The Bald Princess

~ 2 ~

And until she believed how beautiful she really was, he kept whispering the tales of her enchanting beauty.

Atarah

My fingers trembled around my gown. I had never treated any royal member before. I wasn't allowed to touch him, or any royal member. My curse would ensure their doom too. But isn't leaving a bleeding person to die, even bigger sin? I shook terribly. The sweat forming on my forehead as I looked at Warrior Ansel Duncan again. And his one sharp gaze at me made me to turn my head and look away from him. Something in his eyes made it so difficult for me to maintain the eye contact. But again, I was never really good at it.

I wore my gloves and mask before I walked towards him with my medical instruments. The anxiety kept gripping my heart in a bruising grip with every step I took. I had sworn on my life to help every needy that would come to my door, against the laws and beyond the karma of sins. I licked my lips motioning the guards to shift Warrior Duncan on the empty bed in the left wing. The guards looked hesitant to help him but when they mustered the courage to help the Warrior, he growled in anger and rage. He jerked himself out of their hold and walked over the bed himself, not even once wincing.

He was in pain. He had to be. With the injury on his stomach, he had to be in immense pain, enough to draw the sobs out of a normal person. But Warrior Duncan— he sat there unfazed, clenching his teeth and grunting once in a while, trying to keep his pain at bay. But why? Is showing pain, a sign of weakness? Are royals denied to express their feelings? Many questions rose in my mind. I silently asked him to lie down, shaking the thoughts out of my mind. Bailey beside me was ready with everything— cotton, soaking pads, stitching needles and anesthesia. We usually didn't use them but the wound on his abdomen looked too bad that treating it without it would be painful for him.

"Get me those sheets and stands from the store. Quick." I ordered Bailey softly and she nodded her head, rushing towards the store while I prepared myself, filling the syringe with the medicine to numb his pain. His eyes narrowed maliciously, his gigantic frame glaring at me like I was the one who had stabbed him. His lips curled up in a deadly snarl as he looked at me dauntingly.

"What's this?" He asked lowly, almost in a threatening tone, his fingers hovering over his sabre and I took a step back when he pulled it out slightly. My eyes wide as saucers, fear swirling in them. Slitting my throat for trying to save him! Is that how royals treated the healers in this kingdom? No wonder, Miss Lydia couldn't walk in the royal infirmary.

"It will help you numb the area around your wound. So that it won't be much of a trouble for us and pain for you, Warrior Duncan, while I clean this wound for you and stitch it up. May I proceed now, you great warrior?"

I asked, my voice trembling and eyes casted down. I heard him grunting, from the anger or pain, I wasn't sure. I saw Bailey coming with the sheets and stands, her eyes looking curiously at us, trying to understand what was happening amid us. What else could happen when a royalty would come in front of a bad omen? My life would be at stake. I slowly lifted my face up, to look at him, still not in the eyes. It was disrespectful to gaze in the eyes of a royalty.

"I have a war to fight, healer. Or do you conspire with our enemies to not let me fight for my own kingdom?" He asked— threatened, his tone lacing with a deadly edge and my breath hitched, my heart pounding in my chest. I? Conspire? With our enemies? I looked at the guards who looked ready to attack Bailey and I. I swallowed nervously, shaking my head at him, my eyes wide with disbelief and fear.

"I am also a citizen of the Kingdom you wish to protect, you great Warrior. And how can I conspire when you and your guards walked in for my help, yourself? I just wish to lessen your pain......"

"I am a warrior. The Warrior Head. I don't feel pain. I have been in such situations before. Stitch me up, I don't have time to waste here. The enemies would enter the kingdom anytime now!"

I gulped, nodding my head as I asked Bailey to hide Warrior Duncan's face from the injury as I would tend him and his injury. She nodded her, ready to curtain his face from my treatment but he seemed to have a problem in that too.

"Do not cover me, healer! Stop wasting my time in unnecessary, nugatory actions."

"But, Warrior Duncan, you can get a panic attack by witnessing the cleaning and stitching of your wound. I don't wish to see you puking while I stitch your—"

"Are you trying to say that I— Ansel Duncan am a weak warrior and cannot handle a mere stitching? I have fought with hundreds of soldiers all alone, healer and yet you dare to question my ability to bear the pain?" My fingers shivered as I shook my head, feeling the waves of his anger shaking my insides from fear. Would he kill me now?

"Of course not, you great and fearless warrior. Forgive me for I have never mended to a royal before. I don't know about your fearless and mighty tales. Please lie down now, Sir, I need to clean this up."

He grunted in displeasure but lied down nonetheless. I adjusted my mask before I grabbed the cotton roll to clean his wound. I didn't wait to look at him for any sign of hesitance, who knew what could anger him? I poured some alcohol down on his wound to disinfect his injury and he grunted in pain. My eyes rose up and my lips curled down in a frown as the words left my mouth almost subconsciously.

"I told you it would pain you, Warrior Duncan."

Much to my relief he didn't say anything but silently let me clean his wound and stitch him up. True to his words, he didn't once even grunt in the whole process. Other than the fact that his fingers had, subconsciously, gripping on my gown the whole time, he was alright.