Princess Aria

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve:

Doctor Alfred waited on me when my carriage stopped in front of the small hospital that we have in our village. I got out, my hat blocking the sun from my eyes.

"How long does he have Doctor Alfred?" I ask and he smiles gently.

"Are you sure you want to know?" He asks and I nod my head.

"I need to know; I am going to find the cure." The doctor's eyes widen, and I nod my head, "I have friends that can get me there and back." I advise him and he slowly nods his head.

"Okay, he has about two weeks, maybe more as the remedies seems to keep him stable. I am just not sure for how long."

"That is fine, try and keep him going for more than a week." I beg and he nods his head.

"Of course, you can find that cure Princess."

The Norway brothers were waiting for me as I carried my bag with me.

Roan quickly ran to me and took the rather heavy bag from my hand.

"No Princess should carry such heavy weight." He declares and I just chuckle, picking up my gown slightly when I step on board.

I have never been on a boat.

It is very exciting really.

"Are you ready?" Archer whispers near my ear as I look over the edge. He is standing against my back, and I lean slightly back into him.

"Yes, a bit nervous." I admit, "But excited."

"Just relax." He rests his chin on my shoulder, his hands resting on the edge either side of mine. I relax instantly in his warm embrace.

I am still taken back by his affection, but maybe he feels the need to take care of me since I am so emotional with my life right now.

I try not to think too much about it as the boat takes off.

Roan is leaning over the edge, another mouthful of barf escaping his mouth.

I cover my mouth as I also start to feel nauseous with the smell of his barf.

He had gotten seasick and apparently it happens every time.

It is well past sun set now and Archer has gone to talk to one of the staff members on the boat.

"I hate this." Roan whines as another mouthful escapes and he heave over the edge.

I feel sorry for him. I never felt seasick before, or sick like that before, so I cannot imagine how he must be feeling.

"I am so sorry." I apologise and he shakes his head, not being able to answer me.

The guilt just grows as I feel helpless by just watching him a few meters away.

Another few minutes and Roan had finally calmed down. He went to lay down in his cabin and I stayed outside sitting on the floor of the boat to stare at the stars.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Archer murmurs as he sits down next to me.

"Very much." I admit and he smiles at me.

My thoughts drift to a memory in a beautiful flower field next to a big mansion.

"How do you feel?" He asks and I shrug.

"Not seasick?"

He chuckles, "Thank goodness." I just laugh and lean on his shoulder.

"I feel tired." I admit and he hums a reply.

"Then sleep."

I drift of slowly, the light shaking of the boat helping me to fall into a deep sleep.

I woke up to a deep voice yelling: "Land ahead!"

My brain was still very foggy and drowsy from the sleep I just had. I rise myself slowly, feeling a rather thin matrass underneath me.

I look down to see that I am resting on one of the small beds that is in one of the five cabins on this ship. I did not expect to be sleeping on the boat ride, but Roan did warn me that it could be happen.

I rise from the uncomfortable bed and try to stroke out the wrinkles in my dress. When I realize that the wrinkles won't go away, I just sigh and head to the door.

The sun was beaming down on the deck and the wind was rather harsh. I can feel it rushing through my hair, my strands hitting my face.

"Aria!" Roan waves at me from the top deck and I wave right back with a smile. He jogs down the steps and stops next to me as I start for the edge again.

"How are you feeling?" I ask, the concern I had for him yesterday with his seasickness seeping through.

"Better." He smiles, "It is only the first night and as long as I stay away from the edge." He eyes the edge, standing a few steps away from me as I peek over the edge. "The land is in sight, a few more minutes and we will be in Norway." He smiles and I nod my head.

"How did you sleep?" He finally asks as I move back to him.

"I do not know, but when I woke up, I felt how uncomfortable the bed was. I am surprised that I do not have aches all over." I answer honestly and he chuckles.

"Yeah, the cabin beds can be rather very uncomfortable." He agrees.

Norway was not what I expected when we reached the harbor.

I am not sure what I expected, but this place is gorgeous.

Upon the harbor you are directly in their village, or more like town. People are bustling and moving around, woman hanging on their husbands' arms and children playing around the fountain.

It looks busier than my home.

"Ready?" Archer's eyes are shining with pride as he holds out his arm towards me. I just nod curtly, hooking in.

"The King is home." I hear someone say among the many murmurs. "He brought someone with him." Another whisper. "A lady!?" I hear someone asks in shock.

The murmurs quieted down when Archer faced everyone, granting them a kind smile, "Princess Aria from Denmark has come for a visit. It will only be briefly. I would like each of you to make her feel welcome." I smile softly as his speech.

He is kind towards his people, and it seems like he communicates a lot with them. That is more than my father has ever done for our small village.

We headed towards his castle, not far from the town.

The massive gate that leads to the castle opens slowly and I stare in awe at the big castle in front of me.

"Wow." Is all I can mutter out.

"I know, pretty old." Roan speaks from next to me and I shake my head.

"No, it is gorgeous." Roan laughs and Archer just shake his head with a small smile.

"Have you seen your castle? It is ten times this one." Roan exaggerates and I stare at him with a blank look.

"Only because the royals before me wanted to make a point that they could barely show because that castle almost took all their riches that my family had to remake all over again for the next thirty years." I explained with a straight face and Roan swallowed uncomfortably.

"My father was the last king that could finally make more than half the money we had lost back. That is why he was never at home." I look down at my hands, the idea of my father dying making me nauseous again.

"I just need to save him." I whisper, "I am not going to keep our kingdom stable without him." Archer touches my hand and I look up to meet his soft eyes.

"We will save him." He says and Roan nods his head, "We will, you are not alone." I smile softly at him and Roan before nodding slowly as the carriage comes to a stop.

We pile out and once again the beautiful view takes my breath away.