The memories I can't remember

MIZAK POV

I sat on my bed as I remembered a memory from ten years ago.

The noonday sun hung high as my carriage rolled toward Alririt Kingdom. The day after Prince Athelin's interrupted coronation, I was twelve years old, my curiosity piqued by the world beyond our borders.

Through the carriage window, I glimpsed a familiar figure sprawled on the grassy ground. "Halt!" I commanded, and the coachman obeyed. I leaped out, racing toward the unconscious form.

It was King Athelin—still breathing, though barely. His black short hair was untidy,clothes were tattered, his face etched with exhaustion or hunger or even both. I knelt beside him, checking his pulse. Relief washed over me; he was alive.

"Fetch my gourd!" I ordered a guard. He handed it to me, and I poured water into Athelin's parched mouth. He drank greedily, eyes closed in gratitude.