Rebirth (A Remington Leith AU)

Chapter 34

Even though the knights rode fast to the castle, every second felt like an eternity as I was afraid Remington's life would be gone before we got there. When we finally arrived a few servants and castle guards were told quickly and promptly by Maxima to bring Remington in for intensive care and to try to get him back as quickly as possible. They did as they were told as they brought a stretcher to take Remington in and carry him back inside the castle. I stayed where I stood outside of it and I couldn't seem to move my feet. Maxima noticed my behavior and stepped closer to me, "Your Highness, are you alright? Do you need anything?" I stared at the ground for a moment before turning my head to face her and ask her, "What just happened, Sir Maxima?" She seemed surprised by my question and then answered it, "Felix had broke free of the knights' grip for a moment and pulled out a dagger from his boot and attempted to aim it at you. Prince Remington saw this and pushed you out of its direction and ended up getting injured. For harming both the prince and princess, I attempted to incapacitate Felix, but I guess my fury ended up having him killed."

It helped somewhat to understand how Remington ended up like this, but I wasn't sure if I couldn't expect it to get any better. I was frozen in my spot and couldn't move my feet, so Maxima took matters in her own hands and carried me in her arms before taking me inside the castle and bringing me upstairs to my bedroom. She sat me down on the bed and told me she'd be back with some food and water. Realizing I was back in my bed, I let myself lie back and  feel the sheets on my hands, Remington's scent coming off of them and sweetly intoxicating me. I curled up more into the bed and rested on the side Remington would lie on, I ended up crying softly and letting my tears fall on the pillow. Maxima came back with some bread and water and after seeing me in this state, placed them on the nightstand to come closer to my side amd ask if I was okay. I told her, "No, Maxima. For the first time in my life, I'm terrified and am feeling hopeless. It's all my fault Remington's going to die and I will never forgive myself."

I continued to cry for my husband and then felt Maxima take my hand in hers as she attempted to firmly reassure me, "Your Highness, I will not stand here and tolerate you taking unnecessary responsibility for something that wasn't your fault. Remington's actions were just in everything he's done to rescue you and save your life. He would never blame you and neither would I, so please don't do this to yourself." My crying stopped for a moment as she continued to reason with me, "Yes, it is unsure if Remington can recover from such an injury, but he's a strong man and he will try to fight for his life if it means he gets to see you again. We will work our absolute hardest and bring in the best people to help your husband recover the best he can, but the best thing you can do besides blame yourself and sulk is hold on to hope that everything will go well and never lose that hope no matter what happens. Regardless of the outcome, the kingdom will still need you to be a leader and a shining example of hope for them."

Her words helped a lot, and I managed to wipe my tears as I sat up to hug her in gratitude for instilling my sense of hope once more. She reminded me, "You're a strong woman, Your Highness. There's no one else who has a strong sense of spirit and optimism like you." After she left, I went to eat my bread and drink the water, and it felt so good regaining my energy after not having any food or water for almost two days. I cleaned myself up afterwards with water and soap and as I cleaned some scars and cuts, I couldn't help but remember my time locked in that cage by Felix. When I thought about it, he was the exact opposite of Remington. While Remington was honest, gentle and considerate of others, Felix was constantly lying, rough and violent, and only cared about everything that applied to himself. I wondered how Remington was once friends with someone like him, but i realized it doesn't matter now that it remains in the past and Felix is no longer a danger to anyone else.

It took over a week for the staff and doctors to help Remington recover from his injury, all the while he was in a coma as they treated him. My mother even went in to help them out and claimed how incredible it was that he hasn't died yet from such a fatal injury. She believed it was because he was fighting for his life and trying to get back to me, the woman he loves most in this world. The next day as I was looking for flowers in the gardens to leave for Remington, I heard a familiar voice call out to me from a distance and I turned to see Sophia running towards me at a fast speed. As soon as she caught up to me, she was out of breath and struggled to speak clearly. I asked her, "Sophia, what is wrong? Why were you running like something was chasing you?" After she finally regained her energy, she took a deep breath and exclaimed in excitement, "PRINCE REMINGTON HAS AWOKEN FROM HIS COMA! YOU'VE GOT TO COME SEE HIM IMMEDIATELY!" My heart stopped after she told me that and I followed her as she ran back to the castle where Remington had been staying in an infirmary room.

I stopped a few feet from the room, nervous to see him again and if he's really okay and I wasn't dreaming. My mother emerged from the room and smiled as she saw me and then reached her hand out for me telling me, "Come, darling. He's been waiting for you and only you." I took her hand then and she led me inside the room where Remington was sitting up in the bed and looking out the window from the opposing wall. He looked as healthy as a newborn with the exception of a large bandage wrapped around his chest, but I was still stunned to see him alive again. I walked closer before Remington turned his head to my direction and his expression looking at me caused me to get more emotional than I needed to. His beautiful smile appeared on his face and I smiled back, trying so hard not to cry. When I was close enough, I took a seat on the bed and handed him the flowers that I was picking out for his recovery. He took them in his hand and smelled them, but not long before he dropped them and pulled me close to him. He crashed his lips on mine and almost as if a dam had been broken, I kissed him back and we held each other tightly as tears streamed down my face and I reveled in having the love of my life back to me.