IF SIR NICO was uncomfortable with my crying, he didn't show it.

While the ride to the castle was painful, my tears slowed by the time the stone walls were in sight. Nico was careful when maneuvering his horse throughout the woods we rode, trying not to jostle me around like a sack of potatoes. I only had one working hand to help keep balance.

I didn't understand Jo's dislike of him. He'd shown kindness to me, not only by trying to make the ride smooth, but asking if I was all right every five minutes . His smirks didn't appear as hostile as Jo acted like they were, but playful instead. By the end of the ride, I started to relax in his company and found comfort within his silence, which was only broken by quiet jesting.

"Jo is going to kill me," I sighed as his horse ambled up to the grand entrance. A breathy chuckle left him. I glared at him over my shoulder. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, My Lady. My laughter comes from the realization of how protective Lady Austin is."

"Is that so wrong?" I asked, smiling. Then I added, more conspiratorially, "Do strong women intimidate you, Sir Nico?"

"On the contrary, Lady Claire. I have three sisters," he said, as if it were answer enough. Maybe it was. Then, Sir Nico hopped off his horse, waving to the man in the stone-based watchtower. When the gate opened, his horse took an excited trot-step forward, but Nico pulled the reins to control its next movements. "If anything, it is familiar to me. Lady Austin reminds me of them. My mother especially. If I'm being honest, seeing your bond makes me miss them."

Nico reached up, hooking his arms under mine to help me down. His touch wasn't as tender as Prince Elric's. He took a large step back and bowed. When he straightened up, the smile I was met with seemed wistful and... and sad.

"How long has it been since you've seen them?" I asked.

"A while –"

"Nico!" A harsh, booming voice echoed throughout the castle's stone rotunda. To my surprise, Prince Elric was half-marching, half-running over to us. Just as Nico predicted, it seemed the gossip made it back to the castle before us. "What is this I hear about Lady Claire affected after an altercation in the city?"

"You Highness..." The words died within me when Prince Elric reached for my hand. What would have been an endearing moment, I was sure, something that would even surpass Lady Heathwood and Sir Ashwell in Swords and Roses, was cut short by the lance of pain shooting up my arm. I hissed in surprise and yanked my hand away. "Golly-gee don't do that!"

"By the Great Lords, Claire!" Elric's anger made his face flush red. If I wasn't in so much pain, I would've admired the bit of color in his face from his worry. Over me. Or how good it felt to be looked after. My parents never cared if I came home with a splinter or even a gash on my arm from trying to hop a fence with Jo one time. Elric reeled on Nico. "I trusted you to protect her. What part of that order wasn't clear –"

"It's fine –" I started.

"It's not fine, Claire," he snapped.

"Yes it is," I said. "I did this of my own volition, and while the consequences are... painful, I take responsibility of them. It's not Sir Nico's fault. He actually tried to stop me, but I didn't listen. If you're going to punish someone, then it should be me."

"Don't be foolish," he said, but his tone was soft. There was no real malice to his words. He took my hand again, much gentler than before. "No one will be punished for this, except that thieving vermin. And... this does seem penalizing enough for you."

Elric sighed and smiled at me. "Forgive me. My concern got the better of me. Please allow me to escort you to the infirmary. I already alerted the doctor of your arrival."

I allowed him to wrap his arm around my waist and pull me close into his side, resting my injured hand in his. He guided me forward, and looked back over his shoulder to cast a final order. "Nico, please inform Lady Joan that Claire has arrived and is in the infirmary. I do not believe she's aware of Lady Claire's predicament."

"Oh crap," I muttered.

"I will see to it myself, Your Highness," Nico replied. I stopped Elric from moving me further and looked back at the knight, who was smiling bemusedly at me.

"Thank you for your help today, Sir Nico," I called to him.

He gave a respectful nod before heading toward a different entrance of the castle.

When Elric led me into the castle, a gaggle of servants bustled about the grand foyer, but I could tell from their constant glances they were lurking to see the damage done to a not-so-noblewoman in a fight at the market. Elric seemed oblivious to them as he focused on the task at hand – literally. He was staring at my hand like it would bite him or blow up if he looked away, and rubbed absent circles on my waist with his thumb. I was sure it was an absent motion, something he didn't even realize he was doing, but... it was nice. Cue that strange "cared for" feeling again.

The infirmary was on the opposite side of the castle, overlooking the stables. The room wasn't anything like the doctors offices I'd been to. It wasn't dirty, but not exactly sterile either. Jars of herbs and tonics lined shelves, along with linens and cloths, and alcohol – not the disinfectant kind nurses rubbed on patient's arms before a shot, but the dark, amber kind my father loved to drink. It was a harsh reminder that anesthesia and pain killers had yet to be invented. Maybe magic made up for it.

God, please allow magic to make up for it.

A man was already in the room, pulling back a thin piece of linen to expose a cot, while he used a cloth to dry his hands. He was tall, lean, and much older than anyone I had met in castle so far. His salt-and-pepper hair was pulled off his face, and spit-shined boots squeaked against the floor. "You must be Lady Claire," he said, offering a quick bow. "I am Noldrett, the medic in this castle. Let's take a look at that hand, shall we?"

Prince Elric helped sit me down, even though I didn't really need it. He only parted from me when Noldrett inserted himself between us to look at my hand, and then Elric paced behind the medic as he started his examination. Everything was fine until he started manipulating my swollen fingers. "Ouch!" I shouted, trying to steal my arm back but his grip was too strong. Tears sprung to my eyes.

"Must you continue? You're hurting the lady," Elric said, sounding more distressed than I felt.

"I swear it's the bystanders that exude more pain than the patient." Noldrett winked at me, his good nature somehow lessening the pain. I smiled back at him. "I do believe you've managed to break two of your fingers and sprain your wrist. Not to worry, though, we have a tonic that will get you healed in a few days. I'll be back with something to keep your hand stabilized until then."

I thanked him as he he exited through a doorway on the right side of the room. When he passed Elric, Noldrett patted him on the shoulder. It was odd seeing such casualty between the prince and his staff. None of them were afraid of him like Sir Ashwell explained the servants were in Velein, or when Lady Heathwood experienced the king's cruelty first-hand.

Prince Elric settled onto the cot beside me. It barely fit us both, squeezing our bodies close together than I was sure was appropriate for the time period. What was worse, he could probably feel my heart pounding in my ears.

But Elric's eyes were somber as he looked over my hand again. "I cannot apologize enough, Claire. It's my fault this happened. I should never have left you –"

"Stop," I murmured. "It's okay, really. Considering everything, I think I made it out of this pretty unscathed."

Elric huffed a laugh, but it was half-hearted. He took my injured hand and slowly pulled it toward his mouth, then pressed his lips against my bruising skin in the softest of kisses. The stubble on his face like pine needles prickled along my skin in the few years my family bought Christmas trees. Butterflies erupted in my stomach, my chest ready to explode.

"This is my fault, and my fault only," I went on, swallowing past a sudden dryness in my throat. "I wish you wouldn't beat yourself up about my actions, or Nico for that matter. You were quite rude to him."

"He can handle it." He gently traced my hand with his, his eyes trained on them. "He knows how... passionate I can get, for lack of a better term. We're more like brothers than he is my guardsman."

"You should still apologize. Properly."

"When I know you're all right, I'll go to the barracks and do just that."

"Promise?" I asked, a playful smile on my lips.

Finally, he looked  at me. The sunshine in his eyes gone, but so was the somberness. Instead, I was looking deep within a forest green color, wondering if he felt any sort of compulsion, any sort of pull, that I did toward him. It was ridiculous, probably, to feel such a sudden connection toward him. But maybe that was natural for me to be drawn to nice people because I didn't have many back in South Carolina. A place that was supposed to be my home, but hadn't felt that way since my family and I moved there.

"I would never lie to you, My Lady," he whispered, huskily. I hadn't realized it until then, but my nose was inches from his, his fingers lacing themselves with my uninjured hand, while his other hand tucked my hair behind my ear. A shudder ran down my spine. I was going to freaking swoon. "Claire –"

The door flung open, our bubble bursting completely. "Hello! You must be –"

"Where is she?" Jo demanded, the heat in her voice raging through the room like an inferno before she even stepped foot inside. She sounded pissed.

Or maybe that was just the room already. Even though he froze, Elric's hand still lingered on the side of his face. His mouth was only a breath away from mine.

"– Lady Joan," the doctor finished, his lighthearted tone falling flat. "Right this way."

Elric stood up from the cot, folding his arms behind his back while putting feet between us that felt more like miles. My face felt like I'd stuck it in a fire. A hue of pink rose in his cheeks as he looked down at me, a knowing smirk on his lips. A secret for only us to know.

Or maybe not. Maybe I misread it. Elric was nice, and I was an esteemed guest in his kingdom. I shook my head and looked away. Maybe he was only giving me such special attention because he thought I was a damsel in distress. He was just being nice.

My heart twisted uncomfortably in my chest at the thought.

"Claire! What the hell?" Jo cursed as she rushed to my side. Elric and Noldrett gave her the space to meet me. "God, are you okay? Nico said you were in a fight."

"I said she narrowly caused one!" Nico corrected, leaning in the doorway. She glared over her shoulder at him.

"Same difference," she snapped back.

I could read the worry all over her face. There were dark circles under her eyes, which were dull from stress, inexplicably reminding me of when we were studying for our SATs in our junior year. Or I was studying, and she was having a breakdown about feeling forced to go to college instead of following her dreams.

Those dreams would die here. She needed to go back home.

As much as I loved this world... I would have to go back with her.