All I Need ✔️

Chapter 9

Third Person POV

The two waited outside the room. Prince Cassius began to pace back and forth, still thinking about who Safania could be. Safania, he thought to himself. It was a beautiful name. He had never heard it before.

Emalina emerged. "I'm finished," she said.

"Did you find anything?" Avus asked.

Emalina nodded. "Come with me," she said

"She's got quite a few scars, but nothing concerning like you had said," Emalina said as the three entered the room. "But there were two things I noticed. The first are her feet."

Avus eyebrow raised. Surely he had seen her feet while he was setting the leg? But he hadn't been looking too closely. Emalina pulled away the blanket to reveal a normal looking foot.

"It looks fine," Avus said questioningly.

"Look at the bottom," Emalina responded.

The prince and Avus both went to look. Sure enough, there were ugly red blisters on the balls and heels of her feet. Avus took a closer look.

"They're pretty severe," he said, concerned. "She should take it easy on her feet, and to the extent she has to walk around, she has to wear proper footwear. I'll send some up with one of my assistants. But I can at least bandage these up quickly."

The medic pulled out his bag, added some salve to her feet, and wrapped them in gauze. "We'll have to change these wrappings as well. I can do it when I come to take her temperature. Fortunately, the blisters should heal fairly quickly. Our biggest concern is infection."

The prince nodded. "There was something else," he asked Emalina.

"Right," she said. "I mean, I don't think it's anything that needs to be addressed medically. But..."

Emalina pulled back Safania's dark hair, revealing her bare neck. Cassius felt his breathing hitch. Just seeing a bit more of her beautiful, bronzed skin made his heart beat faster. Control yourself, he thought, while also realizing it was definitely for the best that Emalina did the examination.

"I just thought you might be interested. This is the freshest wound by far. It appears as though someone held a knife to her neck."

The medic leaned in. "Judging by the healing, that couldn't have happened more than a week ago."

Interesting, the prince thought. He wondered what it could be from.

"You're right Emalina," Avus said. "Nothing to worry about. I'll rub some medicine on it just in case, but it should be fine."

"Thank you Avus," the prince said. "When shall I expect you to be stopping by to take her temperature?"

"Tomorrow morning, around breakfast time," Avus responded. "If that is amenable to your highness of course."

The prince gave a single nod. He would be at training at that time anyway.

"Sir, if I may have a word before I leave," Avus asked.

The two men left Emalina by Safania's bedside and stepped outside again. "Your highness, in her condition . . . I just wanted to say that she will need time to recover."

"I understand," the prince said, confused as to what the medic was trying to communicate.

"What I mean to say is . . . she should not engage in any vigorous physical activity for probably at least a week. To give her body time to heal and to not put any unnecessary stress on her."

The realization of what the medic was implying suddenly dawned on him. This wasn't about sex, he wanted to say. But then again, what was this about if not that? Why else would he have taken this unruly, disobedient, complicated woman in? He realized the entire kingdom must already assume what the medic was assuming. Fine, he thought, let them think that. Maybe that was what he saw in her after all. He had no way of articulating why he chose to claim her that didn't involve her emerald eyes or pouty lips. Was that the only reason he took her in? No one would have thought twice if one of his brothers had claimed her. They would have just assumed they were bringing her in for sex. He personally had never been as obsessed as they were, but this woman struck him in a way no other had and made him think filthy thoughts...her moaning and clutching the bed sheets, him exploring the curves of her body and teasing her until she begged him for release. The prince snapped back to reality.

"Thank you Avus," he responded simply, neither confirming nor denying the man's suspicions. Avus gave a small bow, and then left.

Prince Casisus re-entered the guest room.

"That's it then," Prince Cassius asked Emalina, who was still by the girl's bed. "That's all you found?"

The prince could have sworn he saw a look of fear in Emalina's eyes. But the look passed quickly, and she responded evenly, "Yes sir. That is all."

The prince nodded. "I will be back after my training this afternoon. Emalina, you are to stay with her until she wakes up. I know it has been a long night, so if you need a rest, you are responsible for finding relief. Listen to me," he said sternly. "She is NOT to be left alone. Ever. Under any circumstances. If I'm not with her, you're with her. And if you're not with her, she had better be with someone else and you had better know exactly where she is. Do you understand?" he asked her.

"Yes your highness," Emalina said.

"I mean it Emalina," the prince warned. "If she escapes again, I am holding you solely responsible." Emalina nodded. The prince looked at her intently for a few moment, and then left.

Emalina was exhausted, but lying to the prince had pumped her full of enough adrenaline to keep her awake for hours. She sat at the table with a pen and paper and began writing up what she wanted to order for the new woman's clothing, if Prince Cassius allowed it. Realizing the woman would probably be extremely hungry when she awoke, she flagged down a guard and asked him to have the kitchen send up a plate of food. When she looked outside, she saw a wheelchair that she proceeded to bring in the room. Good, she thought. The prince has plans of showing her around. Emalina realized that she might be helpful if she could come up with some things for the pair to do. The prince wasn't really used to entertaining company. She sat the plate of food down on the table and began to think of ideas.

After some time of brainstorming foods unique to the Peria, places to tour, Perian culture, and other random topics of conversation and things to do, Emalina heard Safania stir. "Hello Safania!" she said, greeting the waking woman.