The candlelight danced against the stone walls of Charlotte's room, casting long, wavering shadows that leaped across her fever-flushed face. The herbal draught Amelia had given her was taking effect—gradually—but the poison's harm was not so readily reversed. For days, her skin had been hot to the touch, her mind skittering in and out of sense like clouds scudding across a tempestuous sky.
That evening, Elias sat beside her again, his sword leaning against the wall, his eyes tired but vigilant. Mira sat against the windowsill, quietly knitting—though her eyes darted to Charlotte every few seconds—and Amelia stood at a nearby table, grinding a new batch of herbs, her sleeves rolled up and her hands powdered. Eladin had dozed off previously in a corner chair, but at one point had gotten up and come back. The little prince now cowered behind a heavy velvet drapery, his head poking out just far enough to see the room.
Charlotte struggled, her breath shallow. Her eyes flickered open, glassy and unfocused. She gazed at Elias as if he were an apparition. "Elias…" she whispered.
He pushed back in his chair immediately. "I'm here," he whispered, removing a wet ringlet from her forehead. "You're fine. You're safe."
She raised a languid hand, fingers tracing along his sleeve. "I was dreaming," she whispered. "Dreaming that we were young. You used to shadow me like a hero in a legend."
He laughed softly. "I still do."
Her lips curled into a fevered, lopsided grin. "You're stupid. But you're… very handsome."
That got both Mira and Amelia's attention right away.
Elias blinked. "I—"
"I like you," Charlotte went on, eyes unfocused but dreamy. "I've always liked you. You're too serious, and you never laugh at my jokes… but I like you anyway."
The room came to a standstill.
Mira let her knitting fall. Amelia's pestle stopped mid-grind. Elias turned as red as a battle flag.
"I—um—I believe the fever's—" Elias stuttered, obviously short-circuiting.
Amelia pressed a fist against her mouth to keep from laughing. Mira turned away, shoulders quivering silently.
The silence was shattered by a joyful shriek from behind the curtain.
"CHARLOTTE LIKES ELIAS!!"
A whirlwind of small arms and princely silk erupted from the drapery. Eladin grinned like a boy who had just discovered his birthday and every holiday had arrived all at once.
"She said it! I heard it! I heard it all!" he bragged triumphantly, racing round and round in circles across the bed. "Charlotte likes Elias! She told him he was handsome and dumb!"
Elias leaped up so quickly that his chair went over with a crash. "Eladin—!"
Charlotte rolled over on the bed, vaguely not with it but somehow realizing something was amiss. "What… what is he yelling about?"
Mira gave way at last and laughed aloud. "Oh, Princess. You've said enough."
"I did?" she slowly blinked, attempting to remember the hazy images in her head.
Amelia bent over the bed, her face aglow with amusement. "You professed your eternal love to our noble knight while resembling a wilted lettuce. It was quite romantic."
"I DID NOT!" Charlotte attempted to rise, but dizziness held her down.
"You positively did," stated Mira.
"You told me, and I'll quote, 'You're stupid, but you're very handsome,'" Amelia teased, grinning. "I think this has to be sewn on your next royal pennant."
Charlotte groaned and pulled the bed sheets over her head in humiliation.
Elias stood stock still by the window, his eyes wide as if he wanted to jump out the window. He was still pink-faced. "I—I ought to go check the guard station…
"Oh no, you don't!" Amelia yelled after him. "You should come and discuss your feelings!"
"I DON'T HAVE ANY!" he yelled back in terror, almost stumbling over a footstool as he ran at full speed.
Eladin had scrambled up onto the foot of the bed by this point. "You soooo like him, Charlotte."
Charlotte poked her head out under the blankets to scowl at him. "If I bribe you with candy, will you ever even remember this?"
"No," he replied softly. "But I'll accept the candy."
Mira sat down next to her and dried her forehead with a cold cloth, still smiling. "Honestly, that was the most fun we've had in weeks. You've brightened up the entire palace with that little mistake.
"I promise," Charlotte said under her breath, "the next time I get sick, you're all forbidden from the room."
Amelia collapsed into a chair beside her with a sigh. "Too late. We already wrote songs about it."
Charlotte groaned once more, but this time could not suppress the small smile pulling at her mouth under the covers. For all the humiliation, laughter in the room was like a blanket—a reminder she was never alone, not now, not ever.
Even if she had just declared her not-so-secret crush to everyone she cared about.