The Thief

Chapter 29

"Speak."

It was quiet for a moment as if no one was mentally ready to explain the situation we currently faced. It was if between the three of us we were hoping one of the others would explain, hesitant to do it ourselves due to the shock, anger, guilt, regret and overall sadness that raked our very souls.

Seeing as nothing was happening, Warren took the nauseating task with great difficulty among himself to inform his majesty. He dismounted and bowed towards Prince Edward in great shame before he began to speak with a scratchy voice.

Jessie and I had dismounted as well and were too bowing with our heads held low. I had noticed that when I had dismounted my vision had blurred slightly and I was met with a splitting head ache.

It didn't help that I was soaked to the bone and shivering none stop. I could barely concentrate on what Warren was saying. I was starting to feel very weak and light headed.

My eyes were starting to sting and my vision started to blur. I can't fully recall what happened next but my body swayed before giving out on my causing me to pass out and face plant into the mud.

When I came through again it was because I was feeling uncomfortably hot. My eyes hadn't opened and I was still to drowsy to register anything. I wanted push whatever it was that was making me hot off which felt like a blanket.

Pushing my week arms up caused the blanket to shift off my torso and expose my upper body to some relieving cooler air. My relief was short lived however as the blanket was pulled back over me and secured tightly at my sides.

I let out a soft groan in annoyance but I regretted it soon after as it painfully stung my throat. I was about to drift off again in exhaustion when I felt a soothing cold hand press against my sweaty forehead. I was disappointed when it pulled away but couldn't ponder much more on it for I was out again in seconds after hearing some muffled talking.

When I woke up again, this time my eyes opened too. I was in an unfamiliar tent on the floor in a temporary yet rather comfortable make shift bed.

Forcing myself to sit up to get a better view of my surroundings, I nearly collapsed again. I felt weak. Very weak.

I was all sweaty and my whole body felt hot and ached not to mention my throat felt like sandpaper.

I must have a serious fever. Great, just freaking great. It was because of the stupid rain.

The rain...

Tyron.

All of a sudden, my chest felt tight and constricted. I reached for it with my right hand, gripping the fabric covering it in hopes of soothing the pain. It did not do much.

The pain started worsening causing me to hunch over and start coughing violently. My throat protested in pain. I could hardly breathe.

I felt two foreign quickly arms grab my shoulders and push me back down onto my back and pulling my arms to my sides.

"You need to calm down and just breathe, it's going to be okay. Just breathe for me."

The words were soothing as I slowly let air re-enter my lungs. Once my breathing was under control, I was met with the concerned yet calming eyes of General Ivor.

He was clad in amour, had a busted lip with blood that was starting to dry and looked all sweaty and exhausted much like I would picture my current pitiful sickly appearance minus the busted lip part. But on the note of amour, I finally realised that I was lacking mine and my chest was unbound.

Someone had changed me.

Someone had seen my naked chest.

Someone had discovered my true gender.

I started panicking again. My eyes darting around the room frantically searching for the possible guards, ready to take me away and end my life for good.

Ivor seemed to quickly catch on and once again calmed me down.

"Relax Sky, you are still sick. Your body hasn't fully recovered yet. Please just calm down and breathe."

I forced myself to calm down with great difficulty.

Ivor helped me sit up slightly and handed me a scoop of water which I greedily lapped. I am not going to lie but drinking plain room temperature water when you are sick or have just woken up is the most vial revolting thing on the planet.

The taste was just horrible. It did however feel slightly soothing as it ran down my throat however that was short lived because if anything once I had finished, my throat was no longer dry and scratchy but now raw and rough which honestly almost felt worse than it did before.

"You know I rushed here as soon as I got word of what happened and then to find you, a coughing, panicking mess." Ivor said as he tried to lighten up the situation with a small smile but I could see that it didn't really meet his eyes.

"If only I could have been quicker, I could have saved him..." My voice came out in a soft whisper as to not further irritate my throat.

"No. You couldn't predict that that was going to happen. It wasn't your fault from what I have heard. Please don't blame yourself for his death."

I frowned and looked away from Ivor. I knew that he was right but I still felt a tremendous amount of guilt. I doubt that I will ever stop blaming myself for his death.

"What of Warren and Jessie?" I asked, concerned for them.

"When I arrived, Prince Edward fully updated me on everything. After you collapsed and were moved to this tent and cleaned and examined, they haven't left your guard once, rotating every few hours, in fact Jessie is currently standing guard outside right now. I could barely get passed him on the way in."

I didn't know how to take that information in but I was nevertheless grateful that Ivor had told me anyways. I did take note that Ivor had referred to the Prince with his title. Something that he hardly ever did since I have known him. Strange.

"Who else knows...?" I finally asked the question addressing my true gender. I held my breath in nervous anticipation for his answer.

"Well both Jessie and Warren and well the camp medic that examined you but don't worry, they have been sworn to absolute secrecy with their lives at risk."

Ivor looked away hesitantly. I know exactly what he didn't want to tell me.

I looked down for a moment and let out a soft wispy breath in defeat.

"Prince Edward too, huh?"

It was a rhetorical question but Ivor answered anyway with a small hesitant nod, still not meeting my eyes. I honestly didn't have much energy left in me to react properly so I just opted to lay back down and rolled over to my side with my back to Ivor.

I pulled the blanket over my shoulders and let my exhausted sick body succumb to the darkness once more. I know that I was rude to Ivor but I knew he understood why and wouldn't hold it against me given my current situation.