A Thing You Won't Remember

Elia nodded and thanked him. She was too anxious to read but she was happy about the invitation.
She only laid back down. It wasn't a comfortable position but she cared not about such a thing. She wanted to be his first layer of protection should anything happen. She had her temple pressed against his hair. One arm lay across his chest, careful to avoid any large wounds. The other hand was in his hair, brushing it out with her fingers and stroking his head.
She hadn't meant to fall asleep. She had every intention of staying up until the prince finally awoke. But it seemed everything crashed down on her. The effect of being in the palace after all these years. Seeing and caring for the prince. Finding herself a new home. It had exhausted her more than she had realized. She promptly fell asleep shortly after Lear had left the two. Romulus' string and groaning hadn't even awoken her, and she was normally a very light sleeper.

Elia shifted in her sleep, only to hit her head on the headboard. She woke up with a yelp. She sat up rubbing her head. She didn't notice at first that Romulus was awake. It was only when she looked down at him several moments later that she noticed his eyes were open. "Oh my gods, Romulus!"
She was moving her body so her face would be in his line of sight. Her hand moved to cup his cheek but she quickly retreated it. His face was a swollen mess. She didn't want to accidentally hurt him. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything? I can get a tonic for the pain if that's what you need."
Her words were running a mile a minute, frantic.

Elia placed her hands on either side of him as he brought her down into a hug. She didn't want to hurt him any further than he was hurting. She debated chastising him for moving like this but he had been through enough. She wasn't going to add on to his plate.
The dam broke when he spoke to her. She couldn't remember a time in her life where she cried this often. She didn't like it. She kissed his cheek as softly as she could. "Hey." Her voice cracked.
She pulled herself put of his embrace and got off the bed swiftly. She wiped at her eyes as she found a jug and a glass. She filled it with water and moved to him. She put her hand on the back of his head, helping him lean up to drink the water. She held the cup to his lips.

Elia fell into him as he pulled her close. She didn't fight his touch. She knew she should. She could be hurting him. She was hurting him. She needed to stop this. But it felt so good to be held. It felt good for him to hug her like this.. she wrapped an arm around his waist as she pressed her forehead against his.
She cried harder when he started to wipe her tears away. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
She kept repeating the words over and over again. She felt users. She felt she should have done something to help. She could have helped, at the expense of herself but he wouldn't let her. Perhaps she should have done it anyways to spare him of this assault

Elia's shoulder shook as she laughed a sad laugh. The tears slowed in their path but didn't fully dry up. She leaned in to kiss him softly, to reassure herself that he was there with her. He was awake and this was all real.
"It is not a good day, Romulus. Do see what he did to you? I c-can't, this is not okay. Why do you let him?" She pulled her head back just enough to look at his face, though the sight of him sent a fresh wave of tears. "I won't let this happen to you again. I won't."
The firmness of her voice meant she was entirely serious. She would do whatever it took, no matter the consequense to herself. She wouldn't let him continue to be treated like this.

Elia shooke her head, not wanting the think about it. She hadn't even been present for the assault, but the aftermath was horrific. She sniffled and wiped her nose. She recounted Lear's words and summarized it. "The king is angry with what you have been doing. He's upset you aren't following in his footsteps and trying to destroy Venians. The- the city was the last straw. It was the ammunition he needed to punish you." She put her head in her hands, needing a moment before she continued. "I could hear it. I could hear him beating you. Lear licked me in the study. I couldn't do anything. I-I couldn't-"
She cut herself off. Her words were starting to jumble together as she cried. She needed a moment to gather herself.
"I'm surprised you're alive Romulus. I- the damage is awful. You might have brain damage. Or nerve damage. Or…or…"

Elia laid her head on his shoulder as she was pulled down. "Lear is fine. He went with Carth to deal with all the children. I wouldn't let anything happen to him." She meant that as well. She had come to care for Romulus and Lear, each in different ways. She felt a deep emotional connection with Lear, likely trauma bonding themselves. She couldn't picture a life without his presence in it. They understood each other on a level that Romulus couldn't. And she never wanted him to understand them. With Romulus, she felt with him on a physical and emotional connection. She wasn't sure exactly what it was. She wouldn't label it as romantic but it sure wasn't platonic.
She shook her head against his shoulder. She didn't want to think bout anymore. She didn't want to think about hie wounds. She didn't want think about that his father could have paralyzed him or cause permanent damaged. She didn't want to think about what he could have done to his head.
His head!
She shot up and started pulling at his eye lids, trying to remember what Lear said they would need to do.

"No, no. Lear said I need to check your head. Something about che king your eyes or something. I can't remember. Damnit, why can't I remember?"
Elia wasn't used to treating this severe of damage. She didn't know how to handle head wounds like this. She knew how to handle other parts of the body but Madame Rosette never touched anyone's head. She couldn't get a profit off of them if she caused brain damage. Not many would be willing to sleep with a girl that couldn't function.
She was in too much of a panic to remember what Lear had told her. Her head was scrambling to remember. Her thoughts were everywhere. She couldn't think straight.

Elia hadn't been expecting him to kiss her. She hadn't been expecting him to do anything at all. Her head was all over the place. She couldn't think straight. So when he kissed her, her mind blanked and sank right into him.
She knew to be gentle but that was about all she could remember. She didn't pull herself for his grip. She let him hold her, though in his condition, she could easily pull out of his hold.
Her tears stopped flowing and they dried on her cheeks. Her chest pressed into his, a light pressure against his wounds. She kissed him softly, gently. But she let it be known how much she cared for him. She tried to infuse her emotions, her feelings, into the kiss. He needed to know. She couldn't loose him.

Elia let the kiss intensify. Her movements became quicker, needier. She wanted him to know she wanted him just as much but his wounds prevented her from taking anything further. She couldn't be rough. She wanted to. She wanted to give him all of her affection. But he was hurt. Badly. They would have to be careful.
That knowledge didn't stop her from kissing him. She only sunk further into him. He was there. He was with her. They were together. They would be okay.

Elia kept her forehead against his when they stopped kissing. Her eyes were squeezed shut. She feared if she opened them she would start crying again.
She nodded at him and focused on taking deep breaths. She couldn't be falling apart. Not while he was injured. She needed to be strong and support him. Not the other way around. That wasn't fair on him. String. She needed to be strong.
"I'm alright." She murmured. She pulled away just for a moment to grab a fresh towel. She quickly moved back to his embrace, not wanting to part from him for too long. She gently dabbed at the wound that had reopened due to her panick. "I'm sorry."

Elia nodded down at him. She tossed the rag to the side when she finished cleaning up all the blood. "How are you feeling? Is there anything i can for you?"
She felt utterly useless. There wasn't anything could do other than sit by his side and wait. He would heal in time, but it was a waiting game. She didn't want to wait. She wanted him healed now. She thought about searching for a healer. A magical one, to aid un his injuries, but she wouldn't know where to start. And it would be suspicious if he healed too quickly.

Elia nodded. She kissed his cheek before getting up. She looked around for what to use but was ultimately at a loss. She could grab a lit candle and use that but she wasn't sure if they had anything better to use. She was unsure of the progress the palace had made in all those years she had been gone.
She looked to him. The desperation clear in her eyes. She wanted so badly to help. Her hands were fidgeting by her side. She could feel her anxiety rising. She wished she had a glass of wine to drink. It would help calm her.

Elia sighed in relief he knew what to do. And for the wine. She rushed to grab the small lantern and struck a match to light it. She also grabbed the bottle of wine out with a glass.
She returned and set the wine and glass on the side table. She climbed up on the bed, sitting next to him, with the lantern. She put her hand gently on his cheek and held the latern uo to his eyes. She murmured a quiet apology for shining such a bright light in his face.

Elia bit her lip. She placed the lantern aside and put her hands in her lap. She looked at him with a dark expression. "Ummm, it's not doing what it's supposed to do."
She sat back in the bed, ringing her hands in from of him, fidgeting more. She waited for him to tell her what to do.