II. The Impact of Her

~ Two ~

Elizabeth smiled as her grip on my hand tightened. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

I groaned once again, feeling an immense pain on the back of my head. I buried my head in my hands, trying to soothe the pain.

"Does your head hurt that much?" she asked quickly as she stood from her chair. "I'll go and fetch the Medicine King for you."

"No..." I gathered all the strength that I had, just to be able to utter one word.

She stopped immediately as she heard me speak. "Why not? You are clearly in pain," she said as she carefully sat down, holding my hand.

I slowly shook my head, careful not to add more pain to my already pulsing hand. "Where..." I tried to form a sentence at a slow pace. My body was numb, unable to function properly. "Where's... Mother?" I sighed. I felt as if I ran a marathon, just to say those two words!

"Mother's fine. You don't have to worry about her," Elizabeth reassured me. She continued, "James has been keeping a close eye on her ever since you two arrived here."

I looked around, trying to figure out what day it was. It felt like time passed over me.

"How... h-how long..."

"How long were you asleep?" Elizabeth finished my sentence.

I nodded in relief.

She stayed quiet for a brief moment before saying, "Will you believe me if I told you that you've been unconscious for three months?"

My eyes widened in shock. Three months?! Was I unconscious for three whole months?!

Perhaps Elizabeth read my expression on my face and quickly replied, "We also didn't expect that you will remain in slumber for that long. However, the Medicine King said you lost too much blood by the time he was able to take a look at you. Your body has to regain its strength on its own."

My brain refused to believe what Elizabeth told me. It was impossible for me to be unconscious in that amount of time. Yes, I bled too much by the time James and his men arrived. But I didn't think that my wound would cause that damage to me.

I slowly sat up, groaning as I pushed myself upwards. I opened my shirt from the chest and there was the wound, marked on me by the pirate leader.

"The wound was cut dangerously deep, according to the Medicine King," Elizabeth said. "James was fuming with anger upon seeing your state. You don't want to know what he did to the pirates when you arrived back."

I carefully put a finger on the wound, cautious if it would still hurt. Once my finger made contact with the stitches, I flinched. My face scrunched because of the sudden sting.

"Refrain from touching it, brother," Elizabeth immediately moved my finger away. "Your wound is still fresh. It can get infected quickly."

I sighed, slouching my back towards the pillow behind me. I felt so helpless in my current state. I was treated as a child, so fragile that I wasn't even allowed to leave my bed.

A knock came upon my door. It opened and my page entered, bowing after. "His Royal Majesty is here," he announced, leaving as James stepped in.

His expression immediately changed when he saw me. His calm demeanour softened as he approached us. Elizabeth stood in order to give way to James.

James stood beside my sister. "How are you feeling?" he asked sincerely. Something that I didn't see from him often.

I turned to Elizabeth, hoping that she would answer for me.

Elizabeth turned to James and said, "Robert still has a difficult time speaking. I believe his wound has something to do with it."

"Does it burn?" James asked me another question after Elizabeth's response.