“We dream in our waking moments, and walk in our sleep.” — Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

  ???

  Yulia started walking again, and the boys hastily followed.

  “Come on, the clinic is this way,” she said quietly. She gave Rem a look. “Brace yourself. The sight isn’t going to be easy. And the reaction of the doctor isn’t going to be pleasant either. Because as far as anyone in the Northern Holds, or anywhere in Alathia is concerned, you’re the reason why they’re all suffering. And why people are dying.”

  Rem barely bit back a flinch with Yulia’s brutal words, even as they neared the village infirmary. It had the healing symbol etched on the wall next to the door, as is standard with every clinic or hospital in Alathia—a symbol of two snakes entwined around a stave.

  Yulia paused in her tracks, giving one last look back over her shoulder at the three boys before she walked up the rickety wooden steps, pushing open the worn wooden door without a word. Rem, Nathan, and Leighton followed close behind in silence.

  The unmistakable scent of blood, herbs, and rot hit them all at once the moment they entered. It clung to the air like mildew, heavy and sour. And from beyond the partitioned infirmary space came the unmistakable pained sounds of suffering.

  A man screamed in agony on one of the infirmary beds, with the infirmary area cordoned off from the main reception area. Though the gap in the partitions, they glimpsed his twisted form curled on a cot in the foetal position, his nails on both feet and hands gnarled and almost rotten, even blackened. His limbs jerked with pain.

  “It burns… It hurts…” The man gasped, his eyes rolling back so far that they could only see the whites.

  Three beds down, a young boy was crying out, rasping hoarsely, tears streaking his dirt-smudged face. “Mama… Mama… Wake up…”

  Rem clasped a hand over his mouth, even as bile rose in his throat, his eyes wide with horror. On either side of him, Nathan and Leighton weren’t much better. Leighton, at least, had expected to see something grim. Being a commoner, he’d seen his share of hardship, but even he hadn’t anticipated anything on this level.

  A man in a doctor’s white coat that was stained with blood and bile stepped forward just then, approaching from the back where he was just pulling sheets over an unmoving body, with an elderly woman by the bedside, weeping into her hands.

  “George…! No! Come back to me!”

  “Heiress Nightray!” The doctor, and here, Rem somehow found the doctor strangely familiar, though he knew he had never seen him before in his life. Next to him, Nathan was frowning as well, as if the same thought had occurred to him. “Thank you for your assistance. The herbs and medicines that you’ve brought can tide us over for about a week at least.”

  Yulia nodded. “I’m sorry that this is all I can spare,” she said apologetically.

  The doctor shook his head, his dark brown hair falling in disarray around his face. “No, please don’t apologise!” he said earnestly. “You’ve been a great help. Your medics, too. At the very least…” He gave a sad look back at the sheet covered body, “You managed to ease his pain in his final moments. He didn’t suffer as much in the end.”

  Rem swallowed, feeling guilt catching in his chest like a blade.

  The doctor’s eyes then landed on Rem, and his entire demeanour changed in an instant. The warmth on his face vanished, quickly morphing into a darkening scowl sharp enough to cut through steel when he recognised the Crown Prince. His hands clenched into fists by his sides.

  “What in the Goddess’s name is he doing here?” The doctor snarled, looking on the verge of throttling Rem. Nathan instinctively stepped forward, his hand falling onto the pommel of his sword. This action didn’t escape the doctor’s notice, and his scowl deepened even further. “What, you’re going to execute me, now? Go ahead. Do it. Not like it’d be the first death you’re responsible for.” Rem flinched, even as the doctor’s eyes locked on him with blistering hatred. “Haven’t you done enough damage to the people here? Get out of my infirmary!”

  “Doctor Atkins,” Yulia interrupted before the situation could escalate, stepping between Rem and the doctor. “I’ll vouch for him. The prince needs to see the truth of what is happening.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Atkins.

  Rem exchanged looks with Nathan and Leighton, even as the name struck him like a bolt of lightning.

  Now he understood why he found the doctor familiar. He had the same last name as Julius Atkins, their classmate in the Academy. A commoner, but he came from a prominent commoner family that was well-known for producing either soldiers or doctors.

  This doctor must be a relative of Julius’s. And considering that he only seemed to be a few years older than them, probably even a cousin or a brother.

  Doctor Atkins’s eyes didn’t leave Rem, eyeing the Crown Prince with distrust and dislike. His gaze swivelled back to Yulia, before he gave a short and curt nod. “If you’re the one vouching for him, then very well. I’ll allow it. I won’t throw him out. But I’m not going to welcome him either.” The doctor scowled, giving Rem a withering look. “Thankfully, he’s at least dressed like a peasant today, so none of the patients would recognise him. Not that most of them can even see properly at this point.”

  Rem flinched again at the venom in his voice, and the glare the doctor had thrown him. It goes without saying that the doctor blamed him for the villagers’ suffering.

  “What happened to them?” Rem asked quietly, unable to take his gaze away from the patients in the cordoned area.

  The doctor gave a short and bitter laugh, raking a hand through his tangled hair. “What isn’t wrong with them?” he questioned bitterly. “Most of them are malnourished. Several of them have taken ill from either food poisoning or eating something they shouldn’t. Some of them are here due to starvation so bad that their bodies have basically shut down. Some of these people are starving so badly that they ate rats.” Nathan flinched. “Others ate spoiled grain or even poisonous plants because they didn’t know any better. We have people dying because they were so desperate they were even willing to eat carrion meat!”

  Nathan stiffened. Rem turned green, imagining the scenario quite clearly.

  “We have people dying literally every week. Whether it be from illness, malnourishment, lack of food, or even eating things they shouldn’t. You name it. The only thing we don’t lack is clean water. But it doesn’t help when we are short on so many things.” The doctor explained, frustration visible in every line of his face. “And we are never at a shortage of patients. They’re giving up, Your Highness. Because they think the Crown has already forgotten them.”

  Rem flinched again, guilt wrecking his frame. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears, drowning out the doctor’s voice with each word.

  “We’re working on that,” Yulia said quietly, and Doctor Atkins nodded. “The Ten Great Houses are coordinating with Lord Kael to distribute resources and guard reinforcements. We’re doing whatever we can within our means.”

  “I understand. We appreciate whatever help we can get,” The doctor said quietly, though his expression remained grim. “But even whatever aid that we can get is merely a drop in a leaking bucket. I’m a doctor, but even I can only do so much without proper medical supplies and medicine. Half the herbs I’m using are whatever I can forage. And the bandits raid our stores every single time they hit the village.”

  Nathan, having stayed silent throughout everything, spoke up at last, his voice unusually sombre and hesitant. “Why don’t they just…you know, relocate?”

  Doctor Atkins rounded on him, his eyes blazing, and Nathan cringed. “To where? The capital? That place devours refugees like meat at a feast!” he barked. “Everywhere else is facing the same problems in food shortages, and even shortages in medical supplies. All those who wanted to leave have left long ago. Those who are still here remained because Darrenshade is their home. They love this place. This land, broken as it is, is still theirs. They’ll die on it before they abandon it.”

  “Doctor! Doctor!” A sudden scream came from within the cordoned area just then. “Help me!”

  The doctor let out a curse, turning heel and running back into the cordoned area of the infirmary, yanking shut the screen behind him as he did so.

  Rem stayed rooted to the ground. He wasn’t able to move or speak.

  Finally, Yulia sighed. “Come on, we should leave,” she said at last. “We’ll just be in the way here. And I doubt Doctor Atkins wanted to see you more than he has to.”

  Rem flinched again, even as the three boys followed Yulia out of the infirmary, with the worn wooden door closing behind them, muffling the sounds of pain inside. The prince looked back over his shoulder at the closed door of the infirmary, the weight of guilt pressing down on him like stone.

  Everywhere he looked in Darrenshade, he saw signs of his mistakes. Clear evidence of his failure. His silence. And even his indecisions. That had caused this. His people were suffering. Even dying. And it was his inaction that had allowed it to happen.

  When Rem raised his gaze once more, he saw Yulia eyeing him coolly, her arms crossed. “Still think talking can do the trick?” she questioned, and Rem winced. Yulia’s voice is sharp, cutting like steel.

  Nathan frowned. “We get it, okay? We’ve seen what’s going on. The prince understands—”

  Leighton grabbed Nathan’s arm, shaking his head silently.

  “No, he needs to hear this from me directly,” Yulia said, not taking her gaze off Rem’s defeated form. “Since I don’t know if he’s even hearing what I’ve been saying for the last few years.” She exhaled. “You can’t reason with bandits and raiders. Or criminals. You can’t negotiate with hunger. Words don’t drive back bandits or fill a child’s stomach, or keep your people safe. The only way to truly protect your people is to fight for them. With blood, if needed. Your words of idealism have no place in Alathia right now.” Yulia sighed. “You want to save Alathia? Start by being a prince, Rem, and actually do something for your people, or we’ll do it for you. Start acting like a leader for once.”

  Rem lifted his head to meet Yulia’s sharp and unyielding gaze. But he also saw understanding in those silver eyes. His lips trembled. “How do I fix this?” he whispered.

  Yulia said nothing for several moments. Then, she sighed again. “You’re not alone. You don’t have to do this by yourself. If you’re willing to try, Lord Merren will help you. I will help you. Even Hunt here, and Curnow, too, I’m sure.” Nathan and Leighton both nodded. “You do what you can do, Rem. You start by relying on and trusting the people around you who have your back. Not the people who only tell you what you want to hear. Trust the right people.”

  Rem flinched again. “I’ve…been so blind for so long,” he whispered, his voice shaking. “And now… I don’t know how to fix this. I don’t know how to make it right.” His eyes searched Yulia’s, begging for understanding.

  Yulia said nothing. Instead, she looked upwards at the sky, and then at the boys. “I’m going to assume that you brought horses?” There were nods. “Good. I’ll escort you back to the Academy.”

  “We can bring the prince back ourselves—”

  Yulia cut Nathan off, though not rudely. “No. If his Crownsguard isn’t with him, I am obliged to see him safely back to the Academy, especially since he’s out of the Imperial City without any official guards.” Yulia shot Rem a scathing look, and he winced. “Your Crownsguard isn’t going to be happy once you return, and I’ll suggest you let him complain all he wants. If anything had happened to you whilst he was on duty, he would have been held liable. People have been executed for less.”

  Rem winced. “I…” He swallowed. “It really seems like I’ve been making a lot of mistakes lately, haven’t I?” he almost whispered. “How do I start fixing this?” He looked at Yulia, begging her with his eyes to give him an answer.

  Yulia said nothing for several moments. “You start by being a prince, Your Highness,” she said at last. “And then someday, if you have the spine for it…” She looked at Rem in the eye, “a king.”