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I was used to the doctor carrying me from my room to the bathroom and back again, although it was still embarrassing when he did so in front of whoever was visiting with me, but I wasn’t used to him carrying me through the busy halls of a thriving estate. It didn’t help that we were following two princes, who were carrying my luggage, and flanked by guards, as if I were the most important person in this strange processional. My cheeks were still hot when the carriage jolted into motion.
“What part of slow and easy didn’t that coachman understand?” the doctor grumbled from his seat beside me, catching the wince I tried to hide. “How bad is the pain?”
I shook my head. “It’s already gone. I’m fine. Really.”
“Young lady, do I need to remind you that your health is my primary concern? You’ve been making significant progress, but pushing yourself too hard could cause a major setback. I need to know about any changes in your pain before they become too drastic so I can better take care of you. The palace isn’t going anywhere, but if we don’t stop at the right time, you may have to spend a few days recovering before we can get back on the road, and it will take even longer to get there.”
I sighed and looked out the window as he gently scolded me. This was not the first time I’d heard some variation of this speech. Prince Nokto chuckled from his seat across from us.
“You still don’t look out for yourself, do you?”
He was sitting the same way as he did the last time he’d asked me that question, leaning back against the wall of the carriage with his legs stretched across the seat in front of him, his head tilted slightly to the side so his shaggy silver hair brushed his near shoulder as he grinned at me. Back then, I’d been in my preferred position, sitting with my legs tucked up under me on the seat, worrying about my mother instead of the rain pouring down outside and the coat I’d forgotten at the palace. Now, I was worried about how long I could just sit upright, wondering if I’d ever be able to curl up in that position again and still find it comfortable, and trying not to think about my dead mother.
I wished Theresa hadn’t opted to ride with the luggage.
“It was just like when I sit up too fast,” I said, looking from Prince Nokto to the doctor. “It hurt only for a second, and now it’s gone. Could we work on my exercises?”
The doctor sighed and shook his head. “No exercises today.”
“But how am I-”
“If you’re feeling up to it, we can try them after we stop for the day. Until then, just enjoy the ride and tell me when you’re getting tired or your pain gets worse,” the doctor said patiently.
I pursed my lips and looked back out the window. The better I felt physically, the harder it was to follow the doctor’s instructions. I could sit up by myself; I could lift my arms at the shoulders and bend them at the elbows; and my legs were getting stronger, too, which meant my remaining limitations were even more frustrating. It still hurt when I sat up for too long. I didn’t have the full range of motion in my shoulders, and the doctor wouldn’t let me try to stand up, let alone walk yet. The only movement my wrists got was when he unwrapped them and felt the healing bones with his callused, careful fingers. He didn’t want me doing anything with them until a full six weeks had passed because of the severity of the fractures. The threat of permanent disability should the bones heal wrong kept me from disobeying.
But it was hard to sit and stew about it all on such a beautiful day.
It had been weeks since I was last outside, and I hadn’t exactly paid attention to my surroundings the night of my rescue when it was a struggle just to stay conscious. Now, breathing in the fresh air wafting through the carriage’s open windows, feeling the pleasant warmth of the rays of sunshine in the clear blue sky, it was hard to even remember that dark night. Fields of green grass passed us by, sometimes dotted with grazing horses or cattle, sometimes empty except for the birds wheeling above. Their songs carried easily through the air, a sweet background to the muted clip-clop of horses’ hooves and the crunch of carriage wheels across the packed dirt road. It was beautiful.
But not for everybody.
Prince Licht rode alongside the carriage on his horse, Marron. I felt his watchful eyes on me, along with those of the doctor and Prince Nokto, but he always looked away when I looked at him. His dark, cold crimson eyes averted to the plowed fields between the open pastures, filled with straight, regular lines of young green crops, or the patches of woodland where the trees provided shade for the occasional deer, but the light of the world around him never seemed to touch him. He didn’t engage in the steady stream of conversation Prince Nokto kept up, and he clearly didn’t want to be here. This was an assignment for him, and that was all.
I wanted to talk to him, but I didn’t know where to start.
“Prince Nokto, if you’ll tell the coachman where to stop,” the doctor said a few hours into the ride.
“What?” I asked, turning away from the window to question the doctor. “Why?”
As soon as the words left my lips, I knew. The ride had been smooth, but the reality of the dull throbbing pain that had been building within me as the minutes turned into hours came crashing down on me, and I pressed my lips together, looking away from his patient smile to my white knuckles clenched into my skirt. I didn’t know how long they’d been that way. Frustration rose in my chest, and I unclenched my fingers, wincing at the pain shooting through my wrists. The sun hadn’t peaked in the sky yet, and we had to stop already because I couldn’t handle a simple carriage ride.
“Do you want these now?” he asked, reaching into his bag for the vial of pills.
I nodded reluctantly. He produced a flask of water from his bag for me to swallow the pills, and I did so, feeling more miserable with each passing second.
“Thank you, and…I’m sorry. I didn’t…”
He shook his head. “You didn’t realize. I know. But I think you’ll be fine with a little rest. How much farther, Prince Nokto?”
“We’re here,” he replied, maintaining his carefree smile as he gestured lazily out the window. “And we just crossed into Kloss territory, so we’re making good time.”
I looked out the window at the sprawling estate as we pulled through the iron gates and onto the cobblestone driveway. The stately mansion at the end of the long, curved road, framed in luxurious gardens wrapping around the outside of the driveway, seemed only slightly smaller than the palace. Blooming flowers provided groundcover for the section of garden enclosed on all sides by the circular driveway, directing the eyes to a large fountain graced by the statue of a beautiful woman as the centerpiece, clear water bubbling from the top of her head and trickling down her hair and gown to the pool below. I opened my mouth to say something about how lovely it all was, and then the carriage came to a stop, sending a jolt of pain through me that made me squeeze my eyes shut and whimper.
“Let’s get you inside so you can lie down for a while,” the doctor said kindly. I nodded, and he scooped me up carefully with practiced movements that didn’t further jostle me.
“Here, I’ll take her,” Prince Nokto said from somewhere nearby. Outside the carriage, probably.
“Careful,” the doctor said, handing me down. “Easy, now.”
“I’ve got her,” Prince Nokto said, cradling me gently against his chest. “Licht, get somebody to help you with the trunk.”
“Don’t worry about the trunk,” I said softly.
“She’s right. It’s too heavy,” Theresa said. “I’ll get what she needs from it.”
I felt like a doll, being carried and passed around, but I was afraid to move for fear another wave of pain would wash over me. Prince Nokto was carrying me inside, following Prince Licht, by the sound of it, with the doctor close on our heels, and then a new voice joined those talking around me and about me.
“Sorry, I was practicing my violin,” Prince Yves said breathlessly, as if he’d been running. “Her room’s this way. What happened?”
“It was my mistake,” the doctor said glumly. “I should have told Prince Nokto to stop sooner.”
“I’ll be fine,” I interjected.
“Of course you will. A little rest, and you’ll be good as new,” the doctor said brightly.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Evie,” Prince Nokto said, his light, amused tone in direct contrast to the tension I felt from him.
“Stop calling me that,” Prince Yves snapped. “Chevalier talked Sariel into letting Belle delay her decision until Ivetta gets back, so I came on the off chance you made it this far.”
Delay Belle’s decision? Was that why we left today? I couldn’t quite picture the calendar that had hung on my wall in my room at Flandre’s estate through the fog of pain clouding my thoughts, but I knew Belle only had a month at the palace before she had to choose the new king. The new king who would sign the treaty that made Rhodolite’s alliance with Obsidian, Benitoite, and Jade official.
“But, the treaty-”
“Is not your concern,” Prince Nokto interrupted me. “Try thinking of yourself for once in your life.”
“You know she can’t do that,” Theresa said, breathing hard as she caught up with us. “I think I got everything. Is that her room?”
A door clicked open, and the doctor was back in gruff, authoritative mode, shooing Prince Yves and Prince Licht away and ordering Theresa and Prince Nokto around. Prince Nokto set me on the bed, holding me upright while the doctor untied the laces and buttons at my back. I was too miserable to be embarrassed, and Prince Nokto was too tense to make a joke about it.
“There. That should be more comfortable,” the doctor said. “You can go now, Prince Nokto. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“Do you want this?” Theresa asked as the doctor’s hands replaced Prince Nokto’s around my upper back, carefully lowering me to the bed.
“No, I think it’s best if she rests for a while and lets the pain medicine work before we worry about changing her clothes,” the doctor said. “Prince Nokto, I said you can go.”
“Chevalier doesn’t want her left alone,” he replied.
The doctor sighed and finished tucking me in. “How are you feeling now, Miss Ivetta?”
“A little better,” I said honestly, opening my eyes to look up at him. “I’m sorry about scaring everybody.”
“Now, none of that,” he said, his mustache twitching. “Is the dress loose enough for you to get some rest?”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
“Good. Then we’ll leave you alone for a while. Prince Nokto,” he said, his soft voice becoming brisk and businesslike again as he turned away from me to where Prince Nokto sat on a nearby sofa. “I gave her a high dose of pain medicine. She already had medicine this morning, so this should start working within the next fifteen minutes, and it should put her to sleep for a few hours.”
As he talked, Theresa pulled the shades over the window and left. The doctor waited until she was gone before adding, “She has a history of active nightmares. If you notice any problems, wake her up and come find me. I’ll be nearby.”
Prince Nokto’s crimson eyes flicked past the doctor to me, and he grinned and shrugged. “Sounds easy enough.”
“Alright. If you need anything, Miss Ivetta, let Prince Nokto know. Rest well.”
“I will. Thank you.”
The doctor left me alone in the darkened room with Prince Nokto. He stretched his legs out on the sofa and settled back against the armrest, apparently unconcerned about anything the doctor said, although I knew he suffered from nightmares, too. Prince Licht said they both had them, and they were worse around their birthday.
“Are your nightmares pretty bad?” I asked hesitantly.
It was hard to tell with the only light coming from what slipped around the curtains and under the door to the hallway, but I thought I saw Prince Nokto stiffen, and I wished I hadn’t asked.
“Sorry. Prince Licht mentioned them once, but it’s none of my business,” I hurried to add.
“Licht told you?” he asked incredulously. Then he sighed and muttered, “I need to get him talking to you again.”
“Is that what you’ve been trying to do all morning?”
“Mm, more or less,” he admitted. “I used to think you were bad for him, but…” He sighed again and said, “It doesn’t matter. Maybe I was right.”
I bit my lip, hearing the finality in Prince Nokto’s voice, but I had to ask. “What happened to you two?”
His wry chuckle made my chest tighten painfully. “You don’t need more nightmares."
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