Isolde retrieved Alaric, holding him tight. “You are safe… I promise.”
The world narrowed to fear and flight. Soon, news spread of a knight’s body found in the Thorne River, dark cloak, no sword, no insignia. Only whispers reached her ears: perhaps the man who delivered the royal child had died.
But one evening, a familiar voice called from the doorway. The man, Sir Alaric Duvall, wounded and pale, had returned.
“I am here to protect him,” he said, collapsing onto a bench. Isolde’s relief was tempered by fear.
Through forests, across rivers, over abandoned farmlands, they fled. Each night brought another threat. Each day, exhaustion deepened. Alaric, now a steadfast protector, never left her side. Through ambushes, starvation, and storms, he remained the shield between them and death.
Eventually, they reached the northern monastery of Saint Veran, where monks recognized the boy’s royal seal and offered refuge. The duke’s soldiers advanced from the south, leaving villages burned and chaos reigning. Isolde and Sir Alaric brought the child to the Council of the North, where she testified, exhausted but unwavering, about her protection of the rightful heir.