Finley's POV
The door opened after I had knocked the second time, revealing a young man close in age to myself, with extremely long hair and skin so pale it could pass for white. His eyes, his eyes are the deepest shade of blue I have ever seen on a human. I wonder if they are real.
"Your eyes are..." I caught myself just in time; this must be the crown prince of Traphyia, and here I was about to ask him if his eyes were real. That would have ended fantastically. I bowed down in greeting to the perplexed man who still stood at the doorway. This is the time where I introduce myself, I'm sure.
"I am Sir Finley of Traskshpur. I serve under your father, King Edmund of Traphyia. I have been assigned as your personal guard to serve and protect you," I said, still in a bow. Everywhere was eerily silent, and I had to look up to check if the prince was still there. Sure enough, he was still there, looking at me with what resembled a scowl on his face. He rolled his eyes and walked into the room, leaving his door open.
Every thought I had of this being a smooth ride went right out the window. Sighing, I took the door left open as an invitation and went into the prince's quarters. The prince's quarters was left bare, with only the essentials in it. A simple bed, a table in the corner and a wardrobe being the only things of significance in the large room. A stark contrast to the elegance of the remaining parts of the castle I had seen. It looked like a room rarely in use. He was sitting on his bed, staring at me with a bored expression on his face.
"So, you're my babysitter? It must be so sad to have to look after the sickly prince, don't you think? No worries, you don't have to; it must be mighty boring for you. Heard you're the best in the field; how have you been reduced to a mere... nanny?" I could see Prince Edward was trying his best to provoke me. It was irritating but not surprising. The commander had mentioned that he didn't want a guard.
"It is an honor to protect you as much as it is to fight for the Kingdom on the battlefield. This is not an..." The words died in my throat as the prince looked to be having some kind of spasm. I am unaware of the specifics of the prince's illness, but this didn't look half good. Rushing to his side in urgency, I tried to hold him stable when he burst out laughing. Looks like the crown prince is just a jokester, albeit a very unfunny one. Straightening myself, I stared at the prince, whose laughter was starting to die down.
"You should have seen your face. I don't need you here. I'm sure you didn't go through all that training to..." It was the prince's turn to be interrupted by his own coughing, which he did not seem to be faking this time around.
"Do you need water, your highness?" I asked, moving to the royal's side once more. However, now that he wasn't joking, he seemed to mind my proximity more than he earlier did. It seems the prince doesn't like seeking or acquiring help.
"What I need is for you to leave," he spat out between coughs, his face devoid of its earlier amusement. It took all of my willpower not to roll my eyes at the statement. Spending time with a spoilt brat wasn't in the works at all.
"Alright, your highness," I stepped back in a bow. "I'll be right outside should you need me." Turning to take my leave, the prince called out to me. What is it this time?
"Yes, your highness?" The politeness in my tone did not in any way reflect the annoyance that was brewing in me. I wonder if I could convince the throne to get me out of here. Give me another assignment.
"I believe you are smart, Finley, was it? I do not mean I need you out of my room alone; I do not want you anywhere around me. I don't need you. I'm fine on my own."
'Well, I don't want to be here either,' is what I wish I could say. Unfortunately, since that could not happen, "I apologize, your highness, but that would not be possible. If you are truly not comfortable with my presence here, however, you could take it up with the king, who would, in turn, inform my commander, who will then reassign me to something else. Other than that, your highness, it would not be possible for me to leave," is what left my mouth instead.
Please tell the king you don't want me. That being the prayer in my head was too ridiculous to me. I really thought this would be a good change. He looked to be giving it some thought before shaking his head slightly.
"I'd rather endure your unwanted presence than make any demands from father." Is that daddy issues I smell? Looks like the prince and his father are not on the best of terms. "Very well then, if you insist on being here, prepare to be frustrated." The words that left his mouth were followed by a mischievous smile. The urge to roll my eyes was greater than ever; I compensated by raising an eyebrow in boredom. Maybe I should have stayed in battle.
"If that will be all, your highness, I beg to take my leave. I'll be right outside the door should you need me." I bowed and moved to take my leave again when I was once again stopped by the prince.
"I do not need you to stand outside my room for any reason. We have the palace guards roaming around the place for that. More than enough are constantly by my door. However, since you are so eager to work, how about a bedtime story?" I had to check if my mouth wasn't wide open in surprise. A bedtime story? Did the prince hit his head, or maybe the illness was more severe than everyone thought?
"Your highness?" I wasn't sure how else to clarify what I was hearing.
"You heard me. I'm sure you're here for some sort of emotional support as well. Well, support me emotionally." I'm sure I was looking at him like he had grown a second head. I could easily report this back to the commander. This was in no way part of the job description, but I really wanted to see how this ended. So I obliged, I obliged and told the prince a story. It was, however, more of a horror story than a bedtime story, seeing as it was one of the many war stories I had at my disposal. The prince didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed engrossed in the story until a knock on the door interrupted.
The prince stared at the door, and I saw his expression go from almost relaxed to guarded and stoic. "Come in," he called out before I was even able to ask what the problem was. In came a palace servant with what I assumed was the prince's dinner. Why would that unsettle him, though?
"Your highness, I have brought your meal and your herbs." I saw the prince still at the mention of 'herbs.' His medication, that's why his mood changed.
"You can leave now," he ordered the servant who stood by the doorway. She stared at the goblet with his herbs and looked back at him. He sighed and reached her in a couple of strides, gulping it down. She curtsied and headed out. Hmm, so a servant is needed to make sure he takes his medication.
"You can leave now," he said, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Are you sure about that, your highness?" I asked, wondering what it was about his medication that dampened his mood. Maybe it was the reminder of his condition.
"Yes, you can retire for the night. I have no use for you. The palace guards will protect me through the night like they've always done. You can come tomorrow morning and continue your hovering if you so wish," he said dismissively, a far cry from his relaxed demeanor earlier when I was telling my story. Talk about blowing hot and cold. I took my bow and turned to leave his chambers, uninterested in arguing or prolonging the matter. My third try to leave was finally successful as I closed the door and proceeded to go find my chambers.