Upon Shattered Wings

Chapter 25: Awake

"Lady Amara." The two guards greeted.

"No no, don't call me lady. I'm just uh..." I quickly scratched my head. What am I? "A servant?"

They looked at each other. The one on the left let out a small chuckle. "This is not the West. We don't have servants here."

The one on the right nodded. "I think Lady won't fit either."

They shared a look again. My eyes narrowed. "Princess will work."

I balked. "What are you talking about?" I looked both ways down the hall to make sure the coast was clear. "Don't call me that."

They scoffed. I blinked. "Aren't you guards supposed to be good boys and stand there with your lips zipped?"

They looked offended. "Princess we are not boys."

"Stop calling me that!" I hissed and reached out a hand to smack them both on the arm. They remained unfazed, purposefully flexing their arms. I gave them a deadpanned look.

Righty crossed his arms. "How about this. We don't call you princess, you don't call us boys."

I nodded.

Lefty smiled, all pearly whites showing. "Bye Princess!"

I groaned. Should've known they wouldn't keep their word. "Bye boys!"

Walking took too long so I flew instead. Waving at the two guards stationed in front of his doors, I was about to open the door until one of them stopped me.

"Lady Amara, Prince Killian is not in his room."

"What? Where is he?"

"He has requested to be alone for a while."

"Are you stupid?!"

They looked startled at my outburst. "He's injured! He can't go around walking by himself! What if he suddenly bleeds to death in the middle of the halls? Huh?"

"Lady Amara-"

"For Lunaravia's sake stop calling me that!" They snapped their mouths closed.

I turned away and flew down the hall but not before catching the smirks they threw each other. Boys.

❉

I had been flying all throughout the castle but there was no sign of him. Damn him. Damn him. Not even a day after he wakes up and he's already prancing around the castle like a toddler high on sweets.

I stomped down a familiar hall, glaring ahead. "If you don't appear in the next five seconds, I'll tell Cora to have you on bed arrest."

However it seemed like that wasn't needed when I caught a glimpse of light gray feathers standing near an open window. Seeing him standing there as still as the night had me breathing a sigh of relief. Not wanting to make my appearance just yet, I ducked around the corner and peeked out.

Even through the thin pale shirt he had on, I could still catch a glimpse of the thick bandages underneath. Guilt gnawed in the pit of my stomach. And so, guilt made me walk up silently behind him.

"It's not your fault." His voice was scratchy but underneath, I couldn't detect any anger.

I opened my mouth but closed it when I didn't know what to say. Sensing my silence, Killian turned around with a breathtaking smile that made my breath caught. Why was he smiling like that when he literally has a hole in his body?

"I was the one who insisted on you to go. It was my responsibility to look after you." He reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear.

"But if I insisted on not going, you wouldn't have been distracted and... and you wouldn't have gotten hurt." My voice broke at the end.