Felix's POV:
(an hour ago)
Today is the first day of my meeting with The Knights again after my arrival in Escortia, and I'm sure that I won't be able to attend it on time! Why? I still have one more ward to check. These night shifts are taking a serious toll on me, be on my physical state or on my brain. Afterall my grades and results are also much important as this mission and I can't choose between them, I almost had a mild headache for so much workloads. Thankfully, I knew what I needed to do to erase that, and that's where I'm heading right now. Sliding the curtains apart, as I stepped inside the room, a pillow hit hard on my face, catching it, I gently kept it on the nearby bed. Almost immediately three different types of laughter and a shy giggle filled the room, charging me the fullest and a genuine smile spread on my face too.
"Oh! Look! Uncle Felix is here!"
A chirpy voice announced. Immediately after a 7 years old girl hugged my waist, two more girls and a boy joined in.
Amused with their antics, I laughed a little, stooping down to their level, I asked "how have you been my little angels?"
They chased each other with their opinion.
"I'm feeling a bit dizzy now."
Came the reply from that same chirpy seven years old girl, she had a brain surgery just two weeks ago and already running around of course she'll feel more than just dizzy.
"My stitches don't hurt at all now."
A 6 years old girl replied, beaming with happiness. One month ago, She had an unfortunate accident at the playground which resulted her a cut on her stomach, thankfully no internal organs were harmed.
"Can't I really use my left hand to do anything? This cast is heavy and bothering me a lot!"
A bit older than the others, a girl commented, pouting over her now bandaged, broken left hand. She joined the children ward just five days ago!
"I'm so sleepy! I was waiting for you to continue the story that you left unfinished."
Whined the smallest of them, a five years old boy, who will have a heart surgery tommorow, at noon. He came here three days ago and I immediately knew he needed distraction from his ailment. Believe me, it's just my story that I'm delivering to them, without the darksides of course.
"Always at your service, sir."
Bowing my head slightly, I picked him up, then settled him on his bed.
"Jess, did you have your medicine yet?"
I asked the seven years old chirpy girl, as I picked her up and laid down on her bed, immediately her face saddened. I knew it!
"Jess, dear you know that you won't be able to run around for a long time if you don't take your medicine."
"But they taste bitter!" She whined.
"What did I say about bitter things?"
"They make us strong from inside, so that we can fight against anything more bitter."
Still pouting, she answered, but extended her hand to take the medicine, and I gladly helped her with that.
Then I carefully settled down the oldest one, "Millie, it's not like you can't use your hand anymore. But it's injured at this moment and needs rest to heal so that it can do more wonders than just saving a kitten. Can you wait a bit for it?"
Yes, that's how she broke her left hand's wrist, by saving a kitten from a wagon.
"Then I can save more lives with my hands and be a hero!"
She chimed enthusiastically.
And I had to admire her bravery "of course! Even right now, you're a hero!"
"Then I'll be good girl and make my hand heal faster!"
And just like that she took her medicines and laid down on her bed.
"And you, Tina Kent! Your stitches are healed, that doesn't mean you can hop around like a rabbit and make others to do the same!"
I looked straight at the six years old girl, whose eyes reflected guilt as she got the warning.
"Sorry."
Pouting, she bowed her head to everyone and immediately I had to scoop her up in my hands.
"See all of them aren't fully healed yet, they need rest and you need to supervise they get enough to heal. Do you understand me?"
While laying down on her pillow, she nodded and gave me a small smile.
Then I sat down on the bedside chair of the little boy who was already yawning but still fought against drowsiness.
"Alex, if you're sleepy, then you can sleep right now. I'm not going anywhere. You need rest, the story can wait you know."
With the softest voice of mine I tried to coax him to sleep, the other three will sleep eventually and only then I can leave.
However this little boy had another plan, "just tell us if the little boy and his prince friend got to meet again or not."
Ohh so that's what bothering their mind for so long! But how do I continue? All the happy memories are finished now. From the day Nicholas left for Hinoi and I stayed back in St. Loire for another five years, nothing can be recalled as happy memories at all. My training got more intense so did the studies and I had no gap to even reminisce about those moments untill this boy needed to hear it. Surprisingly, telling them about myself, made me feel more comfortable as if the suffocation was never there, cause I know they won't judge me, neither will they think that I'm being too merciless to myself.
As I searched for each eyes of them, they were filled with only eagerness to know more and I continued "a long long time later, they met again. But both of them are grown up now and they can't hang out so freely like before."
"Why? They were such good friends."
"Cause they've grown up. They're not the little boys anymore. They have their own life, study and jobs too."
"Typical grown up things, they don't have time for this, they don't have time for that, always making excuses!"
Millie dejectedly retorted.
But I'm not making excuses to not meet with Nicholas, right? Or maybe I'm! I'm literally avoiding him with any cost to keep myself away from him. And what good I'm getting from it? Yes I know that I'm protecting him by keeping him away from this chaos. But sooner or later when his father will be exposed, then how will I face him with all these deceiving traps entangled around us?! No at least I need to clean my motives towards him, he doesn't deserve any of this unfair treatment, about the mission, I'll manage to think of a way to reveal it too.
"Hmm you're right. They should meet to be friends again. But you see, in all these years, the little boy's look changed a lot and his prince friend seemed not to recognise him. What should he do now?"
As I eagerly looked around for a reply, I was welcomed by silence, all the three younger fell asleep and the oldest one still kept looking at me with drooping eyes, she seemed to be in deep thought. I might've been lost in my thoughts for a bit long and they couldn't keep themselves awake, can't blame them though, who would want to hear this boring piece.
"Try to recreate those memories. If that doesn't help then you should start anew, create a new bond with new memories to be cherished a long long time."
Millie's sudden suggestion caught me off guard as if she was visioning every possible way to rekindle this haze.
Without realising what I was doing, I nodded my head and she finally closed her eyes, succumbing to deep sleep.
Then it clicked to me "hey! Who said that I am a part of this story?!".
Before I could do more dumb things, a knock grabbed my attention, as expected, it was none other than the Simon Kaiser, my lifesaver.
"Ooh! They're asleep already! Great job Dr. Chase!"
"Simon, stop it already. I am having a headache!"
"Of course you'll have a headache! Look at the time! You haven't rest neither eaten! What do you think about your body?! It's made of metal?!"
"Simon, you know..."
"Don't 'you know' me! Yes I know you're trying hard to cover the dues for the last one and half months! But that doesn't mean you need to stay awake the whole day and starve! I know the grades are important but so is your health!"
Giving the food container, he continued with a much softer tone "you have a urgent meet up with them, don't you?"
As I nodded, he suggested "then I'll take over from this hour. You finish your food then head straight to the meeting."
"What about your shift?"
"I didn't have one tonight."
"Simon, I think you should take rest. You're also exhausted by the workloads. I'll just talk with..."
"Then what about you? You're taking incharge of the midday rotations after our major classes, then barely having time for lunch, then the Defence Strategy classes, you already return exhausted from that, still you handle the nightshifts, completely forgetting about dinner! Even you've started to take Political Ethics classes by only notes and practically dozing off in the staff quarters! Felix, trust me, at this moment I just want you to care a little bit of yourself."
Without saying a single thing, I managed to finish my food and finally agreed with him "okay! I'll go. But first promise me you'll inform me if something urgent comes up."
"I will. Now go, before you get more late!"
Thus Simon settled on a armchair and I left for the old staff quarters.
I was almost able to see those buildings when a suspicious rustling caught my attention and suddenly there was a hooded man behind me, I stopped on my track and so did the man. He didn't have any intention to harm me, then why was he even following me?!
"Why don't you come infront and tell me what do you want?"
I lured him for a conversation, however there was no reply and I had no choice but to turn back. And there stood none other than our future army general, Connor freaking Stewart. With a mischievous smirk on his face.
"Aahhh! Connor! You scared me!" I had to fake whine.
"As if anything could actually scare you!"
"Yeah yeah whatever! Where are the other two?"
"Well since it's campfire day, the couple wanted to enjoy themselves through a beautiful date. So I excused myself from third-wheeling."
He left a light chuckle and stopped when he noticed my raised eyebrow.
"Okay, okay. I'm here to deliver these to you."
Handing over a briefcase, he continued "but your brother and Julian indeed went on a date!"
As I peeked inside a bit, I couldn't help myself from asking "his majesty actually gave all of them to me?!"
"Of course. He would give you anything once you name it, you know that right?"
"Still these are important scrolls and what if I loose these somehow?!"
"Oh! Com'on, My prince! You're his son and he knows very well how responsible you..."
"Connor! What are you doing?! What if someone hears you?! There are so many Kaisee and Hammond spies all over the campus!!"
"Don't worry. There isn't any single soul watching over us except for those two tower guys of that building."
"How do you..."
"Oh, Lixie! I'm appointed as the future general of the Lawrence royals for a reason! It's strange though, why would they leave altogether?"
"Do you perhaps know where they've gone?"
"Well me and few of my boys did follow them, however it seemed that The Knights already had their spies recruited on that matter, so we returned. We stopped hardly half kilometres away from the Kaiser territory."
"The Kaiser?!"
"Hmm. You know something about it?"
"We're still investigating on the Kaisers and today's meeting is actually about that matter too. So I really can't say anything right now."
With a deep frown, I looked at the western territory towards where lied the Kingdom of Kiyansy's border, just two miles away from here.
"Felix, don't think too much. Everything will be fine just like before."
"We better pray for that."
"Hmm. Now go, you're already late!"
Then I just sprinted towards the meeting place, heavily breathing when I opened the door hurriedly, the watchers wanted to say something, however I completely ignored them and stumbled into the room.
"sorry sorry sorry, Henry. I got caught up with the ward's regular check ups again. I hope, I didn't...."
Before I could say further, my eyes widened in shock to see prince Christopher there, and my words got stuck in my throat.
"HOLLY SHIT!!!!"