Pain like Gwen had never felt before raced through her body. Her arm was in agonizing pain, but she refused to open her eyes to assess the damage. It took all of her willpower to keep from screaming, but she would not do so in front of any of the competitors. A low panicked chattering reached Gwen's ears. She picked up snippets of conversation.

"We should move her," muttered a low voice

"No, we can't, something-" Gwen's ears were ringing painfully

"You can't stop me from-"

Gwen stopped paying attention to the voices and focused on trying to stay conscious. They were at the castle; someone would take care of her.

Suddenly a large burst of pain shot through her body. Her arm was being jostled around as she was lifted into the air by a pair of strong arms.

"Be careful with her!" an anxious voice exclaimed, sounding angry.

Gwen cracked open her eyes and was immediately blinded by the bright sun. She looked up to see a stony faced Rowan marching towards the castle. Every step he took moved her arm, making the walk back to the castle excruciating. Behind Rowan walked Xander, bouncing up and down in a panic, peering over Rowan's shoulder every once in awhile to look at her.

They walked and walked for what seemed like forever. She continued to fade in and out of consciousness, listening to the voices. One voice always sounded angry, the other low and calm. She didn't have to be a genius to figure out who was speaking.

Finally the bouncing motion stopped and she was laid down onto a soft bed. She let out a small sigh of relief and opened her eyes to survey the scene around her. She was in a large infirmary with a row of identical beds pushed against the wall.

An old looking woman in a white uniform hurried towards her, looking concerned. Gwen struggled to hear what the woman was saying, her brain feeling as if it were stuffed with cotton.

"What happened?" she exclaimed, looking to Rowan and Xander angrily. "I was assured these trails would be perfectly safe."

Rowan glanced over at Gwen with a pained expression on his face.

"I thought the same. I don't know what happened. She was fine until the Pegasus threw her off. It was amazing she stayed on as long as she did. It got close enough to the ground before it threw her off that she was able to avoid serious injury."

"I'll be the one to decide how seriously she's injured," she snapped back.

Gwen watched the scene through her eyelashes, surprised at the way the nurse addressed Rowan.

The nurse started hurrying around the infirmary gathering supplies.

"You two," she barked at Rowan and Xander. "make yourselves useful."

She handed Rowan a damp cloth and a bottle of something pale blue, and sent Xander scurrying off to find bandages.

Rowan sat down heavily on the short wooden stool by Gwen's bed. She lay completely still as his gentle hands moved across her aching body. Everywhere he touched with the ointment stung painfully. She gasped as he rubbed the scrapes on her legs. He didn't say anything, but worked methodically across the exposed skin of her arms and legs.

Xander walked up behind Rowan, holding an armful of bandages, and dumped them on the bed beside her. He pulled up a second stool and watched Rowan carefully.

"You're hurting her!" he exclaimed, pulling Rowan's hand away roughly. "Can't you see her flinch every time you touch her?" Rowan stood up, knocking his stool to the ground.

"Get your hands off me," he growled, throwing the bottle on the bed. Xander was quick to follow him to his feet and dropped his hand.

"I would if you actually cared. You just feel guilty that your stupid trials did this to her," Xander barked, stepping closer to Rowan.

"Watch how you talk to me," Rowan's gaze slide down to the crest on Xander's uniform, "Guard," he said with a smirk. He pushed Xander away from him roughly, sending him toppling into the row of unoccupied beds.

"Out! Get out!"

The nurse came hurrying back from the backroom, her arms full of various types of medical supplies.

"I will not tolerate this behavior in my infirmary! Get out!"

The two men glared at each other disdainfully, neither wishing to argue with the angry nurse they both stomped out.

"I know you're awake dear. My name is Nurse Abigail," the nurse said, taking a seat beside Gwen, her voice considerably less hostile than it had been the moment before. "Would you please talk to me?" she asked kindly.

Gwen opened her eyes further, and found herself looking into a pair of light blue eyes. Everything about the nurse seemed friendly. She had short greying hair and a soft smile. There were no signs of the woman who wasn't afraid to yell at a prince, just a small, grandmotherly lady.

Gwen opened her mouth, voice cracking. "Am I eliminated?" she asked, head pounding painfully.

Abigail laughed quietly. "I should have known that's all that you'd care about right now, you're just like all of the other guards," she said, not answering the question.

"Please, you have to tell me," Gwen begged, trying her best to ignore her injuries.

"I'm sorry dear, I don't know anything about that. You're going to have to ask that Prince of yours."

Gwen scowled up at the laughing face of the nurse.

"He is not my Prince."

She could feel her face flaming under the scrutiny of a stranger.

"Now, will you let me look you over? I don't think you'll have any lasting injuries. Rowan said you held on quite a long time and didn't fall from too high. I think your arm may be broken and you probably hit your head pretty hard. The rest are probably just bumps and scrapes, but I'd still like to take a closer look."

Gwen sighed, not liking having someone fuss over her. With Kai training to work in medicine he had always tended to every little bump she had as a child. She was always more reckless because of it, not fearing being hurt because her big brother would always look after her. It was strange for her to have someone else take care of her.

The nurse wrapped the most serious of her cuts in bandages and tied her injured arm securely to her body. She decided there was nothing wrong with Gwen's head, and let her sit up finally. Feeling quite dizzy, Gwen leaned against the wall behind the bed, bracing herself before any movement.

"When can I leave?" Gwen asked once Abigail seemed satisfied with her work.

"You'll stay here for the night and you can go in the morning."

"But I-" Gwen started

"No buts," she said, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "I want to keep an eye on you and make sure there is nothing else wrong with you."

Gwen sighed in resignation, knowing how firm the nurse could be by the way she had told Xander and Rowan off before.

Gwen sat in her hospital bed, itching to get up and do something. She couldn't stand the idea of not knowing how the others did in the last trial and if there were any results. If she did well enough on this trial she would be part of the guard and could try for the Elite Guard. She knew she would have to train a lot as a guard before attempting that though, she had barely gotten by being eliminated in the last two trials. That would not be good enough for her to be part of the best group of guards in the kingdom.

A slow creaking drew Gwen's attention to the door of the infirmary. The nurse had headed to her corridors for the night, instructing Gwen to call for her if she needed anything.

In her solitude Gwen took a moment to take in her surroundings. The sharp scent of disinfecting solution and cleaning supplies tingled in her nostrils. The off-white painted brick walls were lined with empty beds. With not a single person around, Gwen felt truly alone in the infirmary.

Xander crept in slowly, surveying the room for any sign of the strict nurse who had kicked him out before. When he couldn't find any danger, he hurried over to Gwen's side, looking worried.

She opened her mouth to apologize to him again, but he interrupted her before she could even begin.

"I am so sorry for acting like a jerk before. Anyone would have done the same thing. You barely know me and I shouldn't have expected you to sacrifice yourself for me."

Gwen shook her head, speechless for a moment. "No, it was an awful thing to do to a person; you did nothing to deserve it. I was a coward."

"Gwen, when I saw you lying there on the ground I was so afraid you wouldn't wake up. I know we barely know each other but I care about you. I don't know why but we have a connection and I want you to be part of my life. I don't want to hate you anymore."

Gwen grinned up at him, his blonde hair flopping over his eyes. Once again Gwen was astounded by his boyish good looks. She nodded, forgetting everything that had happened between them.

"Friends?" she asked with a smile. Xander snorted, pulling her into his arms in a tight hug.

"For now," he muttered softly, so she could barely hear him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another chapter finally! Thanks again for all the support on this story, please comment and let me know what you think so far! 

xoxo Emma