Chapter Ten
Emilia woke to the sun streaming on her face. Her whole body ached and she had a fleeting memory of what had taken place and she realized that she was back in her room at the castle. She tried to move but the stiffness and pain in her prevented her from moving very much. That was when she noticed her right arm felt trapped. Turning ever so slightly and blinking against the light she found the source of her entrapment. Bash lay sleeping beside her, His head resting on her pillow very close to her head. Their fingers wrapped together and he was half lying on her arm. It was as if he was holding her there afraid she would slip away. In reality she nearly had and the visions that still plagued her from her experience still flittered in her memory.
She looked up into his sleeping face and noticed how peaceful he looked at that moment. The worry and obligation of being the king's son had seemingly disappeared and he suddenly looked years younger, a glimpse of the boy she had fallen in love with all those years ago. She suddenly had a thought that made tears return to her eyes. She knew he would never be hers, not excepted because of who she was. Even though they were the same, they were also different in so many ways, making a match between them very impossible. She knew she had to let him go. She had known for a while but something in her had kept that spark alive. The physical pain was bad enough at the moment but the emotional pain was so much more. At that moment his eyes slowly opened and he was suddenly staring right at her. Seeing her tears he suddenly came to alert and used his thumb to brush away her tears.
"Hey there princess." He said softly as he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "How are you feeling?" He lay his hand against her cheek brushing way stray tears.
"I'm fine." She managed to choke out.
"Now that is a lie." He said matter of factly. "Let us try that again shall we? How are you feeling?" He looked at her for a long moment before she answered. Her answer ended up being a fresh flow of tears that turned to a sob. He gathered her up in his arms, sitting up slightly and pulled her into his lap. He stroked her hair as he kissed her forehead slightly and he tried to hush her cries.
"I am so so sorry Emilia. I just keep hurting you and there is no excuse for my behavior. I am going to fix this." She looked up at him; his clear eyes meeting her tear filled ones. He touched her face once more trying to stem the flow of her sorrow. "I always seem to be the cause of these tears." His face was lined with sadness and guilt. She shook her head and reached up to lightly touch his cheek.
"This is my problem, not yours and it is something I need to figure out." She finally was able to say.
"My beautiful Irish princess you give me too much credit." With that he leaned down gently and kissed her. It wasn't one of passion or one of obligation. It was one of love, one of emotion. Soft, smooth and quick and enough to convey any unspoken thoughts. Slowly he pulled away and really looked at her. She shifted just then and grimaced in pain as a sharp pain traveled up from the wound in her leg causing her to slightly gasp. Worry suddenly creased his face as his gaze shifted to her bound up leg. "I will fetch Nostradamus. He will have something for the pain." He started to pull away but she grasps the front of his shirt causing him to lock eyes with her again. "What is it?' He asked softly.
"I am sorry for causing so much trouble. I am just sorry for everything. If you hadn't needed to bring me to court your life would have been so much easier. You could have…"
"Do not even finish that thought." He said as he grabbed her gently but firmly by the shoulders. "I have not regretted one second, one moment that I have shared with you. You are as a part of me as I am a part of you. That will never change. You nearly lost your leg, lost your life and if this reckless behavior does not stop then I will have to…" He stopped to think and she suddenly felt a little better and found his frustration a bit amusing.
"You will have to do what?" She asked innocently
"I shell lock you away in the tower."
"Oh how I would love to see you try" She said as she looked at him sideways trying to gage his response which went from shocked to a bit of a smile when he realized that she was trying to get a reaction from him.
"Well I see someone is returning to her old self. A glimpse of my princess perhaps?" He smiled his first really smile in a while which she returned. "Now I haven't seen that in a while." He said as he lightly touched the corner of her mouth.
"Neither have I." She said looking up at him. Just then they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat at the door snapped them to alert.
"I am sorry for interrupting but I was coming to check on our patent." Nostradamus asked as he entered the room with a slight smile hidden on his lips. He was not one to smile often but something about what he had walked into he found amusing. "It seems to me that she is doing well. Are you in pain my dear?" Nostradamus had always been kind to her especially as of recent she had been spending a lot of time in his care.
"No" She replied.
"Yes" Bash said at the same time as he turned to her with a slight scowl. "She may say she is not in pain but I am finding that hard to believe." She practically rolled her eyes at his over protective behavior which only made Nostradamus grin even more.
"Our red haired princess is a stubborn one is she not?"
"Now wait a minute…" Emilia started to protest as Nostradamus approached her and looked down at her with kind eyes.
"There is no shame in needing help. Let me give you something to ease the pain and then let me check your bandages. You have been out for about two days now."
"Two days?!" She asked shocked that it had been that long.
"It seems that you have been through yet another rather dramatic ordeal. Something we can discuss another time perhaps." He added as Bash stepped up to say something more. "I believe Sebastian, that we are fine here for a bit if you would like to take a break." He was one of the few that Bash listened to at times like this.
"I am fine here." He answered.
"Yes but I need to check her injuries and you need to eat so go." Bash looked to protest again but Nostradamus just looked at him as Bash turned on his heels with a promise to return shortly.
"You do know that you are one of the few people who can get him to do as you want right?"
"As are you my dear. You realize he hasn't left your side this entire time." Emilia didn't say anything she just looked away as he changed the bandage on her leg. "He cares for you child, so very much."
"I know he does. It is just that sometimes I feel he looks at more as more as an obligation than anything else." She couldn't quite meet his eye as she said this.
"He loves you more than you know, more than he knows. Just be patent and he will find his way to you."
"Do you really believe that?"
"I do. Now let me give you something for the pain. You are very fortunate that I was able to save your leg.
"Will it heal?" She asked suddenly worried.
"As long as you are careful and let me attend it you will heal." He paused for a moment before he continued. "However you may never be able to walk without some assistance." She suddenly had a horrible thought.
"How much assistance will I need?" She demanded to know.
"With time you may only to use a cane at most. But you will always have a limp and running is something I would not recommend." He saw the fear and anger suddenly spark in her eyes and he sought words to comfort her but she spoke first.
"So I will become a cripple, broken then?"
"No child. How you deal with it will determine what you are. Do not let others define that." With one last look at her face he pat her on the arm. "Now let me get you some food. You must be hungry, yes?" With a shake of her head he nodded and left her with her thoughts as he left the room.
The dreams started again. More dark and scary this time and when they reached their intensity her eyes flew open. She found herself breathing hard and staring into the darkness of her room. Shadows fell across her as moon light filtered in through the window. She looked around and noticed she was alone for the moment but evidence that Bash had been in there not that long ago. A make shift bed had been set up not that far from her own. It had been slept in but was currently unoccupied. That was when she sensed that she really wasn't alone and scanned the room once more. There in the far corner a slight movement of the shadow. She could barely move but she felt under her pillow for the small dagger that she always kept there. Gripping the handle and moving her hand out slightly she called out into the dark.
"Who's there?" Nothing. "Please, what do you want?"
"To warn you." A raspy voice echoed into the night.
"Warn me? Of what?' Emilia asked clutching her blankets to her and tightening her grip on the dagger.
"Someone will die, you will be blamed."
"What do you mean? Who will it be?"
"Someone of great importance. You can stop it." The voice echoed again. But before the conversation could continue the shadow moved away just as the door to her room opened and Bash walked in. He noticed her awake and sitting up. Immediately he scanned the room as he made his way to her.
"Emilia? What is it? What is wrong?"
She recovered quickly and looked at him pushing the dagger back under the pillow slowly so he wouldn't notice.
"J-Just a nightmare." She said suddenly grateful for the darkness so that he couldn't read her face. She could feel him staring down at her before he let out a slight sigh and sat on the bed beside her. "Where were you?" She asked him quietly
"I was talking with Francis." He seemed lost in thought.
"Is everything okay?" Suddenly very worried, things between the two brothers had been tense lately to say the least.
"Yes we are fine." He answered as he sat next to her and pulled her too him settling her head on his chest as he ran his fingers through her hair trying to settle her down. "Now try to get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning." She attempted to close her eyes and focus on the beating of his heart. She realized what a compromising position they were in if anyone where to see them like this but at this point she couldn't bring herself to care. Not much else could happen to her, right!? But then she was just warned that something more evil was about to happen. She just had to figure out what and who was responsible.
So so sorry it has taken me so long to update but once again real life happened. This chapter ended up being much longer than I thought and I am starting to feel the ending on its way. Another 3 or 4 chapter so enjoy and like always thanks for reading please review. I love hearing from people.