Aryo & the Missing Prince

CHAPTER FIVE: THE PRINCE

What Aryo was less certain of was what to say to the prince now that he'd found him. He was speechless, standing there, his mouth hanging wide open, his mind numb—no longer from the ache but from wonder.

"You're the..." Aryo began slowly. The man raised his eyebrows and smiled. "The..." Aryo said again. "The, you know," the boy shrugged. "The prince?"

The man smiled as he sheathed his sword, slung his shield onto his back, and began his descent into the valley. The muddy embankment was not high nor was it steep, but the prince winced with every step as he inched his way down it. When the man's leg slid on the loose mud, he grimaced, and then fell forward, his leg buckling under the pain. He rolled to a stop at the bottom of the embankment and groaned. Unsure of what to do, Aryo walked to him carefully.

"You're hurt, aren't you?" he asked the man as he struggled to his feet.

The man was breathing heavily even after he got to his feet, but when he looked up and met Aryo's gaze, the boy couldn't help but wonder at the spark that still flickered in his deep green eyes. "I am," he said, looking down at his leg. "I think I've broken it."

"How did—" Aryo began, feeling awkward interrogating this man he'd thought so much about.

"Well, that's a long story," the man said, looking up and smiling a sad smile. He glanced toward the mountains. "and we don't have much time, I'm afraid."

Aryo followed the man's gaze. "The orcs? Are they real?" he asked.

The prince looked back at him and nodded. "And they're coming for Denzilli. I don't know why, but there's a horde large enough to siege the capital city itself and they're coming for Denzilli. Doesn't make sense."

The man shook his head as he limped to a boulder and sat down. He sighed with relief as he took the weight off his leg before continuing. "My father and I learned of the army and its intention only two days ago. Naturally, as soon as we heard about it, we arranged for an army to be sent in defense of the city. But it was not enough. Orcs travel fast. They can forgo both food and rest for weeks on end. They travel through the night. They never stop marching. Our army would never make it in time."

"So you set out to save us?" Aryo asked.

The prince smiled a broad, white smile. "I guess so," he said, laughing softly. "I wanted to at least arrive in time to warn you so you could raise up an army—a militia at least—to fight the orcs. I made it as far as that mountain pass," he pointed at a distant line in the mountains above. "That's where they caught up to me. Last night, they ambushed me—knocked me right off my own horse. That's how I broke my leg." The man looked up and shrugged. "I've been fighting and running from them ever since."

"I found your horse!" Aryo said, the excitement of finally having an answer to the mystery that had brought into the forest in the first place temporarily overpowering the gravity of the moment. The prince laughed again.

"Ha!" he said. "Old Kamri? I'm glad she made out unscathed! Do you live in this forest?"

"No," Aryo explained. "I live in Denzilli. I found your horse..." he paused. "Kamri...when she came out of the forest. I was tending my sheep."

The prince furrowed his brow. "So why are you here in this wretched forest?" he asked.

"I came to find you," Aryo said.

Silence once again reigned in the little valley as understanding dawned on the prince's noble face. He stared at the little boy before him and Aryo felt as if his piercing green eyes were reading his very soul. "What is your name, son?" the prince asked.

"Aryo, sir," Aryo replied.

"That's a good name," the prince said, nodding. "Not many would do what you did, Aryo. Why did you come into this place to find me?"