Rosangela: The Runaway Princess (Book #2)

The four of us walked along the path through the woods. Sigmund led on and I with Prince Maximilian followed right behind him while helping Jasper along. We couldn’t move quickly due to Jasper’s injuries. But it didn’t matter for me as long as we could get out of this place together.

All of a sudden, Jasper’s knees buckled and he fell, bringing me and Maximilian down with him.

“Are you okay, Jasper?” I asked anxiously.

“I don’t have the strength to walk any further, so you’d better leave me behind, Your Highness,” he wheezed.

I shook my head. “No, I wouldn’t dream of going without you, Jasper. You must come with us!”

“But if I come with you, I will only become an encumbrance to the three of you. So, you’d better go on without me, Your Highness,” Jasper said sadly.

“No, Jasper! We never consider you an encumbrance. You’re our friend. We will never leave you, especially when you’re injured like this,” I said firmly.

“Don’t worry about me, Princess! I’ll be all right.” Jasper smiled weakly in a forlorn attempt to reassure me that everything was going to be fine. But I knew it wouldn’t.

“I said I would never go without you, Jasper. Are we clear?” I emphasized.

“Um, Rosanne, I think we should listen to Jasper. He is badly injured now, so he can’t run fast. His presence is only going to slow us down. It’s best if we leave him behind, for all our sakes. That way we’ll be able to get out of this place more quickly,” said Maximilian.

“What are you talking about, Maximilian? Jasper is your bodyguard. All this time, he’s always be there for you to protect you. But how could you think of leaving him behind?!” I chastised him.

Prince Maximilian hung his head in shame. “I’m sorry, Jasper, I wasn’t thinking.”

“That’s all right, Your Highness.” Jasper gave a slow smile.

“Nobody is going to leave anyone behind. All of us will get out of here slowly but surely, okay?” I stressed out.

Prince Maximilian, Jasper, and Sigmund nodded in agreement.

“Then, what shall we do now?” Maximilian wondered aloud.

“I think we’d better spread out. You, Maximilian, go with Jasper, while I go with Princess Mirabelle. Those guards are only after Princess Mirabelle. So, if Jasper split up with Princess Mirabelle, he’ll be safe,” Sigmund made a suggestion.

“No! I disagree,” I said stoutly, “No matter what happens, we have to remain together. However, there’s no guarantee that Jasper will be safe if we split up, right? What if King Joaquin capture Maximilian and Jasper and use them as bait to lure me out?”

“Rosanne is right,” Maximilian agreed with me, “It’s a bad idea to spread out. It will be very easy for us to get caught if we separate into two groups. We must stand together if we want to defeat our enemy.”

“Can you think of a better solution, then?” Sigmund asked truculently.

“Let me see!” Maximilian rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I think it will be so much easier if Jasper can make a quick recovery.”

“Wait! Every vampire is capable of healing their wounds by themselves, right? But why is Jasper unable to do that?” I queried in bewilderment.

“I think it’s because the bullet is made of silver, that’s why his wound can’t heal by itself,” Sigmund enlightened me.

“Oh I see!” I nodded in understanding.

“If only we could find a way to speed Jasper’s recovery,” Maximilian spoke in a low mumble, as if to himself.

“Aha! I’ve a brilliant idea!” I exclaimed.

“What’s that?” Sigmund asked curiously.

“I think you should give Jasper your blood, Maximilian,” I suggested.

Prince Maximilian frowned in puzzlement. “Pardon?”

I explained, “Xavier told me that the blood of a royal pureblood vampire could help quicken someone’s healing process. So, why don’t you try and give Jasper your blood, Maximilian?”

“Wow, Rosanne, you’re a wonder! I would never have thought of giving my blood to Jasper to speed up his recovery,” Maximilian enthused.

“OK then, let’s try it!” Sigmund untied the strip of cloth which was wrapped around Jasper’s shoulder before he unbuttoned his shirt, baring Jasper’s bullet wound to us.

Afterwards, Prince Maximilian rolled up his sleeves and nipped at his wrist until it drew blood before he brought his hand closer to Jasper’s lips.

Jasper sucked the blood from the cut on Maximilian’s wrist for a few seconds before he finally let it go.

We waited apprehensively for Maximilian’s blood to react, but nothing happened.

“Why isn’t it working?” I enquired in mystification

“Search me!” Maximilian answered.

I turned to look at Sigmund.

He gave a shrug of his shoulders. “I’m buggered if I know.”

“I was shot with a silver bullet, Your Highness. So, even after Prince Maximilian has given me his blood, it’ll still take time for my bullet wound to heal,” Jasper explained with a weak voice.

“We’ll have to think of another way,” Sigmund stated.

I thought for a bit before saying, “What if I give my blood to Jasper? I mean, I am a royal vampire too, right? So, perhaps my blood can help speed up Jasper’s healing process.”

“I doubt it’ll work but it’s worth a try,” Sigmund commented.

“You’re telling me,” Maximilian agreed.

“OK. Let’s get it over with!” I held out my left hand to Jasper.

The bodyguard looked at Maximilian, silently asking for his prince’s permission. After Prince Maximilian nodded in approval, Jasper grasped me by the wrist and bit into my skin.

I had to restrain myself from crying out in pain as I felt a sharp pain on my wrist. Jasper drank my blood greedily. I was afraid he was going to drain my blood. But much to my relief, he lastly removed his fangs from my wrist.

Unbelievably, it actually worked. A small silver bullet came out of Jasper’s wound by itself and the bullet wound began to close up slowly. In less than no time, Jasper’s bullet wound healed up without even leaving a scar.

“How are you feeling now, Jasper?” I enquired.

“I am feeling much better now, Your Highness,” replied Jasper, “But I think I am not strong enough to teleport all of us out of here.”

“That’s okay, Jasper. The most important thing is you are no longer injured, so we are able to move faster start now on,” I said.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Maximilian added.

Jasper’s face crinkled up in a smile. “Thank you very much for your understanding, Your Highness.”

“Hey, no sweat!” I responded.

“Come on, you guys, Let’s blow this joint!” said Sigmund.

“OK,” I, Maximilian, and Jasper chorused.