The Princess Needs A Prince

[Chapter Twenty-Seven]

Hoshang's POV:

My eyelids fluttered open. I licked my parched lips. Where? I looked around, trying not to move my head. The canopy of the bed was a different color than mine.

"You're awake."

I turned my head to fast that a sharp stab punctured my temples. I groaned and snapped my eyes shut. It passed rather quickly. When I did open my eyes, the Princess stood close to the bed. Her hair was a mess and her dress was...ripped?

I tried to make out some words but my throat was sandpaper. Instead, my lips only parted. My back was drenched in sweat. What had I been doing? Why am I here?

I looked around more, twisting my head only if I had to. My eyes looked at something in her hands.

"I'm calling the doctor," she said, her voice weary.

"No," I croaked and got up abruptly. I immediately regretted my decision when the world spun around me. My body was pulled around the room and I fell to the ground, knees crashing against the hard floor. She was at my side in less than a second.

"It wasn't a question," she said sternly. Her eyes glowed so intensely that it made me think she wasn't up for a discussion.

She helped me on the bed pitifully and then positioned herself beside me. "You don't want me to call a doctor!" She threw her hands up as she rose. "You don't want to see a doctor! Of course, I should have known! You know what, fine!" She scoffed and sat back down, slouching only a little bit. After awhile, she shot up. "Do you have a death wish?!" She exclaimed with her small fists tied at her side. I almost jumped from the outburst. But then I heard her voice tremble with small hiccups. She wiped her face with her sleeve and sat back down by me.

"I- I'm sorry," I said quietly in between her quiet sobs. Her sobs didn't die. "As a kid," I began. "Asthma was a huge problem. Almost every week, I'd get these severe attacks that would clench my lungs. As I grew older, they came less often, but they still came occasionally." I paused. "But just think, if word were to get out that their Prince was sick, do you think they'd trust him out on the battlefield? It's a sign of weakness." She was quiet.

"It of course ran in my family," I continued. "My birth mother was always ill. Ever since I could remember, she was always in her room. Laying in bed or staring out the window. She died from an asthma attack when I was six."

"I'm sorry," she said. Her eyes were now filled with empathy.

"It's alright. I don't remember much about her, barely even remember her face," I said.

"But you must remember something."

I was silent for a moment because I thought I might break. The same image came back as I closed my eyes. A woman who sat on a chair with her back facing me. Her hair cascading down her back. The window that showed the beautiful country of Persia. When her head turned back to me, I opened my eyes. I don't want to see.

"Hoshang? Are you alright?" She asked.

"Ah, sorry. Right, my doctor had to take a short break. He'll be back with my father when he comes to the ball," I informed her. "I'll survive." She was silent. 

In a soft tone, she spoke. "Hoshang, you almost died. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"I don't think...you do..." She mumbled and then looked back up at me. "Just promise me you'll have a guard with you at all times.

"I promise."

"A man is only as good as his actions," she said.

"You really don't trust me, do you."

"Just saying," her voice hinted at a smile.

"By the way, where am I?" This definitely wasn't my room or any place that I recognized.

"My room," she said casually as if a man in a woman's room was normal. To top it off, she yawned. I coughed at her words, but mostly at my imagination. "Are you okay!?" She gasped. I was glad she thought it was my asthma.

"I- I'm fine." I said and got up. I was glad when my head wasn't met with another stab. "I'll just get going then," I said and wiped my thoughts clean. When I reached the door, I stopped and turned. Something hit my chest.

"Ouch!" She yelped.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "Why are you following me?"

"I have to escort you back!"

"Like that?" I gestured. She looked down at her dress and back at me. Unexpectedly, she flushed violently with her eyebrows drawn together. I grit my teeth to stop a forming grin. My arm held the door for her as she walked passed me. We walked together, but she mostly walked in front, occasionally turning her head to me. "How long was I out?" I asked.

"About an hour and a half."

"I-." My ringing phone cut me off. I pulled out my phone and checked the caller. It was father.

"Yes Father?" I answered. "Ah-" I glanced at the princess and began talking in Persian.  "پدر من."