Elara carefully unwound the bandage around Kaelen's chest.
Her movements were slow and steady, just like her father had instructed. The cloth was already stained, the faint smell of herbs and medicine still clinging to it. She dipped a clean cloth into the bowl of water beside her and gently cleaned the wound again.
Her hands didn't shake this time but her chest felt tight.
She replaced the bandage carefully, making sure it was firm enough to slow the poison.
When she was done, she sat back slightly, her eyes drifting to his face.
Kaelen looked… different. He was still and pale.
She swallowed hard.
"I wish you would just wake up," she said quietly.
Her gaze softened as she studied him, she missed his voice.
The way he spoke like he always knew what to do… even when he didn't.
She missed his smile. Those blue eyes that always seemed so sure.
Without thinking, she reached out and gently ran her fingers through his hair, pushing it back from his forehead.
"You're supposed to be strong," she whispered. "So… don't stop now."
The door opened. Elara froze.
She pulled her hand back immediately, her heart skipping. King Aldric stood at the entrance, his gaze was fixed on her.
"Seems like you care a lot for him," he said.
His voice wasn't loud but it carried weight.
Elara stood up too quickly, startled. Her hand hitting the bowl beside her.
Water spilled across the floor with a soft splash.
She stepped back immediately. "Your Majesty.."
She bowed quickly, trying to steady herself. "I'm sorry."
The king didn't respond immediately.
He walked further into the room, his steps slow, controlled.
Elara straightened, forcing herself to remain calm.
"I was just changing his bandage," she said, her voice more steady now.
"I can see that," the king replied, stopping beside the bed. For a moment, he said nothing, he just looked at Kaelen.
And something in his expression shifted, not anger or authority but something else.
"Kaelen's mother, Queen Seraphina… died giving birth to him."
Elara looked up slightly, surprised.
"I couldn't look at him after that," he continued.
"Every time I did… I only saw what I lost." His jaw tightened slightly.
"He was just a child. He didn't understand. He kept coming to me… day after day."
Elara listened quietly.
"He wanted my attention," the king said. "He would wait outside my chambers, sometimes for hours." He continued.
"I told the servants not to bring him near me."
Elara's chest tightened.
The king exhaled slowly, his gaze still fixed on Kaelen.
"But children… don't give up easily."
There was the slightest shift in his expression.
"On his fifth birthday… he came to me again."
Elara didn't move, she didn't speak.
"He didn't ask for anything," the king continued. "He just stood there… holding something behind his back."
A faint breath left him.
"When I asked what he wanted… he said nothing."
He paused before he continued.
"He simply said… 'I just wanted to see you."
Silence filled the room. The king's eyes lowered slightly.
"That was the moment something changed."
His voice grew quieter.
"And that was the moment I realized… what I had been doing."
He looked at Kaelen again. "I had already wasted five years."
Elara felt something tighten in her throat.
"After that, I tried," the king said. "I tried to make up for it. To be there, to be a father."
His expression hardened slightly. "But some things… you cannot take back."
He finally turned to look at Elara.
"I care for him," he said plainly. "More than anything."
There was no hesitation in his voice now.
"He is my only family."
A brief silence followed.
"I may not always show it the right way," he added. "And yes… I have made decisions for him."
His tone carried weight again.
"But everything I have done… was to protect him."
Elara held his gaze for a moment, then she spoke.
"I know."
The king didn't expect that.
"I know you care about him," she continued. "Even if he doesn't always understand it."
Her voice was calm and steady.
"Kaelen is strong," she said. "He's a fighter."
She looked at him.
"And I'm sure… he knows you care for him."
The king didn't respond immediately. But something in his expression softened, just slightly.
Elara looked back at Kaelen.
"He's not going to give up," she added quietly.
"Not now."
The room fell into silence again, but this time,
It didn't feel as heavy.