I slowly opened my eyes, flinching at the flash of pain the shafts of light sent through my skull. It took me a moment longer to get my bearings and looked around. This wasn't my room...whoa, wait a minute, no, no, it was my room. It...was my room from before...from when I was human. Gentle sunlight filtered through the curtains; onto the sheets that blanketed me. I went to sit up, unused to the thick cushioning of the mattress after years of sleeping on the floor. I was thrown back with a gasp by the force of the pain that shot through my body. I felt something touch my shoulder. I twisted my head and found myself staring into Sapphire's eyes. She didn't recoil from my gaze, just me it calmly and evenly.

"Take it easy." I heard her say in a kind voice.

"I...wasn't expecting you." I said, my voice was very hoarse from waking up.

"Easy now," she said, "Brimley and I have been watching you throughout the night."

Hmm, you...didn't have to do that."

"Yes, I do." Sapphire pushed, "You saved, not only my life, but Snowflake's as well. I had to do something to repay the debt." On my end, there never was any debt for her to pay up. I had enough strength to lift my paw and rest it gently down on her arm, but when I did that, I almost didn't want to believe what I was feeling. It wasn't her silky white sleeves that caught my attention, it was the size of her arm. Her arm was about as big as a bush branch. In my mind, it had to mean one thing...Sapphire was starving herself.

"When was the last time you ate?" I asked her.

"Is that really important?" She asked without any worry in her voice. I can tell that she was avoiding answering the question, but I wasn't going to let it go.

"Don't try to hide it!" I pushed, but only a little. "I can feel your arm; there's barely anything on it. When was the last time you ate?" Sapphire only sighed as she looked away.

"If you really want to know," Sapphire said, "when you invited me down for dinner...and we had our 'little' argument." I couldn't believe it, that was days ago! How can she not eat and be happy with a body that has barely anything on it?

"You need to eat. You didn't have to eat with me every single time you were hungry. You could've starved yourself to death!" I pushed.

"Hmm, I've been waiting for death to come for fourteen years." Sapphire said, "I guess God doesn't want me to die yet, so...I better deal with it." I still couldn't believe how...'well' Sapphire was taking being starved to death. I removed my paw off her arm and laid it next to me. "Are you in pain or anything?" She asked me.

"Hmm, yes," I managed to answer, "a little bit." The words were slipping past my lips as I looked at her in surprise, thought the pain was at my ignorance and had completely driven the pain from my injuries out of my mind. Although, now that she brought it up...my arm was throbbing dully both from the deep gashes made by the bear's claws and the graze on my upper arm from the bullet. Every muscle in my body seemed to protest with the slightest movement and my ribs ached. Colliding with a tree was never a good idea, not even in this form.

"This all my fault." Sapphire said in a somber tone, "If I hadn't tried to run off, I wouldn't have run into that bear." I stared at her light blue eyes. Guilt? Was that the strange expression that was now stamped in her eyes? She felt guilty for trying to free herself of a prison that the Werewolf, that's been existing inside of me, put her in just because I, the person who's been trapped in this body for twelve long years, had been injured in the process? I cleared my throat with difficulty. Since I haven't heard the Werewolf break through, I was determined to do this right. I would show her the man I really was, the prince who's been in his own prison for twelve years.

"I'm...sorry I made you thinking running away was your only option." I said, "You were forced into this world of mine that you had no part in; though you can't possibly understand the reasons behind it, I shouldn't have ever let...him take his frustrations out on you."

"I'm the one who should be apologizing." Sapphire said, I didn't understand what she meant. She started to explain it to me. "You were begging me to give you a chance...and I didn't understand why. You wanted to tell me something...but I was ignoring you, not wanting to listen what you were telling me. I've been avoiding letting people be near me for so long that...I've put up a barrier that I didn't want anyone to break through...because once someone did break it, no one would want to be near me or talk to me." I could tell by her voice that Sapphire was very heartbroken. Something must've happened to her, something that locked her in her own prison, one she couldn't get out of...kinda like me. Maybe that reason...was the same reason she wouldn't let her face and body be shown.

"Maybe...we should forgive each other." I offered.

"I guess so." Sapphire added, "Forgiveness is hard to accept, after you've been denied so long."

"Thank you...for forgiving me," I said, "even if I don't deserve it."

"You're welcome." Sapphire said in a kind tone.

"Since you brought the topic up, is your reason of the barrier...the same reason why you wear your black and white hood and cloak?" I saw her eyes widen. I just had to ask her.

"Yes," she answered, I saw the tears fall from her hood down to her lap. "everyone who has met me thought I was an evil witch or an evil ghost out for revenge."

"Why would people think that?"

"I can't talk about it." She quickly said.

"Can't...or won't?" I asked her; she sighed.

"Won't, I don't want to talk about it. You said earlier that you couldn't hide your face. I can't hide mine without my cursed cloak."

"Cursed?" I asked in surprise, I almost got up. "You're cursed?"

"Now I'm letting it slip." Sapphire said annoyed, "I'm not saying anything more. I'm going to see if lunch is ready, do you want anything?"

"No," I gently answered, "I'm not hungry."

"Okay then," she said turning to leave, "I'll check on you later, Werewolf."

"Sagittarius." I told her. She stopped and turned back at me.

"What did you say?" Sapphire asked.

"My name," I told her again, "Sagittarius."

"I'll see you later...Sagittarius." She said and then she left. I stared at the ceiling and tried to doze off. I continue to wonder what Sapphire was talking about, was she cursed like she said she was?