Saving Prince James: A James and Sofia Love Story
Set in an alternate universe, James is now 20 and usurped his father as king and conquered every kingdom to create an empire, but he has lived his years as a lonely king with only power and wealth to keep him company. When Cedric summons a banished Sofia, 18, to the castle to secretly save the kingdoms and James, something stirs in James's heart the moment he sees a grown and blossomed Sofia. Can a banished princess save the kingdoms and can a ruthless prince find his way into the heart of a princess he once lost?
Chapter 24: The Fall and The Fight
Sofia
She was falling. Fast.
Nothing but fear and a sense of doom gripped at her heart as she continued to fall on her back. She couldn't even find her voice to scream out the terror that wanted to escape her throat. Her body felt weightless and heavy at the same time as her stomach churned and filled with ice. There was an absence to the air that was clinging to her body, releasing her to the brutal force of the gravity that was accelerating her fast downward plunge.
Sofia tired about anything to save herself, she clawed at the empty air above her as if it could somehow stop her from falling. But it was futile. Nothing in the empty air around her could help her. Her body was only moving in reaction to her need to somehow save herself.
Sofia's heart felt as if it was threatening to escape her body. It was beating too fast, thumping at a hysterical rate in the back of her throat.
"Sofia! Sofia!" Screams of her name circled her but the only one she could hear was James.
Just James and her panicked heartbeat.
James.
Her eyes immediately found him, locking onto him as if that could somehow stop her fall.
"Sofia!" James cried after her. He was flying towards her with one arm clutched tightly at his horse's reigns while the other arm was held out towards her in an attempt to reach for her.
And with all of her might, she tried to fight against the pull of gravity and bring her hand as close to James's as she possibly could.
His eyes was fixed on hers, refusing to break connection. There was so much fear and anger and determination in his eyes. Fear for her, anger at the dragon, and determination to save her.
"Just a little more, Sofia," she heard James say against the rushing air around them. His teeth was clenched and his jaw was hard set as he brought Lightning as close as he could without endangering her.
Sofia broke their connection just for a moment to look at their hands.
So far apart…. Sofia thought, dread filling her stomach even further. If it was even possible, her heart started to race again, beating in her ears.
Their hands were still apart, nowhere close enough for them to be able to touch. No matter how hard she strained her body just to reach him, her hand couldn't grab onto James's hand. She didn't have to be facing the ground to know that her fall was going to end very soon. Her body could sense the inevitable crash and it wanted to brace itself for the pain and blood that was to come.
Her eyes burned as she looked back into James's eyes. She knew he could see the fear etched all over her face as the tears began to escape from her eyes and float up into the sky.
"James…" His name broke through her tight throat in a choking sound.
Every hair on her body now rose, telling her that she was moments away from hitting the hard snow. And from the look in James's widened eyes, she knew what she was feeling was true.
"No, just a little further," he said as he shook his head, refusing to give up. "Come on Sofia, just a –"
But it was too late.
The wind was knocked out of Sofia when her body slammed onto the cold, snowy floor. The ferocity of her fall was so great that all of her senses was lost to her as nothing but pain filled her mind. She couldn't hear anything except for a distinct ringing in her ears. And despite the fact that she was wearing her helmet, the icy snow was making a painful ache throb harder and harder in the back of her head. Her vision blurred as the pain grew more and more. Every part of her body felt as if boulders of glass shards was shattering her skin open just to break her bones into a thousand pieces and tear her muscles into oblivion.
Pain….
So much pain….
And yet, she felt something warm grow beneath her back against the cold snow. It was as if the mysterious warmth was thawing the snow under her.
It was funny how she could feel so warm and so cold at the same time while lying here broken and bruised in the wintery snow.
She wanted to know what the warmth was, but she couldn't find enough strength in her body to reach her arm under herself and find out. Her fall and crash drained her of all of her strength, leaving her too weak to even move her head. Even her breathing was growing shallower by the second.
The pain was becoming too great for her to handle now as a blackness was edging at the corners of her blurry vision. She couldn't make out anything above her as she continued to stare straight ahead of her. Muffled shouts and hazy images was all she could understand in her pain-induced condition.
Shouts….
More shouts…..
Her eyes were beginning to feel heavy now…. Sofia just wanted to sleep, to close her eyes for just a moment and wake up with no more pain.
Sleep… I just need to sleep…. Sofia thought numbly, ready to just let her pain take her away.
Sofia found that the longer she continued to lay in the snow, the less pain she felt. It was as if her body was so used to the pain now that it was numb to it all. The pain just turning into a subtle nothingness….
Tired….
So tried….
The ringing in her ears has stopped now, replaced with sounds of only her slowing heartbeat and shallow breath. The pain wasn't entirely gone, she could still feel a faint ache all across her body.
Her vision was failing her now… leaving her to the obscurity of the blackness of her eyesight.
Sofia breathed in once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then Sofia saw nothing.
James
"SOFIA!" Amber cried, her screams loud enough to shatter the sky as if it was thin glass. "SOFIA!"
It all happened so fast, James thought as everything that just happened flashed through his mind.
The dragon.
The attack on Sofia.
His attempt to save her.
Her tears.
Her fall.
It all happened so fast….
"Sofia! Please! Wake up!" Amber was beside Sofia, cradling her head in her lap as she rocked back and forth in the snow. Rivers of tears streamed down her face as she tried to wake Sofia with small slaps to her cheeks. She even gripped her by the shoulders and shook her so fiercely that Sofia's unconscious head swung.
But Sofia wouldn't wake. The slaps and shaking did nothing to wake her.
Sofia.
Sofia.
Sofia.
Sofia.
James needed to get down there, to be with Sofia and make sure that she's okay. He needed to be with her. He needed to have her in his arms and protect her from anything else that might hurt her. He needed to yell for the palace doctor and demand for him to heal Sofia.
Sofia.
Sofia.
Sofia.
Sofia.
Sofia.
Sofia.
As he was rushing down from where he was up in the sky, he could see blood pooling underneath Sofia. Her purple clothes was darkened to a deep red from the wounds the dragon gave her. Sofia's shirt was torn, exposing a deep and nasty gash on her stomach.
So much bloo – But James was never able to finish that thought.
Something hard and scaly slammed itself against his side, knocking him off of his horse. James fell the short distance towards the ground, landing on his back with a hard thud. It took him a moment to gather himself and understand what was going on.
While he was on the ground, something landed down on top of him. It was gargantuan. The earth beneath him shook like it was quaking from this things weight.
When he dared to open his eyes, he found the dragon above him. It snarled at him with an open mouth, exposing to James its three rows of sharp fangs. The dragon was large, bigger than anything James has ever seen in his entire lifetime. Its muscles was coated in thick black scales that shone iridescently in the wintery sunlight. The length of its open mouth was longer than the castle's tallest tower. On both sides of him were the dragon's black scaly paws, the mere size of its yellowed claws were larger and thicker than any tree on the castle's premises.
The thing roared at James with so much force that it rattled him far beyond his bones. He closed his eyes against the dragon's foul smelling breath, hoping for it to end. The scent of rancid acid and death dripped from the dragon like it was a solidified liquid. James didn't know how long the dragon's roar lasted. It felt like seconds and days at the same time.
Then it stopped.
Silence echoed through the field.
When James dared to open his eyes, he saw the dragon blink at him once with his green and blue eyes. It sniffed him once, blowing hotter and more pungent air at James as he laid there.
Then the dragon drew his multicolored eyes away from James and towards Sofia and Amber.
No.
"Amber, run! Take Sofia and run!" James screamed before the dragon started to move towards them.
But Amber didn't.
She was frozen with fear. He saw the panic and terror set into her eyes, paralyzing her. Amber just remained seated in the cold snow, clutching Sofia's unconscious body to her and she started to scream.
No!
Still pinned beneath the dragon, he felt a surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins, giving him a newfound sense of strength and courage he's never known before. James felt a familiar warm metal underneath his hands.
The sword the fairies gave him!
He grabbed onto it, letting his hands remember the cool leather and familiar burst of energy return to him. Letting his body act on its own, James swung his magical sword left and right, up and down. He managed to slice at the dragon's forearm and stab its paw.
The thing roared and bellowed its pain.
While it was busy licking its wounds, James rolled out from under it and ran towards Sofia and Amber.
"Edward! Hugo!" James called to them, who was on both sides of the girls. Their swords were already drawn and pointed at the dragon. "Edward, take Amber and Sofia to the castle! Hugo and I will distract the dragon so you guys can get there safely! Once you get Sofia to the royal doctor, come back with reinforcements!"
"Understood," Edward nodded. He whistled, calling for their horses to return back to their side. When his horse landed down, he grabbed onto the reigns and rushed it over to where Amber still remained on the floor. Behind her was her and Sofia's horses. "Come on, Amber. You need to get onto my horse."
"B-but Sofia…" she whimpered. Amber brushed a strand of Sofia's hair out of her eyes. James could see how pale Sofia was growing now. She was losing too much blood. "Th-there's so much b-b-blood."
"Amber, just get on the damn horse and get Sofia to the doctor!" James barked as he mounted Lightning again. "The faster you get her to the palace doctor, the faster you can get her bleeding to stop! You can save her if you just get a move on!"
She started to get teary again but did as she was told, holding onto Sofia with an iron grip. "You're going to be okay, Sofia," she whispered to Sofia before Edward helped her and Sofia onto his horse. He whistled for Sofia's and Amber's horse to follow behind them.
As the dragon started to move after them, James managed to cut deeply up the entire length of its forearm. A green-blue goo started to ooze from the wound James created on the dragon. The dragon roared again, falling onto its side.
"That's the plan?!" Hugo yelled after James as he and his horse started soaring towards him. "Slow the dragon so they can get to safety?!"
"Yup!"
The dragon struggled to get back up, roaring its angry frustration out into the icy air.
"But what about killing it?!" Hugo shouted over the dragon's booming cry. "Can it even be killed?!"
"Well, we'll just have to figure it out because there is no way in hell I'm going to let this thing go free!"
"Alright," Hugo said, charging at the dragon with his sword out and ready. He started to randomly slash and stab at the dragon. Hugo cut up and down the dragon's sides in a zig-zag fashion, trying to go as deeply as he could.
James followed behind, enforcing deeper cuts and wounds on the dragon. His magical sword managed to cut passed the dragon's thick scales and inflict larger cuts down the dragon's spine. James was even able to slice each of the webbing of the dragon's black wings, disabling its ability to fly.
While they were both busy trying to harm and hurt the dragon as best as they could, James tried to figure just where the dragon's weak spot was. He needed to know where so he could deliver the most pain in the least amount of moves. The less he had to wound the dragon, the more strength he would have to kill it.
The dragon was back on all four of its legs. Both of its wing were cut and torn, dripping its green-blue blood down its wing's claws. It had cuts all over its body now, from the center of its forehead down to the spikes running down its spine. Larger wounds decorated its long neck, coloring its black scaly neck with more blood.
Hugo managed to chop off one of the dragon's yellow horns, letting it fall down into the snow.
It roared again, swinging one of its bloodied paws at Hugo. He managed to avoid it and fly back to James's side just as James finished up running his sword down the dragon's thigh.
"Are we just going to let the thing bleed to death or something?!" Hugo said, breathless. He shook off some of the dragon's blood that was dripping from the tip of his sword.
"So far, that's the plan!"
"That's going to take us forever! We won't be able to last that long, even when Edward and the back-up comes!"
"Well, we don't have any other choice because I can't find its weak spot!" James shot back.
But before he could lose his temper, he was able to see the soldiers and guards flying towards them out in the distance. They weren't that far away either.
He managed to get Sofia to the doctor, James thought in relief. Then a new conviction overtook him as he looked back at the dragon, ready to kill the thing and make it pay for what it did to Sofia. This thing will die today. I am going to kill it and get back to Sofia.
Pointing over at Edward and the reinforcements, James motioned for Hugo to follow him. "Let's join them and think up of a better plan."
And with a nod, James and Hugo both flew over to the others while the dragon was busy mourning the loss of one of its horns. Edward and the back-up was hiding behind several trees and bushes, using the snow and covers of the plants to their advantage.
They were able to fly over to Edward and the others without having to dodge the dragon. It whimpered and cooed at its horn, licking it as if that would somehow restore it back to its place on the dragon's head.
As they both flew over towards Edward and the other soldiers and guards, James could see that there wasn't many of them – a hand full, really – but it was enough in James's opinion. Each men was in their uniformed Enchancian armor, mounted on an army flying horse with their sword in hand.
But when he landed down, the number of reinforcements wasn't what was on his mind.
It was Sofia and only Sofia.
"How's Sofia? Is she being cared for?" James asked the moment Lightning landed. He needed to know that she was okay. That she's going to be okay.
A fear that he's never felt before settled at the pit of his stomach, making his heart race and stop at the same time. He was so afraid for her, so afraid to lose her, and so afraid of not being with her.
Please be okay….
"Doctor Wayne is with Sofia as we speak and Amber is by her side," Edward confirmed, trotting over to him on his horse and placing a supportive hand on James's shoulder. James knew he could see the obvious worry etched all over his face. "She's going to be okay."
Taking a deep breath, James squared his shoulders and looked at each of his men.
Now was not the time for him to be distracted, even if it was about Sofia. He needed to focus on killing the dragon as quickly as possible, then could he rush over to Sofia's side when it's all over.
That's what she would have told him if she was here right now.
Focus on the dragon first, then on her later, James thought. It was as if he could feel Sofia's hand circle around his own, giving him the strength to continue and lead these men. Be the king they need me to be.
"Alright," James said, turning to face his small army of palace soldiers and guards. He let his voice boom strongly and confidently over the small number of men. "Hugo and I have no solid plan right now. All we did was slash at the dragon as many times as we could just to weaken it. The only thing we have that is close enough to a plan was to just let it bleed to death from the cuts, but that seems to be taking a while. If any of you guys have even the slightest idea of how to kill this thing, speak up now!"
But he only received silence when he finished speaking.
"Does anyone happen to know a dragon's weak spot?" Hugo asked a few moments later when no one replied or even spoke up with an idea.
"It's usually the heart or the center of the head!" one of the guards called out.
"A usual last resort to kill a dragon is to cut off its head!" another said.
"But this dragon's neck is too thick to cut through just to decapitate it," Hugo countered, crossing his arms over his chest.
Edward came up next to James, his sword was out of its sheath. "Then our best method is to stab it in the heart or in the center of its head. What do you say?"
"You better think quickly, James," Hugo said. His head was turned towards the dragon, who was now thrashing and roaring so loudly that it shook the trees they were hiding nearby, "because it seems like this thing is ready to avenge its horn."
Dammit, James cursed when he turned and saw that the dragon was back on all four of its legs. The thing was roaring louder than before, and James could literally feel its anger vibrate through him as the dragon was using its front legs to smash at everything around it. It was hunting James and Hugo down, wanting to destroy them for cutting off its horns.
With limited time and resources, James had no choice but to make up his plan as he went along. James looked back at his men and spoke loudly, "then here's the plan. Half of you will go with Edward and try to take an aim at its center in the forehead. The other half will go with Hugo and I, we're going for its heart. Just stab at it. Got it? Edward is in charge of your little section here, listen to him and take his orders."
The men saluted and shouted in unison, "sir!"
"This half," James randomly indicated to the right side, "you're with me. The others, go with Edward and come up with ways to stab it in the forehead."
As the men started to divide themselves into two squadrons, Hugo and his horse trotted over to James. "How are we going to go about this, James?"
"Go for the heart," James said simply.
"That's not what I meant," Hugo sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. "If you hadn't noticed during our little solo battle with that dragon earlier, neither of us were able to get anywhere near the underbelly of that thing. So, if we couldn't do that then, how in hell's name are we going to get twenty men to do that now?"
Shit, Hugo's right, James thought. A small sense of defeat began to form in his stomach. He looked back at the thrashing dragon, trying to reevaluate his options.
Its tail was swinging around, smashing everything in its wake. The entire field was demolished, the grass was uprooted and ripped from the earth. Some trees were dented and bent from the impact of the dragon's tail, others were torn from its roots and tossed up into the air before meeting the sharp end of its tail. Large splinters of wood and clumps of earth was coating the air, making it dusty and hard to see through from where they stood on the ground.
But as he watched the thick fog of dirt and dust, an inkling of an idea came crashing into his head.
"But what if half of Edward's men distract the dragon while the other half goes for its forehead?" James thought aloud. "Then, with the cover of all this dirt and dust, half of our men can go underneath the dragon and attack the heart whole the other half can be their look-out."
"Could that work?" Hugo wondered.
"Who knows, but it's the only option we have."
"Right," Hugo said, turning his horse around. "I'll just tell Edward of this plan. I hope that it works."
It was odd to feel this change in James's relationship with Hugo. They weren't on good terms, but he didn't feel an overwhelming need to kick his ass.
Maybe it was their current situation that brought this change…. They both just had the same sense of duty to protect everyone from the dragon. So they are nothing more than comrades in battle…. Maybe that's why they are so civil towards one another right now. Hugo was just taking his orders because James was the king, the natural-born military leader.
That must be it…
Whatever. James shook his head, needing to regain his focus. Then he turned his horse so that he could ride over towards Edward and Hugo. I'll figure it out later when this is all over.
Edward and Hugo seemed to be finishing up their conversation just as James approached them.
"Edward thinks it's a good plan," Hugo said when James stopped in front of them.
"I'll go and assign which men are going to be the distraction while the remaining rest will be on the attack," Edward nodded towards the both of them before briskly moving along with his men. "Good luck."
Without another word to one another, James and Hugo moved quickly. James promoted Hugo to lead the look-out team while he led the attack towards the dragon's heart. Hugo was a natural leader towards his men, he sounded cool and controlled as he shouted orders. From one military commander to another, James could feel a certain level of respect towards him as they waited in the bushes for Edward's men to execute their part of the plan.
And when the dragon was fully distracted by Edward's team, James, Hugo, and his men all soared into the sky, but remained low enough so that the dirt and dust hid them from the dragon.
Everything began according to the plan.
As James and his men moved towards the underbelly of the dragon, Hugo and his men acted as their look-out. They positioned themselves at the dragon's legs, swords out and ready. Meanwhile, James's men all began to slash and tear at the tender parts of the dragon's stomach. The scales on the dragon's belly was thinner and made it possible for James's men to stab deeply into its stomach. Waterfalls of its blood drained from each cut, gushing from the wounds and darkening the already shadowy underbelly of the dragon.
Slash after slash, stab after stab, James continued to hack away at the dragon's belly. He lost track of how many times his arms swung up and down, trying to cut into its stomach as deeply as he could.
Blood now coated James, dripping down his face. His nasals was filled with its sweet coppery scent. He could feel how thick and heavy his hair was from its blood. His neck was slicked with the green-blue gunk. The blood made his clothes stick to him, making him feel as if he had on a second skin.
"The heart!" James heard one of Hugo's men yell. "It's just below the collarbones!"
James turned, his eyes immediately following where the man was pointing at. He saw a faint greenish muscle, beating and pumping rapidly.
"You three!" he shouted as he pointed at the men nearest him. "Come with me! We're going for the heart!"
"Sir!" they shouted as they all nicked at their horses to rush over to where their only chance of killing the enormous beast laid.
"Cut at it!" one of them shouted when they were just below the heart.
James immediately drew up his sword, stabbing deeply and then dragging it across the base of its collarbones with as much strength as he could muster.
More blood poured down, drenching James and each of his men.
Up above, the dragon roared its pain. The air vibrated and shook as the beast bellowed the agony it was feeling.
James pulled his sword out and then drove it back in with even more ferocity. Turning around, he drove his sword in the other direction. He could hear bones crack above him, the sounds of muscles tearing like liquefied fabric.
Behind him, his three men began to drive their long swords into the wound James created.
It's not deep enough. Our swords aren't long enough to reach its heart.
James looked around at his men, knowing that their strengths were leaving them. They were growing weaker and more tired the longer they fought this dragon.
We need something large enough to puncture this thing for good.
Behind him, he heard anther tree snap and fall.
That's it! James thought. He looked over at the fallen tree, its snapped end was sharp and jagged enough to pierce into the dragon's tough skin and long enough to reach the heart.
"Hugo!" James called out. "Get our men to carry that tree over here! It's just the thing we need to stab into the dragon!"
"What tree?!" he yelled back, confused.
"That tree!" James pointed behind Hugo with his sword. "Hurry!"
In no time, Hugo rallied their men and they all flew off towards the tree. James didn't have time to watch them lift it, he returned back to what his three men were doing. They all continued to stab their sword into the growing wound.
Moments later, Hugo and their men all came soaring over carrying the snapped tree.
"Men, grab onto the tree!" James yelled. They all stored their swords away as they quickly flew over to Hugo and the tree. Then he motioned Hugo and the men to settle the tree's jagged end below the gash. "On my count, we shove it up as hard as we can! We only have one chance to do this right!"
"Alright!" everyone shouted as they each took a branch on the tree.
Leaves and blood now blocked his view, obscuring where he could lead the tree into the dragon's heart.
"Whoever is up there, you're going to have to lead the tree in direction of the heart!" James yelled.
"Sir!" said one of the men in reply to him.
"Ready?!" Hugo shouted. "The moment the tree punctures the heart, we all need to fly as fast as we can out from under here!"
"Everyone got that?!" shouted another soldier.
"Yes!" they all yelled in unison.
"One! Two!" James yelled. His unprotected hands was beginning to ache and hurt from the tree's rough bark. "Three!"
"Now!" Hugo screamed.
A chorus of grunts and war cries echoed through the air as they all pushed the tree up into the dragon. An enormous roar sounded out as the tree entered the wound. James could hear bones crack even further as he turned his horse around and used its hind legs to kick the tree further in.
Another ear-splitting roar erupted from the dragon. More blood poured down onto everyone.
"Fly!" James cried. No one remained long enough for James to finish his shout.
James was the last to leave under the dragon just when its legs began to wobble and buckle. He managed to get out to safety just as the dragon came crashing down.
Everyone was hovering in the air as they all watched the dragon collapse down. Its massive body brought everything else around it down. The trees and earth beneath it crumbled with it. Craters created from the dragon's paws and enormous weight were beginning to fill with its blood.
A haze of dirt flew into the air as the dragon crumbled down, dying. Everyone coughed as they tried to see the dead dragon. A pond of blood began to form underneath the dragon. But just to be safe, James flew over to the dragon and stabbed it right in the center of its forehead. It roared one last time as James struck the dragon one final time.
The moment his sword crushed passed its skull, a feeling of something personal bubbled in his heart. James was stabbing its head because… because it was for Sofia.
This is for Sofia.
His killing the dragon through the heart was for his kingdom. He had done it with his comrades, his men. But this stabbing done by himself…. It felt all too personal and angry and vengeful to be anything else but for Sofia.
Cheers and jolly erupted behind him as the life died out of the dragon's eyes. But to his astonishment, the monsters body began to dissolve in the blood.
"What the hell?" James heard Hugo gasp. The cheering began to cease as they all watched the dragon's body disappear. Black bubbles now replaced where the slain dragon once laid. "What the hell just happened?"
"I don't know…" Edward replied back to him.
It was magic… James thought. That dragon was magic! That piece of shit! The Evil is behind this! It created that dragon to attack me and Sofia!
Anger now swam in his stomach, but it was a different kind of anger than the kind he knew for the past years. It felt stronger and more pure. It felt righteous. It was a clean and good kind of anger.
I am going to make him pay!
"Your Majesty," he heard Edward call out to him. James didn't realize that he was still by the dragon's green-blue blood residue. He looked up to find Amber's guard flying towards him. "Sofia –"
Edward didn't get to finish his sentence as the moment he said Sofia's name, James nicked at Lightning to soar faster than light speed back towards the castle. James wiped away at the blood on his face and kept nicking at Lightning's side to go faster.
Sofia.
"Where is she?" James yelled at a nearby servant when Lightning landed down on the cobblestoned floors of the garden. The servant he just yelled at was frozen, petrified that the king and a massive horse just landed down in front of him. When the servant didn't reply, he immediately jumped off and barged through the glass doors of the palace. "Where is she!"
More servants moved out of his way like he was a force unforeseen. He felt like an unforeseen force because he was willing to do anything just to make sure that the love of his life was okay.
"You're Majesty, Sofia's in her room with the doctor as we speak," Baileywick said, rushing over to his side.
"I'm going to go see her," James said, wiping at the remaining blood that was still dripping down his face. He began to run towards Sofia's room.
"You can't, Your Majesty," he heard Baileywick huff behind him as he tried to keep up with James.
"What do you mean I can't?" He hissed as he turned a sharp corner. He ran faster, forcing his muscled legs to carry him faster than they was used to. James finally made it to the hallway that lead towards the royal bedrooms.
His heart was beating faster now as panic and fear and hope began to settle all around his body. His stomach was churning with every emotion possible.
Sofia.
"Your Majesty –" Baileywick slammed into his back when James skidded to a stop when he saw Amber sitting on the floor across Sofia's bedroom. She was hugging her legs, crying. Her sobs filled the hallways from one end to the other.
"Amber," James said.
What is Amber doing out here? James thought, his stomach dropping from the feeling of fear choking him from the inside out. What's going on in there that she can't be beside Sofia?
She turned and stared at him with fear-stricken eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. She didn't even change out of her bloodstained rider's outfit. Amber didn't look like she had enough strength to stand up. "James," her weak voice squeaked out.
"What's happening to her?" he said, dashing towards her and kneeling down in front of her to meet her in the eyes.
Amber opened her mouth to say something but only more sobs escaped her. She curled into herself, hugging her legs tighter as she cried. She shook her head so violently that James was afraid she might snap her own neck.
"Amber," he said in his softest voice. He placed a hand on her knee, gently squeezing it for support.
"Your Majesty," Baileywick said, kneeling beside the both of them. He handed Amber a handkerchief. When she didn't take it, he wiped away her tears for her. "All we know of so far is that Sofia is currently being operated on."
"Operated?!"
"Yes," Baileywick nodded solemnly. His face was as grim as his news. James could see the age in his weathered face, his eyes were sunken and tired as he gently cleaned the tears off of Amber's face. "That is all we know. Dr. Wayne and nurses didn't inform us of much."
"What do you mean? Didn't they –"
He shook his head, stopping James. "No they didn't. The moment Princess Amber and Sir Edwards arrived with Princess Sofia, the doctor and nurses immediately took her to her room and began examining her. For the last few hours now, those doors has been shut. They only opened one time to inform us just an hour ago that they have begun to operate on her. No one but the medical staff has been allowed inside."
Sofia. His chest panged painfully, hurting more than his heart.
"Screw that," James said as he stood up and marched towards her door. But he was held back by a fierce grip to his arm.
James looked back and saw that it was Baileywick who was preventing James from taking another step. Despite his elderly age and appearance, Baileywick was fast to stand and stop James.
"Your Majesty," Baileywick said with a deadly and warning tone. "You can't. They are operating on her. If you were to open those doors, you could contaminate the room they just made sterile. Act irrationally and you just might endanger Princess Sofia even more."
Sofia. Another pang shot through him, paining him even more.
James felt trapped. His heart felt heavy.
There was nothing he could do.
He was useless to her.
James looked back at Sofia's closed door. He wanted to barge inside and demand to know what's happening, to know that she's okay and going to be okay.
But Baileywick was right. If he was to bang down that door and open it, he would only cause her more harm than she's already in. The only thing he can do is sit outside her door and wait for any news the doctor might have for them.
"Dammit." James turned around and sat down beside his twin sister.
Amber was still crying. Her shoulders shook as she buried her face into her knees, muffling the sounds of her cries. A sense of sadness clenched at his stomach as the sounds of Amber's sobs entered his ears.
Without even caring that they weren't on good terms, James brought his arm around Amber's trembling shoulders and hugged her tightly towards him. He knew that she needed someone right now, to cry towards and keep her afloat.
But he also needed her. They needed each other.
In a moment like this, where there was a possibility they might lose something important to them both, they needed each other.
To his surprise, she didn't recoil from his touch. But she didn't lean into it and cry into his shoulder either.
He was unsure if this was a development in their relationship, but he wouldn't question it for the moment.
"You smell," she whispered into her knees after a quiet moment. He could hear her old snooty tone in her weak voice. But her crying seem to have made her voice small and tiny, she almost sounded like the old nine year old he knew.
James let out a sad chuckle as he squeezed her shoulder. "Blame the dragon."
"I'll get you a clean towel," Baileywick said, still standing where he stood. James watched him as he scurried off down the hall and around the corner.
Silence settled between them as they waited for Baileywick to return.
All the while, James was trying hard to keep the dark thought at bay. He didn't want to think of any other possible outcome but Sofia being okay. If he let his mind drift to those darks places, James knew that he would only end up going insane.
She's going to be okay. She's going to be fine.
And from the look on Amber's face, he could tell that she was thinking the same thing. The look in her eyes and the thin line of her lips told him that she was trying to believe that Sofia would leave her room healthy and okay.
"Th-there was s-s-so much blood, James," Amber croaked, her trembling voice breaking the silence between them. She was staring down at her bloody hands. Dried spots of red coated her fingers and some were stuck under her fingernails. "I-I-I tr-tried to s-stop the bleeding, but I couldn't…. Sh-she lost so much blood…. What i-if sh-she –"
"She's going to be okay." He said it more for himself than for her. To his ears, he even sounded serious and almost believing. "Those doctors are going to walk out of those doors and tell us that she's –"
Just when he was about to finish his sentence, Sofia's doors opened and the doctor walked out. His white robes and gloves were splattered in spots of blood. There was even blood on his surgical mask.
Sofia.
At the sound of the doors opening, James and Amber immediately stood up and rushed over to the doctor.
James opened his mouth to ask the doctor how Sofia was doing but was stopped at the sound of footsteps running down the hall. The three of them all turned and saw Edward and Hugo running towards them.
"Is Sofia okay?" Hugo huffed as he was running.
"Amber," Edwards said, embracing his twin sister the moment he came to them. James saw how quickly she melted into him and let him hold her. Amber looked like she was on the verge of tears again.
"Princess Sofia is in stable condition," Dr. Wayne said as he took off his surgical mask.
He wasn't the original doctor that James had grew up with, that man had died of old age a year after Sofia had arrived at the castle. Dr. Wayne, his middle-aged apprentice, later replaced him. He had dark black hair and clear brown eyes, his tan skin was aged and some dark spots dotted his cheeks.
"So she's going to be okay?" Amber said. Her eyes were wide with hope.
"In a way, yes."
"What do you mean, 'in a way?" James asked cautiously.
"Princess Sofia didn't obtain any serious injuries from her attack," the doctor began, his small brown eyes looking sympathetically at each of them. "The dragon's tail managed to miss all of her vital organs, but she did lose a large amount of blood and her wound was deep. It took my nurses and me a while to clean her wound and stitch it close. She also received some minor bruising and fractured bones from her fall. Princess Sofia was lucky that she had on her helmet, it reduced the amount of trauma she had received to her head."
"Is she awake? Can we see her?" Hugo asked.
Dr. Wayne's eyes betrayed him for a moment. He looked sad and scared and so afraid to tell them something. He regained himself and took a deep breath. "The good news is that if we monitor her closely and clean her wounds every day with a magical antiseptic, no infection will form and her body will heal perfectly. Her bones and bruises will heal cleanly and without any difficulty."
"But the bad news?" Amber said hesitantly.
The doctor took another deep breath. "The bad news…. Princess Sofia did lose a lot of blood. A dangerous amount."
No.
Everything began to slow down for James. Everything sounded too quiet and too loud.
"That amount of lost blood did give us some complications in fixing her wound, but we were able to work past it. But it did leave an unfortunate consequence for Princess Sofia," Dr. Wayne said.
No.
"What kind of consequence?" Hugo said. James could barely hear what Hugo was saying. It sounded tight and hard as James tried to stop his heart from beating too fast.
"Princess Sofia is unresponsive."
No one spoke.
No sound was uttered.
No one was even able to breathe a single breath.
The air hung too heavily around them as they let the doctor's words sink in.
"You mean she's in a coma?" Hugo gasped.
The doctor looked at them, his lips pressed into a thin line and his eyes overcome with overwhelming sadness. His grave expression confirmed everything he feared.
No.
James felt sick. His heart beat too fast, too hard, too loud. His mouth was dry as his breath became fast and shallow. The fear made his eyes prick with unshed tears. His throat was tight despite how badly a scream wanted to escape him.
"Princess Sofia is unresponsive at the moment," the doctor tried. "I am certain that she will wake up, but the question of when she will is unsure. We have checked that her breathing has returned to normal and her heart is beating at a normal rate, all of our data have shown that all of her numbers and vitals are good and normal. My nurses and I have done all we can. All we can do is wait for her to regain consciousness on her own."
No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.
SOFIA!
Chapter twenty-four! Woo!
I'm back! Woo! Thank you to everyone who waited so patiently for chapter twenty-four's release! I passed all of my finals and I aced my classes! Woo! College sucks... No challenge this chapter, but a big and happy "thank you" again for being such patient readers. I love you guys!
I did promise you guys two chapters this week, so tomorrow or so, expect chapter twenty-five. But please be patient again, chapter twenty-five is still being finished up and needs to go through my editing process.
There isn't much for me to say here except that I know that this chapter isn't as steamy as the past ones because... well, Sofia just fell to her doom and there was a dragon on the loose. And because I also want to take this opportunity to respond back to some reviews I've taken notice of when I returned from my hiatus. My responses are in no particular order. So let's see...
To Anonymouscracker: Thank you! During my editing of chapter twenty-three, I seem to have forgotten to put in that little snippet of how Amber learned to ride a flying horse. So, if it's worth anything to you guys, I did go back to chapter twenty-three and fixed somethings up. You can thank Anonymouscraker here for it being a little longer. :)
To CartoonNerd12: And a big "thank you" to you! It was your comment that helped me really solidify what this chapter was going to be about besides Sofia's fall and James's fight with the dragon. You all can thank CartoonNerd12 for the whole relationship aspect of this chapter. :)
To LEN NARD: I understand, I know my more steamy chapters are kind of a filler but the main point of why I started this series was to focus on Sofia's and James's relationship and its growth and maturity levels. But thank you. Because of your comment, I am trying to work on balancing the steaminess and the action-y stuff of my chapters. As for Miranda, all I can say is the she will reappear in future chapters and she's going to return with a boom. Maybe I'll even do a chapter extra from her point-of-view... Who knows, it all depends on how well you guys do in my challenges. *Evil smile* :)
To Guest user, Someone: Go to chapter ten, it'll explain that she left Maximus behind at the estate and her current horse is Lilac. I did that because, with their age difference from the show and my fanfic, Maximus would have been too old to do all of this action-y stuff. I needed a younger horse, LOL. :)
To NallyLove: I totally understand, but I kind of wrote in that part of Sofia enjoying Hugo's kiss on purpose. You see, like Queen Anne said, true love isn't instant love. You have to work on it and sometimes you'll stumble and make mistakes before it becomes perfect. And enjoying Hugo's kiss was one of Sofia's stumbles. She and James are both still so young, and I wanted to write in some mistakes because of how young and naive they are. As for Sofia worrying about loosing James, I already planned for that to come up in the next few chapters. But your comment did give me an idea. Look out in future chapters about Sofia enjoying Hugo's kiss, I think you guys might like how James would react to hearing about it again. *smirk* ;)
Read, review.
Thanks :)
