Chương 31: Chapter 29
I jolt up in bed, gasping for breath. My heart pounds so loudly that I fear the whole castle will hear it. I look over at the window and see that it's still dark. With a new fear in me, I walk over to the window and door to make sure that they're still locked. Reassured that everything's fine, I lay back down. Unfortunately, sleep refuses to come. I can't close my eyes without seeing her face above mine as she is about to kill me. Finally, my exhaustion gets the better of me and my body gives up trying to fight sleep.
The next morning, I wake up sore and extremely tired. Instead of getting up to go to breakfast, I decide to change quickly and go visit the prince.
On my way, I bump into Samuel.
"Hey Iris!" He says.
"Hi Samuel," I respond.
"I'm going to visit Ashton. What are you doing?"
"I'm visiting him, too."
We walk together and he talks about his new sword skills that some of the other men had taught him. Then his expression turns serious as we near the infirmary.
"Do you think my brother will be okay?" He worries.
"I'm sure he will be just fine," I reassure him.
We walk into the room where Ashton is laying. He has his own separate room from all of the other men. His eyes are open, but there's a distant look in his face. When he sees us, his mood instantly changes and he smiles. I smile back and Samuel runs over to him and gives him a hug.
"How are you feeling?" I ask.
"Sore, tired, uncomfortable," he admits. "But I'm better now that you're here."
I feel my face heat up at his words and he laughs at my expression.
"How did you sleep last night?"
Any trace of a smile disappears from my face and I look away from him.
"Iris? Are you okay?" Concern fills his voice.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"But-"
"I said I don't want to talk about it!"
We're both silent and Samuel, oblivious to everything happening, says, "Guess what?"
Relieved that the moment is over, Ashton replies, "Hm... There's an elephant in the garden?"
Samuel giggles. "No! That's not even close! Father called off classes for me today!"
The prince jokingly puts his hand to his heart and gasps. "But however will you learn the names of the kingdom's past rulers?"
"You're weird," Samuel says.
"Um... I hate to interrupt but I actually need to go somewhere this morning," I say.
The prince raises an eyebrow at me but nods. I don't look at him as I mutter a quick goodbye and leave.
When I return to the comforts of my room, I put on a nice dress that is a lovely cream color. It has pale pink stitching on the edges of the sleeve and collar. Then I throw my hair into a crown of braids on my head. Once I'm satisfied, I leave my room.
Late last night, I received an invitation to join Anita for a stroll through the gardens. As I make my way down, I can't help but think about my nightmare again. It was so vivid that I can still picture everything perfectly. Ignore it. You're just imagining things. It was just a nightmare.
In the gardens is a surprise. Not only is Anita there, but also Zander and Francesca. I exchange quick hugs with everyone, Zander holding me a little bit longer.
"I didn't expect to see all of you here," I exclaim.
"That was the point!" Anita replies. "So surprise!"
The rest of my day is wonderful. We all chat like nothing ever happened. I learn so much about everyone. We have a small picnic for lunch and play card games throughout the afternoon. Finally it's time to say our goodbyes. I hug Francesca and Anita and they leave together since their rooms are near each other. The only ones left are me and Zander.
"How are you doing?" I ask him.
"I'm a lot better now."
"Why did you betray us?"
Silence.
I look over at him and there's a pained look in his eyes.
"It was my father. He has been part of The Blacks since he was a rebellious teenager. He said that he just wanted to do something different, but it ended up growing on him and he stayed. At first, he didn't care that I wasn't part of it. In fact, he hardly paid me any attention at all. Then one day, everything changed. He began abusing me and told me that he wouldn't stop until I joined. Eventually I caved and did."
"Zander... I- I didn't know."
He shrugs. "There's no way you could've known."
"So why did the king not take you captive again?"
"I explained everything to him. Thankfully, that man has a heart."
"Yeah, he does," I say thinking about our conversation with Ashton.
He walks me to dinner and we eat our meat and potatoes in silence. Just as we're finishing, he starts, "So you and Ashton..."
This brings a blush to my face and I look down.
"It's complicated," I decide to say.
He nods and I see something pass through his eyes, but it's gone so quick that I'm not sure I even saw anything.
"I should probably get going," I say. "I'm exhausted."
"Yeah..." He trails off. He now looks distant and I'm confused by his immediate change.
I say goodnight and head back to my room. Once I'm in my bed, I desperately try to fall asleep. It doesn't come. Finally, in my frustration, I get up and leave.
I make my way to the infirmary. Once I make it, I enter the prince's room. He's awake reading a book. Surprised, he asks, "Iris?"
"Can I sleep in here tonight?" I blurt out.
He smiles and slowly moves over. I'm careful not to hurt his arm as I snuggle next to him.
"What happened last night?" He whispers.
His breath tickles my neck which makes me shiver. Then I explain everything to him. Once I'm finished, I'm practically in tears. He just holds me and whisper sweet nothings into my ear.
"I'm scared," I whisper.
"Don't be. I'm here for you. I will always be here for you."
I end up falling asleep with his arms around me and my face against his chest.
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