King | j.b

XVIII

The cool breeze of Christmas Day crawled through the walls of the castle. A shiver crept up Ariana's back as she walked quietly through the castle halls. Small goosebumps formed as tiny hairs stuck up on her skin. She clutched the sweater she wore tightly to her chest, trapping the warmth.

Yesterday had been a hell of a day. Harry had kissed her. And although it had lasted only a second, the king had caught them. Is he always watching me? Ariana thought. It seemed as if he was always lurking in the shadows of the castle, watching her every move.

But Ariana didn't want to think of the events of yesterday. It was Christmas Day, and she wanted to make the best out of it.

As for what she was doing now, she was unsure of. She currently had a free session, so she didn't have any work to do for about an hour. She let out a long breath as she came closer to her destination.

The smell of Christmas hung in the air and Ariana closed her eyes as she breathed through her nostrils. A joyous yet chilling scent filled her nose. She thought about the gift the king had left her this morning. She smiled as she envisioned the form of the beautiful music box. Oh how she wondered what beautiful sound it would make. She would have to find out later, when there were no servants in the room. She had hid it in her trunk where it could not be found.

But Ariana's thoughts had fled from her head when she came to a halt in front of a door. The halls were still eerily silent. Not many people roamed this part of the castle.

She slowly looked up and stared at the large, red plus sign carefully painted on the top of the door. She then patted her apron and adjusted her clothes before entering the room. She reached for the knob and grasped its cold surface in her hand.

Without hesitation, she pushed the door open and quietly shut it behind her. She was soon filled with the smell of medicine and dirty clothes: two things she disliked.

She looked around the clinic. She only came here when she had the nursing session. The 'nursing' session was when servants helped the nurses with their needs while they were taking care of a patient.

There were about twelve beds-- six lined up neatly at each side of the room. Light seeped through the large windows, filling the room with bright light. I seemed a lot less depressing than most clinics Ariana had seen.

Ariana noticed a few nurses at work but not many. Some were tending to the patients, while others scurried around the room busily. Out of the twelve, only five beds were filled; most of them being injured guards. She scanned the room until her eyes landed on the person she was looking for. Her heart beat quickly in her chest as her eyes fixated on him.

She slowly walked towards the curly-haired boy, her hands resting at her sides. But she soon paused for a moment as she realized his eyes were closed. He was sleeping. Maybe I should come back later, she thought. But just before she turned to leave, she saw him stir in his sleep.

Ariana watched him carefully as he brought his arms up to stretch, his lips forming a large 'o' as he yawned. He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his messy hair which flopped to the side. As Ariana looked at him, she imagined what it would have been like if the king had actually killed him. At that moment, he looked so harmless, so fragile, and innocent. It didn't make sense to her how someone could have the potential to kill him.

Harry started to look around the room and Ariana immediately looked down before he could catch her staring at him. Two sides of her brain fought with each other: should she talk to him or not? She didn't know what would be best. But she eventually regretted coming to the clinic at all. Maybe it was a mistake coming here, she thought. But just as she turned to leave, she heard his voice.