Hollow Kingdom

Lily's mind was a cluttered jumble of thoughts and questions as she just tended to Alec's shoulder, cleaning and bandaging it.

"Why did you come back?" she asked him suddenly. It was the question burning most insistently inside of her. Alec looked surprised.

"Why wouldn't I? I know those woods aren't safe at night and then I heard you scream. What else would I have done?"

"Turn around and go the other way and pretend you didn't hear anything."

"That was never an option."

She raised her eyes to meet his gaze and found him watching her thoughtfully.

"You certainly didn't need my help though, did you?" he chuckled. "You fight like a demon."

Lily cracked a smile, feeling an odd rush of pride. On its heels was a soft sort of tenderness that startled her. No one other than Angie had ever come to her defense before.

"Orphans have to learn how to survive," she explained softly as she wrapped gauze around his wound. "You should go easy on that shoulder for a while. You're lucky he didn't inflict any permanent damage. Other than a scar, of course."

"It'll make for a great story one day." Alec's lips quirked up and Lily felt her ears turn red though she didn't know why. She busied herself with cleaning up the bloodied rags and forcing a glass of water into his good hand.

"Your sister doesn't seem to like me," she remarked.

"Belle isn't always the most sociable person." Alec shifted slightly in his chair and sipped his water. He sounded casual and nonchalant but Lily still got the feeling that there was far more to it than that. She didn't press him about it. Instead she told him he should get some rest.

"I will," he promised. Lily ran out of things to clean up to keep her hands occupied and pulled up another chair to sit across from him.

"How'd you learn to fight like that?" he asked her. Lily shrugged.

"I used to sneak out of the orphanage and watch the fights. I studied the moves carefully and tried practicing them. Utilized them when I had to, and adjusted the techniques. Although if I'm being perfectly honest I really just fight dirty. My opponents are usually far bigger than I am."

"Did you have to fight a lot?" He seemed surprised, a slight frown crinkling his forehead.

"On occasion." Lily shrugged again. Then she promptly changed the subject. "Do you think Erwin will be able to make it home all right?"

"He's pretty clever, for a rodent. He'll find his way back, don't worry." He hesitated. "You should probably just stay here until morning. It's quite a trek back to the castle from here. You can have my bed-"

"Absolutely not. You can't sleep on the floor with your shoulder like that. I'll stay, but I'll be content with the floor or a chair."

Alec looked amused again. "No one would ever expect to hear the queen's lady-in-waiting say she'd be content with sleeping on the floor."

"I'm full of surprises."

"So I'm learning."

"Come on, to bed with you." She helped ease him up out of the chair. "You're too pale. You need to sleep and get your strength back."

"It's just a stab wound."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Just lay down and be quiet. I have something in my bag that should help with the pain."

Since coming into possession of her own greenhouse Lily had spent plenty of time studying different herbs and plants and their uses. She made it a point to carry some herbs and salves with her most of the time. A lot of them were plants that were good for the skin; removing grime and blemishes. Angie loved them. But she also had some of the same leaves she had used on Alec's ankle the night Raz bit him in the greenhouse. Lily felt her ears turn red again as she remembered what else had happened in the greenhouse that night. She shook herself and unwrapped the herbs as Alec laid down in bed.

"Chew these," she instructed, perching beside him. Alec eyed them warily.

"You can eat them or I can force feed them to you. You decide," Lily said. Making a face, he took the leaves and chewed them carefully.

"They don't taste awful," he said in surprise. Lily laughed. She told Alec he should rest but he kept asking her about her plants and how she knew so much about them.

"Maybe you're actually the expert on trees," he laughed. "Evan will be so disappointed."

Lily smiled, then covered his mouth her hand. "No more talking. Go to sleep."

He tried to protest but she kept her hand firmly over his face till he rolled his eyes and then finally closed them. She sat and watched him, making sure he didn't wake up and start talking again and also keeping a careful eye out for any signs of fever. She was sure she had cleaned the wound in time but the knife could have been dipped in poison and even if it weren't, the blade was likely filthy. She wanted to be sure her nursing ability and herbs were sufficient to prevent an infection.

She remained vigilant until long after Alec's breathing had slowed into the rhythm of sleep. She softly sang the same song she had sung to Erwin that afternoon beneath her apple tree. Eventually her eyelids began to droop, so Lily stood and tiptoed back to the small room where she had patched up Alec. She returned to his bedside with one of the chairs and tried to arrange herself as comfortably as she could on it before her eyes drifted closed.

Lily felt someone move her in the middle of the night; lifting her gently before laying her down. She stirred ever so slightly, her eyes opening halfway but seeing nothing in the darkness. She thought she felt a blanket pulled over her, a conversation held in fierce whispers, and then something small and warm curled up beside her. The bed shifted as someone moved next to her but she was already sound asleep again.



Lily's eyes snapped open at the sound of footsteps in the hall. She blinked groggily, completely forgetting where she was. There were voices on the other side of the closed door, and then it swung open to reveal Belle and a little girl with big eyes and two braids swishing beside her rosy cheeks. Belle's mouth fell open in surprise and the little girl stopped dead in her tracks, eyes going even wider. Lily still couldn't make sense of where she was. Why was Alec's sister in her room? Lily heard a squeak and looked down to realize Erwin had been snuggled beside her. Why was Erwin in her room? He'd been left in the forest-

Lily sat up so fast she nearly toppled right out of the bed. Erwin scampered behind her and she felt the bed shift as Alec cursed loudly. Erwin must have bitten him. Alec! She wasn't in her own room at all. She was in Alec's. Specifically, she was in Alec's bed. No wonder Belle was staring at her like that. Lily's face turned so hot she thought it might melt off.

"Belle," Alec said, finally seeming to realize what was happening. "And Prissy. What are you-"

"Alec, are you awake? Belle told me you were stabbed-"
Evan appeared in the doorway behind Belle and the little girl; Prissy; and Lily wanted to jump out the window as he skidded to a halt and gaped. Then he choked back a laugh.

"Ah. Well, you seem to be feeling all right," he said and Belle elbowed him in the ribs.

"We didn't-I'm not-" Lily tried to stammer out an apology as she sprang out of the bed.

"She stayed because I asked her to," Alec said, sounding far more calm and reasonable than Lily felt. "She was the one who cleaned me up and she was keeping an eye on me."

"Oh are eyes what she was keeping on you?" Belle hissed. She was trying to cover Prissy's eyes and ears at the same time and usher her out of the room but the little girl was staring at Lily with almost alarming intensity.

"Who are you?" she asked, resisting Belle's urgent tugging.

"I'm Alec's friend," Lily replied. Belle finally managed to pull Prissy out of the room and ushered her away, throwing another glare over her shoulder at her brother. Still chuckling, Evan followed them.

"I'm sorry," Alec sighed. "That was..."

"Awkward?" Lily supplied. "Mortifying?"

Alec's lips twitched. "You look like a ripe tomato." He tried to open the window but Lily darted forward to stop him.

"I told you to take it easy on that shoulder," she scolded.

"I'm just opening the window."

Lily shoved past him and opened it herself. Mostly it was just an excuse to not have to look at Alec; who was still shirtless and staring at her with that almost-smile on his face. His blue eyes were glinting with amusement at her frazzled state. The cool morning air felt good against her flushed face.

"You should put a shirt on, don't you think?" she said, hating how suddenly squeaky and flustered she sounded. She didn't wait for a reply, instead yanking open a drawer of the small dresser in the corner and pulling out a random shirt. She ended up having to help him put it on, which only served to keep her face from returning to its normal color.

"I should head back to the castle before Angie worries," she said. "First I want to apologize to Belle though."

She made it to the door before she paused and looked back, suddenly remembering something.

"Alec? When you told that bandit to let me go because I was part of the queen's court and he said that's why I should die..." She trailed off as Alec flinched slightly. But that's not what was bothering her. "He said you should know, because you're Tobias Spaulding's son. What does that mean? Who's your father?"

Alec was silent so long she thought he wasn't going to answer her at all. Finally he sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"It's complicated," he said. "Let me walk you home. I feel bad for subjecting you to this embarrassment."

Lily nodded slowly, questions burning in her mouth. She pushed them down. As someone with plenty of secrets of her own she wasn't about to push someone else to reveal theirs. She took a deep breath as Alec placed a hand gently on her back to urge her out of the room. Her face flamed all over again when she saw Belle, Prissy and Evan. Erwin had scurried after her and Alec and now he climbed up her clothes to sit on her shoulder.

"I see Erwin has taken a shine to you as well," Belle said flatly. The ferret squeaked, nose twitching wildly.

"I suppose so," Lily mumbled. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for all this. I didn't mean for Alec to get hurt and I didn't mean to intrude in your home. I was just-"

"She didn't do anything wrong," Alec said firmly and it occurred to her that he was coming to her defense again. "She fell asleep in the chair," Alec went on. "I put her in the bed because the chair looked horribly uncomfortable. Nothing inappropriate happened."

Belle leveled a stony stare at him, not looking at Lily at all. "Can I speak to you privately please, Alec?" she asked stiffly.

"I'll be back in a minute," Alec said, flashing Lily a reassuring smile. He followed his sister into another room and Lily was left alone with Prissy and Evan staring at her. If she had possessed any magical ability, she would have used it in that moment to disappear.