The Coma

The halls echoed with each step William took, no one dared to tell him the consequences he would face for being on that side of the castle even after Sebian ordered them not to let a single soul in there without his permission.

'This must be where she is.' William thought as he stared daringly at the large door ahead of him.

As he got closer, the guard's scared look confirmed his suspicions. He smirked, walking past the worried guards without even sparing them a glance.

"My lord! I'm afraid we can't let you go in there."

He turned to see the guard who was brave enough to finally approach him. "And why might that be?" He raised his brows and gave them a questioning gaze, causing the man to shiver in fear.

"The King ordered us not to let anyone go through that door." Although scared, he still managed to compose himself and form a proper sentence which amused William.

"But I'm not just anyone, I'm the King's right-hand man. Besides, do you think you could stop me if I decided to go through that door?" He smirked triumphantly, knowing that none of them could hold a candle to the amount of power he wielded.

"None of us have what it takes to stop you, My Lord, but please for the sake of all our heads here, including yours, don't defy the orders of our King."

William chuckled, no one had ever spoken to him in such an authoritative tone aside from Sebian so it amused him to see a mere guard standing up to him. "What is your name?"

The guard stared at William in confusion before finally opening his mouth to speak, "Michar, My Lord."

"Alright Michar, I'll leave now and not cause any trouble for you."

Michar heaved a sigh of relief once William agreed to go without causing a ruckus but his moment of peace was shortlived once William turned back and glared at him.

"Just a reminder Michar, be careful how you speak to me next time, I don't go well with disrespect." William narrowed his eyes, unable to control the urge to threaten the now-shaking guard.

Despite being the KIng's second in command and right-hand man, William still couldn't defy Sebian when the matter was serious. He dejectedly walked away, thinking of another way for him to see the mysterious princess who managed to pique Sebian's interest.

Without anything left to do, he lazily strolled back to Sebian's room to coax him till he opened up the door to Atarah's chambers.

"What do you mean he's unconscious?"

Those were the words William heard the moment he entered Sebians room. He found Lex, the royal doctor, standing wearily in the corner of the room.

"Your Highness, the boy went through too much stress and pain for his frail body to handle and his head injury is making things worse so as a coping mechanism, his body decided to shut down." Lex remained stoic as he explained the situation to an already fuming Sebian the best he could.

William smirked on hearing Lex's reply. Despite being old, he was one of the few people who could handle an angry Sebian. He wasn't afraid to stand up to him, especially when Sebian was going astray.

"When will he wake up then?" Sebian asked, feigning calmness.

"It's hard to say for sure but based on the situation at hand, it would take months...years even. He suffered a lot of brain damage."

"How are you going to explain that to his sister, Sebian?" William finally made his presence known amidst their argument.

Sebian snapped his head toward the door where William stood, "That shouldn't be a problem, I'll figure something out."

William stared at him in disbelief, "What do you mean it shouldn't be a problem?... You destroyed her kingdom, killed her father, forced her to marry you, and now because of all that her brother, the only family member remaining will possibly remain in a coma for the next few years and yet you say it shouldn't be a problem?"

Sebian was stunned by the response he got although he didn't let it show. "I said I'll figure something out!" He thundered, "Why do you care anyway, you've not even met her yet you're being this protective."

"I--well..." William lowered his head, unable to speak. He too wondered why he suddenly took an interest in Atarah, a woman he had never even met but one thing remained clear to him, he wanted to protect her.

"You better not take an interest in her, she's mine and mine alone."

The two men glared at each other, neither of the willing to back down. It was not until Lex spoke up that they stopped. "I'll inform you of the updates concerning the boy's health. If there's nothing else, I shall take my leave."

Once Lex left, William lazily slumped onto the chair annoying Sebian in the process.

"What do you want from me?" Sebian growled, causing William to sit upright with mischief dancing in his eyes.

"Now that you ask, I was wondering when I can meet her, even if it's just for a bit." William mischievously asked.

Sebian growled and frowned his face. "You'll see her when I say so." He wasn't willing to meet anyone aside from the servants to meet Atarah just yet.

"Then how do you plan on breaking the news to her? You'll need my help with that and you know it." He smirked, well aware that he'd just hit the nail on Sebian's head.

Sebian frowned once more, he knew there was no way he could easily break the news to Atarah on his own. With a sigh, he walked toward the door, "If you plan on telling her then hurry up and follow me."

They both walked toward Atarah's chambers with William happily tailing behind Sebian. The air around them was suffocating for the servants that stood by. They were the two most dangerous men they all knew so their presence alone was terrifying.

"Open it," Sebian ordered as soon as they arrived at the door.

William eagerly walked in after giving Sebian a nod, as if saying 'Leave it all to me.' He found Atarah sitting on the bed, staring at her window with a nostalgic look on her face. She hadn't even noticed his presence since he got in.

"Uhh...hello, Atarah." He made his presence known to her.

She turned toward him and their eyes locked. At that moment, William felt a pang in his chest as he looked at her dead empty eyes. He felt a connection with her, it wasn't an intimate one but it was rather a familial type of connection.

"My name is William, the king's second in command." He gently told her, contrary to his usual scowl which scared people away.

Atarah simply stared at him, refusing to utter a word. She didn't want to be friendly to any of the people there, especially not the king's second in command.

"I know you're angry but there's something important I must discuss with you." He now had a serious look on and that made Atarah defensively straighten her back.

He slowly walked toward her, making sure to keep a safe distance between them. The moment he got closer, Atarah released the breath she didn't she had been holding.

Everything was overwhelming for her and she was even more scared because deep down she knew whatever it was that William was about to say involved her in some way.

For some reason, she felt comfortable around William even though she was visibly afraid of him. She also had a feeling that she'd met him somewhere before but wasn't sure about it.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" She finally spoke for the first time since William got into the room.

He was baffled by her sudden question. The fact that the first thing she asked him was whether they'd met before threw him off guard a bit but he couldn't let himself get distracted from the important matter at hand.

"It's highly unlikely that we have but that's not why I came here, there's something else I would like us to talk about."

She nodded at him, a clear sign that he could go on with what he was saying.

"It's about your brother..." Seeing as her resolve crumbled before him, he instantly regretted saying those words the moment they came out of his mouth.