Snow's White | ✓

9. Warm as Snow

Lucas paced in front of the door of Keir's chamber, his teeth gnawing on what little remained of his thumb nail as he tried to remember to breathe. A servant kept pestering him about changing his soiled attire, but appearances were hardly Lucas's main concern when Keir could be bleeding to death behind the door. 

"Your Highness, at least take this towel to wipe away the blood," a servant begged, a bucket with herbed water and a wet cloth in her hands. Lucas tore his eyes from the door to glance at the servant, who pleaded at him with her eyes. He then looked down at his clothes, the white material blotched with dried blood - Keir's blood. Streaks of dark dirt and God knows what was embedded into its fine threads. His face and hair likely did not look any better, nor did the dark look in his eyes as he gritted his teeth. 

"Very well," Lucas replied through his teeth, the servant hastily wiping away the grime as he stood there, eyes still locked onto the door. As his hands were cleaned, Lucas remember how he had cleaned Keir's hands just hours before, his jaw clenching at the fresh memory. He recalled the warmth of Keir's hand, how his slender fingers were rough with callouses, and how his pale palm had felt pressed flush against Lucas's own. 

'Stay with me.'

"Lucas!"

Lucas turned sharply at the noise, grunting as a pair of wailing arms wrapped around him. Rose's dark locks cascaded around her trembling shoulders as she buried her head into Lucas's chest. Lucas instinctively wrapped his arms around her shoulder, nuzzling his nose into the crown of her head, inhaling her scent. Sweet, just like-

"Keir, is he... oh Gods, is he-" Rose cried, gripping onto the front of Lucas's shirt with a shaking grip, Lucas crushing her to his chest again as he shushed her, peppering calming kisses to her scalp in an attempt to calm them both down. As Rose slowly settled, sniffling delicately as she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, Lucas cupped her cheeks and gave her a soft smile. 

"It's late, and I doubt the doctors will be done tending to your brother any time soon. Get some rest, Snow. If anything changes, I'll send someone to let you know straight away," Lucas murmured, kissing Rose's forehead tenderly. Rose shook her head, and urged that she wanted to stay here and wait for news, but was eventually persuaded when Lucas assured her that he would wait outside the doors in case anything happened. As Rose walked off, accompanied by two handmaids, Lucas sighed as he continued his pacing in front of the door.

Time passed slowly, the candles in the sconces lining the hallways dimming as the wax gave way. As servants efficiently replaced the spent candles with fresh ones, the doors in front of him suddenly opened. 

"Doctor," Lucas called, intercepting the doctor as soon as he appeared in the doorway. "What news?"

The doctor bowed quickly before speaking, wiping his brow with an already damp cloth. Lucas's heart dropped.

"He has pulled through the worst of it, though his condition over the coming night will be crucial," the doctor reported, glancing at the dishevelled prince nervously, as if he could say the wrong thing and send the already rattled prince off the edge.

"Thank god," Lucas exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose sharply.

"He lost quite a bit of blood, but he's quite strong. I'm surprised he hadn't lost consciousness throughout that whole ordeal," the doctor said, fiddling with his coat, which was now smeared with blood. "Even when suturing, he didn't lose consciousness."

"So he's awake?" Lucas interrupted, pushing past the doctor and through the doors. His eyes immediately went to Keir's elongated form on the bed, a few nurses gently wiping down his bared torso and arms with cool cloths to remove the sweat and blood that had crusted there. Keir smiled weakly as Lucas approached him, mouth open in words that he couldn't speak. Seeing their prince enter the room, the nurses glanced at each other, before curtseying and leaving the room.