Just before Andre could make the plunge, the rattling of a bowstring sounded off. An arrow penetrated his belly. Andre gasped and paused before falling onto his back. He dropped the sword and clutched his own wound. Manfred stared in confusion, grimacing at the sight of the arrow jutting out of his old friend's bleeding flesh.

Manfred's eyes darted about to spot the archer, and sure enough, Princess Kate stepped out from behind a tree trunk. Her eyes softened upon meeting Manfred's gaze, and after shooting a deadly glare at Andre, she hurried over and dropped to her knees at Manfred's side.

"Manfred!" she cried, "I...should have been here sooner."

"Is a princess supposed to show her face on the battlefield at all?" Manfred mumbled.

Kate paused for a second with a wrinkled forehead. "Technically, no, but this particular princess has her own way of doing things."

"You're like a breath of fresh air for sure, your highness."

"Enough about me, though. How can I help you?"

Manfred shuddered as the pain shot up and down his bleeding leg again. An urge to scratch the site washed over him. "I just need a medic."

"I sent my maid to get one." Kate assured him, "But until then, what can I do?"

"Elevate his leg if you can." Andre grunted from where he lay a few feet off, "It'll bleed slower."

Kate glanced about for anything to use for the task, but came up empty-handed. With a shrug, she sat down crosslegged in the grass and gingerly lifted Manfred's leg into her lap.

Weakness conquered Manfred's body even more as his lifeblood continued leaving his body. His head swam, and his vision blurred sporadically. Drowsiness also made an appearance, and he felt himself drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Manfred, stay awake, please." Kate begged. He felt her dainty fingers snake into his own bloodstained grasp.

"I...can't. Too weak."

"Just talk to him." Andre blurted out again, "You'll either get his mind firing up, and that'll keep him alert, or you'll soothe him into a gentler sleep."

Kate glowered at Andre. "You can be quiet, traitor."

"Hey..." Manfred slurred, "your birthday's in a few days, isn't it?"

A subtle smile tugged at the corners of Kate's rosy lips. "That it is. But four days, and I'll have caught up with you again."

"Two decades...feels so old and so young at once."

"It does indeed."

Manfred's eyelids narrowed to slits, but still, his gaze remained fixed on Kate. He found himself admiring the hairstyle she'd picked, pleasing to the eyes but functional as well, with one side braided and swept back to allow greater visibility when shooting arrows, and the other flowing down naturally. The contrast of her silky dark brown hair with her light skin and vivid emerald eyes added to her strikingly lovely aesthetic.

"You know..." he said weakly, "Andre was right. If you wouldn't mind...I just want to hear your voice. Please...just speak whatever's on your mind."

Kate's gaze darted over Manfred's face, and her lips parted for a moment before words emerged. "I...alright, I'll think of something."

While she paused to think, Manfred spared Andre a glance, and he sighed upon observing his old friend had fallen unconscious. Manfred could only hope the sleep was only temporary.

"I truly don't know how you'll take this, or even...maybe this isn't the time to talk about it, but...goodness, I'm lost."

Manfred mustered a weak smile. "It's alright. Just...start somewhere."

"Alright, well, as you just mentioned, my birthday draws near, the beginning of my twentieth year. And...you know my father and I are the last of the Alder succession. He can't in good conscience take another wife, and so on my shoulders lie all the burden of carrying on our legacy, even if under another man's name."

"That's quite a burden."

"It is." Kate agreed, gaze descending to their connected hands smeared with crimson blood, "And as things currently stand, Captain Troy would be the father of my children."

Manfred coughed. "He seems a worthy man."

"That is he is, but...ah, never mind."

"No, no, please tell me. What're your reservations?"

"I can't quite put a finger on it, but he feels like he belongs to another woman. Someone closer to him in maturity, experience, and the like. I enjoy the idea of growing with my life partner, whoever he may be, but Captain Troy seems to me as if he's already grown."

Manfred nodded slowly. "That makes sense. Are you planning to call off the engagement, then?"

"That's my difficulty. In a sense, I want to, but I know my father wouldn't accept it if I simply did that without naming an alternative."

"You have anyone in mind?"

Kate reestablished eye contact and held it for several seconds before replying. Her lips twitched in thought. "I have...a good idea."

"Who?"

"I'm afraid I don't wish to say. Not yet. But may I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Quite some time ago, I seem to recall you mentioned having the desire to raise a family. Remind me, what sort of virtues would you value in those children's mother?"

Manfred drew in a deep breath, which brought some clarity back into his foggy mind. "I don't know...nurturing, compassionate, faithful? She'll have to be rather patient as well, I guess."

Kate nodded. "Do you know any women like that, by any chance?"

"Well, I don't really know that many women all that well, but...I guess you are. But I'm not implying—"

Kate held up a hand to stop him, and a mischievous grin crossed her face. "Imply all you want, Manfred. Remember the alternative I mentioned earlier?"

"Yes."

"It was you."

Manfred's eyes shot open fully, and he raised his head. "Me?" he echoed in disbelief.

Kate giggled lightly. "Yes, you."

"I...I don't really know what to say...to that."

Kate sucked in a breath and extricated herself from under Manfred's injured leg. Then she crawled closer to his torso and laid down on her stomach, head resting on his chest. "Just tell me this: Can I trust you to stand at my side until the day comes for one of us to depart from this world? Can I rely on you to weather every storm with me, to hold my hand through every trial?"

"Absolutely." Manfred said with conviction, "If you wish it, I'll be with you always."

Kate pushed herself up and inched closer, face hovering inches over Manfred's. "I wish it."

Manfred's heart pounded as he stared up into Kate's alluring green eyes. A slight smirk crossed his face. "Your will be done, Kate Alder."

She smiled, and then lowered her face to his. Manfred hummed in pleasure upon meeting Kate's soft, warm lips with his own. With what little strength remained in his body, he lifted his undefiled hand and ran it through her braided hair, just as smooth and fine as he'd imagined. After a few seconds resembling minutes, Kate pulled away. Manfred gave her a joyous smile, and after letting out a contented sigh, he let his head down and slipped into the darkness of unconsciousness. 

**** 

A/N: I think we all need to step back and take a deep breath from that ending. These past few chapters have been one heck of a ride, that's for sure, but I hope you've enjoyed it thoroughly. If you did, please be so kind as to leave a vote and some comments. 

I know I can be sappy when we draw to the end of a book, but I really can't properly express how grateful I am for each and every one of you who takes the time to read, comment, maybe even share. The simple fact that me wasting my life away in my word processor churning this stuff out, ends out meaning anything to you is pretty awesome. I hope my writings are as much a blessing to ya'll have been to me. 😁

Now, before you go, I have a few questions and a quick announcement, so please don't dart just yet. First off, I'd like to know, what was the most memorable moment to you in this book? 

(👀  What ship are you sailing most wholeheartedly on?) 

And lastly, who would you say is your favorite character and why? ❤️ 

The announcement isn't much, just that book 6, which will conclude this trilogy, is in the works. That said, I'm hardly any of the way through writing even its first act, so it might be a bit of a wait. Could be as long as early 2021, but I doubt that will be the case, and will certainly strive not to make it so. The bottom line is, if you're interested to keep on track of that so you don't miss the finale when it appears, please consider following my account. 😁 

Alright, thank you so much for reading, and God bless! I hope to see you again sooner rather than later. ❤︎