The Royal Contract

Noises kept ringing in his ears, and some familiar voices echoed around the room, yet he could not understand them. Eventually, wondering if it was just a dream.

Then, something pulled him back to the darkness as all turned black. He was back to a deep slumber, buried in his dreams. He only hoped that tomorrow would be much brighter than his make-believe world.

“Welcome back to the land of the living.” A lively voice spoke to him softly, but it sounded unfamiliar.

Who was that?

Lance could feel his eyes this time, compared to before. When he tried to move it, he felt it twitch. He could even feel his fingers as he tried to wiggle them.

“Do you know where you are?” The voice continued to talk to him, but he still felt disoriented, confused by his question.

.....

He attempted to open his eyes again. Finally, he felt pain in them. Suddenly, he became aware of the different aches in his body as if a car had just hit him.

“Hhhmmm!” His lips moved, but he seemed unable to form coherent words, feeling the dryness of his mouth.

What was wrong with him? He searched his mind for any form of information that would shed light on his situation. Because at the moment, nothing seemed to make sense.

“Here, just take a sip.” Whoever stood beside him said as he felt a cold glass on his lips. Then, water touched his parched lips, relieving them from their dryness.

A few seconds later, he completely opened his eyes, gradually adjusting to the lights. A vision of a slightly older man appeared in his view, but his mind could not identify him from his list of names.

Who was this man standing before him? But after a while, he recognized the white coat he wore and the apparatus wrapped around his neck. Now, what was he doing in this place?

“Do you remember what happened to you?” The doctor asked again, probably trying to jar his memories.

He thought hard as fragments of memories started to come back to him. At first, it seemed to be just random pictures. Then, somehow it formed a better scenario in his mind, reminding him of some of the things that happened most recently.

“I am not sure.” He finally found his voice, although it was still more of a whisper. He tried to clear his throat, which was hoarse from not being used for a long time.

“Do you at least remember your name?” The doctor tried again, which he could only assume was a test of his cognitive skills.

Suddenly, his eyes roamed around the room, hearing the beeping sound of some machines before seeing where it was coming from, and then he saw several other people behind the doctor.

“Yes, my name is Lance. But why am I in the hospital?” He asked as he searched his brain for the answer.

His mind remembered a bright light. Then, he remembered seeing Eida. And then, he was at work. But suddenly, he was driving fast. Nothing about it made sense.

“Don’t you remember that you had a car accident?” The doctor reminded him as if that would help him piece the puzzle in his mind.

Car accident?

Did he hit his car on the tracks? Forcing his mind to recall.

If he was in one, he should remember it. He blinked his eyes twice, finally moving his hand toward his face to rub them off the haze that seemed to cover this whole mystery.

Then, it finally clicked as the sequence of events aligned, revealing to him the actual occurrence. It seemed that it was not just a dream.

“Where is Eida?” Suddenly, she was the first thought that came to his mind. He wanted to see her and be sure that she was ok.

“You were alone in the car when you had the accident. I don’t think Eida was with you.” The doctor looked confused, but he explained the absence of the woman. “But your father is already on his way to see you.”

The prospect of seeing his father was not appealing to him. But what he wanted was to see Eida. Where was she? Did she know that he was in an accident?

He finally remembered that he was on his way back to see her. But something happened. He remembered hearing her voice, then the blinding light. Now, he understood.

“What is wrong with me?” Lance finally asked because he needed to see her. He had to get out of this hospital and talk to her.

He had to ask what was going on with her. He did not believe a single word that she said to him. And he intended to get to the bottom of it. He refused to believe that they were over.

The doctor explained to him the extent of his injuries. Thankfully, nothing had a lasting impact except the scars on his skin. That was good news, but that would mean he would have to undergo months or years of therapy before fully recovering.

Still, it was better than having a permanent disability, paralysis, or far worse consequence, death. He would take rehabilitation as long as it would give him more time to spend with the woman he loved.

Yes! He loved Eida. He would do anything to get her back. He could not lose her because that was not in his options. He finally learned that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

“I just need to see Eida.” He mumbled, but the doctor only nodded, probably unable to understand what he was talking about as he started checking for his vitals.

Suddenly, he remembered hearing her voice, but it sounded like a dream. Unfortunately, he could not remember anything that she said.

All he knew was that it had soothed him. It pushed him to come back from wherever darkness he resided during his unconsciousness. He badly needed to hear Eida’s voice again.

“We will let you get some rest. We will be back after a while to check on you again.” The doctor and his colleagues or staff excused themselves as they exited his room.

Several doctors seemed interested in his case because he was the prince. But that was the least of his concern. He wanted to see familiar faces who he believed could help him find Eida.

After a few more minutes, someone arrived to visit him, but his guest was the last person he wanted to see. His father walked into the room, looking like he hardly had a moment’s sleep.

“I am happy to see that you are awake.” Count Thomas smiled at him, seemingly glad to see him.

As much as he wanted to hate his father for forcing on him the marriage he had arranged and wanting him to take the throne, he knew that his father loved him.

His father’s visions always meant well to him and their family, but sometimes his method could be extreme. Most of the time, he also did not agree with him.

“I am also glad that I am alive,” Lance answered his father as he tried to move his body.

His father immediately stepped closer as he tried to assist him. But he could only adjust a little since the cast and tubes connected to his body limited his capability to move.

“Amelia was here, checking on you.” His father mentioned as he settled on a more comfortable position.

He liked to hear that since Amelia was a very close friend. But that was all she was. He could not understand why he could not love her the way she loved him, but that was the fact.

He could not force marriage on her when he knew it would only make them both miserable. Besides, there was only one woman he wanted to marry. But he could already see the difficulty they would face as he stared at his father.

“How is she?” He was still concerned about her. After she discovered his affair with Eida, they never had the chance to talk yet. But he was happy and relieved to hear that she was ok.

“She looks good.” His father said as he moved to sit on the chair next to his bed, but his eyes kept observing him. “Many of your other friends and family had come to visit, but you were still unconscious. But they are happy that you are on your way to recovery.”

As much as he liked to converse about the mundane things, there was only one thing he wished to discuss with his father at the moment.

“Did Eida come to visit?” He finally asked, not caring if his father would get mad. He did not care anymore if his father would disown him.

“Why don’t you concentrate on getting better?” His father avoided answering his question as he stood up from the chair. “I think the doctors said you needed plenty of rest so you can recover much earlier.”

He moved to his side and dropped a quick kiss on his forehead. Then, he turned his back on him, ready to leave.

“Dad. I know you don’t like her. But I need to see her.” He called his father’s attention before he could walk out of the door. “I love her.”

He could tell that anger was brewing within his father with his words as his shoulders stiffened. But when he turned around, he was smiling. “Let me see what I can do.” Before he nodded and walked away.

Lance was left speechless, unsure if he understood his father. Was his father going to help him see Eida? He could only hope.

He needed to see Eida and make the most of this second life given to him.