Dear princess, Chapter three
A/N: this is scarcely edited because i hate editing. if you find a mistake let me know and ill update it as soon as I can :)
Chapter warnings: light medical stuff, like a stethoscope; injuries (missing arm, blunt force/ loosing breath, etc.) ; bucky? is that a warning?
Sleep had still yet to find you as the sun rose and Nat dressed you in your (mostly) casual dress for the day. It was as simple as royal garments could get, a dark navy, with plain off the shoulder sleeves and a knee length skirt, adorned with pearls on the neckline and waist.
You wore kid gloves, and a simple diamond drop necklace that Bucky had once gifted you.
The castle was vibrant early in the morning, mostly because of the light filtering in from massive windows that overlooked the east, where the ocean met the shores. Servants and nobles walked slowly, letting the sun warm their skin.
His rooms weren't far from the windows, he appreciated the view and the light every morning, standing and watching the sun rise before embarking on his daily tasks and meetings.
Today would normally bring you to the beaches, but you had to see bucky.
Doctor Cho was waiting inside his receiving room, laying out papers and medications. She stood when you entered, and greeted you with a curtsy. She looked rather tired, but smiled nonetheless.
You nodded your head, and asked “how’s Bucky doing?” Her face shifted to a grim expression, making your heart ache.
“He's, um, better.” She collected papers from her pile, attempting to soften the blow by distracting herself. “The attack took a lot out of him, he had multiple blade wounds to his abdomen, but his biggest loss was his left arm”
You chewed on your lip. This is why no one wanted you to see him just yet. You nodded, looking at the far wall, of the pictures of his family, his best friends and favorite spots. Pictures you had painted of the beach and his ships.
“I couldn't save it, lord knows i tried”
“That's alright Helen.” The use of her first name made her look up at you, and you took her hands. “I believe you. You saved him.”
Her eyes glistened with tears. “Thank you, princess Y/N. You can go in and see him if you’d like. He’s not awake yet, and Captain Rogers should be here sometime today, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you need some time with Duke Barnes. If he is to wake, please come get me. He won't adjust well to his new predicaments.
You cracked open the door to his bedroom. It was unfamiliar and intimate, and it made you feel uneasy as you walked to his bedside. The room was dark and woodsy, dark oak paired well with the dark blue tones your kingdom was known for, along with a deep purple that shimmered along with the light. A four poster bed sat against the far wall, windows stretched wide and tall to let sunlight in, but the curtains were drawn closed to let him rest.
The unfamiliar sights filled your mind, along with the soft sound of birds and Bucky's breathing. It made your heart ache, the way you were helplessly standing with him. You couldn't do anything to protect him.
You pulled a chair up to the bed to sit beside him, picking up one of the novels laying on the floor. It had most likely been moved to make way for the growing pile of bandages and salves. It was titled “The Land of Roaming Seas”. Its pages smelled of salt and liquor, sweat and blood; like the flowers pressed in between its pages, all from unfamiliar lands and ports.
Folding the book back into your lap, you took Bucky’s right hand, and rubbed your thumb over his roughly bandaged knuckles. His face glowed in the soft morning light, slightly obstructed by the folds in the sheer curtains, and highlighting the small cuts and bruises on his cheeks and forehead.
His breathing hitched, and then quickened, stirring wildly. You raised up, and sat on the bed to keep him from hurting himself. You tried calming him, placing your palm on his bandaged chest to keep him down. As you muttered reassurances, your mind wandered to his slick abdomen, strong and tanned from his days aboard the ships.
He stopped fighting, and grabbed your unoccupied wrist lightly. His silver-blue eyes appeared as he lazily cracked his eyes open.
“Becca?” he asked, and your heart ached. His sister died when they both were young, an incurable disease spread rampant throughout his kingdom. He couldn’t ever see her in her final moments.
“No Baby, it's not. Its Y/N”
He responded with a near silent “hmmn,” closing his eyes again. “Everything feels so light, like I'm missing-” his head wobbled to where his missing arm would have been. He tried moving his stub, but it proved difficult with the bandages.
“Hey, hey, don't mess with that, you'll open a-”
All in a second, he threw you near to where the chair was beside the bed, knocking you in the gut, hitting the chair and then the floor. It knocked the breath out of your lungs, and they burned as you drew in frantic breaths, bringing tears to your eyes.
You barely noticed Steve, Dr. Banner, and Dr. Cho throw the door open, rushing in the room with a frantic pace.
You managed to get to your knees, using the bench, and help from Dr. Banner to get to your feet. He was saying something. You didn't understand anything except for Bucky’s persistent fighting. Steve and Dr. Cho were helping to calm him down.
Bruce finally got you into the receiving room, and sat down on the couch. With each movement you could feel the soreness and the bruise the injury would bring.
“Princess,” You could hear his words now, frantic, but calming. “Hey, where does it hurt?”
You brushed the tears off your face, saying “he hit my abdomen, knocked my breath out. I hit the chair too.”
He took out his stethoscope, checked your breathing, and felt for fractured or broken bones near your ribs and back. Once he declared he found nothing, he went back into the bedroom to deal with bucky.
Your mind reeled, tears spilling out of your eyes. You hated to see Bucky in this amount of pain, and relieving his sister’s passing.
You let the tears slip from your chin into your lap. You let them go for bucky.
