The next time Elizaveta awoke she found her self back in her room, lying down on her magnificent king sized. Sitting up slowly, she noticed she had been changed out of her riding attire, and was now dressed in a simple, yet elegant, white cotton dress. Elizaveta tried to pull herself out of bed, but found she was to week to do so. Her inability to move the way she wanted irked her greatly. Her migraine had passed, but her memory was a little spotty; she didn't quite remember what happened once she got back. A knock was heard at the door. "My Lady?" A timid voice called from the other side.

"Come in." Elizaveta responded. Not a moment later Katyusha walked in with her dinner tray.

"Your father has requested that you eat in your room tonight, on account to what happened earlier." The head maid explained while she set the tray stand over the brunette the placed her meal on top.

"Does he not think I can't manage to even make my way to the dinning hall?" Elizaveta questioned, a little peeved.

"That's not it, My Lady. Your father is just being cautious of your condition." Katyusha defended.

Elizaveta huffed and grabbed a piece of garlic bread and munched on it angrily. She wished her father wouldn't coddle her so much, she wasn't completely helpless. She could at least find enough strength to walk, she didn't need that stupid chair, and she definitely didn't need to have her food brought to in bed.

"Katyusha, when was your last meal?" Elizaveta inquired her servant out of nowhere.

"Umm, well... I don't think it's that important to know..." She answered in a hasty manor.

Elizaveta sighed. " Katyusha, your my only friend within the manor that isn't an animal, I would have hoped you would've thought of me as the same." She said dismally.

Katyusha fidgeted in her place, looking down at her shoes. "Yesterday morning...I gave all my food to my younger brother and sister." She replied quietly.

"Here," Elizaveta offered her a bun. "eat this." The brunette said firmly, almost as a command.

"No no, My Lady, I couldn't-"

"I want you to." The younger girl interrupted. "Please don't make me order you, I'm just worried for your health." That sounded funny coming from her mouth, but it was true. Katyusha had both a younger brother and sister she had to take care of after her parents passed away, they were both in high school so they didn't work; Kat wanted them to get an education so they could make a living for themselves. Sometimes they didn't have enough to eat, and even though she didn't say it, Elizaveta knew she would go hungry just so her siblings could have a full meal.

"You should worry more about yourself, My Lady." The blonde stated as she took the bun offered to her.

Elizaveta shrugged. "I'm a lost cause, there are others who need medical attention, a wheelchair, full course meals, and an education." She said in a monotone.

The rest of their shared meal consisted of Katyusha telling her why she should take care of herself and that there is still hope. Secretly Elizaveta hated it when people told her she was going to be fine or told her there was still hope. She had known for the past four years since the doctor first told her, she was doomed to die and could never live a full life, and she excepted it. Her only wish was to live whatever life she had left to the fullest. But that was hard to do behind concealed walls.

After she had finished her meal Elizaveta was led out in her chair to her bathroom for her evening bath. As she was rolled down the hall she thought she saw a strand of silver blond hair, but she decided to ignore it and settled herself into the hot water.

After soaking for about an hour, her maids dressed her in a green and white silk gown then brought her to her father's study, apparently he wanted a word with her. Her father's study was rather big and had a large library within it. He was sitting by the roaring fire place and seemed to be talking to someone. The maid pushed her further into the room until she caught their attention, she then bowed and left them to talk in privacy.

"Ah my dear Elizaveta, I had heard you collapsed after your ride today, are you alright darling?" Sir Héderváry asked her.

"Yes, I am fine now father. I was just a little dizzy" She answered.

"Even if you are fine now, you have been fainting a lot more often. I can't allow you to continue to ride alone in your condition." He reasoned, voice full of concern. When his world reached Elizaveta, she abruptly stood up from her chair and yelled, "You can't take away my riding privileges!". Suddenly, her legs gave out and she fell forward into her father's arms.

"Careful my dear! Don't strain yourself!" He set her back down in her chair.

"Please father..." Elizaveta whimpered. "Please don't take away my riding..."

Sir Héderváry gave her a soft smile. "Be calm, My dear, that was never my plan." He reassured his daughter. Elizaveta let out a relieved sigh, but took it back when she he spoke again. "From now on you will have a personal guard for when you go riding."

"I refuse!" She declared with a hard stare. "We made a promise that I would expect extra safety measures without complaint in exchange for one free hour with my horse! You can't break your promise!" She said dismally.

"Then how about I sweeten the deal, in exchange for allowing a guard, I'll add half an hour of riding time." He offered.

"Make it an hour more." She pouted.

"Fourty."

"Deal."

Sir Héderváry smiled and hugged Elizaveta, and she hugged back as well. Although he was a very busy man, and had much to take care of. Her father always managed to put his daughter's health above everything else. Even though Elizaveta had excepted her fate long ago, he had yet to acknowledge the truth and still held onto a string of hope that she would get better.

"So who is my new guard?" Asked Elizaveta. "It's not Sadiq is it?"

Her father gave a hearty laughed, knowing of his Elizaveta's hatred for their Turkish guard.

"No, it's not him. I recently hired a new guard who will also serve as our stable boy." Sir Héderváry smiled and turned back to the fire place, motioning towards one of the two chairs. On command, a figure rose from the left, maroon chair. Fire light reflected on his platinum hair and magnified his crimson eyes as he walked over to stand in front of the father and daughter. Within an instant, Elizaveta recognized him as the man who intruded on her ride earlier that day.

"Elizaveta, this is Gilbert Beilschmidt, he will be your riding guard until you are well." Ignore her father's last comment, Elizaveta nodded towards him and the guard bowed in return. This puzzled her as to why he was acting so differently than before.

"I am pleased to meet you." Gilbert greeted politely. The currently crippled brunette did not return the greeting, but instead turned to her father.

"If you allow it, I wish to be returned to my quarters." She requested with forte. Her father complied and called in a maid to return his daughter to bed. This Elizaveta left with a single glance towards Gilbert as she exited the door in her wheelchair.

...

"I'm sorry if my daughter gives you the cold shoulder, she's not happy that she now has to share her free time with another person." Sir Héderváry explained in an apologetic tone.

"I understand." Gilbert replied. "She does not seem happy here."

Héderváry sighed at his statement. "Perhaps not..." he walked back over to the fire place to sit in his forest green arm chair. The blond man followed by did not sit. "As I said earlier, Elizaveta has never really been a happy child. As a result of the restrictions her body has, My daughter can't do the things a normal child could at her age. Even walking can be troublesome." He paused in his dialogue to pour and take a sip of the red wine provided by his servants, sitting on a small table to his left. "She has only ever known restrictions and consequences. Her short time spent with her horse is the only time she can feel normal. I don't wish to take away that feeling from her, but her health has been decreasing recently and I fear for her health." Gilbert now sat down and calmly listened to his new boss's story of his mysterious daughter, finding himself more intrigued with the girl he barely knew.

"You are an awesome father." He tried to comfort the powerful man, who has been reduced to a weak man at the topic of his daughter.

Sir Héderváry chuckled half-heartedly. "I hope so."

Gilbert was then excused from the study. He left to the east wing on the first floor where the servants rooming was located. His room was the third to last on the right of the corridor. The room was small, which was to be expected, but he was grateful. Now he could finally provide for his dear brother.

Lying down on the creaky bed, the red eyed man closed his eyes and quickly slipped into a reminiscent dream of his family and happy times of long ago.

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Second chapter yay! I'm sorry if characters are to ooc, I'm trying my best.

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I apologize in advance if I don't update as fast as you like, school keeps me busy as it is and I have other stories to tend to, but I'll try my best.

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