After a few minutes, Lloyd was escorted back to his room so he could help Nathaniel calm down.
Cinderella AU // OxO // Closed
It was a few hours until Ellis woke up, laying on his stomach so that he wouldn't put pressure on the gunshot wound.
Lloyd was back in the infirmary with him when he woke up. He'd brought Nathaniel as well. Nathaniel was still a bit shaken up, but had mostly recovered.
(not gonna be super active tonight)
Ellis turned his head to look up at Lloyd. "Hi." He greeted tiredly, his blond hair sticking up messily.
(Alright)
"Hi… how are you feeling?" Lloyd asked softly. He was still pale and a little more ruffled than normal.
Ellis shrugged. "Like I just got shot." he replied wryly.
Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Can't imagine why. In all seriousness, though… all things considered… are you alright?"
Ellis nodded a little. "I think so. The doctors said that it missed everything important, so I should be fine."
Lloyd nodded and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Thank God… let me know if you need anything, okay?
Ellis smiled a little bit. "…yeah, alright." He replied, closing his eyes for a moment. He wondered if Lloyd was going to ask about the lines, the marks.
The doctors hadn't told Lloyd about the marks, but they'd written it down for further investigation. "I-I just… I hate seeing people get hurt…" He whispered.
Ellis nodded a little bit. "Yeah, I…I get that." He replied slowly, looking up at the prince and letting out a breath.
Lloyd was holding Nathaniel close to himself, both of them trembling slightly. "Like I said, I have to deal with this… more people are going to get hurt, Ellis."
Ellis sighed quietly. "I don't want you endangering yourself, Lloyd!" He said, looking up at the prince.
"And I don't want others endangering themselves for my sake! I can't allow this to continue, Ellis. I just can't."
"Yeah, well you need to be careful, Lloyd." Ellis replied. "You're supposed to be the king someday."
"If I die, then my father will just have to be king a few more years until Nathaniel can take the throne." Nathaniel looked up at that, worried. "B-But Lloyd! I don't want you to die!" "I know, Nathaniel, but I can't let these assassins continue endangering people." "But you can't just go out and get yourself killed! Not only would I and everyone else be devastated, but I'd be a terrible king! I don't wanna be king, Lloyd!"
Ellis bit his lip a little bit. "I…Lloyd, please be careful." He said slowly.
Lloyd nodded. "I'll be as careful as I can. I'll try to wait until I've healed a bit more, but I can't delay too long."
Ellis nodded a little bit. "Alright." He replied softly.
Nathaniel started crying softly and Lloyd held him close. "I'm not going to tell father." Lloyd said. "He'd stop me. I know he would. He'd say I'm being too soft, but it's my duty to protect the people. You understand that, right?" Nathaniel nodded weakly.
Ellis sighed softly. "Just be careful. I'm not the only person who would be upset if you died." he replied, looking up at the prince.
Lloyd nodded. "I'll be careful… but like I said, I'm not going right now. I need to heal at least a little more."
Ellis nodded a little bit. "Alright."
"This whole situation is getting out of hand, and it's my duty to handle it. You understand that, right?"
He nodded again. "I understand. You just…I've said this so many times, just please be careful."
Lloyd nodded in reply. "I will. You guys promise to stay inside?" He asked. Nathaniel nodded weakly, still crying.
"Not like I'm going to be moving much anyways." Ellis said wryly.
"You know what I mean. I don't want anyone else getting hurt if I can do anything to help it."
Ellis nodded slightly. "Yeah, I get that."