Hashih

The Betrothed

Although the sedative and pain medications should have helped him rest, it felt as if his eyelids were a lot heavier and his body less inclined to pull itself up from the cozy mattress. He willed his muscles to move, to lie on his back as the painkiller was wearing off and there was a dull ache from his side, but to his surprise there was resistance. Something warm and soft was preventing him. And just because of that, Luke’s eyes were suddenly wide open. Where was he? Who did he go home with last night? His pulse thundered in his ears, while his mind raced for reasons to conceal another potential scandal. It should not reach the palace. He should be home before the queen asked for him.

Then again, the panic dissipated as his eyes fell on the tanned complexion and her black hair. The prince sighed audibly. Slowly, fragments of memories were released into his consciousness to answer questions he had not yet thought of. They were in the mountains. He handed her the keys to the SUV. There was an accident, except that it was not an accident. The rebellion had attempted to take Rhiane’s life again, but failed thanks to the timeliness of the royal guards’ arrival. Yesterday, they heard from the members of the rebellion their intent to end the life of the princess elect. It was good information, but what’s most unfortunate about the ordeal was that Rhiane had to believe that the death of the rebels was her fault.

Carefully, he untangled himself from their shared embrace. It was very comfortable, though he would not admit it out loud, and he wanted nothing more than to stay where they were and fall asleep again. But there were duties to be fulfilled and a schedule to beat. Despite the bitter taste in his mouth and the dry feeling in his throat, Luke managed to free himself without rousing the woman. To be honest, because he felt more tired than he did yesterday, it was too tempting to lie back down beside her.

Before he even considered doing so, the prince left the bed and went straight to the bathroom. A cold shower was what he needed to clear his head, and it was what he got. A shower, but not a clear head. The injury on his thigh was almost fully healed, his forehead didn’t seem as if it was nicked, only the bones on his chest reminded him of the near tragedy the day before. But what about the night that came with it? What about the words that slipped off his tongue – some of which he remembered, while some were already lost. What about the feelings that lingered?

Luke stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed but not at all satisfied. He donned a cotton long sleeved white shirt from their luggage that was arranged inside their temporary closet and stuck with the gray pajamas he wore to bed the night before. Rhiane was still asleep when he emerged from the closet, so he took the opportunity to march to the door and order for something to eat. She will be hungry when she woke up, knowing that they both exchanged dinner for sleep.

After everything had been settled, Luke picked up the computer from the desk and brought it to bed. The physical keyboard had been detached, making it seem more of a tablet. He propped himself against a pillow and was about to start reading through communications that might need his urgent attention when he remembered the strangled voice of the farmer pleading to the unreal assailants living in her head. She was so confident and strong when she stood in front of his mother, when she conversed intelligently with a CEO, when she addressed children and the artisans. He knew he could rely on her to take some of the weight off his shoulder temporarily, but it was asking too much of her to casually brush off a traumatic incident. He had been in her shoes a long time ago. Though there were doctors who helped him through the trauma, he somehow understood the ghosts that she was fighting against.
Maybe it was just that he sympathizes with her. Maybe the emotion he was holding back was neither a crush nor an infatuation, but a new-found sympathy for the woman he had previously judged to be as far from his status than the earth was to the sun. Maybe his previously thought truths about the difference in their status, that there was nothing that was no common ground to be found, was not entirely true. That he asked her to stay was against his principles. But what’s worse was that he fell asleep with her cuddled in his arms.

“Itinerary for the day,” said the title of the message from Ms. Viscomi. Meaning to stir away from further exploring the past, he chose to open the mail and read the letter.

The Betrothed

His fickle heart might be his greatest flaw. It was no secret that the heir dallied with women who were born into the high society. The power and the good looks that he inherited from his bloodline made him the object of desire for many. Ever the person who would not waste an opportunity, the prince quickly learned of the effect he had to the opposite sex, therefore exploiting it to his gain. Soon, snapping a photo of him with a new woman hanging on his arm became a sport for the paparazzi. Needless to say, Luke was not content to stick with one woman, he did not believe in hailing a single individual as the queen of his life. Love was a senseless lie propagated by the media.

He felt it when her hand clasped his, linking her fingers with his, quietly giving into the demand that was masked as a request. Deep inside, he was happy to have won that battle. It was a victory for him to have been able to stop the princess elect from running to Tobias for rescue. Much as he would like to deny it, but the ugly monster called jealousy taunted him every time his fiancee and his cousin would spend time together. The emotion was neither logical nor beneficial, Luke knew that, but it was real. It was yet again another product of his fickle heart.

“No man is that friendly to a woman,” he murmured against her hair. His voice was soft like a gentle breeze on a summer day. “Take it from someone who knows how men approach women – from a certified player.” There was a hint of humor in his voice, as if he had accepted the portrait of him that the media had painted to entertain the whole kingdom. To be honest, it did not bother him the slightest, because it was true. He had broken hearts, played with emotions, left them hoping for something more than a casual encounter. He had caused the queen a great deal of trouble because of the alleged scandals and rumors about his behavior that was unbecoming of a future king.

Sophia Keller had known Luke for years. She was an acquaintance casually introduced to him by a common friend at an awarding ceremony. Perhaps his stature drew her to him, or maybe it was his charms, but the actress was quickly promoted from being and acquaintance to a rumored lover. Of course, Luke would not be Luke if he would stick to just one woman. There were others in between, when he was not too preoccupied with work or when Sophia had other things to do. What’s unique with the odd relationship between the two was that they always find their way back to each other. But was he in love with her? Once upon a time, he thought he was.

Then he met Rhiane. “You should confide in Lia and Octavia instead. You women have your own language, therefore it’s not wrong to assume that they will understand you better.” He paused, stifling a yawn. She could not see his face, but the sluggish speech must have hinted that his eyes were closed, and he was fighting with all that he had against the effects of the sedative. “Don’t be thick-headed. Tobias doesn’t look at you the way he looks at me or Lia or Octavia, Rhiane.”

His breathing had quieted down. He was no longer taking quick gasps of air, while being unable to breathe deeply, thanks to the painkillers. It allowed him to sleep on is back and for a while forget that he was injured. It made him comfortable enough as he leaned his weight against her and used the back of her head as his pillow. The next sound that escaped his lips were a jumble of murmured syllables. He was trying to tell her something else, but perhaps the realm of dreams had won the tug-of-war.

The Betrothed

Her words fluttered in his mind like a far away echo even when she was close enough for him to grab. Closer than what his sober self would have allowed. The pale glow from the bedside lamp was reflected on her green eyes, making it seem both mysterious and magical at the same time. It touched the smooth hair that framed her face and cascaded over her shoulder. The bare skin of her neck, her collar bone, her shoulder – she glowed like the moon reflecting the sun to bring light to darkness.

Luke blinked slowly. The rational side of him convinced the rest of his self that it was wrong to look at the farmer the way he looked at her that night. That the thoughts starting to form in his drug-muddled brain were nothing but hallucinations. Rhiane was beautiful. Rhiane was stubborn. Rhiane was patient. Rhiane was careless. Rhiane was… She was making it difficult to find answers to the questions which he could have easily responded to a few days back.

“Don’t.” He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pushing himself off the bed just as she did. The edges of the sedative were apparent through the uncontrolled force he exerted on her wrist and in getting up. Though he was content lying down and eventually succumbing to sleep, he did promise to stay with her that night. The sheet fell to his waist. His dirty shirt was stripped off him and in its place was nothing but a transparent brace around his midsection that supported the fractured ribs without making it more difficult for the wearer to breathe.

Gravity seemed to have strengthened its pull ever since he woke up. It made his head feel heavy so that he had no other choice but lean his forehead on her shoulder. “At this rate, we could be in the middle of a battlefield and I would still sleep better. Don’t go.” He was done with being left behind with a heart that was no longer whole. “I picked you, didn’t I?” The beautiful sunset view from his secret island came to mind, but he failed to elaborate. It was difficult to recall in his state if he already told her that she was the first person he brought there. She could argue that it was only because of the device implanted on the two of them, and that would be true, except that he had not told her that he would bring her with him again with or without the implant. Sophia was a city girl who loved the modern comforts of the concrete jungle. She would not appreciate the island. Luke doubted that Sophia would have the courage that Rhiane showed, or that Sophia would trust him – a total stranger – with her life.

“My mother did not choose my father,” he murmured, remembering how she drew her explanation of love from what she witnessed from her parents. “Even though he chose her every single day. My father told me that he loved mum from afar even before the contest was announced. He was a member of the royal guards and was assigned the security of then Princess Camilla. Much like Tobias is to you.”

Silence followed as Luke contemplated on the analogy he had drawn between his parents and his fiancee’s relation to Tobias. His hand let go of her wrist, but in its place was a movement from behind her. Luke wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her from behind as he rested his cheek atop her head. “Do you feel for my cousin more than you do for me? Do you like him the same way you like me?” Because her smile was real when she was with him, her eyes were happy and not rolling out of frustration. She was more at ease, and it was easier for her to depend on Tobias than Luke. “If you say yes, then I am going to let you go.” His arms tightened, though not too tight to hurt her but just enough to make a point. If his cousin loved her the way his father loved the queen, then there was no point standing in their way.

The Betrothed

The truth was brutal. The truth hurts. The truth was not kind to those who chose to hide behind the shadow of a lie, a hope, a dream that the universe had denied. But often, the same pain that saw through flesh and bone will pave way from the dark alley of lies into the sun. Thus, it was said that the truth sets people free.

Caught in between the odd realm between a dream and consciousness, even with a peculiar taste in his mouth and the dryness he felt at his throat, Luke smiled at the face staring back at him. He wondered what that look was about. Did he say something wrong? He had not insulted her people and criticized her opinions yet, but Rhiane was looking at him as if he did something that had offended her. “I’m sorry.” The words dribbled slowly from the tip of his tongue. Speaking was weird. The sound of his voice sounded weird in his ears, a little husky and slow and sleepy. It was not him. It was not her Sophie.

He should be sad, but the boyish grin would not leave. If the cool and charming persona of the crown prince was perceived as the very qualities that made him desirable by the standards of the society, then it had not yet been exposed to an uninhibited version of his smile. None of the controlled flexing of facial muscles and curving of the lips, not even the bid for perfection that came with the royal title. That night, with the help of the pain medications and sedative, he found a space where there was nothing to guard against and nothing stopping him from expressing how he felt inside.

“And so kiss me, kiss me, kiss me
And tell me that I’ll see you again
'Cause I don’t know
If I can let you go…”

The following words of the song were lost in mumbling as he closed his tired eyes and rolled his head so as to look away from her judging gaze. A sober Luke would not have allowed himself to verbalize the lyrics of the song that came to mind. The tempo of the melody was deliberately slowed down, so it sounded more of a ballad than a pop punk song. His voice had always had that deep melodious tone, but only a few people knew that he could more than carry a tune, he could really sing.

Gradually, the humming from his chest faded as did the smile that lit his features. “I kissed you because you won’t listen to me even if I begged you to take pain meds.” That was all, he told himself. “And it is impolite to reject you or push you away.” He was thinking about the passionate kiss they shared inside a bathroom cubicle while the rebellion was plotting to kill them both. She may either understand what he was referring to or she may have not remembered that she initiated the contact, but Luke failed to elaborate.

“Do I love Sophia Keller? Do I miss her?” He lifted his right hand, palm down, over his face as if to inspect if it still had five fingers. The entirety of his body felt heavy and foreign, like his consciousness was transferred to an alien host. Even then, his mind did not feel right. Luke smiled as he added, “I do.” What he failed elaborate was which did his ‘I do’ answer. Then again, it may be because he too had no idea which his answer was for. “But love is… It is not real. To believe the impulses inside the brain when it does that funny chemical reactions is too costly. I can’t afford to love and hurt and be distracted.”

Luke let his hand rest on his stomach, but his stare remained fixed on the ceiling. “Love is the star to every wandering bark, whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken,” he recited quietly from memory. Was he in love with Sophia? They had such a fluid relationship that it never occurred to him to consider the extent of the feelings he had for the actress. “I wish for her to be here with me right now, to hold my hand and sing to me. Then I can make her smile and laugh, make her mad at me for being silly.” He leaned his face on the pillow to look at his fiancee. It might be the medication, or it might be his callous self, but the words kept pouring out his mouth without filter. She asked him questions and he replied in all honesty. Because the truth was brutal.

“Maybe I miss her, but does that mean that I love her?” If he would use the ancient poet’s words as the benchmark of love, then he failed. It was because the poet described loved as an unmoving, unchanging, unshakable something. Luke’s gaze was grim, meaning every word he said when he added, “Tell me what you know about this concept of love? Because I don’t think that I’m doing this right.” Shadow fell on the planes of his seemingly chiseled features, softening it a little so he did not appear to be the same sharply dressed man who was obliged by society to be perfect.

The Betrothed

The departure of the princess elect and the doctor should have left the prince with nothing but silence to accompany him except that he could hear the voices of a couple of women arguing or maybe just discussing. Luke drowned the conversation out, but he kept the movie going. Idle noise from the television would not break into his concentration.

The reports were thorough, it captured every known communication frequency being used at present, except for the queen’s and her heir’s. Such information was promptly deleted from the archive upon his request. Ironic as it may seem, but the assassination attempt was the event that Luke was waiting for. It should have increased the utilization of the communication lines. It should have given them a hint who in the palace were serving a different master, who authorized the distribution of the military’s standard rifles to civilians and consequently the rebellion. But irregular frequencies were reported to be detected as seemingly just an impulse – an image like a ghost’s that was present and absent at the same time. Much as the team wanted to deny, but the fact remained that the rebellion, who were supposed to be the poor and the desolate, outsmarted them.

Luke sighed as he swiped back to the second page of the report. He would read and go through the charts again, because maybe he and the IT Team missed a detail. Absently, his free hand rubbed the side of his torso that was bruised. The wooden chair may be cushioned, but it was uncomfortable. He would rather prefer something that would allow him to lean back once in a while.

He hadn’t given up on the possibility that the accident could still accidentally uncover the people whose objective was to stab him in and his mother in the back. The work that the recently concluded meeting and the confirmation that the Defense and Health Ministries were waiting for could wait a little longer. But apparently Doctor Gulsvig couldn’t.

A sharp knock on the door stole his attention from the comparison of the frequency and time model he generated from the data, then filtered out all the known and used channels. There was a remote chance that the blinking signal was somehow a code. If it was, then he had the idea that the key to unmasking the code was to assume that the name of the clinic and/or the town it was situated were passed on secretly.

“Your highness,” Nolan allowed himself in without waiting for Luke’s permission. He pushed the door open wide to give way to the medical bed that was pushed inside the room. The furniture that made up the sitting area barricaded the path to the bed therefore a male nurse carefully lifted Rhiane’s unconscious body from the gurney to transfer her into the more comfortable bed.

Luke slowly got to his feet, keeping his eyes on the woman and the brace that would keep her from placing strain on her arm. It was lightweight and made of breathable silicone-like material. After being restrained by a sling, she would appreciate the advantages of her new cast. “Did she make any trouble?” he asked Dr. Romanelli, who shook his head. Tobias was also inside the room, hovering at a respectable distance from the bed while trying to keep a passive expression. “Tobias.”

The guard snapped into attention, as if the mention of his name had pulled him from a long thought or a daydream. By that time, the nurses and the doctor were exiting the room to grant the princess some privacy. “Look for Octavia and Lia and ask them to stay at Rhiane’s bedside,” Luke ordered much to his cousin’s dismay. Tobias had the notion that his royal cousin trusted him as Rhiane’s bodyguard, that babysitting the future queen was an endeavor that was only for Tobias to enjoy. Somehow he had forgotten that the charge that was given him was a woman – an engaged woman – and it was more appropriate if equally capable female members of the security team would watch over her. The prince’s request was only logical, but it was quite difficult to nod his head in obedience.

Shortly after the matter was settled, Luke was asked to sit on a wheel chair and escorted to the makeshift clinic. Waiting for him at the door were Doctor Gulsvig and Ms. Viscomi. “It cannot be allowed,” the doctor’s features were grim when he said it. Ms. Viscomi looked as if she had not yet ran out of arguments, but the doctor opened the door for the prince then shut it behind himself.

“Didn’t your mother call-off the tour after what happened?”

“She did,” was Luke’s immediate response. “I persuaded her not to.” He carefully stepped out of the chair and asked for help in taking off the coat. The doctor studied him for a moment before wordlessly turning away to do whatever preparations must be done.

---

The procedure did not last an hour. His ribs were fractured, but there was no need to cut him open to fix the damage. The serum and a more comfortable version of a brace was enough. If he would not do anything stupid, it should heal in a day or two.

Ms. Viscomi was waiting outside the door as the gurney was pushed through the corridor. “Doctor!” Her cheerfulness and hope were ever present even in the middle of another PR nightmare and possible change in schedules. She walked beside the older man. “It is four in the afternoon. We can still arrange for a dinner assembly meeting with the locals. At around what time is he going to wake up?”

Dr. Gulsvig shrugged. “As soon as he feels like waking up.” As Luke’s attending physician, the doctor was more concerned about the health of his patient than the strict schedule that was mapped out for him. Because of it, he might have utilized a more potent sedative for the prince. It was for Luke’s own good, because once left to his own devices, then there was no doubt that he would drag his future bride with him to fulfill his responsibilities.

Luce Viscomi and the doctor were left outside the room as the male nurses rearranged the furniture to be able to bring the patient as close to the bed as possible, then transferred him carefully. “You may try to wake him if you want to, but our crown prince needs as much rest as he can right now, so I gave him the opportunity to do so.”

The nurses and the royal guards soon left the couple to rest in their private room, with the doctors’ strict orders that nobody should disturb them. Sooner than later, though, Luke’s eyes fluttered open. It was odd seeing wood panels over his head bathed in a pale yellow glow. Where was he? Why were his eyelids so heavy? A shift in the mattress told him that somebody must be out there. “Sophie,” he whispered then slowly turned his head.

The Betrothed

Luke shook his head. “Lying on my back will make it more difficult to breathe,” he admitted. The painkiller helped make the pain more tolerable and breathing a little less torturous. Except for the way he walked, it would appear that he was fine, because that was how the crown prince would like everyone to perceive his state of health, but the truth was that he had been enduring the consequences of his rash decision since that morning. It was true what he told her on the first day they met, that there was no room for weakness in the world he lived in. Therefore, he and his family had to conceal from the world the side of them that was human and make it seem as if they did not get hurt or bleed.

“Why do you say that?” Luke untangled his hand from hers. The curtains were drawn shut and the lighting inside the room was dim as if to inspire rest. Nothing had gone according to plan. Luce Viscomi’s schedule was as ruined as the schedule he planned out for himself that day. If there was anything good that came out of the morning, it was that he was too preoccupied in their survival to even think about the woman who was probably on her way across the continent to another country. But then again, there was this other woman who had made a surprise attack and unknowingly crawled her way into the dark recesses of his subconscious. A woman whose ideals did not match his but were oddly the same as his. Maybe because the two of them were alike in such an opposing way. In other words, if he was yin then she was yang - two opposing forces, but when together brought balance. “A doctor is a doctor no matter where he or she works. Or do you still judge the staff at the palace because they are not peasants?”

A knock sounded at the door before she could answer. As soon as Luke acknowledged it, Nolan entered the room with a slight frown on his brow and a straight set lips. “Nolan, could you call the maid? Ask about lunch and what kind of a vacation home does not have an entertainment system.”

“Certainly, your highness.” The guard bowed his head slightly as he stopped at the foot of the bed for a second before finding the pocked door hidden in one of the wall panels. It led to a walk-in closet where the couple’s clothes for that day’s event were temporarily stored. “But not before you get dressed. I simply cannot say no to your uncle anymore.”

“Which uncle? Why?” Luke got to his feet, but the guard had disappeared inside the small room.

“The one who was appointed by your mother to be the Minister of Defense,” Nolan called back from inside the closet. “You have a meeting with the heads of states of the Treaty in five minutes and unless you are a cold corpse, then there is no reason not to be present.” He emerged with an off-white coat, staring straight into the wide blue eyes before they blinked off the surprise. Well, he shouldn’t have been surprised if he was more focused on being the crown prince rather than playing a broken-hearted puppy. “His words, not mine.”

The prince would have wanted to move faster, but his human limbs prevented him. Even Nolan’s irritation seemed to decline at the sight of his boss limp. “Take off the back brace.” The guard helped Luke detach the bulky brace then carefully assisted him into the coat. Normally, the royal would just shrug it on, but it was clear that Nolan’s stubborn charge was taking caution more seriously that day. The resulting ensemble was odd, because the neatly pressed coat did not match the mismatched length of his pants and the stained shirt he wore. His hair was mussed and not in a fashionable way. “Your computer is right there.” Nolan pointed at the desk, then gave his earpiece to Luke.
The younger man, on the other hand, raked his hand on his hair, sweeping it on one side to a more formal style. “How do I look?” Luke turned to Rhiane to ask her a question that he knew Nolan would not honestly give response to. “This will not take long, I’ll join you when we’re done. Nolan, the maid so she can setup the movie for Rhiane.” He limped his way to the desk. It was positioned in such a way that he was facing the bed and a wall was behind him. The computer was turned on after verification of his fingerprint, retina, and passcode.

Nolan left the room and soon after a maid entered together with the appetizing aroma of lunch. Luke’s stomach rumbled despite himself and despite being questioned by other heads of states about New Rome’s show of forces along its borders and its commitment to the impoverished nations it flattened to the ground during the last great war. By the time he was done stating the stand of his nation, the maid had already setup a television that was apparently concealed inside a panel. It seemed to descend from the ceiling after she tapped a few buttons. She was standing in front of the desk with a tablet in hand, waiting for her prince to ask her to step forward. When he did, she showed the list of movies that were available. Unfortunately, streaming service was not reliable on the mountains. Luke picked something lighthearted for Rhiane then pressed mute. “Help her with her food, please. She only has one useful hand at the moment.”

Even after the meeting had ended, he stayed behind the desk contrary to what he told his fiancee. They had wasted a lot of time and there was work to be done. His lunch was barely touched, though he stabbed a piece of meat one after the other while he studied reports and affixed his electronic signature on others.

Time flew by without him noticing. The next knock at the door was a doctor he knew all his life. His aged face softened when he spotted his patients. “Must you deprive yourself rest, Luke? I was briefed about the situation on our way here.”

Luke smiled sheepishly though he did not lift his head from the report of the palace intelligence about any abnormal communication pattern from that morning. “Doctor Gulsvig, five more page and I’m done. Could you start with Rhiane?”

The Betrothed

Well, that did not work out the way he imagined it would. His optimism wavered as did the smile on his face when silence followed his half-hearted suggestion of punishment. Of course, he did not believe that the unfortunate incident was her fault. It was the product of malicious minds, who hoped to unsettle the political balance of the kingdom for their own gain. But Luke’s concession that his fiancee was responsible for the eventful morning was only to oblige her to submit to the medical authorities. It was for her own sake anyway.

Then again, judging from the dullness in her eyes and the set of her lips, it perhaps upset her that another person accepted the validity of her confession that she was to blame. Luke believed the contrary. It was not her fault that the resistance had conspired to assassinate her. The vehicle she drove that morning was unfit for use and the rebels would come after them whether or not the couple survived the accident. The intention was to eliminate her, Luke was just a bonus. He could tell her that hoping to ease the anxiety his words brought to Rhiane, but doing so was like giving her a chance to retract her consent.

“Him?” They continued to discuss the terms of the princess elect though Luke’s grin was exchanged for a frown. “I asked him to come with us only because it is dangerous to be in that clinic if the rebels returned. Truth is, I don’t trust that man.”

He stretched his legs before him. The pain from the gash on his thigh had subsided as did the pain on his side. What remained though was how painfully unpleasant his pants looked like. Good thing the media was not able to snap a photo of him wearing such, else it might be interpreted that the crown prince was starting a revolution in fashion. Nothing was far from the truth than that conclusion.

“Don’t worry about the doctors from the palace, they are professionals who do not look into the status of a person before treating them.” But again, these were noble born professionals. Everybody was aware that there was no single noble who did not look down on the low-born peasants. Even the doctors who supervised her treatment from poison were sons and daughters of lords. “But if that is what will make you comfortable, then I can ask the doctor to stay a little longer.” It meant he was depriving the neighboring towns of the only medical professional in the area. Rhiane did not have to know about that.

Luke shifted his arm a bit and tried to find a more comfortable position. “I’d also stick around if you had asked me to, but…” He shrugged. “The medical team will take about three to four hours to get here. What do you want to do until then? We can order lunch if you’re feeling hungry.” She said she did not want to fall asleep, but it was inevitable if he left her alone to contemplate on the past events. He may not be experienced in trauma patients, but he had an understanding how the brain processes negative thoughts and emotions. It was always at the forefront of her mind, like a guard that would not let her pass. The worst part was when she was alone in her thoughts, because then she would have the chance to explore the what if’s and what could have been, which was the source of her guilt.

The Betrothed

Luke was not expecting her response, but he was glad that she did speak. Truth be told, he was not equipped to handle trauma patients. He wasn’t even qualified to tell her that he understood what she was going through, because in reality he barely remembered what it felt like to be in her shoes. To say that he was young when the tragedy hit him was not a lie, but for somebody like him who was born to royalty, there were means to skip the difficult part. The queen had made that decision for the traumatized boy who tried to keep a straight face but cried and screamed at night when he was trapped in his own nightmares. He thought that maybe talking about it would help her, admitting or even hinting that there was somebody else who had gone through the same pain might encourage her to heal.

The fingers he entwined with hers tightened as her loosened, as if telling her to hold on. With the brace restricting the mobility of his upper body, he turned just his face to her. “You failed them how? By not dying in that petty excuse for a clinic?” He frowned at her conclusion. She had no idea yet, because he had no time to tell her everything back at the clinic, but a faction of the rebellion was after the bad image her untimely demise would bring to the ruling house. The Palace Intelligence deducted that the premature elimination of the princess elect, after the masses’ warm reception of her, would not only hurt the palace’s capability to protect its people, but also reflect poorly on the crown prince who was known to have been in a relationship with the actress Sophia Keller.

Should he tell her everything? Half of him wanted her to know everything, because maybe it would ease the guilt that she was feeling, but the other half still wanted to keep her in the dark.

“If there is anybody you failed today, it will be your driving instructor.” The keep-her-in-the-dark half won. It was cruel to burden her with the thought that the people she thought she could save, held on to the hope that she would meet her end sooner than necessary, that these people would do anything in their power to accomplish the mission, that they saw her as a tool to reach a milestone – not even a goal – but a step towards the realization of one.

Luke kept his face solemn, though the corner of his lips twitched, and his eyes were a little brighter. He slightly bowed her head in mock reverence. “With all due respect, princess, you are a horrible, horrible driver. When I gave you the keys, I didn’t imagine that you will dash like the devil was on our heels.” The wind on his hair, the otherwise scenic route, were both overtaken by the fear that gripped his chest with the way she handled dangerous uphill curves and downhill descent. It was like riding a roller coaster without the reassurance of the rails and its periodic safety checks.

“Maybe it really is your fault,” Luke mused. He would give her what she wanted – his acknowledgment of her guilt. The same sentiment was repeated over and over again on different conversations at different places. It would not leave her alone or she did not want to let it go. She did not want to believe the many times he told her that she was not at fault. What better thing to do than acknowledge that everything that happened that morning was because of her. “Because of your horrible driving skills. If you had not let excitement rule over you, then we would not be in that clinic, we would not be in danger, and they might still be alive. Better yet, if you had picked the right pill and did not intentionally hope to sedate me, then we could have refused to be moved to that clinic and waited for rescue instead.”

A memory flashed in his mind – the storm pounding on the SUV’s roof, the tiny droplets doing their best to leap onto their skin and clothing, the lightning that lit the sky above the canopy of leaves, her blouse made translucent by the rain, her cold skin, and the urgency of her lips against his. The prince had to look away. The injured thigh was stretched before him, reminding him that he should ask for change of clothes before somebody else thought he was starting a fashion trend.

Mustering the confidence that came with the title, he cleared his throat. The next words he spoke were detached, as if he was truly pronouncing a court sentence. “Therefore, I shall not tell the doctor that you are fine with your sling. A punishment cannot be as merciful as that. You are to allow the doctors to do as they please, when they please, without physical or verbal protest. This serves as your punishment. Do you have any questions, princess?” He smiled for her a lopsided smile that had none of the seriousness of his tone. Luke figured that perhaps it would be effective to use her self-reproach against her irrational distrust to medical practitioners, thus appointing the impending procedure as a fitting punishment for the wrong she thought she did.

The Betrothed

What else could he do but agree to his cousin’s proposition, helplessly watch as the royal guard carried the farmer away, and silently question the unwanted emotion the prince could only guess was jealousy. But he had Sophia. And even if he did not, Luke could have any woman in the kingdom not from demanding submission from her, but out of her sheer will. The illusion of the prince charming that the media painted him to be – wealthy, powerful, intelligent, dependably strong, handsome – created a picture of perfection that most women would have wanted in a man. Even then, somebody else was touching, attempting to take away, what was rightfully his.

“Your highness.” Nolan was standing by the rear passenger door, calmly trying to figure out what his prince’s forlorn gaze was for. “The doctor already got off the SUV. It’s just you inside now.”

Luke cleared his throat. “Ah. I was just thinking.” And it was not a lie. He had been thinking about what had happened in the last few hours after he tossed the keys to Rhiane. The plan was to use her as some sort of a safety net that cushioned the loneliness that resulted from Sophia’s absence. What had happened?

Without saying anything more, he left the SUV himself with his bodyguard securing the rear. The villa’s security was expected to be thorough after what happened, but he needed to see for himself what had been done so far. “Are the lords and ladies of this region not going to be present to welcome us?”

“They were this morning, but they must be resting in the other villas as we speak. Should I request for their presence?”

Luke shook his head. “I do not wish to speak with anybody without an appointment.”

“Understood. I shall give out the order to the guards.” Two such uniformed palace guards were at the main entrance, holding the double doors open for the royal. The pair followed Tobias, the doctor, and the maid who ushered them to a makeshift clinic. Nolan shut the door behind him after politely dismissing the maid.

Luke inspected the room. There were two entry points, which were the door they used and a balcony. The latter was concealed from sight by floor to ceiling curtains. “There are guards outside,” Nolan offered the answer to the question lingering in his prince’s head.

“Cameras?”

“Twenty-four high definition cameras with heat sensors for when it gets dark. Each unit conforms to the palace security standards.”

The room was not where he expected he and Rhiane would be treated. It may have been transformed, to the best of the staff’s efforts, as a sterile room, but the sitting room was not a hospital. “We’ll get there, doctor. A painkiller will be most helpful at this time.” His eyes wandered to where Tobias had lain the princess elect, then frowned. Rhiane would only freak out when she realizes where she was, when the white linen and steel framing of medical bed registered in her head, when the scent of antiseptic filled her nostrils. It was not good for her present mental state to expose her to another stressor. “The medical team will take time,” he was telling his conclusion to the doctor. “May we wait in our room instead? It will be best for Rhiane to rest for now, but this environment is not helping.”

The doctor had witnessed the princess elect’s reaction to anything that had to do with the practice of medicine. He would have wanted to keep the patients inside the room to be able to monitor them and react accordingly should there be any emergencies, but the prince had a point. “Here, your highness,” the doctor offered a pill and a bottled water from the box of supplies he carried from the clinic. “I have nothing against your suggestion.” Though he thought the pain medication that was administered to the princess elect may have also lost its effect at that moment, but the woman either had a better pain tolerance than the prince or was stubborn enough to ask for help.

The couple moved to their room upon the prince’s request. Tobias carefully put Rhiane down to the bed then pulled the sheets over her without a word before exiting the suite only to stand guard outside the door. The doctor was the last to leave, making sure that the couple had means to call for help in case of emergency. “Doctor,” Luke stopped him halfway to the exit. “Why is there a makeshift clinic? Are there no clinics in this town?”

“The clinic you kidnapped me from,” the doctor answered in a low voice. “It is the only medical facility in this mountain.” And he was the only physician around. He wanted to verbalize it but didn’t.

“I did not kidnap you. I did not want them to vent out their frustrations on you, doctor, when they find out that we have escaped.” The doctor’s eyes widened in realization. Of course there was no more need for him once the royal medical team arrived, but he was dragged out of the clinic for other reasons. “Why they kept you alive is beyond me, but we cannot be sure as to the extent of their benevolence. That is all. I’ll call you when I need you.”

Luke watched the door close behind the doctor. The sound resonated in the silence of the room, so did his sigh. When they left the airstrip that morning, it did not cross his mind that it would be such an eventful day. He dragged a chair from the desk to Rhiane’s side of the bed. After what happened, he wasn’t so sure how she would react to his touch, so he gave her space. Luke sat languidly on the chair, staring at the door without saying anything for a long moment, until finally he found his voice.

“I was ten when I first witnessed a man killed in front of me.” He did not know what he was doing, and if it would do good rather than bad to her state, but the prince thought it would help if she could feel that she was not alone. Carefully, he reached under the covers to where he thought her hand was. His fingers carefully entwined with her even though he avoided her green eyes. “Seventeen when I first shot a man dead. He was about to attack my sister.” It was not easy dealing with the aftermath and the rationale was not important now. “If you would like some rest, to get away from the memory and this sorry reality, I can ask the doctor for a sedative. I know it may not help much, but the doctor will not allow strong liquor to be served even if I order him to.”

The Betrothed

The problem was not that the mobile device of the doctor was already phased out, it was just the royal guards used a different communication frequency which was not accessible for the general public, nor the military. It allowed for a secured and reliable communication among themselves and the palace. It explained how Luke contacted the palace when he asked Nolan to connect him to his mother.

Queen Camilla answered the call on the first ring. She had cancelled every appointment that day and was actively monitoring the situation with her husband. Just like Luke would not get used to attempts on his life, the queen could not say that she would ever be at peace with the fact that her children’s lives were at a risk because of the enemies she made. It triggered her maternal instincts to be pushed to the surface and then she would gather her children back to the nest, which was supposed to be the safest place for them. Her daughter, for instance, was escorted back to the palace from an event that she attended as the guest of honor. If the twins were not out of the country, they would have had the same fate as their sister.

“I will write a detailed report for you before the day ends,” Luke was saying while he crouched over the dead body outside the bathroom to inspect the rebel’s rifle. “It’s just not safe to speak at length right now.” Nolan and Tobias might have eliminated two of the threats, but there were three more rebels that they knew of while an unknown number could be hiding in the village. It was not safe to linger, also not safe to speak freely with the doctor – somebody he did not trust – around.

Tobias stepped out of the bathroom with the princess elect in his arms. The guard’s long strides and purposeful steps cried for the prince’s attention and meaningful glare. Had he not been injured, he would have been the one to carry the princess elect to their vehicle as a prince charming would do for her princess. But Luke was not so big a fool as to try to lift a tall woman considering the status of his health. Besides, what did he hope to gain by continuously being considerate for the farmer? The kiss was just a kiss, he reasoned with himself. It was a natural reaction of a man who was trapped in a cramped space with a beautiful woman who presented herself willingly to him. If he could turn back time, he would take a bit of rationality with him and choose against what feels was right, because she was a peasant. He may have gotten used to her, even enjoyed her company, but between him and her was a thousand reasons why they should not be together.

Yet, as Tobias passed by, Luke could not take his eyes off the woman that was carefully cradled in his arms. It should have satisfied the royal to see the farmer and the almost-nobleman sharing the same space, with the cousin he loved as a child, who was a cold and emotionless loyal servant, seemingly finding his match in the farmer. But for some reasons, it provoked an unwanted emotion within the royal. Maybe because of what he heard at the airplane and what he saw in Rhiane when she was with Tobias, Luke did not want Tobias to touch his fiancee.

“Luke, are you still there?”

The worry in the queen’s voice saved the prince from exploring the conflicting emotions within him. As if Queen Camilla’s presence reminded Luke that he was the next ruler of the kingdom, that he should not be distracted by menial things such as his emotions, wants and desires. It would not benefit New Rome, therefore it was not his concern. “I’m sorry, mother. I was curious about the rifles. Allow me to discretely open an investigation with the Defense Ministry.” The discussion between mother and son continued, wavering between passing information to personal thoughts about the well-being of the other. Luke gestured for Nolan to take the dead man’s rifle then followed Tobias out the door. The queen may have told her son that the link between him and his fiancee shut off automatically on such emergency situations, but he was used to keeping her in sight. He stood a few meters from the vehicle, watching from the corner of his eyes as the doctor and his cousin assumed seats at the back of the vehicle with his fiancee. The conversation with the monarch was cut short after the rifles were loaded inside the compartment. He promised to call back when they reached the villa.

The rear driver’s door was not locked when he pulled it open. As soon as he did, he met the doctor’s slightly round brown eyes then followed by his cousin’s. The latter’s instincts kicked in such that his hand reached for the standard issued pistol, but stopped upon recognizing who was the intruder. The guard’s eyes softened a little, but his stare did not waver. As if he was asking what Luke was doing standing by the door and making himself an easy target to any sniper nearby. Though Nolan was standing guard behind Luke, the prince should know better since it was not the first time he was caught in an ambush. The guard opened his mouth to say something, perhaps appeal to his royal cousin’s rationality, but the latter beat him to it.

“We need to get moving.”

The doctor raised his hand tentatively. “Uh… There are medical supplies that I need to get from the clinic. May I…”

Luke nodded, though he did not spare the doctor a glance. He was silently questioning Tobias, and what annoyed Luke was the truth that his cousin didn’t seem to have a clue what those blue eyes meant to say. “Tobias,” he started as the doctor alighted from the vehicle and hurriedly went back inside the building.

“Your highness.” Tobias’ head bowed just a little.

“Who was driving this vehicle?”

Realization dawned on the guard. It was visible in the slight widening of his eyes and the wavering of his confident posture. One corner of his lips twitched a little in a smirk or a scowl, Luke wasn’t sure. “I was,” he admitted. His royal cousin was trained to deliver messages clearly through his lengthy speeches, but sometimes the simplest of instructions were difficult to verbalize. Tobias reluctantly left the princess elect’s side to assume his position at the driver’s seat.

They were on the road in no time. Luke was back on the phone. Nolan had tossed the device to the prince after getting annoyed at his endless command to call this person or that person. He had instructed one of his staff to request a meeting with the Minister of Defense, and another to the Minister of Health. Responses from both were expected within the hour so he could verbalize his request. Another staff was called to personally give instructions to send a medical team, detailing the needs of the couple. He was not done yet, because right after that, was a call from the palace. The palace intelligence was supposed to confirm the location and the couple’s status with Nolan and was surprised to hear a different person at the other end of the line. A conversation about the barricades and checkpoints to be setup was inevitable. Luke unconsciously rested his hand on his fiancee’s knee as if to reassure her or himself.

It was then that the doctor reminded leaned forward and quietly repeated his advice that the princess elect should not be left alone even at night. “I will personally see to it, doctor. I can watch over her tonight,” was Tobias’ casual reply.

Hearing the short exchange prompted Luke to pull the earpiece from an ear, disregarding the previous conversation. “There is no need. We share the same room. I will call for help if needed.” He regarded Tobias who was quietly looking back at him from the rearview mirror. “You and Nolan had a long day today. Rest for the night. I need you both alert tomorrow.”

Nolan smirked. They had worked together long enough to understand what the prince was trying to do. Tobias nodded grimly and proceeded to drive in silence. Luke went back to his conversation and by the time they arrived in town, he had returned both the mobile device and earpiece to his personal bodyguard.

As expected, cameras and media personnel were camped on the village, waiting for the arrival of the couple, hungry for a juicy scoop. Their arrival had been delayed for over half a day and the itinerary for the day was still in question. Thankfully, the windows were tinted so no photo with their faces on in were taken. The ground security made way for the vehicle so that Tobias could drive them to the villa constructed for the couple’s comfort.

“Where here,” he whispered to Rhiane. She was conscious but unreactive. Witnessing a man shot dead right in front of her must be traumatizing. What the princess elect needed was proper counseling and perhaps something to calm her nerves. He knew because he was only ten years old when he was caught in a crossfire and had been forced to watch a man shot dead right in front of his innocent blue eyes. The person who shot the would-be assassin was the late prince consort, Luke’s father.

Luke freed her from the seatbelt, then reached for the latch to open the door. The painkiller’s effect had diminished by then and the act of bending his torso to reach for something shot a sharp pain from his side. He bit back the sound trying to escape his lips, but the sudden pain showed briefly on his face. He would have to let his cousin take her from him again.