She lives

The raging river was merciless and like a rag doll, it tossed Isaac about. Water was making its way into his nose and making his lungs sting. The water made it extremely hard to see but he didn't give up and looked for Eva. Her dark hair bumped up to the surface and disappeared again. He had a clue as to where her location was but that was not all that he saw. There were also large rocks up ahead and she was dangerously close to getting crushed. Her head floated up to the surface again. He moved against the river with the rope around his waist and finally he got a hold of her hair. He pulled her body to himself and felt the tugging against his waist increase as the rest tried to pull them to shore. They would make it until the rope snapped under their combined weight.

The river was now in complete control and hellbent on taking the two. They moved with the currents towards the dreaded rocks in front.

"Let her go," He heard the others shout in terror. "Grab the rope."

He turned to see them trying to get the rope with no luck to him. Even if he let her go, there was no way he would make it before the river tossed them to the rocks. The water took the opportunity and it felt as though he was being swallowed whole. He felt suddenly warm as though he was in the front fireplace. The heat was spreading through his cold body at a speed that was too fast to be natural. He felt as though he was on fire but it strangely did not hurt. The heat converted to strength and adrenaline that he had never experienced before. He held Eva tighter and for one last time, he tried to swim against the current. He did a complete one-eighty degree and started to move again. This time the harsh current was not a match to the might that each stroke of his carried. Eva felt lightweight as if she hadn't weighted a ton a few moments ago. He finally reached the shore to the surprise of everyone.

He laid on his back exhausted with the girl still in his arms. He panted, taking in dry oxygen that he desperately needed. The realization hit him that the girl he had saved was still not yet in the clear. The others were still in utter shock that a mere man was able to do the impossible. Isaac ignored their shock and was already trying to revive Eva.

He put a finger to her nostrils but she was not breathing. He put his ear to her chest but she could not hear a sound. He placed both palms on her chest and started to perform compressions on her. He would not give up not when they had gotten this far. "Look for help," He yelled in urgency, snapping them out of their disbelief. They were both out of the river but if they spared just one moment, it would end up being all for nothing.

"I'll go," One volunteered before riding away on a horse.

Isaac stopped the compression and put his ear to her chest again but still, there was no improvement. He pinched her nose and closed her nostrils. Putting his lips on hers, he puffed air into her lungs. He did that for a while then continued the process all over again. He was so exhausted that his muscles hurt but he wouldn't accept defeat even though she was not showing any improvement. A hand fell on his shoulder but he didn't acknowledge it. "She is dead." It was the leader's somber voice. "Let her go."

****

"That is the place," Laura pointed at a house. "Their house is that one."

Seraphine stopped her horse. "Are you sure?" She asked, her voice losing stability with each word.

"Yes," She assured. "I promise."

The queen got off her horse and took the girl too. She wiped her sweaty hands on her dress. The others got off their horses too. She approached the house in unsure steps like she was walking on a tightrope.

One of the men stood suddenly in front of her. "It might be dangerous, I think..."

He kept quiet when he saw the queen's face. She looked like she could have buried him alive. He quickly bowed. "My apologies."

"What is all the ruckus about?" Cecilia stormed out of the house in a rage. The moment her eyes fell on Seraphine, her ambience shifted. There was horror in her widened eyes. She looked like she could have ran if not for the men that stood behind the queen. "My... que...queen," She stuttered with her eyes on the ground.

The queen's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Are you Cecilia Fletcher?" She asked.

She nodded, still avoiding the queen's eyes. "Yes, I am,"

"Does a girl named Eva live here?"

"She is my daughter and yes, she lives here."

Cecilia's words reminded Seraphine that there was still a possibility that this Eva might not be hers. "May I see her?"

"She is out," Cecilia was quick to say. "My queen."

"Where, if I may ask?"

"To the market."

She clenched her fists and raised an irritated brow. One of her men tried to step forward but Seraphine stopped him. "I mean no harm to her." She said after calming herself down.

Cecilia couldn't answer, her mind was racing. She heard about the midwife's confession but she had not had any time to connect the dots not to talk about preparing. Especially with Eva's miraculous healing that had scared her. Did she already know how to use the ardour? "I know my queen."

"Then just..." The queen was cut short by someone coming in on a horse.

"James," One of her men said, recognizing the man who had just arrived. "What are you doing here?"

James got down so fast that he almost could not stick the landing. "We need help." He said with bated breath.

"What happened?"

"A girl..." He tried to say. "jumped into the Fortis river."

Cecilia looked up, her heart thumping. Had she pushed her too far? "Dark hair?" She asked hoping it would not be her.

"Yes," James replied. "She needs help."

"Who is that?" Seraphine asked Cecilia. "Do you know her?" There were many other people with dark hair but the look on Cecilia's face was enough to scare her.

"E...va," She answered, her voice breaking.

"But there is no way we will be able to find a doctor at this time," She said. "There are absolutely none in this area."

Seraphine still had questions but she heard herself command her men. "Follow James,"

The men were confused as to how the queen was acting. To them, James had just said the said girl had dark hair and now the woman they were questioning said that it was Eva. The girl that was supposedly the lost princess they were looking for. There were still other endless possibilities but they did as told because they had to understand her plight and desperation. Little Laura had to come along because they had no time to take her back home.

Seraphine herself was unsure but it felt so good to be so unrealistically hoping that they would find her daughter from twenty years ago in just one day. But the way the secret had gotten out had gotten to her more than she cared to show. Crying was not cutting it anymore, the only way she would ever have peace of mind again was to find her daughter alive. Or dead. To be fair to herself, there were things also pointing to the possibility that this was the girl she was looking for. The way Cecilia had reacted when she had asked her questions proved that the woman had secrets concerning the girl in question. She could have asked why the queen would be looking for her daughter but she had not. Most likely because she already knew.

It was quite a distance to the river even on horseback which only made Seraphine more nervous. What if they got there and she was dead? And it turned out that the girl was indeed the daughter she had lost? What would they do even if they got there? Things were moving at an overwhelming rate and she felt like she could throw up at any minute. They got there and dismounted.

"Watch her," Seraphine told one of them, referring to Laura.

Seraphine turned her attention to the girl who was now resting in the arms of a drenched young man and was very much alive. She could not react, she could only stare.

"My queen," It was the leader of the troops for Kadon. "What brings you here?"

"Festus, is she okay?" She asked.

"Her?" He momentarily turned to look at Eva. "It is a miracle but she is. Could you believe that she...."

She was no longer listening to the rambling man. She could only stare at the girl. She was pale, shivering and beyond that, she looked too thin to be a twenty-year-old.

Cecilia rushed to her side. "Eva, what happened?" She asked frantically, reaching out to touch her arm. The girl seemed to frown very slightly and tried to move away. Seraphine was quick to notice this. She moved towards them, still unsure of what to do. She tapped Cecilia on the shoulder, making her turn around. "Is this Eva?" She asked. She wanted very badly to ask 'is that my daughter?'

Cecilia swallowed. "Yes."

"Martha!" Seraphine called. She could not move any closer to the girl even though every cell in her body wanted to draw her into a hug.

Martha scurried to where they were, her chain jiggling as she did. "My queen?"

Seraphine took a deep breath. "Is it her?"

Martha squinted at Eva, who seemed to have seen better days. She was cold, exhausted and half asleep. Martha shook her head. "There is not enough light to be sure."

Seraphine looked up, it would soon be nighttime. The sun was not even visible any longer and Martha was not a young woman either, she had bad eyesight. Seraphine sighed and rubbed her clammy hands on her dress. They could set up camp for the night since they did not bring a caravan but she looked at Cecilia and had a better idea. "Can we lounge at your house for the night?" It would be better that way so she would be able to have any funny ideas.

"No!" But it was not Cecilia that answered. It was a weak voice. Everyone turned to Eva in astonishment. The girl tried to sit up but could not. "You cannot." She was still weak but one could hear the aggression in her.

Festus spoke first. "You dare speak to her majesty like that?"

There was a look of surprise on Seraphine's face before she smiled. "It is okay," She crouched down to Eva's level. "I won't then," she promised.

Eva did not reciprocate the attitude, instead, she recoiled and scrunched her nose in disgust like the queen smelt of dung.