163: Saving The Boy

Saving The Boy

Because of his earlier display of skill, those tribesmen watched Arlan with warier gazes.0

The one in the lead spoke once more, and to her surprise, Oriana heard Arlan's suave voice responding in kind, not a single word familiar to her. 

"Ihan artkh iok ehmut esmah." (We mean no harm.)

Oriana was taken aback.

'What? Can he speak tribal language as well?' 

Oriana peeked at them from behind the tree and watched the strange scene before her—a warrior and a prince sharing a conversation as equals, despite the visibly stark differences between their status, culture and appearance. 

"... eyil ke iah idab tohob ek itlag tamik naj anel?"

(...don't you think death is too heavy a price to pay for ignorance?)

"An erak hsihsok elawrahab enpoth epmah. Iah mayin enpa elgnu."

(The jungle has its own rules. Outsider, do not try to impose your beliefs on us.)

Despite the calm manner of their leader, the rest of his tribe remained vigilant. They didn't lower their arrows aimed at the prince, even after their leader and Arlan reached some sort of agreement. 

Arlan continued to talk, his expressions and voice dignified and without a tinge of any fear but there was sure a threat in his calm tone that Oriana could understand at least. 

"... em ertahk egolad ok nalc mut yak irup?"

(I do not come alone. You have seen all my companions while following us along the way and you can guess the level of their strengths those knights have. The law of the jungle is where the strongest survive. Isn't the life of your people too heavy a price for being stubborn? Will you drag your entire tribe into this mess?)

The leader's silence stretched on in response. In the end, he let out an unhappy grunt.

The leader said in the end, "Oaj bas ahay es elhep tsayrus."

(Only this once and make sure your people leave our territory before sundown.)

They talked something more and Arlan then looked at Oriana. "Let's go."

'That's it? Are they letting us go? What did he say for them to let us off so easily?'

Oriana carefully stepped out of the tree's protection to come to Arlan's side. Her movement caused three archers to aim at her. Arlan held her hand to indicate his intention—that he would continue to protect her. 

His action received a nod from the leader, whose command was interrupted by a man's shout.

The atmosphere grew tense once more when a fellow tribesman came running from afar. He was out of breath, scared and panicked as he yelled foreign words to his people. 

The leader's expression changed as he listened to him. 

"What are they saying?" Oriana asked in a low voice. 

"Nothing related to us."

Just then, a few more shouts could be heard as more of their tribe arrived. One of them was carrying a limp boy about ten years of age in his arms. Seeing the situation, the tribe seemingly forgot about Arlan and Oriana. 

"Looks like that boy is the reason. Is he sick?" she asked. There was a visible swelling on the boy's body, and he appeared to be in great pain. She was about to take a step towards them but her arm was gripped by Arlan. 

She looked at him. "What? I want to help them."

"They tried to kill you. Did you forget?"

"No, of course not, but this and that are different things." 

"Aren't you scared?" he asked.

"What am I going to be scared for? I am free to offer help to the boy—the worst that can happen is they reject my offer," she said with the gaze determined to not be dissuaded. 

"There is no need for you to step in. They are taking him to their village where they have their own witch doctor."

She pulled her hand out of his grasp. "They don't look like they know what is wrong with him. What if that boy dies before they reach there?" 

The stubborn expression on Oriana's face reminded Arlan of the scene where she beat up a nobleman to defend a lady she was never acquainted with. Her confident gait also made him recall that time she chose to help a fellow herb collector from being scammed. Then their first meeting, wasn't it also due to her meddling to save a pregnant deer?

A woman who could never turn a blind eye to those in need, that's the kind of troublemaker Oriana was.

Arlan no longer stopped her and instead chose to join her.

She walked ahead, with Arlan walking behind her like a gallant guardian knight. A number of tribesmen glared at them, some warning them to stay away, but Arlan spoke up to tell them of Oriana's intention. Those men looked at their leader, waiting for his decision.

The leader said something to Arlan, to which Arlan responded back with a nod. Oriana didn't know what they were talking about, but she could see the man getting convinced by Arlan's words.

After hearing the leader's holler, everyone made way for Oriana. They placed the boy on the ground to allow Oriana more space to check on him. 

'Allergy? No, he didn't have rashes, and the swelling…'

She borrowed a knife from the leader and deftly cut away the long sleeves of the boy's clothes. She massaged his muscles, from his swollen face, down his throat and limbs, checking the spot where the swelling was at its worst. Soon, she discovered something on his right hand. 

She heard Arlan say upon seeing the puncture wounds, "Snake bite."

Oriana nodded. "It is fatal if left for too long. Thankfully, the paralysis is yet to affect his inner organs. We can still save him."

She hurriedly used the removed fabric from the boy's shirt to stanch the flow of blood in his arm. "Ask them if they know what kind of snake bit the boy."

Arlan translated her question but received no real response. Perhaps the boy himself didn't realize when he had been bitten. Arlan told her a brief summary of what happened based on the conversation between the tribesmen. The boy collapsed in the middle of running, that's why no one realized he had been bitten. 

She then gestured at the plants with yellow flowers nearby. "These plants can cure snake venom in general. It is better than not doing anything. Harvest its flowers. Choose the mature ones only, those in full bloom. Have others fetch water and also a clean knife I can use for blood letting. Also, Your Highness, may I borrow your shoulder pauldron? And…" She continued to explain the treatment plan and Arlan translated it to the leader. 

Under the nervous gaze of the crowd, Oriana quickly made a poultice using the prince's shoulder guard as a mixing bowl. The entire thing only took them five minutes, but they were the longest five minutes for the half-conscious boy grunting in pain.

After blood letting and washing the wound, Oriana applied the poultice to the affected area. She also fed part of the crushed flowers to the boy. Her steady manner calmed the people watching her. 

"We have to wait for at least fifteen minutes before concluding anything, though I am sure his life is no longer in danger. Of course, it is best we find what kind of snake bit him. Only then can we make the complete antidote."

The sound of leaves rustling alerted the natives of the jungle, and they held their weapons in the direction of the source of noise. 

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