From the Depths

Chapter 26 - Blood Sweat and Tears.

They heard the door close behind them and moments later Kirea's legs turned to jelly. She very nearly collapsed at his side.

Acting quickly he caught her just as she was about to fall to the ground.

"I've got you, I've got you. Come on let's get you to your room." His voice was low with a hint of concern.

She'd always been strong, he saw a fighter in her. To see her like this was saddening, and he had inadvertently been the cause. He noticed a slight shake had set in as he helped her make their way through the castle halls.

All colour draining from her, she'd been hiding it well in King's chambers he realized. But the moment they were free, all that hidden emotion, all those reflexes had all but vanished. It appeared as though she wasn't taking this very well, his heart clenched. The last thing he had wanted to do was hurt her, or anyone for that matter.

The sudden pain had him frowning, when had he come to care for the feisty thing? Of course, he didn't see her as a lifelong companion, but he enjoyed her banter.

But where was the attitude now? They should be laughing and celebrating their near miss, but she looked a mere shell of herself. This ordeal was simply too much for her.

His anger turned on the king. How he wished he could kill the bastard. he was more than capable. However, there were very few none supporters of that cruel bastard, if the King was murdered there would be an investigation and a new tyrant from his inner circle would be appointed. Nothing would change, and the promise to his sister... It would be for nothing.

Kirea didn't appear to be coherent as they moved. Her head hung limply as she leaned heavily on him for support. He found it difficult to open the door to her room with her so far gone. The moment he let her go to close the door behind them she collapsed to the floor in a heap. Her hand covered her mouth as her body convulsed, he knew she was about to vomit.

Henry, in a panic, grabbed the wash basin and sat with her on the floor as she emptied the contents of her stomach. He held her hair out of her face and gently rubbed her back until she was done. He wiped her mouth and cleaned up the mess, returning with water for her to sip once she was able to hold herself up again.

She hadn't moved from the floor, her clothes torn, her hair and face a mess. Her bottom lip trembled as she looked up at him. Tears pulled in her eyes as she began to shake uncontrollably.

That look, he knew it all too well. He grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace as she wept. She cried clinging to his bare torso. He rocked her gently as he stroked her hair muttering that he was sorry.

He knew she must feel utterly humiliated, he had exposed her without her consent. He hated himself for it. It seemed she couldn't stop the trembling or the tears from falling. When she tried to speak only hiccups came out. The stress and confrontation of the situation completely took hold of her. He couldn't blame her, he blamed himself. He should never have agreed to sneak her into the King's quarters. It had been a mistake.

She just needed to get through this small... inconvenience. No that wasn't the right word. He hoped with all his heart that she pulled through this. One thing was certain, they had the answers now, they just needed a plan-

She started to cough, breaking his thoughts, his attention snapping back to her. Her throat and nose already clogging up from the tears meant that she started to hyperventilate. Soon she was having a full-on panic attack as she couldn't breathe.

"Kirea!" Henry began to panic as he caught onto what was happening. "I know it's hard to breathe right now, but try to slow down your breaths." He took hold of her hand and placed it on his chest. "Focus on my breath, breathe to it." He breathed deeply, really emphasizing the rise and fall of his chest.