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Blake sat on a chair next to Ella, who lay on one of the cots in the infirmary. One of the nurses, Lia, was feeding Ella some herbs and medication for her illness.
But Ella lay still, unmoving, like a corpse.
“Lia,” Blake whispered, “is she going to be alright?”
The nurse looked down at the girl that lay on the bed. “I’m not sure, Prince. She’s really ill.”
Blake raked his fingers through his black hair, letting out a frustrated groan. After calming the anger that started swelling up, he managed to look down at Ella, noticing her relaxed expression, but also seeing her cheeks and nose flushed due to a high fever.
“God...” Blake grumbled, covering his face in his hands, “why did it have to be her?”
“You know why,” Lia stated. “You just don’t want to admit it.”
“Yes.” Blake rubbed his eyes, trying to cover the rage in his expression. “Yes, I know why....”
“This girl,” the nurse stared down at Ella, “is so fragile.”
“I know,” Blake admitted somberly. “It’s just all that she’s gone through is horrible. She doesn’t deserve it.”
“Have you found out who cursed her yet?” Lia wondered.
A slight shake of the head was his response. The word curse sounding so unfamiliar in his ears.
But the nurse was right. Ella was sick because of a curse someone placed on her. Clearly it was a witch, but Blake was unsure if the witch was forced, hired, or if she was the villain.
“Do you have any ideas?”
“I....” He bit his lip. “Her stepmother treats her horribly, but I see no signs of magic or necromancy in her presence. She’s cruel, yes. Abusive also. But... I don’t see any kind of witch magic placed on the house.”
“Is she the only person who treats Ella horribly?”
Blake shook his head. “One of her stepsisters also, but she has the same presence as her mother. I don’t see magic in either of their rooms, but... I also haven’t been inside to look in hidden places, so... I’m still unsure....”
“Can you think of anyone else who might hold a grudge against her?”
A soft shake of the head. “Whoever they are, they’re doing really well by staying in the shadows.” He looked down at the precious girl, resting silently, but breathing shallowly.
“Prince Blake,” the nurse said. He looked up due to her stern tone. “This girl needs help. I can’t help her.”
Blake’s heart froze. “What do you mean you can’t help her?!”
“Prince,” the nurse calmed her tone, “I can’t help her. All I have are herbs and medicine... But I can’t cure this curse with human medication. Only healing magic can.”
“I don’t know anyone with that kind of power,” Blake explained angrily. “She needs to be alive. I— We need her.”
The nurse didn’t seem phased at him catching himself. Maybe she didn’t notice. “Prince, you do know someone.”
“What?” He watched Lia stare at him, her grey eyes shimmering with his reflection like a lake on a cloudy day. It only took moments before he realized what she was saying, and he shook his head in disbelief.
“No, no, no,” he said sternly, green eyes hard in fear. “Me?”
The nurses blank expression answered him.
“I... I can’t...” he stammered. “I can’t heal her... I’m not who I used to be.”
“Your powers are still inside you, Prince,” the nurse stated. “Therefore, it doesn’t matter whether you are who you used to be or not.”
“I haven’t used them since I fell,” he explained silently.
“Prince, you need to start using them again. So you can get used to it. If you want to protect Ella for what’s yet to come, then you have to learn them to help her find her power as well.”
Blake exhaled angrily, rubbing his eyes. He then looked down to the girl that rested peacefully in front of him.
He took in all of her as if he had never seen her before, her wavy red hair that sprawled across the pillow, her pale white skin that reminded him of the light of the full moon, and her light brown freckles that rested on top of her cheeks—her cheeks that were dusted with a light red.
He didn’t notice that the nurse was examining him.
“Prince,” she said.
Blake didn’t look away from Ella. “Hmm?”
“How long have you been watching this girl? I know you were tasked to keep an eye on her. Her interactions, things she buys, and anything that looks remotely suspicious that leads to her.”
Still, he didn’t look up. “Three years.”
When he finally looked up, he saw a smile tugging at her lips.
“What?”
“I see why you’re so protective over this girl now,” Lia said.
“Well, yeah.” Blake’s brows drew together. “I’m supposed to keep her safe. It was the task my father gave me.”
“Yes,” the nurse agreed. “But there’s something else,” she tilted her head to the side as his eyes widened a bit, “isn’t there?”
“What are you talking about?” Blake questioned defensively.
“You’re getting attached to her, aren’t you?”
He blinked, eyes growing brighter as his cheeks burned slightly.
“You’ve been watching over this one girl, Prince. For three years. You were her protector. You watched over her. And you saw who she really was compared to how she acted towards others. You watched her cry, laugh, sleep.” Her smile widened a small bit. “You fell in love with her, didn’t you?”
Blake tried to look angry, but it came off as embarrassed. “Stop reading my mind, Lia. It’s very irritating.”
“Prince,” she said, “admit it.”
“I’m not going to because it’s not true.”
But it was true.
“You just lied,” she noticed.
There were so many things he wanted to say, but none of them denied the feeling he had. “Fine.” Blake rubbed his face with his hand. “Yes, I... I got attached to her.”
The nurses smirk boiled his insides.
“Will you... stop... looking at me like that?”
She gazed down at Ella whose face was glowing a brighter red, and her smile vanished to a concerned look.
“Prince,” she whispered, placing the back of her hand on Ella’s forehead, “I need you to try at least. Try to heal her.”
Blake stood, took a step toward the bed, and sat on the side. He leaned over Ella, placing his hand on her forehead, and tried to focus. He found a flame that rested deep inside him, he reached for it, closing his hand around the light. The entire world of darkness exploded and everything he once knew, became a world of white.
He felt Ella’s breathing as his own, her heart beating with his, and he slowly crept out of her mind, into the real world where he sat next to the girl, relived to see her face turn back to its usual color.
“Prince Blake! Prince Blake!” Three guards entered the room, panting as if they ran a mile.
Blake stood, staring at them with concern. “What is it?”
“The grassland caught fire!” one of the guards said. “We don’t know how, but it wasn’t natural!”
Blake started toward them. “Show me.” And he left the room, leaving Ella behind.