"Scientia protests est"

"What?? No!" I said still holding the wound. Panic raised in my throat and I tried to move away from them. I saw a little red stain on floor; my blood.

Automatically, I tried to push myself from them. There is no way it's me. He wouldn't hurt me. 

"But he already did," a little voice in my head spoke. I couldn't stop myself from shaking. What have I done?

"Nobody asked you." My eyes moved from Prince's back only to see a tall guard reaching down to catch me. The second one, a man with black eyes and brown hair, caught my other hand.

I gasped from shock when they actually pulled me up, dragging me from my home. My house, my family.

"No!" I whispered in pain looking at my parents sitting in the chairs, unconsciously being pushed to the side. They won't know what happened.

Before they dragged me from my house, I made a last glimpse at my family. Dad was sitting left from the doors with a fork in the air looking at mom while she sat right from the doors and she watched at the plate. She never enjoyed talking for a table, but dad kept talking. I closed my eyes, stopping tears from falling. This is the last time I'm seeing them. 

The Prince didn't react at all. Not a single voice from him. And it was all my fault.

When my eyes met with hot midday sun, I forced myself to look around. The whole street was frozen. People being caught in the middle of step. Animals rushing toward the ships. And in the centre was a big royal carriage for a girl free from the froze. A few soldiers fidgeted around it nervously.

I couldn't believe I fooled myself no one will know. 

When one of the soldiers pushed me to walk faster, I couldn't stop myself from tripping. I felt like I'm walking upon the hill. Every step took too much of my energy, and I felt my blood dripping from hands. 

"Move." Dark-eyed one commanded but my feet already froze in the place. My whole vision was dotted with dark red stains. I felt blood in my mouth.

"Move." He echoed.

"I... I. can't." I mumbled somehow trying to catch for something. Tripping I almost fell on my face. A strong hand caught me pushing the curtain of pain and unconsciousness away.

"Your Majesty, she needs to visit a doctor." The left one said, and a flame of hope burned again. The doctor is my father.

"She will visit it when we get in Capitol." He didn't even look at me, but the tone of his voice revealed he was thinking the same thing.

As my body fought with less and less blood, and the curtain was back again I somehow recognized Prince walking in front of me. He was hugged with enormous puffy thing. 

My head started to tremble as I finally gave up letting them drag me into a carriage. With a last look I let my head fall forward hugged by unconsciousness.

The next thing I see when I open my eyes is a lot of red and gold. For a moment I let myself dream I'm somewhere else, maybe even in Main House, but no. We were traveling toward Ignur and the King. Toward my death.

The interior was the same as exterior. Fancy and too much. It described them very well. There was everything. A super soft fancy pillows in the corner, a big bench where three people could sit easily, and the curtain for a window. I saw Prince sitting opposite me comfortably placed on big pillows.

The wrong position I was traveling hit my neck, and I could barely move my head. At least the pain deceived a little.

"Here, clean yourself." The Prince threw a tissue at me. It fell right on my face.

"Thank you, your Majesty." I said sarcastically taking the tissue. Instantly I could feel the wet feeling of blood. This will need stitches. Another scar.

The only sound was soldiers yelling from the outside, and with an exhausted exhale I looked at him again. With a relief I saw he didn't look at me too. 

"That puffy thing was gross." I said without thinking. Cursing my thong I looked through the window.

"Excuse me?" And now he was looking at me. I felt two holes on my back trying to get an answer. Those cold eyes were like a last ray of light in the winter storm.  Cold and drowning.

"Nothing," I said fast trying to find blurred landscape interesting. 

Without a comeback he looked outside too. Slowly as silence stretched to a point where I couldn't stand it I found myself checking him again.

On, his left side he had some medals. Red and blue strip with a gold medal. He did some good things. At least those medals said that.

'Brave' one was saying.

"You got those for good behavior at the school?" My sarcastic side woke up. There came a side where nothing could scare me anymore. I was on my way to a certain death, and what is a few comebacks for Prince. He will forget me in a matter of days.

His head moved so fast just like his hand. I didn't see it, but I felt pain on my left cheek.

"Learn to control yourself!" He said breathing fast. I saw little red stains slowly showing on his face.

The pain covered my cheek.
"Why? I'm saying the fact. You did nothing good for us." I spit those words like the most poisonous venom. Maybe I hoped he will die with them too.

Suddenly, I felt a cold shivers crawling down my spine, and I turned from him. There was some power in him, but not the good one.

"Like you know," he said finally in the middle of my fight with my dreams. Maybe if I tried hard enough, I would find a way to answer with something. But I didn't.

****

The loud sound and a couple high voices woke me up. We must have been in town my now. Nothing couldn't compare to a Capitol noise. Constant travelers from all around the world came to see Royals and Nobles. And with them came different cultures and smells. I raised my head when I felt a sweet smell in the air. But with that I felt a sweet, sour smell of sweat and dirt. It somehow masked a real smell of blood circling around town. Buglers didn't hesitate to steal, no matter the punishment was. 

As the hot air rushed in the carriage, I felt my blood sticking to my dress, and I tried to see a tissue. The bleeding stopped, but I felt edges crawling with stitches.

"What is happening?" I said to no one particular.

"They are showing respect." He looked at the window and then back at me, "Something you don't know."

I met his look. The cold eyes checked every inch of my body before they stopped at my eyes again. A hand on his right knee moved like he remembered how he slapped me. I certainly did. His jaw tightened, and he looked outside again. His posture was royal and calm. But I could read a different sense of him. Like he was happy he was finally behind the high walls of Capitol. Maybe he was scared.

I wanted to slap myself for that though. He cut my collar. He could kill me in a second if he went a millimeter deeper. What is a possible reason for him to be scared.

The loud yelling followed with few commands came through the window and I turned again. Almost without thinking, I came closer to see what is happening.

Some citizens were ordered to move back. But sometimes they didn't listen. I sighed moving my look away.

We were in front of some big fence; the black gate with gold on the top. Three guards stood in front of it with guns on his shoulder. They stopped when they saw a carriage and on command the bowed. Dog's bark followed us when we passed gates but a whistle from Prince's mouth made them stop.

A little smile slip on his lips when we moved forward. So, the control freak. Great; my keeper just gets better and better.

A few minutes galloping through the high woodland suddenly opened to an open area of castle and Noble houses.

Before I could look at Prince again, he moved to the outside already barking his orders. The sun illuminated his hair, and I saw a few highlights of brown hair.

"Get her out." He said without turning and took his sword and gave it to one guard. The soldier rushed to take his weapons. He also took of his jacked and stayed in a simple white shirt. 

But when he got a sword? He didn't have when we were in my house.

"Move." They said and took me of the carriage.

If it wasn't for my wound and a Prince next to me, I would have thought my luck finally turned and I got my chance for a better life. For some progress. But he smashed it when a soldier stepped next to me.

My head turned to follow a few people entering the dark building. The castle stood there in all his glory. As far as I could see there was a black wall. Made completely from volcanic stones placed in Ash Land it was dark and full of shadows. I could see people walking everywhere. Around was a small building for servants probably, or just empty houses.

My eyes saw every piece of money tangled in this castle. Every bone of workers and sweat of my people made this possible. I couldn't stop myself from a raising sick taste in my mouth. Now was just a cold building I didn't want to enter.

Suddenly all burden of my arrival just hit me. I wasn't here to explore but to die. All of this killed my previous excitement.

"Doctor is in his office." Prince said again near me. My head turned toward him. He was nervous for something. A little muscle near his jaw jumped up and down. When he let air out, he pushed me in some direction.

When my eyes met his, I didn't dare to move. The eyes were cooler than ever again and a jaw was tightened so hard that I got scared that he will crush his teeth. His muscular hands revealed his tension. The muscles tightened and relaxed.

Why is he so tensed? He is home, in his environment.

As soldiers took me below my arms, I didn't see him again. I felt him walking behind me, his steps echoing on nice stone. We stopped at the big white house with big windows and iron doors. The guard opened it and we entered it. There are no questions for the Prince.

The doctor is a small black guy. He wore the same coat like my father but he has some blue hat on his head.

"Your Majesty, what happened?" He said already taking some scissors from sister, his voice was worried.

"Stitch her." He pointed his head at me and he sat on a big white couch.

"Sure. Put her here." He pointed at wooden circular chair and the guard took me like a puppet and pushed at the chair. His attention turned to me.

The chair was cold, and so was this room. I welcomed the nice cold air on my hot skin. 

"So, what happened to you?" He said when he removed the tissue which had the Royal sign. A small tingles run toward my neck.

"That is not your concern." The cold voice said, and I felt my stomach pulling down. I felt my hands shaking too.

"Your Majesty." He said not turning while he took some gloves.

"Okay. You need to relax." He hissed and looked at my wound.

"This is big. Why you didn't come earlier?"

Just when I opened my mouth Prince answered for me. I felt like a fish on the shore.

"We were at the edge." He said, and I heard putting glass on a plate.

"She needs disinfection and stitches." He turned toward a woman dressed in white too. 

"Nurse, give me the alcohol and a few disinfect gauzes." A brown-haired woman nodded taking stuff from shelves.

"Here," he looked at me fixating my head with his hands, "this will hurt a little."

He touched my collar with a wet gauze and I yelled.

"Little!" I cried. This burn and hurt. Dammit. Maybe this is something new. Father's things didn't burn this much. 

"Pain is just a delusion," he murmured looking at my wound.

"I had to calm you." He added with a sad smile on his face.

A few minutes later he added, "now this will hurt." He said and took the big syringe with a long needle on top.

"That will hurt." I confirmed watching at it.

"You can close your eyes." I did as he said, and I felt a sharp pain but it disappeared.

"See. That wasn't too bad." He said.

"What is in it?" I asked rubbing my hand.

"No talk." The sharp voice spoken again looked at floor again.

Doctor smiled and answered.

"Anesthesia." And he nodded.

Then ten minutes passed. I saw that on a white clock in the middle if room. This place was sound proof, not a single yell from outside did came here. It was so quiet I heard a clock ticking with every passed second. After a ten minutes I wanted to scream.

"I think we are ready." Doctor said, and I looked at his brown eyes.

"Don't worry. Now it won't hurt." He smiled and took curved needle with black thread.

I closed my eyes expecting pain but nothing happened. I felt something, but that was nothing. That was like scratching. Not unpleasant.

"Now don't move. I need to take as little skin as possible." He said.

"Don't bother. She will be dead by tomorrow's sundown."

I felt doctor's hand stopping. I nodded mechanically, and he twitched a little.

"Shh, dont move," he said and kept stitching. My eyes met his buttoned uniform, he is stitching a dead girl.

I nodded, but he scowled.

I didn't move for next ten minutes when doctor finished.

He put white gauze on top of it, wrapped my neck with a bandage.

He smiled and took off the gloves. He is done. Now my tormentor comes on stage.

"Your Majesty," he started softly, "I know she is a prisoner, but she needs to get some rest and maybe transfusion. Also, she has a risk of getting an infection. She needs to stay here."

I widen my eyes at these words. This doctor is helping me. But why?

"That is impossible." Prince answered walking toward me. I stood up mechanically, moved a few steps from him. That made him laugh.

"But the infection could soar on voice wires and she will lose her voice." He continued.

A glitch in my head snapped and my eyes widened. What is he talking about? 

"And then she won't be able to provide you needed informations." Doctor said and looked at me.

"Fine. But isolate her from other patients." I saw him looking at doctor his voice getting lover until every word was nothing but a whisper but with a treat.

"But if you lied, you will get killed." The smile spread on his face and he disappeared, guard following him.

"Why did you do that?" I said.

"Because those are all the risks." He took me for my left hand taking me through some rooms.

Trough hallways. I saw patients laying in the bed covered in different ways.

"Come here." He opened doors, and I saw the one bed and table in the room.

"Lay." I laid on the bed and my bones welcomed the bed like an old friend. I really needed some rest.

"Wait. Before you get sleep, I need to know why you are here." The doctor asked feeling worry in his voice.

I looked at him. Can I trust him? After all, he saved me. I took a deep breath.

"I can resist Prince's power." I hissed.

"Really?" His eyes widened, and I nodded.

"Yes. That is why I'm here. And this is..." I showed at my neck, "why I'm here. Prince thinks I lied to him." I said.

"So, did you?"

"No!" I almost screamed. I really don't know how I know this.

"Okay. Get a rest." He fondled me on the hair.

"I will give you some blood later on. I need to watch you condition."

"Thanks, doc." I said.

With a last smile he let me dive into a world of dreams, but they were far from happy.

"Scientia protests est" Knowledge is power.

I can proudly say the way this book is going to be is amazing. All the little polished things are getting there. I mean for a first draft of editing. But on side not what do you guys think??

Do you like it, what are your opinions of the doctor. The Prince.

Love hearing you lots of love!!! 😍😍😍