Tamed by the Prince (Elven Lover) (11 page)

Merlon stared at her dumbfounded. For a moment Cherry thought she had seen pain in his eyes, but then his eyes became as expressionless as the rest of his face.

“I understand,” he murmured, and he let go of her.

He turned away and slowly went back along the path that they had come. Cherry followed him at a distance. Tears rose into her eyes and blurred her vision. Why could he not love her? Why did he have to be an elf who had a life expectancy ten times longer than hers?

A sudden sting in her neck made her cry out in shock, then everything went black.

Merlon turned round when he heard her cry. To his horror she was lying on the ground, motionless.

“Cherry!” he roared and rushed to her, throwing himself to the ground beside her.

He found the dart that was stuck in her neck straight away, and an icy cold claw grasped at his heart. Someone had killed her. Rage and sorrow clutched at him and made him roar loudly. Then he pulled her to him and sobbed unrestrained.

“No! No!”

A quiet groaning made him stop. Could it be? Was she still alive? Feverishly he searched for her pulse and found it. It was weak, but there was one. There was only one way. With his priceless load in his arms he teleported himself directly into the rooms of the healer, Awate.

Awate screamed in shock when Merlon materialised before her eyes.

“Help me save her,” he begged. “I would not have disobeyed the palace rules if it were not a matter of life or death. I’ll take all the responsibility, only please help me save her.”

Awate nodded.

“Lie her on the bed there.”

Merlon carefully lay Cherry down and the healer examined his pale companion.

“She’s close to death. There’s nothing I can do.”

“No! I can’t believe that. It’ll be OK. She’s my mate. I can save her!”

“If she’s your mate, then you can save her, my prince. But you will probably not survive it.”

“I don’t care. It’s my fault that she’s injured. I brought her here. I’ve gone against all the rules and abducted her against her will.”

Awate looked at him in horror.

“My prince. You know what that means!”

Merlon nodded.

“Yes, I know. And that’s why it’s of no consequence for me to give my life for her, as mine is over anyway. When she wakes up, make sure that someone takes her back to her world.”

“I will do as you ask,” she said with a nod. “I will tell no one about your crime. It would break the queen’s heart. Your death will hit her badly enough.”

“Tell my mother that I am really sorry. And that I love her. And please tell my mate, too, that I love her, when she wakes up. But now let’s begin.”

“Help me undress her.”

Together they removed Cherry’s clothing, then Merlon undressed and lay next to her. Awate put one hand on Merlon’s heart and the other on Cherry’s. Merlon felt the energy flow out of his body. Awate guided his life’s energy into Cherry’s body. He would give her all the strength he had. If he were to survive this he would have to be punished for his crimes. He would never see Cherry again. Tears ran over his face. He turned his head to the side and looked at her. She was so beautiful. His queen.

C
herry could hear
voices. They sounded strangely tinny and she could not understand a word that was spoken. One voice belonged to a woman and the other to a man. Cherry tried very hard to concentrate. Where was she? Who was it talking? Why was she so cold and why was it so dark? She could not feel any of her limbs, let alone move them. Panic spread through her and she tried to scream but even her voice would not obey her. Was she dead? Was she a ghost? She would have expected that she would, in such a situation, be able to see around her. But there was nothing but this awful darkness all around. What had happened to her? How had she got here? Who … who was she? She could not remember anything.

She could feel the darkness pulling and tearing at her. Then she could suddenly feel warmth flowing into her. A deep emotion grasped her tangibly. It was such a strong emotion that she was initially shocked by it. A sweet and yet desperate emotion. Love. So much love. She felt someone penetrating her spirit. These strong emotions that she was feeling belonged to him. She did not know who he was. She only knew that he loved her. But why was he in such despair? His sorrow grasped her and she felt tears run down her face. The feeling in her body gradually returned. She could feel her limbs again, even if she could still move nothing. A scrap of memory made its way through the fog in her brain. A man with strange ears and long black hair. He was smiling at her, and then came another memory. They had argued. About what, she did not know. But he looked hurt. Who was he? Who was she?

‘Cherry.’

She could hear his voice in her head. Was that her name? Cherry?

‘Cherry. Get well, Cherry.’

‘Who are you?’
she asked him.

‘Merlon.’

‘Merlon?’

Another memory returned. He was an elf. She remembered that she had looked after him when he was injured. She also remembered that they had made love and that she had left him.

‘What happened’?

‘Cherry … don’t forget me … I love you.’

She felt him get weaker and it felt as if he was moving away from her. Panic seized her. She did not want him to go. She did not want to stay alone here in the dark.

‘Merlon? Merlon? Where are you? I can’t feel you any more. Merlon?’

Someone was holding her arm tightly. She heard a female voice.

“Help me. She’s coming round. Shemustn’t move. I have to sedate her. She can sense it. She mustn’t know that he …”

Cherry felt other hands holding her legs, and yet more hands holding her upper body. Then she felt a needle in her upper arm and she felt quite peculiar.

“Hold onto her for a minute until she’s calm. You may only take the prince once she’s asleep.”

‘Merlon? Merlon! Noooooo!’

She fought against the lead weight that held her. She had to stay awake. They must not take him away from her. What was wrong with him? Why could she no longer sense his presence?

‘No! No … Please … no … Mer…

When Cherry woke up, everything hurt. She could not even keep her eyes open because the light hurt them so much. Groaning, she turned onto her side. A warm hand was put on her shoulder.

“Are you awake, girl?” asked a woman’s voice.

Cherry groaned again. The woman turned her onto her back and she was subjected again to the bright light. It even hurt her through her closed lids.

“Too bright,” she groaned quietly.

“I’ll close the curtain. Wait a moment.”

The woman moved away and a little later there was a comfortable darkness in the room. Tentatively Cherry opened her eyes and looked at the woman standing in front of the bed. She did not look human. She had light, slightly bluish skin and pointed ears. Her red hair was braided in a long plait and she was wearing a silver headband and wide silver armbands. Her clothing consisted of a long cream-coloured dress with a green apron made of silk-like material.

“Who are you? Where am I?”

“I’m Awate, the healer. You’re in His Majesty’s palace.” Cherry grasped her aching head and tried to clear the fog that had settled on her thoughts. “What’s wrong with me?”

“You were poisoned. With a dart. Prince Merlon brought you to me.”

‘Merlon!’

Now it was coming back to her. The memories were pouring into her so violently that she closed her eyes, groaning – until the memory of Merlon in her head – she had sensed him – his feelings. And then he had suddenly drifted away from her. What had happened?

“Where is he?” she cried, suddenly seized by panic. “Where is Merlon?”

Awate put a warm hand on her arm to calm her.

“Please be calm. You must recover first.”

Cherry threw open her eyes and looked into the healer’s face. She looked concerned. What was she hiding from her? What had happened to Merlon?

“I want to go to him immediately,” said Cherry angrily, and she sat up jerkily.

“No! You can’t get up yet. Please lie down again,” Awate tried to stop her. “Guards!”

Immediately two warriors charged into the room. They looked in alarm at Cherry and then at the healer.

“Help me sedate her. She mustn’t get up yet.”

“No!” yelled Cherry, but she had no chance against the two guards. They grabbed her and forced her back onto the bed. Awate came with a syringe and stuck the needle into her arm. Cherry fought desperately against the effect of the injection, but it did not take long and she was in a strange state between being awake and asleep. She could not move and yet she could take in everything that was going on around her. She just could not move her eyes. The calm that filled her felt strange. Not right.

Awate sat down next to her on the bed and seemed to be waiting for something. After a while Cherry heard footsteps and the door opened. In came an absolutely beautiful woman with a small golden crown on her chestnut brown locks. She looked to be in her early forties but she was possibly a great deal older. This must be the queen. Merlon’s mother.

The beautiful woman went up to the bed. Awate had stood up and moved a few steps away to make space for the queen.

“I’m Molwina. Merlon’s mother,” the queen introduced herself and sat down on the bed next to Cherry. “I know that you can hear me. First of all I’d like to say to you that I am very sorry about what has happened to you. We will take you back to your home. But first of all you must be completely well. If you promise me that you will not get worked up any more and will abide by Awate’s instructions, then you will be given no more sedation.  Awate did not like doing that, but it was for your protection. You could over-exert yourself and die. Then everything that my son did for you would be in vain. If he means anything to you then honour his sacrifice by making sure that you get well.”

Cherry took in the queen’s words. She knew what they meant but the potion that Awate had injected her with had rendered her without emotion. She felt nothing. Only deep down inside, in a hidden corner of her consciousness, her soul uttered a silent cry.

Molwina stroked her cheek and smiled at her sadly.

“It was always my wish that Merlon should find a woman like you. I am unutterably sad that this had to happen. I would have gladly given you my crown. My son chose well. Farewell, daughter.”

A tear rolled over the queen’s cheek. Then she raised herself from the bed and turned away.

“Take good care of her,” she said to the healer, her voice choked with tears, then she disappeared.