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"Daniel...Daniel. Please wake up" she was crouched down beside him checking to see if he had any life in him. There was a deep gash by the side of his head and blood flowed out freely.

She placed her ears on his chest. He was still breathing though the sound of his heartbeat was faint. Sarah sighed in relief... At least he was alive.

Tears threatened to spill as she struggled to reduce the flow with a piece of her skirt. He was going to be alright. She told herself. All she had to do was get him out to safety, get some herbs and tend to his wound.

After she managed to take Daniel to a secluded corner she went in search of the necessary herbs which was not easy to find as she wasn't familiar with the area. She was already tired when she saw what looked like a herbs garden a distance away.

Suddenly energized, she sprang into a run. When she got there she saw a lone hut beside the garden. The fact that the owner of the garden may be inside the hut made her hesitate a little. For a second she wondered whether she should just sneak in and out with what she needed or take permission first. But what if she was not permitted? What would happen to Daniel? She doubted the possibility of finding herbs somewhere else. An image of Daniel's unconscious body flashed through her mind. Damn the consequences. She needed those herbs fast.

She walked as quietly as she could and began cutting. She was so engrossed in her task she didn't see the owner come out

"Stealing is a crime" his arrow was aimed at Her

Sarah's heart froze for a second and began beating again...at a fast pace this time.

"Please sir don't shoot" she raised her hands up "am not a thief" Sarah pleaded

"So then what are you doing with my herbs" he asked disbelievingly

"My friend is badly wounded and unconscious. I just need some herbs to tend to his wound. I would have come to ask for permission first but he is in a critical condition"

"I see" he searched her face for any trace of deceit and then lowered his arm "if that is the case then you can take what you need" he stood by the hut watching her

"Am sure you don't have a place to sleep.. Why don't we bring your friend here" he suggested

Sarah looked at him warily, she didn't know whether to trust a stranger with their lives. But so far he had been kind to her and they couldn't possibly sleep outside "thank you"

******

Sarah watched Daniel, stroking his hand lovingly. He was really scaring the hell out of her. They has been in Ule's house for about two weeks yet Daniel was still unconscious. Sometimes his temperature was normal other times it went very high. There were times when he was shivering so much that Sarah had to cover him with more than one wrapper. Sarah thought she would go crazy if he didn't wake up soon

"Daniel please you need to wake up" she was still holding his hand like she did every day for the last two weeks "let me at least know that you are fine" she sniffed back her tears. Now was not the time to cry, there would be plenty of time form that when Daniel awoke.

She felt his little finger move and looked up sharply to see if he was awake. She sighed in disappointment at his closed eyes. As she stood up to check on the medicine she was making she heard something that stopped her in her tracks.

"Sa...rah"

Sarah flew back to his bedside immediately. He was awake. Finally awake. Joy filled her as she hugged him

"wa...terr" he struggled to talk

Sarah placed the cup in his mouth and he drank the water in small sips. When he finished he looked at her

"Where are we?"

"We are in a kind man's house. He has helped us since the day you were injured. His name is Ule" she explained

"How long have I been here?"

"Two weeks... Ohhh Daniel am so glad you are awake. I was so worried" her eyes were filled with happy tears

Daniel smiled a little "am glad you are safe"

"You need to eat and then rest"

******

A few days passed and Daniel could now move around a little. The pains in his head reduced but he still felt weak. The only bright side of it was that he got to be near Sarah many times than he had ever been before. His feelings for her increased every day and he found himself wondering whether she felt the same as him.

Sighing, he stretched his legs in front of him. He needed to clear his mind of such thoughts so they could talk about their next step. He noticed the tired lines around her eyes as she served his food. She hadn't been sleeping well and it was his fault. She was worrying about him too much "Sarah please sit" he patted the spot next to him "let’s eat together" he was already cutting a morsel of eba

"No thank you. I will eat later" Sarah looked away shyly

"Please.. In fact I insist"

Sarah nodded and washed her hands. She was nervous. She couldn't remember eating with someone before. As they ate she felt his eyes on her but she didn't look up.

They just finished eating when Daniel took her hand in his. A shiver found its way up her spine at his touch

"What are we going to do now?" Daniel asked

Sarah sucked in a breath. She didn't want to go back. In fact she wanted to be very far away from the place she called home. Even though she didn't want to be away from Daniel, she couldn't force him to stay with her. It was his choice. "Am not going back.. If you want to go back its okay but i have no plans of joining you" she stared at her feet

"What are you talking about? Am not leaving you alone. If you don't want to go back, we won't go" Daniel said it as though it was the most obvious thing in the world

Sarah looked at him with respect, with gratitude and with something else that was just beneath the surface...something Daniel couldn't understand

"But we can't stay here, it’s still within the village" Daniel continued

"I know. And we are not leaving this place until you recover" she told him sternly

"As you wish princess"

Sarah's face heated at the compliment. No one had ever called her that. Did he really see her as a princess or was he just addressing her with her title?

**********