Crown & Prophecy

6. The Last Man Standing

"Are you sure you're alright, Sylvia?" Merrick looked worriedly into his daughter's eyes. "You were pretty exhausted."

"I'm fine," Sylvia assured him, though it was an outright lie. After what she witnessed last night, how could she possibly be fine?

Sylvia had spent the better part of the morning, trying to convince him she was okay, at least physically. Lily and Ben were no better, when it came to badgering her about her health, although Lily only got to do it when no one else was in the room. Part of her role, as a servant, was to be invisible. The three of them, and Will, had been at her bedside all day, not even allowing her to get up and change into regular clothes, since the minute she opened her eyes. She had eaten her breakfast, with them watching her, nearly choking on every bite she took. They made such a big fuss over her the night before, when Lily informed them she was awake, and today was even worse. Will completely cleared her though, and left a few minutes ago, but her father, Ben, and Lily were still by her side. Normally, she would have been flattered they all cared so much, but she was so afraid of what might happen in front of them, as a result of her new found magic, (she still wasn't sure if what she'd seen was real or not) and their presence had her nerves on edge.

"I just want to make sure you get all the rest you need, so this doesn't happen again," the king said. "I don't want you doing anything strenuous for the next few days."

"I won't," she promised.

"Take the day and roam the kingdom, if you want to. The only condition I have is you have to have someone with you, at all times. I don't care who. Understood?"

"Yes, father. Of course."

Merrick leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm just glad to see you awake and alive. You really scared me last night."

"She scared all of us," Ben confessed.

Sylvia smirked at him, the sarcasm evident in her voice, when she spoke. "That's sweet. Thank you."

Lily chuckled, as did Ben and Merrick.

"I think I will let you be for a while now," Merrick stated, as he rose to his feet. "I have a lot of things to do. I'll see you for dinner. Lunch will be brought to you, by your maid, instead of you coming downstairs."

Sylvia nodded. She didn't argue. She knew there would be no point in trying to say anything. She watched as her father walked out of the room. Ben took the king's spot on the bed. He grabbed Sylvia gently by the shoulders, and pulled her into an embrace. The gesture surprised her. It wasn't really something she had come to expect from Ben. He was usually so reserved, and he hardly ever showed affection, especially in front of others. Of course, he didn't really consider Lily to be anything more than a servant, and she was the only one left besides her and him.

"Don't ever scare me again," he whispered, in her hear. "I love you like a sister, and I don't want to lose you." He pulled away from her, a smile on his face.

Sylvia smiled back at him. "You're like a brother to me, Ben. Thanks for being there."

He nodded. "Anytime."

She looked into his eyes. "You look tired though. Are you okay?"

Ben sat back a little, surprised she noticed. No one else had seemed to, which was exactly the way he wanted it. "I haven't been sleeping well," he admitted. If he told her why, she would probably laugh in his face. "I'm sure I'll catch up on sleep soon."

"You better," she warned. "It's going to be hard to lead an army when you're half asleep."

He chuckled. "There's no reason to lead an army just yet. Rest well, Sylvia."