Chapter 20 - The Injured Boy (Nicholas)

Sophie didn't know what she would do, but Sophie knew that she had to help the boy. Even though the boy was heavy, she carried him to her bed and then placed him there to rest.

Now that Sophie no longer carried him, she could see that there was a severe wound across his neck and the entirety of his throat. It was as if some creature bit him across the neck and tore off bits of flesh.

A lurch was on Sophie's throat.

It was a gaping injury that should have probably killed someone, but the boy still managed to survive and ask for help. If Sophie wasn't able to clean the wound, she was worried that some dirt and other things from the rain might have stuck in it.

Sophie grabbed for a basin, poured clean water from a jar, and then reached for a washcloth. Sophie returned to his side and knelt down in front of the pale-faced boy and looked closer at his deep wounds before dumping some water against them.

A bit of dirt stuck to it as blood-soaked against the washcloth.

Sophie's eyes widened but she quickly pressed some of her blanket against the wound. A washcloth couldn't even absorb everything but this was doing the job. The boy winced slightly in pain and reached for her hand and clutched it tightly.

He seemed to have done it out of pain.

"You're safe now, don't worry," Sophie whispered soothingly and squeezed his hand back.

The boy started to relax a little and his breathing became a little more normal. The bleeding also finally seemed to have stopped at last for some reason.

But it was far from over.

Sophie pried herself away from the boy's strong grip on her and took a step back.

"How could he have traveled during the storm?" Sophie asked herself as she quickly went over her parent's things. When her father once sustained an injury, her mother actually used some herbs and salves to help treat him.

After going through the cabinet, Sophie finally found the small canister of the salve that her mother once made. It was a recipe that her mother often used so Sophie thought she could recreate it, but for now, she returned to the boy's side and reluctantly removed the bloodied blanket.

The boy's injuries were still there, but the bleeding finally stopped. Sophie carefully and gently dabbed some of the salves against the boy's wound before Sophie saw it slightly close and knit itself over.

Maybe it was Sophie's imagination, but it was healing far better than she thought possible.

Once Sophie realized that the boy's injuries were now no longer life-threatening, she was finally able to get some rest at last as Sophie stuck to the boy's side.

***

It almost felt like forever when Nicholas woke up and felt the warm sunlight on his face. The young boy's entire body no longer hurt, and Nicholas wondered if everything that happened was nothing more than a nightmare.

Maybe Nicholas's mother would say it was a silly dream that came after reading all those books and stories in the royal library. Something that he thought and conjured with his overactive imagination.

That was until Nicholas saw a girl younger than him. She was probably ten, while he was thirteen.

This girl looked like some guardian angel with messy ash hair and brilliant blue eyes. She was carrying a basket in her arms that were filled with vegetables and fruits, but she dropped it at the sight of Nicholas.

"You're finally awake!" She rushed to his side and then quickly placed a hand on his forehead. "Your fever finally went down as well. Are you okay? My name's Sophie and I found you."

Nicholas's face heated up at the close contact and backed away from the girl named Sophie. He tried to speak up to say thank you and introduce himself, but no sound came out from his throat.

What?

Nicholas tried again and only felt a terrible sensation against his throat. He reached out nervously to his throat and then realized that there was a gauze placed against his neck and Sophie was now looking at him with a sad look on her face.

"When you were at my door, you had a severe injury on your neck… I did my best to treat it, but sorry, I guess it wasn't enough..." Sophie said and bowed her head in apology.

Nicholas shook his head. Even if there were probably some amazing doctors and healers, he doubted it was easy to actually treat an injury that was inflicted by a werewolf's powerful bite.

The boy reached out tentatively to Sophie and the girl raised her head. Once she did it, he smiled brightly at her and mouthed the words 'Thank you' to her.

That was the best that Nicholas could do if there was no paper and ink for him to communicate.

"You're welcome," Sophie said.

Sophie managed to read his lips a little and quickly returned the smile. Now that the boy was awake, a healthy color returned to his pale skin that made his dark black hair look better and Sophie could also finally see his eyes.

They have the gorgeous color of amber.

Before Nicholas said anything else, his stomach growled loudly and the boy's face heated up in embarrassment.

Sophie quickly moved towards her table and said, "Stay there and I'll bring you something to eat, okay? Even though you just woke up, you need a lot of ample time to rest."

Nicholas nodded slowly and accepted Sophie's help. Sophie gave him the best of what she had to offer and though it wasn't much, the boy was grateful for all of Sophie's help. He accepted the bowl of stew and started to eat.

When Nicholas remembered what happened before he found himself here, it was hard to imagine that someone would help a stranger out. But there was something that he found a little odd…

Why was Sophie all by herself?

***