A Prying Prince

I wake up the morning after being shot, my leg is still in pain. I am in agony. Not only is my leg throbbing with pain but I also have a massive headache. I’m not sure why I have a headache. My stomach starts growling. I’m not necessarily sure the last time I ate. I rub my eyes and look around the room. The sun is still shining into my window. It looks like it might be mid-way across the sky. It might not be as bright once the sun is directly over the castle. I guess I was able to get some more sleep after waking up in the middle of the night. My whole body feels sore. Probably because I tripped over the stairs. I glance down at my leg and realize the source of my discomfort. I feel constricted because of the tight vest I am wearing. It is not comfortable at all. I hope Agnes will come back in shortly to help me change. I also hope she will bring food. I just want to get back into my own clothes. They are much better than these. Sure they are new and clean but they are much too tight. I feel like I am slowly losing more oxygen with each breath. That would explain the head ache. My brain isn’t receiving any oxygen along with my poor lungs. I search the room with my eyes to find my clothes but it looks like Agnes took them. She definitely did not put them into the wardrobe.

 

I hear people talking from outside the door. Their voices sound muffled. They are getting louder and louder. Suddenly the door swings open, hits the wall, and is slammed back closed. The prince marches up to my bed. He is clearly mad. But isn’t he always? The prince stands at the side of my bed and crosses his arms. I just glare at him. I am mad that I am in this uncomfortable situation and now I have to start my day with this unpleasant person.

 

“Who are you?” “No one,” I respond. I am so stupid! Why would I say that? I know he doesn’t take anything lightly. Yet I open my big mouth and say something that will get me in trouble. He takes a deep breath and looks around the room. Has he ever been in this room? He seems to become angry the more he looks around. “You don’t have to tell me who you are,” He says calmly. “But it might be in your best interest if you just tell me.” I just stare at him. Why does it matter who I am? I feel very self-conscious right now. He asks, “What do people call you?” I can see him slowly losing his calm demeanor. I think this is the best he will ever behave around me.

 

“Juliet.” “Odd.” Did he just say odd? I feel embarrassed for absolutely no reason. I feel uneasy with this silence so I ask, “What’s yours?” “I do not think that is important.” “Of course it is,” I respond. “How else am I going to get to know you?” There I go again with my stupid remarks. If I just kept to myself I would never be in this mess.

 

“I am truthfully making an attempt to be kind.” “It’s really hard isn’t it? Luckily you got all your anger out on the regretful person at the other side of the door.” “It is grueling. Thank you for your consideration.” Apparently he is also good at making sarcastic remarks. On the other hand, I might be the one dragging them out of him. I just keep staring at his face. His eyes avoid me like a plague. “Are you going to inform me about what happened? Or are we just going to stand here in silence.” “Well technically we aren’t.” “No?” He asks me. “I can’t stand.” I tell him.

 

“Alright, if I tell you I am apologetic, will you then inform me?” “You don’t have to apologize, I’m just upset.” I can’t believe I told him that! Of course I would love to see him squirm in an attempt to apologize when he is clearly not sorry. “I am truly remorseful for the damage and pain I have caused you. I sincerely hope that you make a quick and safe recovery.” He finally looks directly at me. He starts laughing. He says, “You look surprised!” He has an honest laugh. “I genuinely mean it,” he adds. I am still baffled by him. I wonder if he realizes the only way I will tell him anything is if he is nice to me. Yes, he knows. Why else would he say sorry? If he is truly sorry for what happened, he would have apologized the minute it happened. He is just trying to get the information he needs.

 

“My guards believe they saw you in the forest. What were you doing there?” “Great question,” I respond. “But I have a better one, what were your guards doing there? I mean I’m not an expert but shouldn’t they… I don’t know uh… protect you?” I raise my eyebrows waiting for his answer. I think I am bringing up a valid point. Unfortunately the prince does not agree. He slams his fist against the bed post. It causes the entire bed to shake. I pull myself to sit up and get a little further away from him. He looks sad. I almost want to laugh at his little tantrum. He really doesn’t have any patience. I feel sorry for him, but I’m not sure why. Look at this castle.  He has everything in the world. What more does he want?

 

“Answer the question! I do not have time for your little games!” “Fine,” I reply. “I was out on a walk.” “Enough,” he yells. “I have had it with your attitude. I will have you locked up for the entirety of your life. Just tell me what you were doing.” The prince is now fuming. I realize the only way to get anywhere with him is to just play nice. Even if I do have an extreme disgust for him. But I can’t tell him the truth. I can’t tell anyone. If anyone finds out I’d be dead. More importantly, people I love and care about could get killed. I can tell the prince but I don’t want to chance anyone else getting hurt. I wouldn’t do that to anyone not even him. “Well?” He crosses his arms tightly against his chest again.

 

I calm myself down. I am too worried about the truth to properly lie. His anger causes me to become more frustrated and then to gain control I give him an ‘attitude’ which further angers him. We should never be together in a room; especially alone, we can cause some serious damage. Plus I’d be left in the ruble because I can’t walk away. I should really stop thinking about my lost ability. But it’s really hard to stop thinking about it when my leg is constantly in pain, it makes me too irritable.

 

“Like I said,” I calmly state. “I was out in the forest for a walk. I didn’t know that it was off limits. It won’t happen again I promise.” I say it as sincerely as I can but I feel like he can see right through me. My eyes are glass windows that reveal way too much about what is going on in my head. I was getting more and more nervous with each passing second. He never takes his eyes off me as he calmly says, “Thank you.” Then he turns away from me and walks towards the door. He opens it and Agnes is impatiently waiting on the other side. He pauses in the doorway, looks back towards me, and gently shuts the door after Agnes walks in.

 

“Oh my! Are you alright dear?” “Yes I am fine.” “What did he say?” “He just wanted to know what I was doing in the forest.” I am still staring beyond Agnes at the door. He’s really odd. One minute he is calm then the next, he is agitated. “Well dear, hopefully he will be alright.” “Why is he so mad? I’m sure you could hear our conversation.” I finally turn my attention towards Agnes. “I could hear him yelling at you.” “He’s having a hard time right now.” Agnes starts unraveling my bandages. I guess everyone has secrets. Some more emotionally damaging than others.

 

“What was he mad at you for?” “Oh dear, It really isn’t anything important.” “Yes it is!” I protest, “He shouldn’t treat people this way. I am desperate to know why!” I’m not sure why I told Agnes I was desperate. I guess I am quickly discovering how much I actually trust her. “He was only upset that I wouldn’t let him speak with you.” “So he demanded to speak with me?” “I told him he can wait because I would like to get you up and change your bandages.” My stomach let out a loud noise. “And I will have to get you food.” She laughs. “Oh dear, I am very sorry. He should not treat a guest like this.” She pulls out a cold damp cloth and pats my leg. She then tells me to turn over so she can clean the wound. I lay flat on my stomach and turn my head away from Agnes. I guess some mysteries aren’t meant to be solved.

 

“Here we are dear! Now you are all clean.” She gently lifts my leg up to wrap a fresh bandage around the wound. She helps me turn over. “I’ll go get you something to eat.” She rushes out the door and closes it. I am left alone for only a few minutes until Agnes comes back in. “Here you go.” She brings a plate of food to my lap. “Eat up dear!” I am sure you are very hungry. “Thank you.”