The Prince of Ilios

Thirty-One

Nicola frowned, she's right. I scared Kendall half to death just now. I didn't even realize that it was her until Ellora stepped between us. And I didn't even think before I spoke. Regret filled his features. He swept his hand through his hair. His voice came out soft and strained, "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. Go find Kendall, and make sure she is alright. She was pale as a sheet." Ellora shook her head and walked away, leaving the Prince totally confounded. She didn't even gloat about him apologizing. He thought for sure he would have regretted it as soon as the words left his lips, but he didn't. He strode out of the room and into the hall.

Ellora sighed, now she was left without a partner. She picked up another annotation from the jar. Stab wound. Her fingers thumbed absentmindedly through the pages, until she landed on an answer that intrigued her.

She pulled another from the jar, back injury. She searched for another answer. At least this way she was learning.

"Anything I can do to help?" Nicola's voice came from above her.

She stayed bent over the book, completely engulfed in it, "Well, you scared away my partner, so now I get to do this by myself." Ellora looked up at him, a smile sliding across her face, "Or, you could be the sick person."

He groaned, but sat on the stool, "Fine."

"Good," She showed him the annotation, "It is a back injury, severe, and internal. I am not quite sure what to do."

"What did you do with the broken arm?" Nicola asked, already knowing the answer.

"We braced it in a splint. Making it unmovable so that the bone had time to heal. But, this is not a bone issue." She was staring at a drawing of a skeleton.

He glanced at it over the shoulder.

"It could be muscles, or bones, or nerves. The most severe being the nerves. Since the paper says severe. I guess I have to find the answer of how to heal nerves..."

Nicola chuckled flatly, "If only one could heal mine."

She glared sideways at him, "That better not be in reference to me." Ellora looked another drawing sideways, "These things that hold the bones together seem to be very flexible. And the nerves are behind them. If one tried to immobilize the back like the arm then they could damage those flexible parts and the nerves." She took the pencil in her hand and chewed on the end.

"Is that a habit?" Nicola tapped the pencil.

She stuck her tongue out him.

"Childish." He muttered under his breath.

"No more than when you sulked about having to be in here." Ellora had already turned back to her reading, "We need something flexible that will stabilize the back."

"Indeed." Dr. Willis joined them, "My Prince, it is good to see you back in the infirmary, under better circumstances than the last time."

Nicola nodded.

"You are correct in thinking that the best way would be to have a flexible method. Water is a natural neutralizer for the back. Since I understand that Lady Ellora is a Water bearer, you could use your ability to stabilize the back, until you could get the patient to safety, or to a Doctor." Dr. Willis smiled, "Well, done."

Nicola looked at her sideways, "That was impressive."

"Oh, now you are handing out compliments." She said saltily.

"Only when it is deserved."

Ellora bandaged the Prince up from bottom to top. By the time she got through all of the annotations, he looked like a mummy. She couldn't help but giggle at him. The other girls had finished and gone to get dressed for dinner a while ago. They were left with Dr Willis, who was cataloging some herbs.

Nicola tried to pull the bandages off. He tangled himself into a huge mess, which made Ellora laugh even more.

She started rolling the bandage from his arms, "Stop moving, or you will make it worse."

Nicola grimaced, "I wouldn't even be in this mess if it wasn't for you."

"You wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for you." She reminded him.

He shook his head, looking to the ceiling, "Poor Kendall."

"Indeed. Was she better when you found her?"

"She regained her color." He replied. In truth, after he apologized, she blushed at his mere presence and refused to say anything. Unfortunately for her, all Nicola saw when he looked at her was his younger sister Nadia.

"How many wars have you been in?"

"Only one war, but it was made up of many battles." Nicola held up his other hand for her to retrieve the bandages.

"Who with?"

"Vatra." Nicola's eyes were of solid steel.

"Vatra? But they are a part of Ilios now."

"Yes, but at the time, they did not want to join the Union. When we sent in our people to negotiate. The King imprisoned and murdered them. We went to war with them the next day."

Ellora watched his face, registering the pain and anger that still lingered there, "How long was the war?"

He was sure she did not really want to know about the horrifying experience, "Long enough."

Ellora thought it over, not really knowing what to say, "It must have been your best option." She absentmindedly stacked the bandages.

"It's never a good option." His eyes grew dark with memories that he'd rather forget. Had tried to push off a million times, but couldn't shake them. His jaw clenched.

Ellora could see the pain ricochetting through his face at the memory, "You take it so seriously because you remember every face, don't you?"

"Every face, every sound, every smell. All of it sickening and grotesque."

"I don't want a war either. But I don't want my people to be subjugated even more." She gulped, "We are an honorable people, not like Vatra. We want to negotiate..." She looked into Nicola's eyes, stopping midsentence. Her words had left her mouth before she could even think them through. Ellora had been waiting for the right time and the right words, but had blurted it all out at once, at completely the wrong time.

Nicola stared at her. His eyes were cold and dead, "I would if I could. But I am not here to negotiate. I am following orders." He stood without another word and left.

Following orders? Isn't he the one who arranged this whole mess? Started all of this black mail? She fumed as she shoved the bandages back in their drawer and marched to her room. He's so fickle always swinging from one emotion to the next. Her head buzzed dizzily over their conversation and what she could have possibly said to get such a response.