**OLD DRAFT**Protectors: Book 1 of Protectors **OLD DRAFT**

Chapter 14

  Jade and Reiner left Charles and went to his rooms to be attended by the physician. The physician carefully removed the prince's tunic and undershirt while Jade stood off to one side with Phantom and watched. There was more blood than Jade had expected, the cut was clean and blood had drizzled down the prince's arm and down his neck and onto his chest. It had been hidden by his shirts. Jade felt sick to her stomach with guilt and when Reiner looked at her he offered a smile while the blood was being wiped away.

                "Don't look so horrified Jade," he said.

                "I'm sorry," Jade mumbled and lowered her gaze, trying to take her mind off the blood and the fact that she had attacked a prince, now her sworn. Reiner chuckled and then hissed when the physician started applying a paste to the cuts.

                "That stings," Reiner complained. The physician, an older man with short graying hair and a long beard merely looked over his glasses at the prince with a straight face, void of any sympathy. By the way he treated the prince and spoke to him, Jade guess he had served the family for many years. She imagined him tending to all the royal children as they grew, and she guess he had seen his fair share of broken bones and scrapes. She smiled at the thought.

                "Well good, maybe it will help you learn your lesson," the physician said.

                "And what lesson is that dear Hamlin?"

                "Not to get into unnecessary sword fights with complete strangers," Hamlin said calmly and placed the jar of paste onto the table and grabbed the bandages and started wrapping the cut on his arm.

                "How else was I to test a potential body guard?" Reiner asked, not surprised by Hamlin's behavior.

                Hamlin cinched the bandage tightly and Reiner hissed again and glared at Hamlin, but even Jade saw it was a pretense, she doubted anything Hamlin did would truly get him into real trouble. "Perhaps by trusting the people around you do make that decision?" Hamlin suggested.

                A small grave smile crept onto Reiner's face. "I remember what happened the last time I trusted someone else's opinion. Do you?"

                Hamlin didn't even pause, his face grew slightly more serious and he said. "I do, but that doesn't mean we should forsake our trust for all others for one person's actions. You still have your family Reiner, do not forget that."  Hamlin finished on the bandages and packed his things into the leather case he brought with him. When he was at the door he turned and bowed to Reiner, "I will come tomorrow to check on the bandages." Then he was gone.

        Jade looked around the room to avoid Reiner's gaze, which she could feel like it were a tangible thing poking her in the stomach. The room was similar to Charles though decorated to a far different taste. The meeting common area had books as Charles had but two tables had been pushed together to accommodate large maps which were rolled out and weighed down to keep flat. Jade felt that there was more organization to Reiner's rooms, there were swords hanging in a rack on the wall, which Jade could easily tell were not decoration though some were more ceremonial pieces. The books on the shelves were not thin novels but scrolls and heavy old leather set volumes were stacked instead. The carpet was plush and comfortable but Jade could see where there were stains, and it seemed that Reiner had no desire to switch them out for new ones. There were tall but thin windows and glass doors that led out onto a balcony.  The fireplace was cold and the plush chairs in front of it unoccupied. Paintings adorned the walls, some portraits, others of scenes of battles, and some landscapes. Everything, while well used, was clean and neat.