Chapter 3

"Hello." Malina turned around quickly and dropped the necklace she was holding along with the box of jewelry onto the floor.

"Prince Hector! O, your highness, I'm sorry, I didn't know, I didn't mean to, I'm very sorry, forgive me, I was just," she kept stammering on, as she bent down to pick up the necklace and other things. Prince Hector walked over to her and knelt down next to her. He grabbed her hands and she stopped.

"It's alright, Malina. No harm done." He helped her pick up the necklace and other things and set them back on the vanity. She turned to leave when Hector grabbed her. "Malina, stay. I need your help."

Malina nodded and stayed were she was. "I need you to go get some bandages and thread your room and bring them here." She nodded and went into her room and gathered the necessities. She came back into Hectors room to find him sitting on the bed with nothing but his skirt on. He was bare chested and he looked like a god. She couldn't help but stare. Finally Hector brought her out of her daze.

"Malina?"

"Yes? Sorry, here are the things you requested." She went to leave but he grabbed her arm again.

"I need you to help me; I can't do this on my own. Come, sit." Malina went and nervously sat next to Hector on the bed. She took the thread and placed it through the needle.

"I must warn you, your highness, I have never done this before, so,"

"Don't worry. I trust you." Malina looked up to him as he said this. He just gave her an approving look and she took a deep breathe. She took a cloth with some alcohol and placed it over the wound to clean it out. Hector jumped a bit at this.

"Sorry." She said quietly.

"It's all right." Said Hector with a slight strain to his voice. The wound was deep, and was bleeding profusely. How he didn't get this checked out before was a mystery to her. This was way beyond her knowledge. She never stitched anyone before, but this gash was quite big and she feared she would do more damage then good. She felt Hectors hand on her knee. She looked to him and he gave her a reassuring smile. He knew what she was thinking. She took a deep breathe and began to stitch the wound. She had never stitched before, and it was quiet grotesque. She sucked it up for know. She wanted to get it done and over with. She was half way done when Hectors head lolled to the side. She knew he had to stay awake, just until she was done. She knew that much.

"Your highness? I need you to stay with me. Come on, wake up." Hector seemed to wake for a little bit, but was soon in a daze. Malina grew scared. He couldn't die. It would be her fault. She finished the stitching but he was still dozing. "Please, stay awake. Come on," he kept dozing. She didn't know what else to do. She smacked him across the face. "Hector! Wake up!" With that he woke from his daze and was aware of what was going on. He just looked at her with a shocked expression.

"Did you just hit me?"

Oh no. Malina was dead. 'O I'm dead. I'm dead. Your not supposed to hit the Prince, I over stepped my boundaries. O my, I'm dead' she kept thinking to herself and she stood in her spot right in front of Hector.

"Malina? Malina!" Hector shouted. Malina snapped out of her daze.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry your highness, I didn't mean to, you were dozing and I didn't want you to die, and if you fell asleep there was a good chance you could and I hit you, I didn't meant to but there was no way else and,"

"Malina! Calm down. It is all right. Don't worry. Calm down." He said as he grabbed her to stop her from pacing. She looked up to him with tears in her eyes. "What is wrong?"

"I thought you were going to kill me, a servant is not supposed to hit their master and I did, and that is cause of death, and I did that and I could die and,"

"Malina, I'm not going to kill you. You helped save my life. You will not be killed for that. Besides, no one will know about that little incident all right? I'm not going to hurt you. Although you hurt me. You got some force behind that slap. Your small but your strong, I'll give you that." Malina couldn't help but laugh. Through everything, he still did not hold a grudge, he didn't get mad, or anything. Was he human?

"My father taught me how to defend myself when I was a young girl."

"Really? And what did he teach you?" He said as he sat down on his bed while Malina finished bandaging him.

"He taught me how to fight with a sword, dagger," she said. She looked up to find the Prince looking at her with a fierce gaze. It unnerved her. "Um, he also taught me how to shoot a bow an arrow, and also hand to hand combat. Although, I don't think I'm as good as I used to be, but I think I can still hold my own. There, all done." Hector was sewn and bandaged. Malina cleaned up everything and took it back to her room. She came in with a tub of hot water and poured it into the tub. She got a couple of towels and placed them next to them. "Your highness? Your bath is ready."

"Bath. You think I need a bath?"

"Yes. If it's not to bold to say."

"Are you saying I smell?"

Malina just laughed. "Well I didn't want to say anything, but last time I heard you had a bath was when," and she stopped. For the last time he did have a bath was the day Andromache died. She looked to Hector to see his face to the ground. "I'm sorry. Sometimes my mouth just runs away and I can't catch it. Forgive me."

"No, it's all right. I have to get over her right?"

"May I speak freely, my lord?" Hector just nodded. She hesitated before speaking. "When someone dies, you are expected to mourn. And then you are expected to move on. But that does not mean that you are expected to forget that person. You will always have a spot in your heart where Andromache was, and you will never forget her. But she would want you to move on with your life. Sulking about her death will do no good for you or your people. I mean, how it will look for their future king to mope all day. They would mope to. These people look up to you Hector, they believe in you."

"Do you believe in me?" She looked at him. Why would he ask her such a thing? She was just a servant.

"Yes, I do believe in you. I think you are just like every other man. Except you care about things that most don't. You care about what happens to poor innocent people like me. You helped me when you could have left me there. You have compassion, Hector. And that is what makes you so much better than everyone else. That is why people look up to you. You are human and you let that show to the people of Troy. That is why you will make a great King one day."

"But I will have no queen to share it with." He looked up to her as he said this. "How will that look."

"Don't worry about what it will look like. Everyone knows that you loved Andromache with every fiber in your being. They know what a great husband you were and that will never change. What kills you only makes you stronger. And I believe that you will become stronger with the death of Andromache." Malina walked up to him. "She is in here." She said as she laid her hand on his heart. "And that will never change." Hector just looked into her brown eyes. He noticed how they fell when she said that, but they held the truth. He knew then that she was right. He just smiled at her and kissed her on the head.

"Thank you, Malina. I will take that bath now, excuse me." With that he left. Malina stood right where she was. 'Did he just kiss me?' She shook her head. 'It was just and act of kindness.' She took the clothes that Hector had shed and went down to the laundry quarters to wash his things all the while thinking of the kiss he had just given her.