Royal Obligations

Chapter 20: Knight In Shining Armor

"Yes your highness," the nurse says with a curtsy as he leaves.

She walks over to me and slips a straw in my mouth so I can drink. I was actually surprised of how thirsty I was, considering the feeling of drowning was still traumatizing my thoughts.

"How are you doing, miss?" she asks and I shrug. "You need your pain killers, but I'm warning you that they do make you tired."

I cringe. "I would like to get out of here as soon as possible. Nothing against you of course. What is your name, by the way?" I ask.

"Oh," her cheeks turn pink. "My name is Misty."

"Nice to meet you, Misty. I'm Cordelia." I say.

"I know who you are." She giggles and I smile.

"You know of me, but you don't know who I am. Now you do." I say and Misty smiles.

"Alright wise guy, I'll try and get you out of here as soon as possible. I promise. But you won't be going anywhere if you don't take your medication."

I raise an eyebrow. "Medication?"

"You got shot, honey. In a very dangerous place too. You could have died." She adds with a solemn expression.

I laugh a little, even though it pains me. "But I didn't."

"No, you didn't." She says and slips the small pill into my mouth. "And if you would like to stay that way, your body needs to heal."

"Okay." I say as I swallow the pill. "I just have one question. How long have I been in here?" I ask her.

Misty bites the inside of her cheek and avoids eye contact. "Well, you see, you were shot-"

"How long?" I sigh, cutting her off. "Don't try and sugar coat it."

"A week."

***

It didn't take long for me to fall asleep, but it also didn't take long for me to be woken up either.

"Cordelia?"

Why does it feel like an extra punch in the gut when I wake up to that name? I grew up with it after all.

"No, no, no. Not you." I groan and Forrest chuckles.

"Hey, I saved your life."

A small smile touches my lips as I glance over at him. He was sitting in the far corner, balancing his elbows on his knees.

"Thanks by the way. That was really kind of you." I say and Forrest raises an eyebrow. "Don't be a wise ass. What you did was stupid."

"Yeah, I know." I roll my eyes. "But you knew that was going to end badly for me anyway. If you think about it, it's better than getting shot in the head."

His expression turns dark as he gives me a fierce look. "Don't joke about that. You could have died."

"Why are you so worried about me all of a sudden?" I ask.

He opens his mouth to answer but then closes it again.

Then it dawned on me.

Why he was so worried, why he was so concerned for my health.

"I know that look Cordelia," Forrest says as he sits up in his chair.

"You already have the tools and information you need to become the perfect king," I say dryly. "You don't need me. I don't understand why you think I'm such an asset to you. If we're being honest, I hardly do anything anymore. I just sit there and read while you do the research."

Forrest narrows his eyes, and it doesn't take long for him to grow angry. "You think I'm concerned about you because I need you to become the perfect king?" He lets out a dry laugh. "You think I'm that shallow? That if you weren't helping me I would have just let you die?"

"Honestly," I say. "I don't know. I never know when it comes to you, Forrest."

Forrest's expression turns dark as he snaps up out of his seat. "Cordelia, for a girl who thinks she knows everything about people, you sure can be oblivious when it comes to you."

I glare at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means when feelings are directed at you, Cordelia Schreave, you hardly know what the hell you're doing." he says harshly.

He places his hand on the doorknob, and before he opens it he turns his head to give me a cunning look. "Too bad you can't study Michael and Elise anymore. I know you were very upset about it."

I gape at him, stunned he actually just said that. "You think I'm that shallow?"

"Honestly," he says. "I don't know. I never know with you."

I grit my teeth together and clench my fists under the covers as he uses m own words against me. The heart monitor speeds up with its constant beeping as I stare at him. "Of course you know, Forrest. You know everything."

Forrest stands up straighter. "Don't forget that I know why you're here. I thought maybe my brother was getting through to you... But you're still just a shallow bitch. My brother would do anything for you, and you make him believe that you feel the same way."

The way he was speaking made me feel like there was some deeper meaning to what he was saying. He couldn't possibly be talking just about his brother.

"Maybe it's time I start dropping hints." He says darkly. "It would be a shame if he found that journal of yours."

There was nothing I could do. Our deal was that Forrest couldn't tell Harlan directly about what I was doing. Of course he would find a loophole. I bet he always does.

"I hate you." I hiss out through my teeth. 

Forrest just stares at me, like what I said either wounded him or went straight past him. I couldn't tell, and I honestly didn't care. Forrest and I were enemies, and I almost forgot that.

Almost.

"You better get healthy soon, Cordelia. Or Felicity is going to steal your man."

Forrest watches me as I try to hide my emotions.

"Is that jealousy, I see?" Forrest smirks cunningly. "Jealousy is a bitch, Cordelia."

[A/N]

Sorry for the short chapter! I'm just super busy this week because I am in my school's musical. I promise, even though I am busy, intense stuff will happen because I don't really believe in filler chapters. I'm not down-playing them I'm just saying I don't like to do that.

Thank you all for 7k !! This is really exciting. It makes me sooooo happy that you all enjoy this story so much.