"Here you are, your highness." Jane grabbed her and pulled her out of the crowd.
"Did you want to see the blacksmith's son?" Isabelle asked.
"Oh." Jane remembered her previous ask.
However, the panic went across the crowd as the horses galloped nearby. Knights. His majesty's knights. Isabelle watched as they rushed through, barely taking care in avoiding the people in the square.
"I think something bad must have happened." Jane looked at Isabelle who still watched behind the knights with incredible worry. She didn't see Cassian come back with them and she was certain that these were the knights that he departed with. She walked out of the crowd and run towards the castle, Jane barely keeping up. She run without a care for her dignity. Her braid fell apart and her hair was tousled by the breeze. Her cheeks were reddened. Her eyes were wide open. As she run into the castle she saw servants moving quickly. She run towards where they were all swarming until she spotted Matilda.
"What's going on?" Isabelle asked.
"His majesty has just returned. He had an accident." Matilda said quickly, preoccupied with the bowl of freshly boiled water in her hands.
"What kind of accident?" Isabelle followed her quickly. "Is he alright? Is he going to be alright?"
Matilda paused as she entered the Royal Quarters. She looked back at Isabelle unsure how to answer.
Someone placed their hand on Isabelle's shoulder, distracting her from Matilda who hurried away with the bowl of water.
"Your highness." Samuel bowed his head respectfully. There was no smile on his lips. He was serious. Isabelle expected the worst. "His highness fell off a horse and was trampled. He has a few broken ribs and a few cuts. He is rather unwell right now but the best physicians and alchemist are tending to him. You do not need to worry."
"What has happened?"
"I am yet to find out the exact account of the events." Samuel admitted.
"Is his highness going to be okay?" Isabelle didn't intend to show that level of concern but she spoke before she thought.
"He's made it through much worse before." Samuel said with confidence.
"What?"
"After the war he returned on the brink of death. That's why your wedding took such a while to happen. Did you not know?"
"No." Isabelle shook her head looking warily at the doctor that just left Cassian's chamber.
"Well, it could have been worse. He could've had a horse stomp on his head rather than the rib cage." Doctor mumbled towards Samuel, almost completely ignoring Isabelle's presence. "He's been given a strong pain relief which knocked him out. He should be out for a while. I will send more when he wakes up again. His ribs are broken but it seems that he miraculously avoided any organ damage. As per usual, bed rest for a couple of days then easy to moderate exercise. I would advice to abstain from any activity that causes pain."
"So, is he going to be okay?" Isabelle asked with hope. The doctor scowled at her, not responding straight away.
"Her highness asked if her husband is going to be okay." Samuel said sharply when the doctor ignored Isabelle's question.
"Too early to say, sir." He responded to Samuel instead of Isabelle.
"The question was asked by her highness, not me. I would highly advise you to show her the respect she deserves."
"Your highness, it is too early to tell if his highness will be okay." The doctor said in over the top display of respect, scowling at Isabelle. But his scowl was nothing to the deathly stare that Samuel was giving him.
The doctor left them alone.
"Take that off if you want to be treated like a princess that you are." Samuel grumbled as he took the paper crown off her head and passed it back to her. Isabelle turned redder in embarrassment although it barely made any difference to her appearance. She folded it and placed it in a pocket of her dress. She walked behind Samuel without a word into Cassian's chamber. It was a large room, ever so slightly bigger than hers. It had a huge bed with enormous canopy of heavy curtains. In the layers of duvets and pillows lay unconscious Cassian. From here it was hard to tell if he was asleep or dead. Isabelle trusted in him being unconscious as she couldn't bare a thought of his death.
He was ghastly pale. She could see that even from the distance.
She stay back as Samuel walked up to the bed. He tsked at the sight with disapproval.
"You really buggered yourself up this time." He spoke to Cassian as if he was awake. "There's not much we can do." He turned to Isabelle. "He's like a cat, nine lives and whatnot."
"How many lives is he on now?" Isabelle furrowed her brows. Suddenly she felt angry. She was angry at Cassian's carelessness and his eagerness to put himself in danger. "Is it hundred and twenty and he's gambling with Gods now?"
Samuel sneered at her comment and tone of voice.
"He must've had some aces up his sleeve."
"Work out what happened." Isabelle said sternly. Her own voice surprised her.
"Is that an order?" Samuel tilted his head as he looked back at her.
"A request." Isabelle dialled down.
"I would have much better preferred an order." Samuel said with a nod. "But request is fine too." He walked away from the bed and towards the door. "As a royal advisor it is my duty to serve the monarch within the castle of Ariadna. Your order is my command, your highness." Isabelle's eyes widened. "I hope that you understand the weight on your shoulders."
"Me?" She asked.
"His highness is in no state to lead the court." Samuel looked back.
"He will be soon enough."
"Until then, it is your duty."
"Wouldn't the duty fall onto his male relative? His father, perhaps?"
"The next of kin takes that responsibility, and by marriage, it is you."
"Don't be absurd." Isabelle looked back at the bed. All of the servants left the room by now.
Samuel looked at her in silence for a couple of seconds before he left her alone with Cassian.
Isabelle stood at a distance for an almost half an hour. She was conflicted. She was terrified.
She build up the courage and walked to the edge of the bed.
She regretted it instantly.
Cassian's state made him look almost dead. He was motionless and his breathing was shallow. His chest was barely rising. He had scratches on his face that slowly started bruising.
Isabelle was paralysed, unable to move, as her body tensed. She felt her chest tighten and a gulp in her throat. Before long she collapsed to her knees and sobbed.
Part of it was Cassian's similarity to Atlas and a resurfacing pain, and part was a fresh wounds. She didn't think it would affect her as much but she didn't wish death upon her new husband.
She fell asleep with her head on the bed as she kneeled beside it.
Someone nudged her awake. She looked up with her sleepy eyes, blinking quickly as her eyes adjusted to the light from the lamp.
"Your highness, you haven't eaten anything." Samuel said with something nearing concern in his voice, if that was even possible.
"I'm not hungry." Isabelle shook her head.
"Go to bed. We will speak in the morning."
She nodded and slowly walked away from the bed. Cassian was unmoved but now the light from the lamp made shadows on his face longer, emphasising his king eyelashes and cheekbones.
She lay in her bed but with no luck. She couldn't get to sleep for hours more. It was very early morning hours when she finally snoozed, only to be awaken abruptly. Isabelle sat up on her bed, trying to come through, trying to work out what was the source of her awakening.
A noise. A soul shattering screams.she jumped of the bed and waited for a while.
The screams carried in the hallway. It sounded like no one was rushing or responding to them.
Isabelle hesitated as she carefully opened the door of her bedroom, peeking her head out in anticipation. No one was coming.
The screams came from Cassian's chamber.
Isabelle paused but she couldn't stand them anymore. She tiptoed across and knocked on the door of his room. Besides continued screaming, there was no other response.
She took a deep breath in and opened the door to the darkened room. She searched with her hand across the table by the door until she felt the lamp. She lit it up with the matchsticks beside it.
Cassian was in bed, his scream still cutting through the air. His face was twisted but he barely moved from the place.
Isabelle approached him with caution.
He had sweat pearls on his forehead and he thrashed in his sleep.
"Ca-…Cassian." Isabelle said his name with a stutter. She placed the lamp on his bedside table and reached her hand to his forehead. It was burning. As her fingers rested on him, he suddenly went quiet and opened his glassed over eyes. He grabbed her wrist as if he caught her red-handed. "Cassian, it's me." Isabelle said softly. "I'm going to call for a doctor. You're running a fever." She announced but she didn't dare to move. Cassian's fingers were still wrapped around her wrist. His teeth were showing as he gritted them. "I've heard you scream so I came to see if everything was alright. I'm sorry to disturb you. I'm going to get you a doctor and I'll leave. I promise. I'm sorry." Isabelle started to sound panicked.
"Stay." Cassian said with difficulty. His voice was hoarse from the high temperature.
Isabelle froze. That wasn't the request she expected. She stared at Cassian's face, seeing him vulnerable for the first time. His mouth relaxed as he bit his lip. He was holding his screams back. His hand that still rested on her wrist was trembling. "Stay."
"As you wish, your highness." Isabelle bowed her head. "I will only call for the doctor and I'll be right here."
Cassian loosened the grip around her hand. But he wasn't convinced by her words. He watched her warily as if he expected her to run away, again.
Isabelle moved across his chamber and pulled the string which ring the bell in the servants quarter's.
Once the servant appeared she send them away to get the physician and request more of the mixture to relief Cassian of his pain.
As she promised, she sat by the bed. Cassian closed his eyes as his face twisted in pain. He grunted once in a while. His entire body was tense.
The servant came back with the mixture and Isabelle helped Cassian sit up and drink it.
She was gentle and considerate of him as she pulled him up, placing more pillows under his back. It definitely didn't feel natural. She knew that she shouldn't be anywhere near him right now. It was not a princess' place.
Soon, Cassian's face relaxed a bit. He stopped biting his lip. The mixture started working.
Without much thought, Isabelle took a cloth soaked in cool water and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"I love you." Cassian uttered in his pained daze. Isabelle stopped and stared at him motionlessly. "I love you. Please don't leave me." He kept mumbling with his eyes closed.
He wanted someone. Not her, of course. He needed someone. And they weren't there for him. His confession reminded her of Samuel's words. Someone out there had his heart. He wrote to them even on the battlefield. He needed them more now than ever, and they weren't here for him.
His pain reminded her of the pain she felt when Atlas was gone. The longing, especially when she faced her struggles alone.
There was nothing she could do to ease his pain. What she did next was instinctive. She reached for his hand and wrapped her fingers around his.
"You're not alone." She said softly as she squeezed his hand. That was all she could do.
Yet, she felt a sudden pang in her chest as if something was twisting and squeezing in it tightly. She didn't want to see his pain and suffering.
He weakly squeezed her hand back and before long he snored lightly.