Air {Elements of Power 3}

Chapter Seven: Jasmine

By this point, Brae was desperate to visit his father and I was keen to go with him.

The King's room had been transformed into a miniature hospital ward even before we had gone away, allowing him to receive twenty-four hour care from the comfort of his own bed. So it was to the family's private chambers that we now headed together in silence.

As we walked towards the room, my mind was in emotional turmoil; with Roxy here in the Arcan Realm, how long could I keep her true role in the escape a secret? I couldn't bear to think of Brae's reaction if I told him the truth. On the one hand, she was now safe, so really, no lasting harm had been done. But on the other hand... she wasn't exactly acting normally... which might suggest her imprisonment-in both the Helian and Sephan Realms-had inflicted some damage.

But even if Brae had gone to save her, she might have been in the Sephan Realm by the time he got there. He would have been putting himself in danger for no reason. I still stood by my decision to keep Brae safe. But I knew Brae better than I knew myself, and I didn't think he was likely to agree with it.

For the time being, if Roxy stayed silent, then Brae didn't really need to know. He had enough going on right now anyway, without feeling as though he couldn't trust me completely. I was by his side. He needed me.

But if Roxy decided to tell him... That would be a hundred times worse than if I told him myself. Perhaps I could convince her not to tell him that I knew she hadn't betrayed us. Then again, he might not even believe her if she told him the truth. I didn't think that he would take her word over mine; if I could bear to tell such an awful lie.

My thoughts were interrupted by our arrival at the King's room.

Brae paused, his hand hovering over the door handle. He looked so pale, so fragile; I had never seen him this vulnerable before.

"You can do this," I prompted softly, resting my hand over his.

Together, we pushed the handle down and entered the room.

The stillness was suffocating. The Arcan Realm is characterised by its abundance of air: whether it's a strong wind or gentle breeze, there is always something to freshen the surroundings. The Realm was never this calm, this empty. All of the King's windows had been shut tightly and it was stuffy from the lack of breeze. The room was lit by too-bright, artificial lighting.

King Zephyrus was motionless in his bed. The only indication that he was still alive came from the machine beside him, on which a silver light pulsed, registering his heartbeat. A nurse was sitting in the chair at his bedside, but she stood as soon as she saw Brae and I. "Prince Regent, I will give you a moment alone with your father."

Brae nodded in thanks but didn't try to speak, so I took his hand in mine and squeezed it tightly. He didn't draw away, which was a good sign. Roxy hadn't come between us yet. Instead, Brae turned to wrap his arms around me, so that my head was buried in his chest and his face was turned away from his father. He breathed in sharply.

"We don't have to stay," I said, wrapping my arms around his waist, but pulling my head far enough back that I could meet his eyes. "He wouldn't want you to see him like this. He wouldn't want to upset you."

Brae nodded. "I know. But this might be the last chance I ever get to see him. Even if it's like this, it has to be better than nothing." He kissed me on the forehead then drew away, going to his father's side.

The King was as pale as the sheets he was wrapped in. His hair, now completely grey, despite his relatively young age, almost looked like a Protector's. Brae's own hair glimmered as he sat beside him.

Slowly, as though unsure exactly what his action might prompt, Brae took his father's hand in his own. After watching them for a moment, I went to stand beside Brae, placing my hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"I shouldn't have gone away," Brae said at last. "I shouldn't have left him."

"It was better that way for both of you; he never wanted you to watch him die."

"What am I doing now then?"

"Hiding from Tristan?" I said, desperate to lighten the mood, to make Brae smile, if only for a moment.

"Well there is that advantage-he would never have the audacity to come here."

"He has far more audacity than most Sephans though," I replied thoughtfully, thankful of a safer conversation topic. King Zephyrus would hate to think that we were standing over him moping. He would much prefer it if we were discussing Realm matters; it would make him feel involved in some way.

"He's going to be a nightmare," Brae said, sounding slightly more like his usual self.

"He'll get bored soon enough, when he realises that no one ever pays attention to a Sephan. Then he'll return to his own Realm to replenish his sense of self-importance."

"So long as he doesn't push for war with the Helian Realm... It would be madness. What would my father say if I took the Realm to war after so many years of peace? And over another Helian too. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing at all. She betrayed us. Maybe I should let him kill her."

Air, he couldn't do that... "Then you would be no better than the Helians. Roxy may be telling the truth and I know that if you let her die, you will spend the rest of your life wondering if you made the right decision. Your father is going to be immensely proud of your leadership; you did amazingly well with Tristan today. The Sephan will realise soon enough that war is not the right course of action. You and I can show him that, during his time here." I bent down and kissed Brae on the cheek. "You are going to be an amazing King. Your father always said so, and you're already proving him right."

"I hope so."

We paused there, both watching the King as he lay motionless. The monitor recording his heartbeat in silver flashes made a dull pulsing sound. For a moment it was the only noise in the room. Until a frantic alarm sounded from one of the machines beside him, drowning out the pulsing completely, so that I could no longer tell if it was there anymore. The alarm was accompanied by a flashing red light which bathed the room in a deadly, bloody glow.

Brae jumped up in panic. "Dad? Dad?" he shouted frantically.

I ran to the door, throwing it open and calling desperately for the nurse. "Please-anyone-it's the King!" She had only been waiting a little way down the corridor and answered our shouts at once, charging past me into the room and to the King's side.

Brae was panicking; he gripped Zephyrus' hand tightly in his own and his face had clouded white.

"Take the Prince Regent out of here!" The nurse said to me urgently as she grabbed equipment from the side of the bed.

I took Brae's hand in mine and tugged him towards the door. He followed without much hesitation, dropping his hold on his father's hand and letting me pull him out of the room.

{Poor Brae! More Roxy next week. Please vote/comment to let me know what you think. And if you have a spare minute, please check out my new short story collection 'Lyrics in the Lines'  inspired by songs I love}