An Insatiable Pride

Writer's POV:

"There she is, let's go get her."

'No, this is not good, I can't get caught now, I need to run faster but my legs are weak.'

She tripped over a rock and was about to fall but she was caught by someone before she crashed to the ground. She looked up to see the face of the person who had caught her.

She was shocked to see the face of a familiar but yet an unfamiliar person.

She looked exactly like her, same eyes, the same face frame, even the same lips.

'Am I dying? Is this what it looks like when your life flashes before your eyes? But I never wore such expensive clothes or wore such expensive perfume.'

"Who are you?" Mirabeth asked.

"I am Keyleth. But why don't we exchange pleasantries after I get you out of this place."

That was the last thing Mirabeth heard before she blacked out.

<< 

Herdis woke up in an unfamiliar room, and no one was in sight. She tried getting up but her body felt sore and she felt a sharp pain in her head, so she laid back down.

Her throat felt dry, she looked around for something to drink. She saw a jar and a cup but it was quite far, it was on a table not too far from the bed.

But she was too weak to stretch her hands that far.

She moved closer to the edge of the bed and stretched out her hands to grab the jar, but it slipped off.

While trying to hold on to it, she also slipped off the bed and fell to the ground alongside the jar, unfortunately she fell on top of the spilled water.

The loud sound this alerted someone, it was a lady and she seemed unfamiliar, she ran into the room and tried to assist her, but when she couldn't.

"I will go get the Commander, give me a second, your highness." The lady said

Herdis coughed for a while, "Wh,...who are you?" Her voice sounded hoarse.

"I will go get you water, your highness, give me a second."

'What's wrong with her? Is she designed to say only a few words? Hold on, if she's going to get the Commander that means,...'

"Do you mean,..."

Herdis was so lost in thoughts that she didn't realize when the woman left. She tried to get up herself but all efforts seemed futile. She kept struggling until the door was opened and he walked in. She was too shocked to say his name.

'How in Heaven's name does he not have a single scratch on his body after falling off a cliff, but I was just thrown to a tree, and I can't feel my legs, move my body, or think properly. Why is the universe so unfair?' She asked herself.

"I wonder how you ended up down there." He teased her.

"Aren't you going to help me up? Or will you just stand there?"

"I would rather not."

"Excuse me?"

"Again, I chose to believe that you have working ears."

"How ungentlemanly of you to leave a damsel in distress, or am I not a damsel in distress?"

"I for one do not see you as a damsel, and certainly not as one in distress, I always thought someone with a tongue as sharp as yours, would be able to save herself, what do you lot call those kinds of ladies again."

"Huh."

"Ahh, Feminists, that's the word I was looking for. I thought you were one of those ladies who wanted to prove their capability to live independently from a man and their ability to save themselves while in distress as you ladies like to call it."

"Excuse me, but I think it's wrong to leave anyone in need of help, unattended. Besides, this is not about the gender inequality that we women face this, is about attending to a helpless person"

"Beg me."

"What"

"I hate repeating myself Damsel, beg me and I might consider. And make haste, I hear approaching footsteps."

"I cannot believe you would stoop so low to ask for such a thing. Isn't it below your status?"

"One." He started counting.

"Why are you counting?"

"Whoever is headed this way will open this door in the next ten seconds, Two."

"This is absurd and I am supposed to believe you."

"Three. Believe what you wish for, Four."

"I refuse to believe."

"Five. Don't forget, Werewolves have good hearing, Six."

"And an insatiable pride." She muttered under her breath.

"Seven."

'I am going to regret this but,...'

"Fine, Please help me up, the floor is soaking wet."

He lifted me up and dropped me on the bed then said. "That was easy wasn't it?"

Herdis was about to retort when the door was pushed open and that same lady from earlier came in.

'Huh, he actually has a very good hearing but I refuse to acknowledge it or praise him, he will surely use it against me if I do.'

"I am sorry for coming this late, your highness."

And that was all she said then she proceeded to drop a new jar of water and a cup on the table. And with a rag and a bowl she bent down to clean the spilled water.

"Is she a slow speaker?" Herdis asked, her eyes boring deeply into Razar's.

"Why do you ask? Here, have some water, your voice sounds hoarse."

He sat me up and fed me some water.

"Thank you." He placed the cup on the table when I was done drinking and sat down beside me.

"I think I need another cup."

"Take another one after two minutes, it would work faster that way, downing it in one go wouldn't change a thing."

"Okay, ohh about the girl. She seems to only say limited words and does she have a name?"

"I have no idea if she has a name. She's a Lycan who has worked for my family for ages, she has never been a talking type, from what I remembered."

"What's a Lycan?"