One Year

Pleas

Siri kept Ryu drugged up enough to sleep through the ceremony of thanking the Gods and asking them for a blessing for the Spring. The ceremony that was suppose to last half a day was done in two hours. Everyone quickly left after that in droves, The King and Queen with Crown Prince Morgan left first. Then the sick Prince Ryu and Princess Siri who was solemn and looked tired. After they left, everyone else left as well.

When Ryu opened his eyes, he was inside of his room, in his bed. A medicinal scent covered the room as it burned in the brazer. Beside him was Steward Mo, with a worried look and yet it was relieved as well.

"Siri?" Ryu whispered through cracked, dry lips.

Steward Mo looked away before giving him the news.

"She's been by your side the whole time." He said. "I finally convinced her to rest. She's resting in the other room."

Ryu looked at Steward Mo knowing that he didn't tell him the whole truth.

"What else?" Ryu said as he saw Steward Mo keep hesitating to tell him the truth.

"She, ah... refuse to eat. Said she wasn't hungry. We tried to make her eat, to make her rest, to take care of herself so you wouldn't have to worry about her when you woke up. But she...she just stayed by your side, the whole time, ensuring that you never fell into a fever or that your wound wasn't enflame or infected." Steward Mo said, using the new word he learned. "It was this evening that she finally said that you'll wake up in the next few hours and that was only when we could convince her to rest."

"How long since we came back that I've been sleeping."

"One and a half days."

She took care of him and stayed by his side for almost two days, without taking a rest, without eating. Foolish girl. He thought as she cleared his dry throat.

"That's not all." Steward Mo said as he looked down at his hands before dropping down to the ground and kneeling. He kowtowed three times before he confessed his crimes.

"It was due to this Steward's recklessness of not watching over Princess Siri enough that....that Princess...." Steward Mo said through the tears that started building behind his eyes. His courage failed him when he could feel his Master's eyes on him and a cold suffocating feeling descended on him.

"Princess, what?" Ryu ordered.

"The...the Spirit of Coldness..." Steward Mo said. "It...it came back...."

Ryu's heart dropped. He needed to see her immediately. Needed to hold her.  He wanted to rise, but his body was too weak. Steward Mo pushed him back down.

"You mustn't. Princess Siri made me promise not to let you get up from your bed or else your wound would open up."

Ryu growled in frustration. Even if he wanted to get up to go to her, he couldn't. His limbs and body felt heavy with no strength.

"Bring her to me." Ryu ordered.

Steward Mo quickly got up and went to the door and told Nurse Nancy and Nurse Mi. The two nurses immediately went to the other room and told the maids who were looking over Siri. Meada and Gilldy carried Siri back into the master bedroom and tucked her cold body under the blanket before lighting up the four brazers by the bed to keep her warm. Everyone left, leaving the couple alone once again.

Ryu studied his lovely wife and could see that her breathing was soft. So soft and slow as if she wasn't alive. People would think she died if they didn't come close to her and see her chest rise up and down as she breathed.

Her skin was even whiter than before, as if the snow kissed her skin. She lost the small weight she had on her form.

His hand reached out to hold her hand and it felt colder than it did before. Colder than he has ever felt in his lifetime.

"You fool." Ryu said as he gathered her slowly into his arms so delicately as if he was afraid she'll break if he didn't handle her with care. "Wake up... so this Prince can talk to you. To apologize to you, to explain to you. Wake up, so all of my work would be worth it. Wake up, so we can find the Taiyo Flower and cure you. Wake up so we can smile and laugh, so you can tease me and boast to me. I won't complain, ever, no matter how merciless you tease me or how thick skinned you can be and boast about yourself, just wake up so I can crown you my Queen and grow old together."

When silence descend over them again, that's when he started to really panic inside.

"Just wake up. Please, Siri." Ryu pleaded. "I promise, I won't make you cry ever again. Should you cry because of me, I'll let you go through with your promise and make me an eunuch."