Pricked

11

     "Peter?"

"Hey Will, it's good to see you. It's been a while, where have you been?"

"Who is he talking to?" I ask Arren. He too looks interested in Peter's new friend as he cranes his head slightly to peer out the open door. Their conversation continues and the door inches open then fully swings hitting the wall behind it. The small gold edged from knocked slightly askew from the doors impact. Peter tilted the emerald willow tree picture straight. His face anxiously stretching into a cautious smile.

"Arren this is a friend of mine." The man to whom I assume is Will enters and his appearance makes me do a double take.

"Hello, I'm Will" he reaches out a large calloused hand.

"Arren" Arren says taking Wills hand in his "pleasure to meet you."

"You as well."

There is a moment of silence. I listen to Arren's watch tick away each tick sounding of a bomb counting down about to go off as they stand mouths open but unable to speak. Will is a large man, even larger then Peter and Peter is at least 6'3. Will is an African American man and his skin is the deepest of brown. His hair is short and black but barely even there its cut so close to his head. He looks like he could be a knight but I know he isn't. No one outside the king's circle would ever be a guard but Peter was getting closer to earning his way in the palace.

"Will helps train with me" Peter says breaking the silence. "He's..." Peter pauses a slight hitch in his voice and his eyes skim Will's tall frame. "Well, he kicks my butt most days" Will tires to hide a smile of modestly but then Will looks past Arren and he sees me. His face drops and he looks up to Peter, fear, confusion, or disgust plasters his handsome face.

"Oh yeah and this is Rose." Peter says nonchalantly waving a hand at me.

"Well that's not really her name but-" Peter cuts Arren off and proceeds with a most interesting story of me and how I came to be here. Peter tells Will a shortened version of what happened and that Arren is a doctor trying to fix me. As Peter talks I try and identify Will. I must have seen him before, could he be the man from just a few days ago? The man that took Margretta? He is tall and brown skinned but many men in the palace are. There are not many tall red hair boys as Peter but there are a lot of pale skinned tall men, I wouldn't be able to tell either way.

"Wow" Will says once Peters done "that's terrible but also amazing" he reached for Arren's hand again "you are doing great work. Medicine is something everyone needs and from what Peter has told me of you previously," Arren's face begins to blush "you are the kind of doctor that most should aspire to be."

"Wow" Arren says now clearly flustered and lost for words "thank you, thank you so much" Arren is defiantly surprised by Will's kind words and I too realize I'm smiling as well. "If you ever need a doctor I would always be happy to help. I know Peter can get a good punch in at times."

"That he can."

"Hey I'm great it's just that Will is well, better... for now." A smile tugs at Peter's lips as he brushes a hand through his wavy red hair.

"My sister" Will continues "was sick and she..." he looks down to his feet and bites his lip before continuing "there wasn't a doctor that would see her." His face is reddened and his eyes swell with small tear "She died." He wipes at his face quickly removing the tears before they fall. It was him, it is him. My mind goes blank, she died? Margretta died?

"Oh, I'm so sorry"

"You never told me that" Peter starts.

"I don't like to talk about it but I thought .. I wanted to tell you because it's really nice of you to offer to take care of me if needed."

"When did that happen? I meet Margretta last month, didn't I?" Peter asked carefully as he placed a long fingered hand on Will's wide shoulder.

"Recently" is all he says as he shakes Peter's touch off of him.

"I'm sorry I didn't know you when she was alive."

Another moment passes of pure pain in silence.

"Well it was a pleasure and I hope to see you and Rose again sometime in the future." Will says slapping on a smile and holding his hand again for Arren.

"Yeah, you too Will."

"Come on I'll walk out with you" Peter says leading Will out of the room.

"Well that was intense" I say not realizing that my smile faded to a tight pursed line.