Something Beautiful

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

(Will)

    I watch her eyelids close, and I smile. She looked so small when I was holding her before, curled up into my arms, watching her lips quiver from the cold air. For a moment I'd thought about what it would be like to hold her close to me like that all the time, to kiss those soft lips of hers...

   No! I shouldn't be thinking this way! I shouldn't have even brought her back to the infirmary myself. I should've just found someone else to do it. But she could've passed out, I reminded myself, and who knows what could've happened to her? What those men could've done to her... So it was actually good that I'd found her, right?

   I look at her again, the white infirmary blankets covering her. I wish I could've been there earlier, fought off those men for her...

   I snap myself out of my daydream. I shouldn't be in this hospital room, watching her sleep. That was beyond odd, it was creepy. I give one last fleeting glance at her sleeping body, and exit the room quickly.

   I silently walk down the halls. At least, I thought I was walking silently. A door opens to reveal a golden-haired, blue-eyed girl: Kazey.

   "Will!" Kazey says excitedly. "I've been waiting for you! Where have you been?"

    "Just... around."

    Her arms slip around my neck. "Well, I was thinking—"

    "Kazey," I say sternly, putting her hands down. "Not tonight, okay?"

    Kazey pouts. "Will, I miss you..."

    "Sorry." I take a step away from her, and continue my walk upstairs before I could hear her response.

    I didn't feel like being around Kazey, especially after yesterday. We'd barely spent any time together, anyway. When I was with her yesterday was the first time I'd even kissed her. She acted like we'd known each other for our entire lives.

    I continue walking down the hall, when I pass a few other maids in the corner. They were giggling, huddled together in the corner.

    "Good evening, Your Highness!" they say unanimously. Their chorus of high pitched voices was annoying and shrill, and I wanted to keep walking.

    But I was raised well, and say to them, "Good evening, ladies."

    I watch them gasp and giggle again. "He talked to me!" I hear one of them whisper.

    I knew it made people happy when a prince acknowledged their existence, but there were days like today when I just wished I was normal. That someone else could be the prince. That the boy who had the celebrity-like popularity that prevented him from going outside the palace wasn't me. I loved the kingdom, I did. But having the constant worries of becoming a king someday almost made me resent being born into a royal family.

     Finally I reach my bedroom, and I unlock the door with my key. I had kept it locked for awhile now, that way none of the insane fan-girls could get in. I climb into my bed and fall asleep easily.

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   I wake up the next morning with sunlight streaming in through my windows. I close the curtains, and get changed quickly. I look at myself in the mirror, and try to fix my tangled mess of dark hair. After a futile few minutes, I walk outside my room. I see Miss Meridal in the hallway, knocking on Maria's door and balancing a tray of food.

    "Mornin', Miss Meridal," I say, coming closer to her. She looks at me curiously, those haunting brown eyes of hers staring at me intently. It was as if she wanted to say something to me, but wasn't quite sure how to say it.