Chapter 210: The Boy Returns
The carriage rattled steadily along the road leading towards the palace while Rebecca lay unconscious on one side, her face frighteningly pale.
The bleeding from her thigh had finally been stopped, but the arrow still remained lodged deep in the wound because the guards had been unable to remove it without risking even greater damage, and there had been no physician available where they found her.
Julian sat beside her the entire journey, clutching her hand tightly in both of his as though letting go would somehow make things worse.
His frightened eyes never left her face as he silently waited for the moment she would finally wake up.
Since the night before, she had not opened her eyes once, and the longer she remained still, the more terrified he became that something terrible had happened to her.
He refused to leave her side for even a moment, and although the towering palace walls eventually came into view before the carriage rolled through the enormous gates, revealing a place grander than anything he had ever imagined, he barely spared it a glance because every thought in his mind remained fixed on his mother.
"We’re here," Cedric informed the little boy quietly as the carriage gradually came to a stop before the grand palace entrance.
Rowan and Rosalind had already been informed of their arrival, and both of them were waiting outside to receive them.
Rosalind watched the carriage anxiously as it rolled to a halt before she exhaled softly. "Finally, they are here," she murmured beneath her breath.
Rowan’s brows drew together as the carriage door swung open and the guards began stepping down, but his attention immediately settled on the unconscious woman being carefully lifted from inside.
Seeing the state she was in, "How badly is she hurt?" he asked Cedric at once.
"Quite badly," Cedric answered grimly.
"Fetch the physician immediately," Rowan ordered.
The servants bowed without delay before hurrying off to carry out his command.
"And have them taken to the quarters prepared for them," Rosalind added calmly. She had personally ensured that everything had been arranged before their arrival because no matter who they were or where they had come from, they would be treated with dignity while under the palace’s protection.
The guards nodded before carefully lifting Rebecca once more and carrying her towards the palace, but Julian still refused to release her hand. Only when one of the guards gently separated them did his fingers finally slip away.
Rowan’s gaze drifted towards the young boy, and for a brief moment his chest tightened. From the dark hair to the striking pale blue eyes, the resemblance was impossible to ignore. It was almost like looking at Alaric as a child again, and the memories that surfaced with that resemblance were enough to leave an unpleasant weight settling inside him. Every scar his brother had left behind seemed to return all at once, but Rowan quickly forced the thoughts away. This was not Alaric. Standing before him was only a frightened thirteen-year-old boy who knew nothing about the sins of his father and whose only concern was the woman being carried away before his eyes.
Rosalind slowly approached Julian before lowering herself slightly. "Hello..." she called gently. "You don’t have to worry. She’ll be alright."
Since the guards had not allowed him to follow Rebecca, Julian remained rooted to the spot, looking at Rosalind with frightened, uncertain eyes. Rosalind met his gaze quietly, yet despite herself, she could still see traces of Alaric in his features.
It was unsettling how someone long dead could still cast such a heavy shadow over the lives of everyone around him. She forced herself to swallow those thoughts because this child had done nothing wrong.
Julian hesitated before speaking, his voice trembling. "Will she wake up again?" he asked, sounding as though he was trying very hard not to cry.
Rosalind offered him a reassuring smile. "Of course she will. The physicians here are very skilled, and they’ll take good care of her. She’ll wake up again."
Julian lowered his eyes as he listened to her, desperately wanting to believe those words even though fear still gripped his heart.
"Rowan," Rosalind called softly as she turned towards him.
He had remained standing exactly where he was, watching everything unfold with a hard expression that had not eased since the carriage arrived. Rosalind knew he had spent days hoping Cedric would return with the boy alive, yet now that Julian was finally standing before him, he seemed almost unable to move. Even from where he stood, there was a heaviness surrounding him that would have unsettled anyone meeting him for the first time, and she knew the frightened child needed comfort more than authority.
Rowan finally walked over, his footsteps slow and measured, and Julian instinctively looked up at the sound.
"My name is Rosalind," she said gently, "and this is Rowan."
Then she smiled warmly at him. "What’s your name?"
"Julian," he answered quietly.
"That’s a lovely name," Rosalind replied with a gentle smile, hoping to ease at least some of the fear written across his face.
Rowan crouched beside her until he was almost at Julian’s eye level. "You don’t have to be afraid," he said calmly. "You’re safe here."
Julian studied him carefully before asking in a hesitant voice, "Are... are you the king?"
Rowan’s expression softened almost immediately. "Just call me Rowan," he replied. "The physician is going to help your mother, and we’ll make sure she’s looked after."
Julian searched his face for a long moment before giving a slow nod. "Thank you," he whispered.
Rosalind couldn’t help smiling to herself. "He’s so sweet," she murmured quietly. Despite everything that had happened to him, there was still so much innocence and kindness in the little boy.
She extended her hand towards him. "Come with me. I’ll show you where you’ll be staying."
Julian hesitated only briefly before slipping his small hand into hers, allowing her to gently lead him towards the palace. Before disappearing inside, Rosalind glanced back at Rowan, silently reassuring him with a small nod. Rowan returned it, understanding exactly what she meant.
****
Only after they disappeared from sight did Rowan turn and make his way towards the chamber where Rebecca had been taken. The doors opened as he entered, and everyone inside immediately bowed. His eyes settled on the unconscious woman lying upon the bed while the physician carefully examined the wound in her thigh, and the unnatural paleness of her face made his expression darken further.
"Will she live?" Rowan asked quietly, his gaze never leaving the woman lying before him.
The physician rose to his feet before turning to face the king. "The arrow was coated with a sleeping tincture," he explained calmly, "but I’ll prescribe the proper medication for it, so she should recover without any lasting harm." His words brought a quiet sense of relief to everyone in the room before he added, "Although she may remain asleep for quite some time."
"How long?" Rowan asked immediately, his eyes never leaving the unconscious woman lying on the bed.
"Almost a week," the physician answered. "That would be the earliest she could awaken because the tincture appears to have been particularly potent."
Rowan nodded once, his expression remaining serious. "Then see to it that she recovers before then if possible. You’re not to leave these quarters until she’s out of danger. Attend to her personally."
