LYALL:
"Where is she?!" I snapped at the maids who had scurried to the side of the wall. "I said where is she?!"
"She's in her room," A guard behind me responded. "We had her taken to her room."

I pushed the door open, my eyes scanning the room to find her on the bed, unconscious. "Have you called the doctor?"
"Yes. He was sent for minutes ago."
"Fucking hell," I hissed under my breath and stopped right before her, falling to my knees and taking her hand in mine.
She was cold. Really cold. Her skin was also dry and pale. It had me wondering how long she had been underwater. I didn't want to think of it because it scared me.
"What the fuck did you do, Aria," I muttered under my breath. I should have followed her. When she shifted and took off. I didn't follow her because I believed she probably needed some space to herself and that the last person she ever wanted to see was me.
But I realized I should have followed her and that I should have kept a close watch on her. I had made a mistake by not doing that and now, I was going to bear the brunt of my mistake.

I hated myself for it.
Moments later, I caught a whiff of drugs and medicines. The doctor was here. Pushing to my feet, I turned to see him walking into the room with hurried steps.
"Was she at least given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?" The doctor asked no one in particular as he set his briefcase on the bed and took over.
"You all have a perfect understanding of the language he just spoke, right?" I snapped at the guards by the door.

The first one stepped forward. "We couldn't do that for the fear of doing the wrong thing so we just heaved on her chest."
I was in too much panic to think straight but what he said got into my head. "You forfeited a kiss of life so she could die?"
"It's not like that, Your Majesty—" Before he could say anything else, I punched him so hard he flew to the other side of the room and crashed out through the door.
The corridor wall facing Aria's room took the hit and several cracks ran around the wall immediately. "Let me find out you broke her ribs. Every one of you would be taught a lesson. By the time I have half of your ribs broken and have you fed with wolfsbane to slow down your healing, you will understand why it is fucking important to choose one's life over anything!"
I turned to face the doctor who had immediately gotten to work.
"How are things going, Doctor?"
"Reviving her shouldn't be the problem. It's the damages done that matter right now. I have to check if she really has a broken rib, know if her lung was affected and if her sinuses are okay. Can anyone tell how long she was in the water?"
"I don't think anyone knows. She was gone for over five hours."
The doctor looked like he was about to scold me and honestly, I fucking deserved that. But all he did was let out a tired sigh before returning to treating her.
I kept pacing around the room and watching the Doctor's every move so I was aware of when she woke up.
I didn't even care about my Uncle and the others whom I had left in the dining room in a quite rude fashion. Aria was all that mattered. Aria was my mate and not any of them.
A sneeze had me turning with speed and hurrying back to the bed.
"She's finally awake," The doctor smiled and let out a sigh of relief. I waited behind the doctor, watching as he placed a hand on her forehead to check for any form of fever. He waited a few minutes for her to get herself before he began to ask her questions.
"How do you feel, miss?"
Aria blinked a few times. She looked tired. Really tired. Her eyes were dead and her face was still very pale. When she opened her mouth to speak, I realized her voice was very coarse. The roughness in her voice sent a pang to my chest.
"Good, I guess."
"Your voice doesn't sound too good," The doctor smiled. "Do you feel pain or weirdness anywhere?"
"Not at all," She smiled. "Maybe my nose and my throat but nothing else."
"Can you try sitting up for me?"
"Sure," she smiled. I could tell she was aware of my presence and had chosen not to look at me. Then she tried to sit up and let out a loud yell of pain before she fell back into the bed. "My rib. It hurts really bad!"
My anger returned. The guards were gone but I made a mental note to deal with them later. "Aria, you'll be fine, okay?"
She ignored me and turned to the doctor. "My rib hurts terribly."
"Can you tell where it hurts or do I help?"
"I think it's here," She placed her hand on the side of her belly. "This is where it hurts and it hurts really terribly."
"Her lower ribs. I can tell it was from them trying to revive her."
"I'd deal with those nut cases later."
"Time for the real questions," The doctor said with a smile and pulled a seat. "Tell me how it all happened."
She went mute. The doctor decided to give her a little time to think but Aria seemed like she wasn't ready to talk. She stayed silent, not even muttering a word or looking at me.
"Did you hear what he said, Aria?"
She glared at me. "I've got ears, your majesty."
The doctor was taken aback with surprise. "I know you're not feeling well but you must treat the King with respect."
"Don't worry about her."
"What happened?" The doctor asked again.
"Uhm, I was trying to cross the water and I slipped. I must have hit my head somewhere because all I remember is tripping and falling."
He leaned forward. "Where exactly did your head hit? I need to check for a concussion."
"The back, I guess?"
I could tell she was lying but I said nothing. The doctor checked the back of her head but saw nothing.
"I can't find any swelling but if you do, you must alert me immediately so it can be taken care of, okay?"
She nodded. "Thank you very much for caring. It's not something I get even if I pay for it."
He smiled. "Don't worry. You'll be fine. I'll prescribe a few syrups you would be taking for your ribs to heal quickly. Make sure you don't forget to take them."
"I won't, doctor."
Once he was gone giving her the syrups and asking her maid to follow the daily dose, he left. It was just us both now.
"Aria—"
"I need to sleep. You see how tired I am, right? I don't want to be in an argument with you. Not at all, okay?"
"I'm sorry."
"You always are." She hissed and tried to lay back on the bed but it was quite painful for her. She let out a groan and when I tried to help, she fell back immediately to avoid being touched by me. I didn't miss the blinding pain that overcame her.
"You don't want to talk, yes?"
"Not at all. Have a good night.”