Alaric slowly opened his eyes, lying weakly on the bed. William was sitting beside him, and the moment William saw Alaric awake, he quickly called for the knights. The knights rushed in, and one of them asked gently, "Alaric, how are you feeling?"
Alaric tried to sit up, breathing heavily. His body was covered with dark bruises and hickeys, his face pale, and dark circles shadowed his eyes."I'm fine," he whispered, though everyone could see he was not.
The knights exchanged worried glances. They all knew what had happened, and their hearts ached for him. Behind them stood Eira, her back turned to the room, unable to face Alaric out of shame and sadness . Alaric noticed her and quickly turned his face toward William, tears welling up.
"I'm sorry... I couldn't save Helena," Alaric said, voice breaking, panic and guilt flooding him. The knights bowed their heads, trying to hold back their own tears. Helena had been like a mother to them all.
