Elena watched as Shawn crumpled.
Everything happened in a flash.
One second the girl was smiling, healing the wounded.
The next, her eyes fluttered shut and her body pitched forward.
One of the nearby knights caught her before she hit the floor.
"Hey!" the knight shouted, cradling her in his arms. "What's wrong with you?!"
But Shawn didn't respond.
Her body was completely limp.
Her eyes stayed closed.
"Wake up!" another knight yelled, rushing over.
"Miss, answer us!" a third exclaimed.
Several of them started to panic.
"She's not responding!"
"What happened to her?!"
"Someone do something!"
No matter how much they shouted, the girl didn't stir.
The doctor pushed his way through the knights, shoving them aside.
"Move!" he ordered firmly. "Let me examine her!"
The knight holding Shawn gently lowered her to the floor.
The doctor knelt beside her and took her wrist.
He pressed two fingers against her skin, searching for a pulse.
The doctor let out a relieved sigh.
"She's alive," he said, looking at the others. "She just passed out."
The knights exhaled in unison.
"What a relief," one muttered.
"I thought she was dead," another said, clutching his chest.
The doctor frowned, studying Shawn's face.
"Her pulse is steady," he said, touching her forehead. "No fever. She's probably just exhausted."
Then one of the still-injured knights approached.
"Doctor," he said shakily. "Can I… can I touch her hand?"
The knight reached toward Shawn.
But before he could make contact, Elena's voice cracked like a whip.
"QUIET!"
Everyone froze.
Elena glared at them with deadly seriousness.
"Everyone calm down!" she ordered firmly.
The knights lowered their eyes, ashamed.
Elena took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay composed.
"Listen carefully," she said, looking each of them in the eye. "This girl's ability must remain strictly secret."
The knights exchanged confused glances.
"Secret?" one asked. "But Captain, if she can heal any wound, then—"
"Exactly because of that!" Elena interrupted, frowning. "Do you have any idea what would happen if this information leaked?"
No one answered.
Elena continued.
"Nobles, merchants, even other kingdoms… everyone would want her," she said gravely. "They'd kidnap her, force her to work for them, treat her like a tool."
The knights fell silent, the weight of her words sinking in.
Elena looked down at Shawn, still unconscious on the floor.
"Right now, the priority is letting this girl rest," she said firmly. "And no one—absolutely no one—except me or the doctor is allowed to touch her body. Understood?"
The knights nodded.
"Yes, Captain!"
Elena noticed the sad expressions on the faces of the knights who were still wounded.
Some had serious injuries, with purple marks creeping across their skin.
She sighed.
"I know you want to be healed," she said more gently. "But we still don't understand how she does it."
The knights listened attentively.
"We don't know if there are any side effects for the people she heals," Elena continued. "Or for her, the one doing the healing."
She pointed at Shawn.
"Look what happened to her," she said. "She passed out after healing six people. What would have happened if she kept going?"
No one answered.
"Until all those questions are answered," Elena said firmly, "everyone will continue being treated by the doctor and will receive the princess's potions if their injuries are severe."
The knights nodded, though some did so with disappointed expressions.
The doctor stood up and carefully lifted Shawn into his arms.
"Captain," he said, approaching Elena. "Here."
Elena took Shawn's body.
The girl was surprisingly light.
Her breathing was soft and even, as if she were in a deep, peaceful sleep.
Elena adjusted her in her arms, holding her with care.
"Thank you, Doctor," Elena said, nodding.
The doctor nodded back.
"Take good care of her," he said seriously. "That girl… she's special."
Elena didn't reply.
She simply turned and left the room.
◇◆◇
Elena climbed the stairs with Shawn in her arms.
The hallway was empty.
Only the echo of her footsteps on the stone floor broke the silence.
Elena looked down at Shawn's face.
The girl slept deeply, her expression serene.
'What a big heart this girl has,' Elena thought, admiration swelling inside her. 'To share an ability like that so freely…'
Elena remembered how Shawn had healed the knights without hesitation.
No demands.
No requests for rewards.
She had simply helped.
'She's too innocent,' Elena thought, frowning. 'Too naive.'
Elena reached the room where she had first left Shawn.
She kicked the door open and stepped inside.
The room was exactly as she had left it.
The bed, the window, the table with the water pitcher.
Elena approached the bed and gently laid Shawn down.
She arranged her on the sheets, making sure she was comfortable.
Then she pulled the blanket over her.
Elena sat in the chair beside the bed, watching Shawn.
'This girl…' she thought, recalling the words she had spoken earlier.
"Any person I touch with my hands will be healed."
"I can heal any wound or illness."
Elena frowned.
'Any illness…' she thought, worry creeping in.
Elena thought of the princess.
Iris Ashford.
The vampire queen who had ruled the Kingdom of Sharpi for centuries.
Lately, there had been rumors that her health was declining.
No one knew exactly what was wrong.
The castle physicians couldn't find the cause.
Potions didn't help.
'If the princess finds out this girl can heal any disease…' Elena thought, a chill running down her spine.
The answer was obvious.
The princess would want her.
No—more than want.
She would need her.
And if that happened…
'This poor girl's life would be nothing but working inside the castle for the rest of her days,' Elena thought, clenching her fists.
She hated that fate for her.
It meant the girl would be locked behind four walls again.
Just like when she was kidnapped.
Just like when she was tortured.
'I can't let that happen,' Elena thought, gazing at Shawn's sleeping face. 'This girl deserves to be free.'
Elena leaned back in the chair, crossing her arms.
'Until she wakes up,' she thought, closing her eyes for a moment. 'I'll watch over her… and then we'll have a serious talk.'
Elena opened her eyes and looked at Shawn once more.
The girl continued sleeping deeply, completely unaware of the dangers surrounding her.
'Poor girl,' Elena thought, sadness washing over her. 'She has no idea what kind of world she's stepped into.'