The Betrothal

The Waiting Game

"Doctor! I need help here!"

The shouted words echoed through the halls as Denali burst through the door, flurries entering the castle as the blizzard continued to rage outside. The Prince hurried as fast as he could while carrying an unconscious and frighteningly cold Evenin in his arms.

Callista reached him first, immediately growing pale at the sight of the Princess, who was hardly recognizable with her blonde hair whitened by ice and snow. Her lips were blue, and from the hand that dangled from a limp arm, it was clear by the redness and the bluish-blackness on her fingertips that Evenin had severe frostbite.

"Denali--"

The Prince didn't waste the time to look at his half-sister as he passed her, continuing down the hall as quick as possible. "Find the doctor - now." While his sister ran to do as he ordered, Denali made a beeline towards Evenin's chambers, holding onto the unconscious princess for dear life. "You're going to be alright," he muttered hoarsely, mostly to reassure himself that she would get through this. Never had he ever felt this distraught.

The dark-haired man kicked the door to her room open, crossing the room and gingerly setting the blonde onto her bed. Hardly a second later did Callista return with the court physician, and she stepped to the side to let him in, watching the scene unfold with a horrified expression.

"Help her, please," Denali croaked breathlessly, the fierce chill from the blizzard having dried his throat. He took a slightly unsteady step back as the adrenaline started to fade, and he wasn't sure if he was shaking because of the cold or because of how frightened he found himself being. Hands took hold of him arm, pulling him away from Evenin's bedside as the physician took over, and Denali looked over to see Callie guiding him towards a chair near the fireplace.

"You're freezing, brother," she murmured, her own voice shaking as she sat him down. Callista looked up at her brother worriedly as he didn't respond and instead kept his gaze fixated on the physician working frantically to save Evenin's life. She took matters into her own hands, removing his gloves to start rubbing his cold hands to work warmth back into them, before removing his boots and socks to do the same to his frozen feet. If he had been out there any longer, he might have gotten into the same condition as Evenin. The fact he had made it back with the Princess without himself or the horses freezing to death was a miracle to say the least.

By this point, both of their parents had become aware of the situation, and the guards were trying to hold back two worried kings and a queen from barging in and causing even more of a scene. Once they were calmer, they were allowed in, and immediately Nephthys went to his daughter's side, demanding the physician, who was already doing his best, to do better. Meanwhile, Orobus and his wife found their children by the fire, and while Aella aided Callista in warming Denali, the King decided to start demanding answers out of his son. Aella shot her husband a dirty look as soon as soon as he started to speak, and somehow Orobus took that into consideration and he closed his mouth again, deciding to stay silent for the time being.

The court physician worked tirelessly for what seemed like hours, having had Nephthys help strip his daughter down to her underdress so that he could better see the state she was in. Similar to her fingertips, her toes had also showed signs of blackening, and parts of her feet, hands, and her cheeks and nose showed signs of blistering. While no one could truly know just how long she had been in the blizzard without proper protection, it was enough that frostbite had started to settle as well as hypothermia, and it was a race against time to get the princess warm again before her heart decided to give out on her.

Layers of shirts, trousers, and stockings were placed on the unconscious blonde, as well as layer upon layer of blankets in an attempt to conserve heat. Warmed cloths were draped over her forehead and around her neck in hopes to rise her body temperature, and once the ice and snow had melted from her hair, they were quick to try and towel dry her long blonde locks so it wouldn't counter their efforts to keep her warm. The physician did everything he could think of to help the Princess, but now it was a waiting game to see if it was enough.