I screamed and kicked as the soldier dragged me by my arm into the panicked crowd of soldiers.
His grip was so tight that I knew I would have bruises from his tight hold after this and when he would loose the tightness of his grip on my arm he would grab chunks of my hair.
"JAMES!" I screamed, kicking the soldier to no avail.
"ANASTASIA!" He screamed back before he was dragged away from me and lost in the crowds.
"Looks like big brother prince isn't here to help you, huh?" The Waterwalker showed me a toothless grin and I screamed in outrage and fear.
I reached out to slap him but he grabbed my free hand and held me by both arms.
He kicked me in the stomach, knocking the breath out of me and causing my knees to buckle and I fell to the floor.
I coughed and tried to get air back into my lungs. My heart thumped against my chest so hard I was afraid it might give out and my head pounded from him pulling my hair.
"Well, well, it looks like the little Crown Princess of the Five Kingdoms finally found her place." He said in a gruff voice as he took in my kneeling position with a smile.
I tried in vain to kick him and when I was forced back down I spit in his face for good measure.
The Waterwalker wipes the spit off with the back of his hand. "Why you little-" he didn't get to finished his sentence.
To my surprise, a boy tackled him, causing the Waterwalker to let go of my hands.
His grip was so tight that when he released my arms he left raw fingernail scratches on my wrist and I cried out in surprise.
I watched in horror as the soldier boy wrestled with the Waterwalker. "Go Your Highness! Go!" He screamed before punching the Waterwalker as hard as he could.
Without a second thought, I turn and fled.
The crowd of men pushed me back and forth, but I continued to run in the direction James had disappeared, or at least that's the direction I thought I was going.
On the way, I heard my name being called and everything else around me suddenly seemed to not matter.
I knew that voice.
"Anastasia!"
I turned to see Arthur trying in vain to get to me, but he was pulled back by the crowd.
His eyes were so desperate to get to me and he reached out his hand as he tried to fight through the crowd to me.
A bullet shot rang out and he fell to the floor, disappearing into the crowd.
I thought he was safe.
"Arthur!" I screamed. Suddenly my only goal was to reach him and I changed courses and pushed through the crowd of men to get to him.
I had searched for him and couldn't find him in the crowd and assumed he was taken to safety. How is he out here?
I started running towards him as fast as I could. I could see a flash of his blond hair through the crowd. He was laying on the steps leading to the thrones.
Was he moving?
"ARTHUR!" I screamed, my voice becoming hoarse from my cries and I reached out to him, so close to touching him.
Just then, a Waterwalker decided to flip the throne that belonged to the King. That belonged to my dead father.
Without a second thought I leapt on top of Arthur, hoping my body could possibly shield him.
I realized too late that the throne was going to crush us both.
I braced myself for the worst, ready for death to pull me into its grasps, but it never did.
I opened my eyes to see that someone had taken the blow and managed to direct the throne away from me and Arthur.
It was Magiano.
The throne was laying on top of his crushed body, his head had hit the tile and I screamed at the sight of the growing pool of blood creating a halo around him.
"Magiano!" I yelled, reaching out my hand to him without moving my body from its close position next to Arthur.
Magiano weakly reached out to me, his fingertips brushing against my hand, but falling away before he could hold my hand in his.
"I will always love you. . . I hope you can forgive me. . . for everything." He whispered, I could see the light fading from his eyes.
"No, no, no!" I yelled at him. "Don't leave me! I forgive you!" I said quickly. "Please, don't leave me!" I begged, my voice becoming slurred through my tears and my hand reaching out to him, trying to touch him, but he was too far.
Magiano smiles weakly, his eyes becoming distant as if he wasn't completely here anymore. "Be happy, love. . . be happy." His voice was a whisper, and then it was gone.
I sobbed, Maginao saved my life in exchange for his own.
I held Arthur as tightly as I could. I could feel his ragged breaths against me.
I needed him to live. He has to live.
Suddenly, the same soldier boy who released me from the Waterwalker's grasps runs towards me.
"You have to follow me to the safe room, Your Highness!" He yells over the raging battle.
I nod through my heavy sobs as he helps me grab Arthur and began to pull him towards the exit of the Great Room.
Where were my brothers? Are they safe?
I scanned the crowd for any sign of them but didn't see any hint of my brothers in the mob of soldiers and Waterwalkers.
The soldier pounds the walls in a panic until a secret door slides open and without another word he pushes me and Arthur inside.
Arthur seemed to have regained slight consciousness. He mumbled something unrecognizable and tried to stand, but I still held most of his weight.
"Be safe!" I yelled to the soldier as the door slid shut.
It was pitch black in the safe room and I ran my fingers across the wall until I hit a light switch.
I tried to help Arthur further into the room but he gasped when I tried to pull him.
"A-Ana. . ." his words were slightly slurred and I hushed him quickly.
I laid him onto the floor, pulling a pillow off of a bed close to me to rest his head on. I knew I didn't have the strength to drag him on top of the bed.
"You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay." I repeated over and over until it seemed the words were only for my own sake.
I didn't realize that my words were becoming unrecognizable through my sobs.
I pulled out a medical kit that had been tucked away into a corner and began digging through it.
Arthur's breaths were becoming labored, and his shirt was soaked with blood now. My hands were shaking as I lifted the heavy medical box and dragged it over to him.
I got onto my knees by him and ripped open his shirt so I wouldn't have to have him pull it over his head. His eyes fluttered between a state of half consciousness, and the sweat that dotted his forehead made my stomach churn.
"Ana. . . y-you came back. . . t-to-" Arthur winced and I stroked the side of his head, hushing him again.
"Save your energy." I said brushing away tears so I could see clearly. "Y-you're going to be okay," I said, my voice cracking with emotion at the end.
I began to gently wipe his bare chest with a cold wet cloth. I certainly did not imagine the first time I would rip off Arthur's shirt to be like this.
His arms and chest were very muscular when they weren't covered in the expensive clothes he has to wear as a Prince.
I found that the bullet entered just below his right shoulder, and from what I could tell, it was still there.
I took deep breaths, I have no idea what I'm doing.
"I-I need to take the bullet out," I say shakily. "You need to roll over so I can get a better look. I think it almost went cleanly through you."
Arthur hesitated for a moment, and I wondered if he was loosing consciousness.
Then he nodded slowly, his eyes fluttering open and closed and he grunted in pain when I rolled him over.
I gasped when I saw his back, and not because the tip of a silver bullet was peaking out through his skin and surrounded by drying blood.
His back was covered with long scars.
At least six strikes, all of them healed over with large white scars.
"Arthur. . ." I was at a loss for words.
"M-my father's doing," he grunts out before breaking into a fit of coughs. Was that blood on the sheets where he coughed? Or was that there before?
"I. . . I should have told you."
I blinked, my head was spinning.
His father did this to him.
His father struck him.
Could this have been one of the reasons I never saw him besides royal duties? Or when he was ill at the beginning of the competition?
I had asked him last night if his father is a good man. It took him quite a long time to answer, and even then it wasn't a full and clear response.
I took a pair of tweezers from the medical kit, deciding to talk about this to him later. I had to stay focused on the task at hand.
I cupped my hand around his face, and I noticed it was becoming hot with fever. "This. . . this won't feel good," I warned my voice sounded stronger than I felt.
Arthur nodded slightly in response, and at the last minute I put an extra cloth in his mouth. "Bite down on it when it hurts." I instructed, and before he could respond I pulled the bullet with the tweezers.
I know as long as I live I will never forget the sound of Arthur's muffled screams echoing around the safe room.
When the bullet was fully out I dropped it into the medical kit and quickly cleaned the wound. I grabbed the ointment that should stop swelling or infection and applied most of the small container and then I forced some pain medicine into his mouth and helped him swallow some water.
I took cotton and bandages and after making sure I throughly cleaned out the wound I wrapped it in the thick bandages as best I could managed without moving him much.
When I was done, his right shoulder and upper body was mostly covered in the white bandages.
Then I gently turned him onto his back so he would be more comfortable. His eyes continued fluttering open and closed as if he was stuck somewhere in between consciousness and sleep.
He moaned softly and I tried to calm him by dabbing a cool cloth across his warm forehead.
I noticed a bottle of alcohol in the medical kit as well and I wondered if it was for injuries or for the one having to help the injured.
I decided against it quickly and instead made Arthur practically chug half of the bottle, I figured it could help his pain and his mind become at ease.
I fell back into a more comfortable sitting position after I knew for sure he was safe and comfortable.
I didn't even notice I had stopped crying in my hurry to try and save Arthur. The only indication of my sobs was puffy eyes and sniffs.
I carefully put away all of the medical supplies and then washed the blood out of my fingernails with a sink to the left of the room.
My handiwork would keep him stable for now, but his wound needed stitches and that was something I cannot do.
Arthur mumbled something and I turned to him, wondering if he was regaining consciousness.
I returned to my spot beside him. There were three beds in the safe room in total but I wouldn't want to be any other place than next to Arthur on the floor.
Arthur's eyes fluttered open, they seemed glazed and slightly day dreamy.
"Your eyes are like chocolate," he says with a small delirious smile.
I smile sadly. "And yours are like a clear blue ocean." I say softly.
He blinked and looked at me with his lopsided smile. I noticed he was softly humming a tune to an unrecognizable song. "Y-you're so beautiful. . . Who-who are you?" He asked me before his eyes rolled into his head and he fell asleep.
I checked his pulse to make sure he was still breathing safely and held my breath as I listened to the steady beat of his heart.
His face was peaceful while he slept. It was still unhealthily pale and his mouth was parted as he slept. I pushed a golden strand of hair out of his face then pulled a blanket down and draped it across the two of us.
My heart was still racing, but I was mentally and physically exhausted.
My parents death and separation from my brothers didn't feel real.
I almost thought one of them would come in and get me any moment.
Before I could start to cry again, I closed my eyes and focused on steadying my breathing.
I fell asleep with my head on Arthur's chest, listening to his heartbeat and knowing he would be okay.
***
I don't know how long we had been asleep, but I woke when Arthur made a slight groan.
I immediately jumped up, checking to see if he was safe. My eyes were wide in fear of the worst.
Arthur jumped at my sudden movement and winced from the pain when he moved.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he said weakly. He tried to smile, but it fell quickly and he furrowed his eyebrows in pain.
I reached out, at first I was hesitant but then my fingertips brushed the stubble of his jawline. If I can touch his bare chest and doctor a bullet wound, I can gently stroke prince Arthur's face in comfort. "It's fine. How are you?" I asked in a soothing voice. I was relieved to see he had color returning to his face, if only a little. He still matched the color of the white sheets, and his eyes had dark circles around them that matched the sunken in shadows of his cheeks.
His lips curled in what could be the beginning of a smile, his eyes still had a glazed look to them that in addition to the sweat dotting his forehead and flush of his neck told me he had a high fever. "Alive because of you. "He croaked, his voice was hoarse and weak, most likely from screaming over the crowd. Mine was not much better.
His breath still had the lingering sent of alcohol from my attempt to heal him. I closed my eyes and wished I could get lost in the haze of alcohol as well, but I knew my mind needs to be aware in case anything were to happen.
I shook my head, my lips pursed. "Arthur, the scars on your back. . ." I trailed off and looked at him, waiting to see if he would tell me what had happened, but not wanting to press him at the same time.
He sighed. "M-my father is abusive." He replied in a quiet voice. "I tried to oppose him, but. . ." he trailed off as he tried to find the words to explain this to me. His eyes seemed far away. "Then he killed the girl I was in love with."
I couldn't stop myself from gasping. How could his father do something so heartless? How have I not seen through his mask?
"Ana, he threatened to kill you and anyone I was close to. I couldn't let him. . . I didn't see you after James's death because I couldn't stand." His eyes were watering and I brushed the tears away, I could feel my eyes water as well.
"I tried to oppose him, to warn him if he hurts you I would defy him." He shakes his head bitterly, his jaw tight in pain. "He decided to remind me of my place."
"You did that for me?" I ask as a tear traces down my cheek.
He nods slightly. "He has always been brutal but he took a lash the past few times. . . I tried to fight back but. . ." he shrugged with his good side.
I was speechless for a moment. "Arthur. . . He will pay for what he did." I say, surprised at the sudden boiling anger that overtook me.
Arthur shakes his head. "I saw him die in the battle. He was shot through the heart, I know it."
We were quiet for a moment, I wasn't quiet sure what I should say. To my own surprise I was even angrier at the fact that he had died on the battlefield. It didn't seem enough. He didn't suffer long enough for the suffering he had caused, and a dark part of me wished he had. I wanted to see him in pain. I wish he had taken the pain Arthur was in now, so then he could get what he deserved.
Arthur tried to adjust his sitting position and groaned at the effort.
I noticed red stains were starting to show on the white bandages. Arthur closed his eyes and clenched his teeth in pain.
Without thinking, I grabbed his hand.
He looked down at our intertwined fingers, then up at me.
"Why. . . why did you go back for me?" He asked, opening his eyes to look at me.
I stared into his eyes, unable to decide if they were more blue or green. His face was becoming more flushed and then cold sweat on his forehead was increasing despite the warmth of his skin. I am no doctor, but I don't take that as a good sign.
"I couldn't let you die, Arthur." I said in a whisper but I knew this wouldn't be a good enough answer.
Why did I go back for him? Why did my eyes search the crowd for him and my heart plummet at the sight of him being shot?
I am the heir to the throne of the Five Kingdoms. I should put my own safety above anything else for the sake of my kingdom, yet I immediately turned to run to Arthur and jumped to shield him without hesitation.
"No, my Anastasia, why did. . . why did you risk your life for me? You. . . you are the Jewel of the Five Kingdoms. . . if something happened to you-" Arthur's voice hitched and he clenched his teeth again, refusing to let out a sound to recognize his pain.
I know my temporary work will not be good for long, he needs a doctor to preform stitches on the wound. Even if I had the correct supplies I could not do it and risk hurting him.
I rubbed my thumb in soothing circles over his hand for a moment before responding. "I want you to be my King, Arthur."
When I looked up from our hands, Arthur was in a stunned silence.
Just the night before we had agreed to only be friends, but at this moment I could see so much more. We may only be companions in our leadership now, but overtime we could love each other stronger than any other bond. And besides, a lot has changed since last night.
I remembered Magiano's final words to me, "Be happy, love. . . be happy."
At that moment I could feel an undying love for Arthur that I have never experienced before. Although I still had Magiano in my heart and Arthur had his love for his past maiden in his, we love each other as well.
The love we still carry for our lost lovers will bring us closer together as well.
Magiano, my dear Magiano, I will never forget him. He loved me, and if things were different I may have learned to love him again overtime. At the same time I feel as if he would be smiling at the thought of a spark of love between Arthur and myself if he knew it would make me happy.
I knew for certain Arthur would become my husband, and along with it my King.
I could see the same look reflecting in Arthur's eyes as well and knew he was thinking the same things as I am.
A near death experience can certainly reveal a deep love for someone, especially when you fear you could loose them any moment.
Arthur brought my hand to his lips, kissing it softly, "I would be honored. I love you Anastasia, in a deep way I can't possibly understand yet." His voice was becoming quieter as he talked, I could tell he was loosing energy
I brushed away tears from my own eyes, "I love you too, Arthur." I said in a whisper and we fell asleep again embraced in each other's arms.