary and uncertain. Trace took point, leading the quartet of riders out of the city with barely a second glance from the guards.

Anaisa suppressed a sigh of relief as they moved beyond the city limits and out into the countryside. The land was cleared for some distance in all directions, so that an invading army would be easily spotted, but some forest lay beyond.

“We’ll stop once we get to the trees,” Trace said quietly over his shoulder. “Is that soon enough?”

“I hope so,” The doctor replied, causing the unofficial leader of the expedition to urge his horse a little faster.

Anaisa marveled at the fine quality of the animals the queen had issued to them, but of course, these horses must be fit to carry a prince.

The road was well traveled, but not overcrowded, and as they reached a crossroads, it thinned out further as journeymen and others dispersed towards various destinations.

It seemed an absolute eternity until they reached the forest. Trace slowed their pace and waited until the travelers ahead were out of sight around a turn before leading the troupe off the road and into a sheltered copse of trees.

“Take the time you need, but be as quick as you can,” He advised. “I will stand watch.”

Anaisa watched as he dismounted and walked away, ducking through the brush to take a position near the road.

“Please tell me what’s going on,” Deborah begged. “I can’t stand it any longer, and I’m afraid.”

Anaisa dismounted and tied her horse’s reins to a tree branch, as Trace had, and then reached up towards the doctor. He very gently handed the pack down to her.

Carefully, she opened the flap as the other two dismounted. The doctor got down his medicine bag and began anxiously mixing substances, and Deborah tiptoed forward to look into Anaisa’s arms.

The little prince fussed quietly, and Anaisa breathed a sigh of relief.

“He’s alive.” She whispered. “He’s still alive.”

“He’s so small,” Deborah’s eyes misted over.

“This is Ewan,” Anaisa removed the infant from the pack and handed him to Deborah. “I imagine he must be very hungry.”

“Of course,” The bereft mother visibly swallowed her emotion and adjusted her garment as she sat down on the ground. It was a cleverly designed shawl that became a modest covering for nursing in the company of others.

“Is he eating?” The doctor asked clinically as he kept his eyes on his work. “How strong is his suckling?”

Deborah’s face reddened, but she answered anyway. “He is eating. He is not so strong as my own Daphne… was…”

“But he is getting sustenance?” The doctor clarified, looking towards her.

“Yes,” Deborah nodded. “A little.”

The older man smiled for the first time Anaisa had seen that day. “Good. Good.”

He continued mixing his medicine, whatever it was, and then brought a tiny cup of it towards Deborah.

“As he eats, please dip a finger into this and get it into his mouth. It will help his heart and lungs.” The doctor told her.

“Yes, sir,” Deborah sent a questioning glance at Anaisa, and she sighed, not knowing exactly how much was safe to reveal.

“I’m the princess’s double, as I told you before. This is a special assignment, and we must keep this child alive and safe,” She explained.

“What child is of such importance that the princess must give up her double?” Deborah wondered aloud, and then shook her head. “No, do not tell me. He is innocent of whatever plots and deserves the best of care no matter who he is or who his parents are.”

Anaisa had been pacing rather anxiously at how much time was passing, but now sat on the ground with the other woman.

“I’m so, so sorry to hear about your husband and child.” Anaisa frowned. “I’m sure there’s nothing I can do to make any of it better, but if you would like to talk about it at all…”

“Thank you,” Deborah looked away, blinking back tears. “It is… painful. Very painful to speak of.”

“I can understand that,” Anaisa still found it hard to speak of her father’s death, even though she hadn’t particularly liked him and knew was a scheming, terrible man he had been.

“No, I don’t think you quite can,” The other woman swallowed. “The death of a child… is different. And my husband, at the same time.”

“How did it happen?” Anaisa knew that the baby had been ill, but as to Deborah’s husband, she knew of no reason he would suddenly die.

“It was my fault,” Deborah whispered so quietly that Anaisa thought she must have misheard. “It was all my fault.”