Their Princess

Chapter 83

Raelynn's Pov

I wake up to some noises in my room, but for some reason, I can't open my eyes. My eyelids are so heavy that I end up falling asleep again.

A whimper leaves my mouth when a cool and wet cloth is placed on my skin. I wanted to throw it away and cocoon myself into the warmth of my blankets, but no matter what I do, my muscles don't comply.

“ It's okay, baby. We have got you.” A voice says. I feel a feathery kiss to the top of my head, which immediately warms my heart and gives me the strength to open my eyes.

I see Daddy then Eli. A hand changes the cloth on my left arm, and I turn to see my Rey there. How long have they been here? And why do I feel so weak?

“ Do you need anything, love?” Daddy asks, cupping my face.

I close my eyes to think properly, but again, I'm having trouble focusing. My thoughts are all over the place. I can't focus on any single thing properly. And before I know it, I'm falling asleep again.

My sleep is filled with dreams and nightmares. I'm running, hiding, and fighting everyone and everything. But the worst dream was when I woke up at home on Earth and realized that I lived a lie, Ethna didn't exist, Daddy, Rey, and Eli didn't exist. I cried and cried to the point I woke up.

“ Hey, what happened, baby?” I hear Rey’s voice who is cuddling me to his chest now. I turn my face in his chest, weeping my heart out in relief. 

It's real. He's real. They're real. I'm safe.

“ Rey! What happened?!!” Daddy asks, coming into the room.

“ I don't know. She was crying in her sleep. Maybe she had a nightmare.”

“ Love, everything is alright now. You are here with us.” I can only whine in reply, which is joined by a heavy sob. Rey rubs my back softly, helping me to calm down.

I look around to see Eli nowhere around. Where did he go? 

“ Take this, baby. You will feel much better after this.” He holds some green paste in a spoon for me to swallow with water. I do as he says. Almost gagging on the taste.

“ That's my sweet, brave girl. You're doing so good, baby.” Rey praises. I hide my face in his chest, feeling the need to be pampered by them.

“ Are you hungry, love?” Daddy asks softly. Way too softly than his usual soft voice that he uses for me. Only me. I didn't know if that was possible at this point. 

“ Tea.” 

“ Okay. I will ask Neri to get you some tea. Rey, can you check her temperature until then? I will be back.”

“ Okay.”

Tired already, I lay my body down on the bed. Rey, following my actions. He is staring at me with such intensity that I can't hold his gaze longer. 

Daddy comes soon with a cup of tea. The cup was way too heavy for me to hold, so Daddy held it for me while Rey held me in his arms.

“ What day is it?” My voice was hoarse.

“ Well, it's been 3 days since we last had dinner together.” 

Woah. I wasn't expecting that.

Daddy saw my shocked expression and tried to calm me down. “ It's okay. You're awake now. That's a good thing. How are you feeling now?” 

“ Exhausted. I can't even move a limb.”

“ You don't have to. Just tell us what you want and you'll have it.” Rey assures.

“ Where's Eli?”

“ He went to your healer to collect your medicine.”

I nod absently. 

“ Do you want to eat something, baby?” I shook my head left and right, denying.

Yawning, I look at my bed then at Daddy. His eyes light up in anticipation. “ You want to sleep in my arms?” I nod and crawl to him.

“ Can we go outside?” 

Daddy and Rey look at each other, hesitating slightly but then relents to my request. 

“ I will ask Neri to sterilize the room.” Rey offers. 

“ That will be good. Do you feel like showering, baby?”

“ No.”

“ Okay. Where do you want to go?”

“ Garden, please.”

“ Are you sure? It's getting cold.”

“ I want to see the sun, Daddy.” 

“ Okay. Let's wrap you in something warm first.”

As soon as we sit in the garden, I see someone running in our direction. “ Is she okay? How is she feeling now? She really gave everyone a scare, and why is she outside in the cold?” Zed asks under one breath.

“ She is still running a fever, but it's not as high as it was yesterday.”

“ That's a relief. Why are you out in the cold with her? She should be all warmed up in her room.”

Daddy shrugs. “ She wanted to.”

Zed opens his mouth but then closes it. We sit there in silence, enjoying the sun, light breeze, birds, and occasional clunking from the kitchen. Daddy will kiss my head and rub my arms after every few minutes. 

“ Uh huh…. Kai is coming here.” Zed mumbles under his breath. “ I will handle him.” As soon as he leaves Daddy’s tab starts ringing, disturbing my quiet and serene evening.

When the call extends longer than my patience, I start whining. “ Daddy, me…”

“ I will call you later.” The person on the other line continues to talk, but Daddy ends the call.

“ I'm sorry, my love. It's you only. See, I'm focused on you.” He puts a strand of hair behind my ear and kisses my forehead. I lay my head on his chest, listening to the rhythmic beat of his chest that is lulling me to sleep.

I have got a lot of questions to ask, but my mind is in a haze. Thoughts are there, but there's no desire to voice them out. It's like all I need is love and pampering to get myself moving again.

As I'm falling into a deep slumber, I see a figure coming out in the garden. She smirks at me and then disappears into the castle.

What the heck is she doing here?