Throne of Ashes (Fire And Blood Saga I)

Chapter 4: Cassel, II

Once again, English is not my native language so please be kind about my mistakes!

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The little prince opened his eyes that morning (or maybe that afternoon, he really didn't know) and the first thing he noticed was that everything hurts.

His body protested every small movement, his legs and arms felt heavy, and his feet throbbed and burned as if he had danced on smoldering embers.

He felt almost as if his body had exhausted itself.

Cassel blinked, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar room he was in, but no feeling of familiarity came to him, no matter how many minutes he looked around.

His first attempt to get up ended before it even began; Cassel lifted himself, trying to get out of bed, but pain coursed through him instantly and his breath caught for a few seconds, as if he had forgotten to breathe.

His limbs protested, his back against the hard bed again, and his eyes filled with tears he didn't let fall.

Everything hurt, and he felt as if small needles were embedding themselves in his skin with every movement he tried to make, so he remained still.

His eyes scanned the room again, finally giving up on getting up, and only then could Cassel let himself be carried away by the calm he had finally found.

The room he was in was not luxurious; in fact, it was quite the opposite. But despite the lack of decoration and wealth, its dark wooden walls gave him a cozy feeling.

A faint light entered through a window to his left, and the weak rays of the sun warmed his skin gently, making him feel an unusual calm.

As if nothing within that small, humble room could harm him. Or perhaps, as if nothing evil could enter that room to hurt him.

Just a second later, the door swung open, and a young man entered with a small food tray.

"Finally, you're awake!"

Cassel blinked, unsure of what was happening before his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" the young man asked. "You've been asleep for hours," he continued, as if he didn't even need Cassel's response.

The boy, not much older than Cassel himself, paced back and forth under the prince's stunned gaze, as if he owned the room.

And Cassel suddenly considered something:

Maybe the young man was the owner of the room.

The Little Prince of Laurentia remained silent, feeling it was too much effort to break the other's concentration as he paced.

It was almost hypnotic for Cassel.

"Though I think it's normal to sleep a whole day," the young man said, undeterred by Cassel's silence, "considering... everything."

Cassel stared, his mouth opening and closing in awe, the boy having completely caught him off guard. Before Cassel could respond, the monologue continued.

"I don't mean you look bad," he said with an apologetic smile, as if only now realizing how many words he'd spoken in just a few minutes. "Though, actually, you do look... rather unwell?" he admitted, trying futilely to be considerate.

"Before?" Cassel managed to ask with difficulty, feeling as if he hadn't used his voice in a long time.

"Before you passed out."

"Oh."

Cassel fell silent for a moment before stating in a flat, emotionless voice, "I think my world just ended too."