Prince Galian is third in line to the throne, but prefers his place as a resident at the Royal Kylaen Hospital. When his father urges him to join the military to help reclaim their colony, Galian is forced to put aside his oath to Do No Harm and fig...
She was silent, but I could see worry etched on her face. I thought about what I had just said to her, that she would be treated like a human being, and I wondered why I felt that way.
She had just shot me out of the sky and tried to kill me. She was my enemy, and would probably slit my throat if she had the chance.
And yet, I looked at her and I saw a human being. She was flesh and blood with fears, hopes, dreams. She bled like any Kylaen patient I ever had. It was easy to pretend that the person in the other plane was a monster, but now, it was hard to wish for her death when she was sitting here breathing next to me.
A loud grumbling interrupted my thoughts, and I realized that after donating blood, I should probably eat soon before I passed out.
I picked up the box of supplies and cracked it open, looking for anything that looked decent to eat. I truly was not expecting to be here for long, but just in case, I wanted to spread out the ration as long as possible. A bag of nuts was my choice, protein and salt.
"Want one?" I offered to her.
In response, she pushed herself to her feet and began hobbling away from me. I kept my seat, knowing she wasn't going to get far, especially since the anesthetic injection wasn't enough to dull the pain completely. As expected, she collapsed to the ground, and let out the filthiest string of curses I had ever heard.
"What are you trying to do?" I called after her.
"Find shelter," she croaked back. "And water."
"I have water on my ship," I said from my seat.
"Bully for you." I could tell she was in an immense amount of pain, and I couldn't help admiring her gumption.
"I meant, I can go get it and we can share it."
"It would probably kill me."
"Well, you look like you're about to die anyway, so why not go out in style?" I drawled, pushing the rest of the handful in my mouth. I was tired and my blood sugar hadn't yet stabilized. And damn it, she was starting to piss me off. "For your last drink, why not drink some filtered Kylaen sweet water, instead of the chemically-laced shit you Ravens are forced to drink."
"Oh go to hell," she hissed at me. "I would rather drink my own piss than accept anything from you."
She pulled herself upright again and began to pull herself into the forest. I sat against the tree, watching until she disappeared into the foliage.
I sat there for a moment, angrily chewing on the peanuts and trying to keep myself seated. I owed her nothing, and she was being a real jackass about everything. Besides, it was her fault we were stuck here in the first place.
Still, I could hear Dr. Maitland in my ear, telling me that it was my duty to get up and go after her. I was a doctor, she was my patient, and she was probably very scared right now. And probably concussed.
"Guh." I rolled my eyes and tossed the empty bag away. Pulling myself to my feet, I headed into the forest the way she went.
It didn't take me long to find her, curled up in a ball on the ground and crying in pain. Her bare legs had begun to bleed again from her movements. She didn't even acknowledge my presence, but I kneeled down next to her anyway.
"So," I said gently, "you probably should stay put for a while, let that leg heal a little bit before you start walking on it."
"I'm as good as dead anyway," she whispered back. "I can't walk, I can't run, I have no food, no water, no shelter. And if the Kylaens find me first..."
"I'm not giving up, and you shouldn't give up," I said, grabbing her hand to pull her upright. Her hand was small and cold, but mine was just as frigid. "I promise you, Theo of Raven, that I am not going to let you die."
She looked at me and I could tell that she didn't believe me so I grasped her other hand.
"I give you my word, as Galian Neoptolemos Helmuth, third crown prince of the Kylaen nation, son of Grieg, that I will not let you die, all right?" I said.
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