[IC] The gladiator and the princess

[tsubasa]

Lauralye looked up at him, "I used to get sick more often when I was younger. I guess I just have a weak immune system... After being locked up in this castle for the last twelve years of my life."

She rose her hand to her mouth and coughed. She glanced at Robert, "You might as well sit down... I don't think I'm going anywhere today..."

The doctor came in shortly after. He did a quite check over of Lauralye, "You should be fine, your highness. I just want someone to change that cloth on your head every so often and," he looked at the handmaidens and Robert, "One of you come and get me if she starts vomiting at all. Otherwise, allow her to get lots of rest."

[Xion Demente]

Robert nodded to that, before pulling up a chair next to the bed. He sat down in it, the black shirt clung to his figure he wasn't one to wear tight shirts, but right now it was the only one he had to wear. He didn't think the king would like it if he was walking around the castle shirtless.

He changed out the cloth every three to ten minutes to make sure it was kept cold, "princess you didn't tell me you were cold last night." His tone was soft, he wasn't like the other men who would talk to her sternly about her decision not since he traveled before his capture.

[tsubasa]

Lauralye looked at him sheepishly. He spoke in a kind and soft voice but she knew he didn't like that she hadn't told him. She pulled her blanket up and around her shoulders, "I didn't wasn't to go home.... Who knows if I'll ever get that chance again. I won't be able to sneak out once I'm married and I don't know if I'll ever be allowed to leave."

She gave him a gentle smile, "I didn't want it to end just because I got the shivers," She sneezed quietly. She closed her eyes and leaned into her pillow, "I had such fun last night too."

[Xion Demente]

Robert smiled to that, it faltered when she said that she might not be able to leave the castle once married. He sighed to that, before replacing the cloth onto her forehead, "I'm glad you had fun last nights and it was good to be in the sky once more."

He looked at lauralye, he sighed he didn't know what david would do when he was married to lauralye. He knew one thing for sure he would protect her with his life he was just a guard that could be replaced in the long run anyway he didn't have anyone here that truly cared for him except lauralye.

[tsubasa]

Lauralye leaned into his hand slightly as he replaced the cloth on her head. Her eyes opened slowly as she looked at him, "Thank you... For staying here... Really, the handmaidens could be doing this..."

She gently took hold of his wrist and moved it to cup the side of her face. She closed her eyes again and rested her warm cheek in his cold hand. She smiled, "Your hands... they're like ice cubes."

[Xion Demente]

Robert smiled to that, "they've been handling a cold cloth so of course tere cold." He joked, he didn't move his hand thinking she would want to keep it there while his other hand would replace the cloth. "Well I am your guard aren't i so no matter what situation your in im always there."

He smiled to that, "i promise to stay by your side through the good and the bad and if harm rears its ugly head I'll be there to protect you." What he said was true, he made a promise and he planned on keeping it he never went back on his word.

[tsubasa]

Lauralye continued you hold his wrist softly. She enjoyed the feeling of his cold hand on her cheek. She lay there with her eyes closed, her head resting in his palm and smiled. She listened to his promise to her and curled up. She liked the idea of him always protecting her. Which was funny, considering she had been afraid of him mere days ago. She opened her eyes and looked at him, "You sound like my father," She said quietly, "He wants to protect me... That's why I'm not to leave the castle... Not after my mother was killed by demons...." She yawned, "She died when I was five.... I miss her."

[Xion Demente]

Robert nodded to that, he didn't have the same experiance as her. "I know he wants to protect you princess he kinda gives it away when he has the guards holding swords at my throat." He laughed at the experiance it was something in the past he wouldn't dwell on it much.

"Just hopefully the fighting doesn't come for a long while maybe a week or two at most." He sighed to that, "my mother always said the person that gave me to her said I would be the savior of this world I have my doubts but if she believes her then I guess I do to." He got the cloth wet again before replacing it back on her forehead, "it's just nice to sit around and talk to you like this princess."

[tsubasa]

Lauralye gave him a tired smile, "It is nice," She said quietly in agreeance. She lay there for a moment before looking at him, "I'm scared," she confessed to him.

Her eyes searched his face slightly, "What... what if the demons attack me again... What if they hurt you?" She shook her head, "Why did they even try to kill me?" Her eyebrows knitted together under the cloth on her forehead, "I'm not to going to run my country... Why not my father... or David? I... don't get it," She said quietly. Her hand wrapped around his wrist slightly tighter as she worried.

[Xion Demente]

Robert sighed to that, "princess right now te only thing that should be on your mind is getting better, as even if they came here you would have guards and me protecting you I don't think they can get through us to you." He let her hold his wrist tighter than she had before.

He wouldn't let the demons touch her even though it would probably cost him his life. Though to everyone else he was just a slave. So they wouldn't be much affected by his death, but lauralye would be. He sighed this had just got more complicated than it had been.

[tsubasa]

Lauralye looked at him and nodded when he told her not to think about it. Reassuring her that she was most likely safe with in the castle, "Thank you," She said quietly,

She removed his hand from her cheek, however did not let it get far as she intertwined her slim, soft fingers with his larger rough ones. She held it as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. After a moment, her hand's hold on his loosened as she slept soundly.

[Xion Demente]

Robert smiled a bit, as he watched her sleep. He changed out the cloth once again. Before finding a book in her room, he started reading it every once in a while he woul change out the cloth on her head making sure to keep it cold then wiping his hand dry to make sure to not ruin a page in the book.

[tsubasa]

Lauralye woke up sometime later. She felt the cloth on her head was still cold, meaning someone had changed it recently. She looked at Robert, who sat by her bed reading, and smiled, "Hello..."

She coughed a little and looked at the book he was holding, "What are you reading," she asked quietly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

[Xion Demente]

Robert looked up from the book, he smiled seeing she was awake. " don't know the rutile but I know it's a princess falling for a slave of some sort their still trying to figure out what to do with him though." He set te book down by the chair he was sitting in.

He leaned forward his arms resting on his knees, "how are you feeling princess." He asked concern was etched in his voice and showed on his face as he looked at her.

[tsubasa]

Lauralye pulled the blanket closer to her and shrugged, "Better... I'm still really cold though... But I can feel myself sweating..." She buried her face in her pillow, "It's no fun..." She looked at him, "Maybe if you lie down with me, I'll feel warmer," she asked innocently before moving away from the edge slightly. She looked at the book, "Can you read to me?"

[Xion Demente]

Robert nodded to that, picking up the book he had set down then deciding against it. "Don't know if you'll like this book princess this princess is a little crueler to the slave than you are with me." He climbed onto the bed, taking his boots off in the process.

[tsubasa]

Lauralye gratefully curled up against him. She shivered slightly and enjoyed heat of his body. She rested her head on his chest and pouted slightly when he told her it might not be best for him to read the story, worrying it might upset her. She looked up at him, "Can you tell me a story?" She asked like a small child.

[Xion Demente]

Robert chuckled at that, "alright alright." He told her of his travels of the uncharted lands he had been to, of being on the sea and meeting different people in different villages. "One time I was jus helping a captain on the seas and we were attacked by pirates i helpe out on fighting them off and getting the cargo safely to its destination." He went into detail on how the Pirates acted and fought.

[tsubasa]

Lauralye listened to him as he spoke about his adventures. She was amazed. She had never gone farther than the city and, other than last night, that was twelve years ago. She enjoyed hearing about the world beyond there. Robert had even more stories than David did. She placed an arm over his stomach and yawned, "That's amazing... I wish I had stories like that."

[Xion Demente]

Robert smiled to that, "maybe you'll have stories of your own princess in the future at the very least." He was suprised when she put an arm around his stomach, though he wasn't complaining about it it had been two years since he had been held or had an arm around him.