I open my eyes to the heavily. Looking around, I was in my room lying down in bed. The room was a little bit dark with only the light from the fire place illuminating the interior. I slowly sat up and felt that my body was heavy and in pain.

"Ouch." I made a silent cry from the ache that my body was feeling. My body must have sustained the bruises and wounds that I got from inside my mother's consciousness.

I hear the door creak open and a shadow of a woman was seen coming inside. When she was just a few feet away, I was able to see her face.

"Your highness." It came from Martha's voice. "I am so glad you are already awake."

Martha dashed towards my bedside instantly.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked her.

"You have been sleeping all day after you lost consciousness inside the greenhouse your highness." Martha said and put her palm on my forehead. "You are still burning. Excuse me your highness, I will call the doctor immediately." She looked worried.

Martha bowed down and left as fast as she came inside.

I held my forehead with my palm and felt my temperature and I was really burning with a fever.

"No wonder I feel this way." I lay down once again in bed.

My body really felt heavy and I wasn't feeling very well. This last trip to my mother's consciousness took a toll on me both physically and mentally.

Not long Martha came back with an old man. He must be the doctor she was talking about. Martha lit up the chandelier and my room was lighted up. The doctor came near me without delay and checked on me.

While the doctor was doing his check up, I noticed that both William and Jack was standing just outside my door and looked at me worriedly. They were not allowed to enter a princess' room in the middle of the night. They can only guard me outside my room.

After some time, the old doctor finished his check up on me.

"We need to lower her highness' temperature. I will give the princess a shot for now." The old doctor said while writing a prescription on a piece of paper. "I will prescribe some medicine after this. You can get it at the royal clinic." He said to Martha and gave the paper to her.

"Yes doctor." Martha replied while accepting the paper.

The old doctor took out a syringe and a vial from his bag. He slowly and carefully inserted the syringe inside the vial with clear liquid inside.

"What is that?" I asked.

My head was getting a little foggy with the fever and I was not sure what the doctor was actually doing with the syringe.

"Don't worry your highness. This medicine will help lower down your fever." The doctor said while flicking the syringe with his fingers. "This will only hurt a little. Please bear with it your highness."

I felt the needle of the syringe prick thru my skin on my arm and I flinched in pain. But after just a few seconds the pain disappeared. The doctor pressed a cool thing where the prick was and I felt relief. My eye lids felt heavy after.

"The princess will get sleepy after the shot. Later she will sweat heavily. You will need to check her later and need to change her clothes so that her fever won't get any worse." The doctor said to Martha.

"I understand doctor." Martha replied.

"Well, I will take my leave. Call me if there is an emergency." The doctor tidied up his bag and was prepared to leave. "The princess needs to rest. Check on her after a few hours."

Then I heard his foot steps going outside my room. I tried to open my heavy eyes and still saw William and Jack looking at me from outside the door.

"I will be checking on you later princess. Please rest well." Martha said and tucked me inside my blanket. She closed the lights from the chandelier and the room went dim once more.

"No, don't go away." My voice was low as a whisper. They weren't able to hear me. "Please don't leave me alone in the dark." I pleaded.

The door was closed by Martha and the room fell silent. I can't fight any longer with my heavy eyelids and succ.u.mbed to a restless sleep.

***

I can feel my body was so heavy and I was breathing heavily. I know I was down with a fever and my feeling was very uncomfortable.

I opened my eyes to a dark cold room around me. This was my old room the first time I arrived in Alvannia when I was still young. Because father brought me to the palace unexpectedly, I wasn't given my own courtyard yet. And so I was given a small bare room in an old building inside the palace. The room only has one old bed and cabinet and was small and cramped. I also didn't have any maids or servants attending to me and so I was all alone.

It was the middle of the night and I felt that I was hot to the touch. "Mama…" I called for my mother. "Mama, I don't feel good."

Tears are streaming from my eyes, but I know that my mother won't come. She had just died, that is why my father took me with him inside the palace. My head was swirling and my body was feeling heavier.

My head was a little hazy and when my mind was somewhat clearing out I thought something.

'Why was I in my old room in Alvannia?' I thought. 'This is only a dream.' I am convinced.

I am remembering the day when I fell sick just a few weeks after entering the palace when I was young. I was all alone inside that small cramped room and was sick with no one around to help me.

'This is only a dream." I convinced myself.

I was able to recover from that fever when I was young luckily, even without anyone helping me. But the trauma I have gotten after that stuck with me. Every time I caught a cold or feel sick and unwell, I will remember that cold dark night alone. I felt helpless and afraid, thinking that no one was there for me.

"Tricia…" I called. Whenever I get sick after that incident, Tricia was there for me. She always stayed by my side to comfort me. "Tricia… where are you?"

My heart was thumping loudly, I was scared… so scared of being alone in the dark. I was not feeling well and my body was feeling uncomfortable. I dreaded being alone with such a condition.

"Leon…" I called for my love. "Where are you? I don't want to be alone."

I can feel my body shiver, the fear of being alone in the dark was getting to me. I can feel tears streaming down my face.

"Someone… anyone?" I called out. "I don't want to be alone… please." I plead.

"Alicia… Alicia." I can hear a man's voice next to me.

***

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