Unexpected return, p.17
Unexpected Return, page 17
“Aye, first you need to get better. Dr. Ross will be attending to you in Wiltshire. Dr. Lange will remain here.”
“I suppose you will stop and see Justine while you are there.”
“Maybe. But for right now, I need to get you up and out of the tent. Guards, we need your assistance,” James yelled.
Two guards entered the tent along with Dr. Lange.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Dr. Lange inquired of James. “He’s not well enough to move! I have not signed off on this!”
“I am following the orders given by my father. He wants Arius to carry John home. When John gets there, Dr. Ross is to attend to the injuries he has.”
“How are you to travel? John has some broken ribs that could become dislodged if bumped.”
“We have devised a harness for Arius that will hold John while he is traveling. I will sit behind him to help keep him stable.”
“I need to come along right now to supervise and inspect this harness.” So, James and the two guards were able to lift John and carry him to where Arius, the dragon, was standing. The guards were rather apprehensive as they approached even though they knew the dragon was Arius.
“I thought you two were lost. Where have you been?” Arius asked.
“You can talk?” John blurted out and the guards almost dropped him.
“Of course, I can talk. Do you not remember me stopping after I saved you and inquiring as to your condition? You were surprised then, too. But it seems you have no memory of that. I merely took the form of a dragon but I am still me,” Arius replied indignantly. “Now, please get on my back so we can get you home. This is how it will work. Climb on my elbow and I will hoist you up on my back. Once you get there, you will notice a makeshift harness we devised to help you ride without hands. James will help hold you in place so you can remain as still as possible. But no guarantees on my part. This is all new to me!”
The four of them maneuvered John up onto Arius’ elbow and Arius slowly lifted him to where he could grab the harness. John, lying on his back, slowly pulled himself up, his face grimacing in pain as he did. He stopped when he was on top of Arius and couldn’t go any farther.
“John, don’t do any more pulling.” Dr. Lange ordered. “James will do the rest.”
“John, I am coming up to help you,” James announced. “Wait for me before you do any more.”
Then the guards lifted James onto the elbow and he was lifted up towards Arius’ back. He grabbed the harness and crawled into place behind John. Then carefully he maneuvered John into place and positioned John’s legs through the harness up to his waist while John was lying down. Next, when he grabbed John by the waist, John groaned in pain but did not yell out. James helped him to a sitting position in front of him. Then James slid his own legs under the harness above John’s and wrapped his legs backwards around John’s which he hoped would secure John in place.
“Sorry, John, if that hurt. I am doing my best to move you so I have a good hold on you. Please let me know if you experience any pain while flying and I will try to reposition you.”
“James, right now, you are squeezing me too hard!” John whispered because he couldn’t breathe.
“Sorry, I just don’t want us to fall off!” James responded as he released his grip.
“James, make sure you hold him below his ribs or by his shoulders so you don’t break any more.” Dr. Lange yelled.
“Did you hear Dr. Lange; you are not to break any more ribs.” John added.
“I understand, brother. Now, Arius, not sure if we are ready for this, but I guess we will find out. We are ready to go.”
Arius extended his massive wings, dropped his head, and sprang into the air. James and John both looked down and saw the ground disappear below them.
“This is ridiculous! I cannot believe we are flying!” James yelled with excitement. “This is great!”
Just then, a wind gust caught Arius by surprise and his body surged upward and sideways. James and John hung on for dear life with James trying very hard not to bump his brother. Arius was finally able to get control of his body and leveled out once more.
“What was that?” Both boys yelled at the same time.
“Very sorry, Princes. A large gust of wind caused me to momentarily lose control. But I think I am beginning to figure this whole flying thing out! So, I hope it will not happen again.” Arius surveyed his surroundings and looked down. “I have never seen the earth from this vantage point. This is fantastic!”
Arius decided to try some new moves and momentarily forgot he was carrying two boys on his back. He dove downward for a short distance and then shot back upward and leveled off again.
“Arius!!! I cannot hold John steady while you are busy trying out your flying skills!” James yelled at the top of his lungs.
“Very sorry, again. I got carried away.”
“Well, try out your wings another time. After we get John home.”
“Understood, Prince James.”
James could feel John’s body tensing up from pain. He tried to move him around a little to see if that helped.
“Thank you, James. Now my chest does not hurt so much.”
James couldn’t believe how fast Arius was flying. At this rate, they would be back in Wiltshire before nightfall. James relaxed into the motion of Arius’ body and found it was easier to ride the enormous dragon. He felt John relax, too, as he responded to James’ body movements. The air was so crisp and cool at this altitude. The wings along with the speed created a lot of wind which made it difficult to see at times. But James noticed Arius was flying through the clouds, sometimes above them and sometimes below. They were so light and fluffy as they soared through the sky.
After some time had passed, James looked ahead and could make out the walls of a castle. It was Wiltshire.
“John, I see Wiltshire in the distance. Hold on a little longer. We are almost home.”
John lifted his head to see but was in too much pain to be excited.
“Arius, please hurry. I think John is in a lot of pain.”
“Will do, young prince.”
Arius picked up speed and the ride became a little bumpier. James tried as hard as he could to hold John steady. Finally they neared the castle walls. As they drew closer, James could hear the faint sound of people cheering. Then it got louder and louder and as Arius flew over the walls, he could see people in the courtyards cheering and soldiers cheering on the tower walls. When Arius reached the inner courtyard, he landed as gently as he could. People started to rush over to help bring John down off the dragon’s back. James saw his mother coming toward them followed by Dr. Ross and Justine. His heart jumped. He was so excited to see her he momentarily forgot about John.
“Make way for the Queen,” some of the townspeople shouted. James shook his head and again concentrated on his brother. When he looked down, he saw his mother standing near the dragon.
“Mother, John seems to be in a lot of pain. We need to lift him off very gently.”
Arius got as close to the ground as his body would let him. Then Dr. Ross started shouting orders.
“I need some men up on the dragon’s back who can lift John to the ground. I need that stretcher over here immediately. James, gently release John from that harness. As soon as he is on the stretcher, I need John carried to Dr. Lange’s office.”
The scene became one of organized chaos. They all knew what they were to do and did their job with precision. John was lowered with ropes under his armpits. When he was close to the ground, some soldiers gently placed him on the stretcher. His mother made her way over to the stretcher and grabbed his hand and held it tightly.
“You are home now, my son. Everything will be fine. Dr. Ross is a wonderful doctor and he will attend to you.” She let go of his hand and walked with the stretcher all the way to the office.
James was just sitting on top of Arius thinking about everything that had just transpired when he heard a voice stir him from his thoughts, faint at first.
“James, James. Are you okay? John will be fine. My dad will take good care of him. James. Are you coming down from there?”
“He most certainly is. I am not staying a dragon forever, you know.”
“Arius, you can talk?” Justine said stunned.
“Why does everyone keep asking me that? Of course, I can talk. Now, James, if you would kindly slide down off my back, I will transform back into the real me!”
“What?” Then he looked down and saw Justine. “Justine! Where did you come from?”
“I have been standing here calling your name but you didn’t respond.”
“I am sorry,” James answered. “So much has happened that I was lost in my thoughts.”
“Your highness, Prince James, will you please get off my back?” Arius repeated.
“Oh, oh aye, I will slide down if you will offer me your elbow to slide to.”
“That I can do.”
So, Arius lifted his elbow up towards his back. James moved to the top of the elbow and was lowered to the ground. Almost immediately, Arius transformed back into himself. The harness fell on top of him and he had to push it off before he could move.
“Wow! That was fantastic!” Justine marveled as she watched him change. “I can’t believe you can actually become a dragon!”
Then she felt a hand grab hers and she turned her attention back to James. She looked up at him and then sprang at him with a huge hug. “I have missed you so much,” she whispered.
James replied, “I missed you, too.” He relaxed his hold on her, moved her in front of him, and kissed her passionately.
“Prince James, I am sorry to break up this happy reunion, but we need to return to your father’s camp.” Arius said sheepishly.
Justine stepped back and looked at James in astonishment, “You have to go back, now? But you only just got here!”
“Father wanted John out of the camp away from anything that may happen.”
“What’s going to happen?”
“I do not know what my father is planning, Justine. That is what I will find out when Arius and I return.”
“Why didn’t Arius just zap you and John home like he does when we are transported to the portal? Why a dragon?”
“Aye. Arius, that is a question I had but didn’t have time to ask.”
“As for the whole dragon thing, it was a surprise to me, too. I was not aware that I could transform into anything for that matter. I have never needed to before now.”
“What changed?” James asked.
“When we were in Dorchester castle, John and I had found Sir Gregory, the Captain on the Guard, and were talking to him in a hallway. All of a sudden, King Henry came around the corner and I barely had time to disappear. He saw John standing there with Sir Gregory and it seemed like something snapped inside him. He became enraged and ordered Sir Gregory to strike the Prince and then take the Prince to the Throne Room. There, he made the Prince kneel before him and spit in his face. He ordered one of his guards to beat Prince John. Prince John fell to the ground, and the soldier continued to kick him. John curled up into a ball to protect his body from the blows. Anger started to swell inside me and I found myself wishing to become something big and powerful so I could stop John from further hurt and be able to carry him out of there. I felt my body start to change and grow. I saw the ground disappear beneath me. Then I realized I had become a fierce, fire-breathing dragon and was no longer invisible! I set fire to the hall, scared the King and Sir Gregory and they ran for cover. That is when I grabbed Prince John with one of my great claws, blew a hole in the ceiling, and flew off. The soldiers on the wall of the castle saw me and began to shoot arrows at me. But I was too far up in the air for them to hit me or John. So that is what happened, and why I can now transform into a dragon.”
“Does my father know of this treatment? This cannot go unpunished. I will have his head for this. I want to meet King Henry on the battlefield and be the one to take his life!”
“King William has been told and knows that this was by the hand of someone who has lost his mind. There is a plan in the works to deal with King Henry which will be shared upon our return. For now, young Prince, you must be patient until our return.” Arius knew the enraged feelings Prince James was experiencing because he, too, had felt it.
“I will wait to see what my father has planned, but know that King Henry will pay for this.”
Trying to change the subject, Justine brought up an earlier question, “But why did John and James have to ride you back to Wiltshire when you have the power to transport people from one place to another?”
“The distance was too great for that spell to work. King William knew that, and so he requested I take John home as a dragon. Now if you will excuse me, I need to check on John so I can report back to the King.”
“It seems like a mere thank you is not enough, Arius, for saving my brother. But I will say it anyway. Thank you.”
“You are welcome, young Prince.”
Suddenly Arius vanished.
“I cannot leave here before I know how John is doing either. We need to go, too.”
James grabbed Justine’s hand and led her toward the palace. Once inside, they climbed the stairs and ran down the hall to the office. His mother was standing outside the door along with Arius and his two sisters.
“James,” his sisters both shouted at the same time. They ran to him and hugged him, one on either side of him.
“We are so glad you are home,” and Bethany started to cry. “Dr. Ross is still checking John for any injuries. We have not heard from Dr. Ross about how John is doing since he was taken in there.”
“My dad is a great doctor and surgeon. John is in good hands,” Justine assured the girls as she tried to comfort them.
Just then, the door opened and Dr. Ross entered the hallway. All eyes immediately turned in his direction.
“Queen Marianne, your son has no more injuries than the ones he sustained prior to this last trip. James, you did a great job keeping your brother from hurting himself any further. And Arius, great flying. You must have been gliding very smoothly.”
Under his breath, “You have no idea,” James chimed in.
“But he does need to rest. Dr. Lange did a great job using what he had on hand to create a cast but it was not strong enough to hold his arm in place. The break in his arm had become separated and I needed to reset it. The ribs are still broken, but his lungs are fine, no punctures. He is confined to bed rest for at least a week to allow his ribs to heal. I will reevaluate his condition at that time and decide if he needs to rest further.”
“Thank you, Dr. Ross. Your presence here is appreciated more than you know. This is the second time you have stepped in to help members of my family and I am very grateful to James for bringing you here.”
“Thank you, Mother. I am glad he is here as well. You have delivered good news concerning my brother, Dr. Ross. I will relay this information to my father upon my return to his camp.”
“You are to return, James? I almost lost one son. I am most fond of all my children and do not want to be without any of them. But if your father has requested you return, I cannot say any different. Promise me, you will be careful.”
“I promise, Mother. And I have Arius there to protect me! I can ride a dragon now, and together we will be formidable!”
“I will do my best to protect the royal family, your majesty. James, we must return to the river. We cannot waste any more time.”
James hugged his sisters, then he hugged his mother. “Do not worry, Mother. I will be back very soon with Father and the rest of the army.”
Then, James grabbed Justine’s hand, “Walk me out.”
When they reached the inner courtyard, Arius had already transformed into the dragon and was ready to go. They walked over to where he was standing.
“Arius, I have just one question. How am I to stay on you now that the harness is no more?”
“No problem, young Prince. As we were flying, I could feel your body shifting on my back which helped me invent in my mind something I think will work. I have fashioned a harness I think you will like better than the last. Take a look!”
James dropped Justine’s hand and walked around to Arius’ side.
“That is fantastic! That almost looks like a saddle we put on a horse.”
“It is based on that design. But I have made some adjustments. Climb up and see how it feels.”
“Be right there.”
Justine walked over to James.
“I guess I have to say good bye again. But I know you will be back; I can feel it. So, no crying this time. Just good bye for now and I can’t wait for your return.”
“I know I will be back. We are supposed to get married. I do not want to miss out on that!”
They kissed goodbye. Arius offered his elbow to James. James climbed on and was pushed upward till he could climb on Arius’ back. He surveyed the new harness to see what Arius had created. It did have a saddle base to it so he had something to sit on, but the stirrups were very different. There was a place to put his foot, but there were several smaller straps that attached around his legs. There was a strap in front of the saddle which gave him something to grip so he wouldn’t fall off.
“This is impressive, Arius! I definitely think this will work much better than that old harness. This is going to be fun!”
“I am glad you approve, your highness. I have also made the belly strap much more comfortable. And, this new one can be used more than once!”
James sat down, attached the straps around his legs, grabbed the strap in front of him and told Arius he was ready to go. Justine sadly walked back to the door of the palace to watch as they took off. Many of the townspeople came out to watch and stood around the courtyard. Arius spread his expansive wings, put his head forward, started to flap and took off. The two were gone in an instant. Justine continued to watch the sky and finally caught a glimpse of them flying through the clouds past the castle walls. She told herself she wasn’t going to cry, but she couldn’t help herself. Her fiancé was flying away on a dragon into another kingdom and a possible battle where she had no idea what the outcome would be. But in her heart, she knew he would be okay. She finally opened the door and went back into the palace to await his return.
