The door to Sean's bedroom was ajar. Kelly nudged it open. The room was covered in red and gold fabrics, from the bedspread on the four-poster, to the curtains that were only partially concealing the boy sitting on the window seat.
"Sean, can I come in?" Sean didn't react to her voice; he just kept staring out the window, watching the drops of water beat against glass. The prince's legs were pulled into his chest, and his arms were wrapped around his shins. Kelly could see the dried blood stain on his sleeve. She crossed the Oriental rug and sat beside him.
"I need to look at your cut." Kelly set down the medical supplies she'd brought with her. She didn't think the injury was too serious, given the amount of blood that had dried on the cloth, but any cut could turn serious if it got infected. Sean finally turned to look at her.
"What do you want, Kelly?" The odd question caught her off guard.
"I want you to pull up your sleeve." She waited for him to comply, but he just frowned and shook his head.
"No, I mean what do you want from me?"
"Excuse me?" Had she misheard him?
"The night we met you lied to Prince Philippe for me. Today you made an enemy of Eric over me. I don't know what you could want that I have and they don't." Kelly opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. How was she supposed to answer a question like that? Sean seemed genuinely confused by her behavior, like it was impossible for him to believe she'd helped without agenda.
"You think the reason I take your side is because I want something from you?" Kelly couldn't believe an eight-year-old could be this cynical.
"'People don't give something for nothing. There's always a price.'" The words sounded rehearsed, as though he was quoting someone, rather than speaking for himself.
"Did your father teach you that?" Was this what Philippe had meant when he spoke of preparing his sons to be Princes? Was he teaching them to suspect the motives of everyone they met? Was he telling them that every act of kindness was calculated?
"No, not Prince Philippe." Who else was important enough to Sean that he'd recite their instruction?
"Your mother?" Kelly held her breath as she waited for him to respond. It was probably a sensitive topic, given the divorce. As far as Kelly could deduce, the boys spend every vacation with their father. When, if ever, did they see their mother?
"Yes." Sean didn't elaborate further. Kelly decided to try again. It wasn't just Kelly's own curiosity, or her desire to know more about Sean. The more she learned about the prince's life, the more she realized how isolated he was. She wasn't a child psychologist, but even she knew it couldn't be good for him. She wanted him to know that if he wanted to talk, she would listen.
"It's funny, I've been here almost two months, this is the first time I've heard either you or Eric mention her. I know you two attend boardering school. Does she come and visit you there?" Sean stared at Kelly for a full twenty seconds before looking out of the window again.
"I don't want to talk about her." Kelly nodded. If he didn't want to discuss what was probably a painful topic, she wouldn't press him.
"Understood." They sat, watching the rain together. There was something hypnotic about the beads of water pattering against the pane. She didn't know how many minutes passed before Sean spoke again.
"What was your mother like?" Kelly shook her head, coming out her daze. Her mother? That was something she hadn't thought about in a long time. It was an unusually personal question for Sean to ask, but turnabout was fair play.
"I don't remember much about her. She was killed by a Reaper when I was four. The closest thing I have is my sister, Marie." What would Marie have been like if their mother had lived? Would she have been less serious, less severe? Kelly had always tugged at the leash Marie tried to keep on her. She sometimes resented her sister at for bossing her around, setting rules and boundaries. She rarely considered what Marie had sacrificed in order to take care of her.
"What's she like?" Kelly unconsciously ran a hand through her hair. How did could she describe Marie. What words could capture the person who'd taught her everything from how to tie her shoelaces to how to properly deliver a round house kick.
"Marie is 24 going on 40. She's really responsible and a fierce fighter. She's protective and loyal. She's the best sister in the world." Saying the words, Kelly suddenly felt choked up. It had been six days since she'd last called home. When Kelly had told her sister about her arrangement with Philippe, it had not gone over well. There had been a lot of screaming on both sides of the telephone.
Marie said she was being reckless, getting into bed both literally and figuratively with Royalty. Kelly had insisted Marie was overreacting because of a stereotype. She'd reminded Marie that Grimms had also a bad reputation in the Wesen world as merciless killers. Marie had shot back that in some cases that reputation was completely deserved.
After a lot of back and forth Marie had agreed not to hop on a plane and drag Kelly back by her hair, so long as Kelly called once a week, confirming she was still fine and not locked in a dungeon somewhere. Kelly had held up her end of the bargain, but the conversations were always tense and never lasted long. Marie still thought Kelly was making a mistake and Kelly was tired of her sister not trusting her judgment.
"Then why did you leave her?" Sean's words felt almost like an accusation, like she abandoned Marie. She wasn't sure if that was his intention or whether it was her own guilty conscience.
"It wasn't supposed to be forever. I just needed space." The dean of her college had handed Kelly her degree and it occurred to her that her path was set. She was a Grimm and a nurse and that was going to be her life. Grimm training had never left time for summer camps and she'd only been able to afford community college, so she'd always lived at home. She'd never traveled; she'd never even spent a week away from her sister. Family was a great thing, but freedom definitely had its allure.
"Do you miss her?" Kelly considered his question. When she was hunting Wesen, or training with Sean, or spending time with Philippe, she almost forgot that her life had ever been different than it was now. It was only when she wasn't busy that thought of home crept in. During those lulls, anything could trigger a squeeze in her heart: a beautiful sunset she wished she could share, a joke she made that her family would have understood, but her new companions didn't.
"Yes, but I'm not sorry I came." Europe was supposed to be a last hurrah before she settled into adult life, but now she wasn't as sure.
"Why not?" Kelly smiled at one of the two main reasons for her response.
"If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have met your father and I wouldn't have met you." She was planting roots here with Philippe and Sean. She missed her family, but there were now other holds on her heart.
"You also wouldn't have met Eric." Kelly rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Don't remind me." She gave an exaggerated shutter, which earned her a small chuckle from Sean. The sound warmed her from head to toe. "It's nice to hear you laugh, Sean." The Prince immediately stopped, making Kelly wish she hadn't said anything.
"I'm sorry." It was the absolute last thing she expected to come out of Sean's mouth.
"About what?"
"About what I said before, in the armory. I wasn't angry with you. I was angry with myself." Kelly's confusion was growing by the minute.
"Why?" Sean had done nothing to be ashamed of, in fact he'd shown remarkable quick-thinking in the face of imminent danger. Sean avoided her gaze.
"Because I wished for you come. When he came after me, I kept thinking, 'Kelly will come. She'll save me.'" For a moment Kelly couldn't speak. When his life had been on the line, he'd wished for her, and she'd nearly failed him.
"There's nothing wrong with that Sean." He had nothing to be ashamed of; she, on the other hand, had almost cost Sean his life. If she'd hadn't figured out Eric's scheme in time, she would have never forgiven herself.
"Yes, there is. A Prince can't expect other people to save him. It is weak." That sounded like something Philippe had told him. She didn't want to contradict Sean's father, but she didn't want Sean to feel he had to bear the weight of the world alone either.
"Sean, look at me please." She waited patiently for him to meet her eyes. When he finally did, she saw that there was storm brewing there. Whatever she said, she knew had to be the absolute truth. Whatever promises she made would have to be kept, no matter the cost.
"I can't promise I will always be here with you. I don't know what's going to happen in a week or a month or a year. What I can and will promise is that if there is anything I can do to protect you, I will." It wasn't perfect, but it was the best she could do.
"That's not how Pledges work." Pledges? Philippe had mentioned them to her before, back when they had been negotiating the terms of her current position. They were the contracts recognized by Royalty and traditionally signed in blood. Philippe had wanted to Kelly to officially Pledge herself to him. She'd been resistant, and ultimately they'd agreed to a twelve month trial period. She was shocked to realize there was only two and a half months left. Where had the time gone? Kelly shook her head. There was no point in dwelling on it now.
"Really? What's wrong with it?" What did Sean know about Pledges that she didn't know?
"You've promised something to me, but I haven't promised anything to you in return. It's not an even exchange." Kelly wasn't sure whether it was Sean's sense of fairness or pride that was offended by the thought of taking, and not giving.
"I don't mind."
"I do." Sean's face was carved in an intractable expression. Philippe wore the same face from time to time. She knew from experience that there was no point in arguing with that face.
"Okay. How about you pledge the same thing I did? You can promise you will protect me as much as you're able to." Sean narrowed his eyes at her, as if he couldn't decide whether or not she was teasing him.
"How am I going to protect you? You're a Grimm." Kelly shrugged.
"And you're a Prince. I'd say I'm getting them better end of the deal. Now, are you going to let me clean that cut, or what?" Sean scrutinized her a few seconds more before nodding and rolling up his sleeve. Kelly checked the wound and found it was shallow and had clotted on its own.
"The good news is that you don't need stitches. The bad news is that I still have to clean the cut."
"Will it hurt?" Someone else might have lied, and spared him the anticipation of the pain, but to Kelly it was more important that Sean knew she wouldn't lie to him.
"It will sting, but it will be over fast." Kelly held up the hand soap and gauze. He nodded, signaling he was ready.
"I trust you." Kelly paused, taking in the full weight of his words. She knew without asking Sean hadn't just meant he trusted her to take care of his arm. He trusted her to take care of him. It was a huge responsibility, and yet it felt good, right somehow. For the first time in her life she felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be.