All I Need ✔️

Chapter 5

Safania's POV

Once again, I woke in terrible pain. I was in the same bed. But this time, Emalina wasn't there to comfort me. Instead, there were two men who appeared to be guards standing and talking near the door. I felt my heart start to pound. How angry was the prince that I tried to escape? They had clearly taken precautions to make sure it wouldn't happen again. I realized I was also in different, dry clothes. Who had changed me? Whoever did had to know. Is that why the guards were here? They realized how valuable I could be and are going to do the types of horrible things to me that I would rather die to avoid?

"She's awake," I heard one of the guards say. I looked at them trying to hide the absolute terror I was feeling.

"I'll go get the prince. You keep an eye on her," the other said, turning to leave.

The guard that remained assumed an assertive position, staring straight ahead without talking. I knew I still had to get out of there, but now there was no way out. I was tired, sick, injured, and being monitored. I laid still in bed and stared up at the ceiling.

In a short period of time, the second guard returned. He was accompanied by two men: an older gentleman with kind eyes  and a gentle presence who was carrying a bag, and a younger man with light blue eyes, tousled white hair, and cool, stern face. I immediately knew the younger man was the second prince. He had a serious and regal aura, and his posture commanded the room's attention. I also realized that in a different situation – if I weren't me and he wasn't him – he would be an exceptionally attractive man.

The prince didn't say anything – just continued to stare at me with his mesmerizing blue eyes. It was clear the rest of the men in the room were waiting for his orders, but he wasn't giving any. What was he thinking? Did he know? He had to know. Eventually the prince broke eye contact and gave the older man a look.

"Right," the older man said, approaching me and pulling up a stool next to my bed. I kept looking at the prince, who was now speaking to the guards. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but evidently he must have asked them to leave because they both left. Did that mean he didn't want witnesses? What was he planning on doing to me?

I looked back at the man by my bed. He smiled.

"My name is Avus and I'm one of the castle medics. You're in good hands, don't worry," he said, with a calm and gentle tone. Like Emalina, he had very kind eyes. Greatly unlike the prince's cold, sharp ones.

"What should I call you?" he asked. A simple question. Yet one I couldn't find the ability to answer.

Avus turned to the prince, as if to ask what to do. "It's fine, Emalina wasn't able to get anything out of her either. She probably doesn't speak our language. Just do what you need to do," the prince commanded.

His voice was surprisingly pleasant. Deep and commanding, but there was a musical quality to it. I decided not to correct their assumption that I didn't speak their language. Even though I spoke fluent Ledish, letting them think I didn't understand could give me an advantage.

Avus nodded, turning to me. He retrieved a stethoscope and thermometer from his bag.

"Here. Put this under your tongue," he said, pantomiming to try to communicate. "We need to make sure you don't have some sort of infection," he said, giving me the thermometer.

I grabbed it gingerly and did as he told me. I glanced over in the corner, where the prince was now standing, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. The suspense was killing me. Did they know about who I was or didn't they?

After some silence, Avus took out the thermometer.

"Looks good," he told the prince, "but I'm going to want to keep checking over the next few days just to make sure. She might have picked up something while she was travelling."

He then brushed away some of my hair from my chest with his hand. Without thinking, I recoiled at the touch. Avus immediately stopped and held up both his hands. He then pointed at the stethoscope around his neck, his ear, and then my heart. I nodded, letting him go ahead. I understood what he was doing in the first place, I just couldn't help myself. I was so jittery and jumpy.

Avus slowly and deliberately put the stethoscope to my chest. I saw his eyes widen. Now he could hear what I felt – my heart pounding out of my chest. He looked over at the prince.

"Her heartbeat is extremely fast. I'm assuming from fear."

The prince's eyes narrowed. "Is that a problem?" he asked.

"I mean, on its own no," Avus replied. "But given all of her injuries and the hypothermia, she really needs to rest. And that is going to be difficult if she is this scared."

"Can't you just give her something," the prince asked, seemingly irritated. At what? I thought. Me?

"Of course," Avus replied. "But that's not necessarily a long-term solution. And if her fear is chronic we'll start seeing other adverse health effects."

"Don't worry about long-term solutions," the prince said dismissively.

It was clear Avus wanted to ask a follow-up question, but he said nothing and turned back to me. Why didn't he care about a long-term solution? He did know, I thought. He knows and isn't concerned about my long-term health.

The next thing Avus decided to check were my lungs. He gently helped me bend forward as he put the stethoscope on my back while gesturing for me to breathe in and out. I tried my best, but my breathing was still a shallow.

"No fluid in the lungs, which is good. But some rapid breathing. Normal considering the elevated heartrate, but something to also keep an eye on," Avus told the prince.

Avus moved the blanket covering my leg and lifted up the nightgown I had been changed into to reveal my mangled leg. It was at an odd angle and covered in ugly blue bruises. Avus looked into my eyes sympathetically as if to say this is going to hurt. First he checked my foot, feeling for a pulse. He took out a little needle and poked my toe. I recoiled in response. Then he tried lifting my leg gently. I cried out in pain.

"I know, I know," Avus said soothingly. He turned to the prince.

"No apparent nerve or blood vessel damage, so that's great news. But the leg is definitely broken. I'm going to have to set it."

"Okay," the prince responded. "So do it."

Avus sighed. "It's not that simple. It's a pretty bad break. We're going to have to sedate her to do it. Doing it while she's awake would be torture."

The prince paused, looking irritated again. Suddenly, Emalina entered.

"The guards said to bring up some food," she said, then froze, staring at me as if she had seen a ghost. It was obvious that she knew. Of course, I thought. It was Emalina who undressed me. Had she not told her master?

"Thanks to your incompetence, now we have to sedate her to set her leg. It's broken," the prince said to Emalina coolly.

"Sir, I – " Emalina began.

"I'll deal with you later," the Prince responded. "Just put the food down and leave."

Emalina walked over to the table, placed the food down, and turned to leave. If Emalina had told the prince about my marks, he wouldn't be treating her this way, I thought. Which could only mean that she hadn't told. She was protecting me, a stranger, even though telling would get her out of the trouble she was in and even though if it was discovered that she didn't tell, she could be executed. In many kingdoms, harboring a marked woman was a crime punishable by death, and in all kingdoms, defying a prince certainly was.

I suddenly realized I needed her there. Only she knew how dangerous being unconscious was for someone like me. There was no reason they would need to look at anything other than my leg to do the setting procedure, but if I was unconscious I couldn't stop them. And if the prince had Emalina undress me in the first place, he cared at least marginally about my comfort.

"Emalina," my voice came out hoarse and faint, but my call was unmistakable.