The Book Of The Priestess

7

Philip awakened to the fire burning in the fireplace.

"Oh. Your awake. That's good." Ayden began to walk towards the bed.

"Yeah." Philip began to sit up.

"Oh, no. Don't sit up. If you do the pain will be worse." Ayden began to worry a bit.

"It's alright. I'm fine. I can endure it." Philip pushed Ayden away.

"Don't endure what you think you can. Don't push yourself to the limit. You need to take it easy until your wounds heal." Ayden said.

"No. I'm alright. I can deal with it."

"You shouldn't push yoursel-"

"I'm alright!" Philip shouted. Silence rang through the room for a minute.

"Alright. If you say that your okay, I'll be going then. Have a good rest of the day, and a pleasant way healing." Ayden slung his bag over his shoulder and slammed the door after walking out.

Philip sighed and laid his head down on the pillow. He looked at the side table to see a bottle sitting there.

***

Ayden walked through the dimly lit halls of the castle. He was exhausted to the point he could die. He spent too much time taking care of someone who didn't even care. He knew nothing mattered though. Ayden began to sway down the halls. He told himself that he could make it to his room before he faints.

Kyle turned the corner and saw Ayden. Kyle didn't want to be on Ayden's bad side. He walked up to Ayden, and simply passed him. He instantly turned around to see that Ayden hadn't noticed anything. He watched Ayden as Ayden tripped over his own feet and hit the ground. Kyle instantly walked up to Ayden and began to shake him.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Kyle crouched next to him.

"I'm fine. Do not touch me." Ayden pushed Kyle away and began to stand up.

"Your not fine." Kyle looked at Ayden's face. Ayden's face was very pale. He had deep and dark circles that sat under his eyes. His eyes were almost the color of blood. "You look horrible."

"I said I was fine. Stop talking to me." Ayden began walking to his room once again.

William exited his chambers to take a walk. He needed to relieve the stress that had developed from trying to take care of everything at once. He turned down the hall of where Ayden's room was located. He knew that Ayden must be sleeping at a time like this. Or he may still be up. William decided that he would check if Ayden was still up. He stood in front of Ayden's door and looked to the left. He blinked a couple of times because he couldn't believe what he had saw.

Ayden lay on the floor; fast asleep. He didn't and couldn't make it to his room. William let out a low chuckle and picked Ayden up off the ground. He opened Ayden's room door and walked in. He placed Ayden in the bed and placed the blanket over him.

"...... worried.... about...... Philip...... I... need to... help..." Ayden began to mumble a few words. Ayden then jolted up and tried to get out of bed.

"Woah! You need to rest. You are exhausted." William pushed Ayden back on the bed.

"But I need to go back to Philip. He needs to heal." Ayden struggled to get out of Williams grasp.

"Why?" Ayden froze and began to relax.

"I don't know. I feel like I need to help others in need, even when they say they do not want help." Ayden sighed and closed his eyes.

"I do not think you need to get out of bed for a while." William said with a serious tone.

"And why is that?" Ayden looked at William.

"Because you have a fever, and you could faint again. When I carried you in your room, your body was boiling." William touched Ayden's forehead.

"What? I don't get fevers. I don't know what your talking about." Ayden tried to laugh the subject off.

"You do. Everyone gets sick at least once in their life." William looked at the wall. Ayden let out a sigh.

"I'm going to sleep." He turned away from William and closed his eyes. William sat in the chair next to Ayden a little bit longer. He didn't think Ayden wanted to talk anymore. He stood and left the room.

Ayden rolled onto his back and let out a sigh. Maybe he was just a burden to everyone here. He hasn't done anything to help anyone. He sat up and walked over to the door. He needed to get fresh air.

He began to walk down a different hallway he's never used before. He spotted a balcony and decided to look out there. He stared into the sky above. He wasn't sure what to do anymore. He heard shouting down below.

"What is your business here?" A guard yelled.

"I've come to see a guy named Ayden." A voice Ayden should've recognized said.

"There is nobody here with that name, fool!" The guard laughed. Ayden jumped down off the balcony.

"Has the name Ayden not been heard by your ears, because the name Ayden has been around the castle for months." Ayden stared at the guard.

"I-it has. I was trying to keep your name and figure a secret. We don't know if he's a friend or foe." The guard stepped forward.

"Your exactly right. We; specifically you, do not know if he is a friend or foe. But... that should not matter. If you do not know, then why treat him like an enemy right off the bat? He could be a god, for instance. You wouldn't have known that, and by the way your treating him, you could be given a curse." The guards backed away in fear.

"We are sorry."

"You should be. Now leave." Ayden shouted at them. They turned and walked off. Ayden sighed. He instantly ran over to Philip and helped him off the ground. "Are you alright?"