Territory 18

10. A Day of Recovering

It had just been a day since the Hotel Turuvich incident, and Reia's entire body ached. Lying on the medical bay bed, she closed her eyelids, shielding her green orbs from the bright lights of the medical bay, and turned her body over, burying half her face in the pillow, leaving her nose to breathe. The sour twinge with her body, her muscles protesting felt rather good. She was alive. She was aware that someone had come, and was looking at her, but she ignored it and kept her eyes closed. Very quickly, her breathing slowed, and she fell into a deep sleep again.

"My, she falls asleep so quickly," came the soft voice of a young girl.

"She's tired after all that happened yesterday, we'll wait until she wakes up," Prince Alexius told his younger sister.

"Brother dear, are you alright?" his blind younger sister took his hand.

"Yes," he replied, "At the sacrifice of Miss Reia," he held his sister's hand gently, "I'll be away for a while due to some matters, meanwhile stay with Miss Reia and be a good girl okay? Wait for her to awaken and accompany her if she's bored," he instructed his sister.

"Yes~" she replied.

Awaking again, Reia found her hand being held by a pair of small but extremely warm and kind hands. Sitting up awkwardly, her bodily muscles throbbed with pain and she winced, biting her lip, before looking at the person holding her hands.

"You slept for five hours, Miss Reia, did you rest well?" the girl asked politely.

"Your Highness Princess Aioria!" she blurted, "My deepest apologies for seeing Your Highness in this shoddy manner!" she apologized.

"It's alright Miss Reia, I can't see anyway," she smiled, "How are you feeling now? Are you still in pain?" she asked with a concerned tone.

"Where is His Highness? Don't tell me he is still feeling unwell from the fall yesterday?" Reia asked.

"My brother said he has some matters to attend to, so he left just now," the Princess smiled sweetly, "You are to stay here with me, I will be your guardian for today," the Princess cheerfully said.

"It is an honor," Reia said.

Just as she said that, a mass of white and yellow burst in the medical bay room where Reia was, and hugged her body tightly. Immediately, her bodily muscles started protesting, and she sagged against the body of Lord Welstriem in pain.

"Reia! Reia!" the Knight of Four was extremely shaken. He held her by her shoulders and looked at her face trembling slightly.

"I am fine," Reia said and raised her hands to hug the Knight of Four back, assuring him.

"I was so freaked when they requested for you," he said as he settled down on the side of the bed, "Oh right, and you're free to leave the medical bay, but the staff says no strenuous activities, and to ensure that there is always someone strong enough around to hold you to prevent you from falling," Lord Welstriem reverted back to his cheerful demure.

Reia nodded, and attempted to get off the bed. Swinging her legs to the side, she lowered herself until her toes touched the floor, and shifted her weight to her feet, holding onto the bed. Pain assaulted her calves as soon as weight was applied, and she staggered a little, as Lord Welstriem can forth preparing to catch Reia if she falls. Glancing at Lord Welstriem, she smiled at little and stabilized her footing, pulling herself to her full body length.

"Try moving a little, Miss Reia," the young Princess said.

"Alright," Reia nodded and tried to step forward with Lord Welstriem holding her hands.

Walking, she managed a few steps, but was reliant on someone holding her. It was at that moment, the doors of her room in the medical bay opened revealing the Prince in its place, and Reia lost her footing out of shock.

"Whew," Lord Welstriem heaved a sigh of relief, as Reia crashed into him, and the two fell on the floor with Reia using Lord Welstriem as a landing cushion.

"Are you alright?" the Prince asked Reia as he helped her up.

Standing up a little hesitantly, Reia nodded.

"Well, I would like to talk to you alone for a moment, so Lord Welstriem, please take Aioria," the Prince looked at the Knight of Four who was already walking towards the wheelchair of the Princess. When the two left the room, the Prince helped Reia back to the bed for a seat, and covered her shoulders with his coat before sitting down to face her.

"I have a question Your Highness," Reia said timidly.

"Speak," he looked at her with his amethyst orbs.

"How did Your Highness end up at the roof?" she asked.

"Ah," the Prince nodded, "A rather rash decision on my part," he answered calmly, "I saw with my own eyes the people being forced to jump, and risk being shot," he explained, "It was that moment where a sudden surge of emotions came, and I felt the need to step out to protect my people, and there, I was sent to the roof," he lied.

It was true that he saw the people. But he knew they would be safe, given that the operation was planned by his sister Princess Donnia. However, when Reia's name was mentioned, the Prince could no longer hold it in, and stood up proclaiming, "I am Alexius vi Azalea, 11th Prince to the Azalean throne! Bring me to see your leader. I wish to speak to him regarding handing over a solider from our army," and thus, due to that outburst, his cover was blown, and the terrorist agreed not to take Reia if he jumped off the building.

"I see..." Reia nodded.

"I want to thank you for rushing out to save me," the Prince chose his words carefully, "I understood from Leon that to save me you had faced an entire barrage of terrorists with just a shield and laser sword. Not only that, you saved everyone else who were hostages in the hotel," the Prince said, "Thank you really, Miss Mikasa Reia," he brought forth his feelings of gratitude.

"It was my job after all," Reia blushed slightly.

"I am thinking of raising your rank to Knight, but Sister Donnia says it is too early yet, so maybe in another month or two we will have a ceremony for you," the Prince smiled, "Alright Aioria, business is done, you can stop eavesdropping," he said towards the doors as they slid open and revealed Princess Aioria and Lord Welstriem, "So unbecoming of a Princess, eavesdropping huh," Prince Alexius pinched his sister's cheeks.

"Alright alright! I'm sorry okay, but it was originally Lord Welstriem's idea," the Princess sold out her accomplice.

"Lord Welstriem?" Reia asked the Knight of Four with an all to pleasant smile that seemed way more creepy that usual, given that she still had an IV drip attached to her arm, wearing nothing but the medical bay thin dress and a coat over her shoulders, with the white plaster on her cheek.

"I'm sorry!" the Lord clapped his hands together.

"Forget it, I'll let it go for today," Reia sighed, "In return for that, help me pack my things, and bring me to Hangar 01," she said, attempting to get off the bed again.

"You're going back to work?" the Prince asked bewildered.

"No, I'm just going to stay by Mr Leon," she said, "He must be devastated after seeing Celestine getting shot by those unruly rifles or so he calls them of the terrorists," she smiled a little, "Just going to comfort him a bit," she quipped a little too happily.