Belia- Important Matters

Belia had spent the day at the hospital. Kya, her servant, and best friend, received a comm saying Belia is to come at once. She isn't sure what to expect when she sees him; his temperament changes frequently. Bela is strapped to his bed when she arrives, his hair is long and greasy, and his once beautiful eyes look crazed and are surrounded by dark circles. Belia puts her hand on Bela's forehead and strokes a few hairs out of his face. Bela's body relaxes at her touch.

"Apologies, your Highness," one of the doctors says, coming into the room, "we know you are dealing with important matters, but we couldn't get him to calm down, and the tranquilizers won't work when he's in this state."

"No, it's alright. He's my brother." Bela stirs.

"He'll be fully conscious in a few moments. If he's up to it, I'm sure he's going to want to talk," the doctor says. Belia steps out of the room while the doctor assesses her brother. She makes a motion for Belia to come in, and the doctor deactivates the restraints. Bela sits up, and the doctor leaves the siblings alone. Belia gives her brother a polite smile.

"How are you?" Belia asks, sitting on the side of the bed. Bela looks at her, confused.

"Sane, for the moment," he says after a brief pause. "You look, different."

"Well, Father believes, now that I'm nineteen, I should be taking on more responsibilities, so I haven't been sleeping well." Bela's eyes get wide, and Belia can tell she's made a mistake.

"It's been six years?" Belia takes her brother's hand and begins rubbing it.

"Calm down."

"What else have I missed?"

"Bela-"

"Where are Hareph and Edur?"

"Bela, calm down."

"Where's Mom and Dad?" Belia could see he was becoming agitated.

"They're away, so you're stuck with me." He pulls his hand away from her's and grips his head. He rocks back and forth, a ritual Belia knew very well and how it would end. Belia often visits her brother, but his memory is poor, and he often loses track of time and forgets certain pieces of information. This isn't the first time the siblings have had this conversation. It makes Belia sad to see her brother in this state. Bela grimaces and moans as he tries to keep his mind.

"It hurts!" Bela yells. Belia puts an arm around him and rubs his back, trying to get him to calm down.

"I know. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Liar!" Bela shoves his sister away from him and off the bed. "I remember, you're getting married and leaving."

"How did you know-"

"The nurses talk."

"I'll always be here for you, you know that." Bela begins saying incoherent things, and Belia can see him slipping away. A nurse comes into the room and asks Belia to leave. She watches from the window as her brother loses his sanity, a sight that always makes her want to cry. Belia waits in hopes he will get better, and she could explain, but it is another bad day, something which is occurring more often. As night falls, Kya sends Belia a comm and suggests that the Princess return to the palace. Belia wishes her brother a silent goodnight from the window and teleports back to the palace. When she arrives, Belia knows everyone is probably asleep due to the lateness of the hour. She sneaks back into her room to find Kya waiting for her.

"How's his Highness?" Kya asks, helping Belia undress.

"Not well. His episodes are increasing in number and duration."

"How are you?" Belia looks back at Kya. "You seem distant; your mind is elsewhere."

"He thinks I've abandoned him."

"His mind isn't in the right place-"

"He was sane enough to remember a conversation between the nurses. He thinks because I'm getting married, I'm leaving him."

"If, if you get married. I sense hesitation, anger, and fear in the Voynan prince."

"I have to. If Timur decides war is a better option than marrying me, many people are going to die." Kya sighs.

"You have to stop putting the weight of this world on your shoulders, Belia." But to Belia, the weight of both Krystaliv and Voyna is squarely on her shoulders. Belia dismisses Kya and crawls into her bed. She picks up a holoframe, and six people appear. Belia smiles, remembering a time when her family was happy and whole. She puts the frame down and drifts off into a dreamless sleep.

The next day, during the morning meal, Timur asks Belia where she ran off to.

"There was an emergency which required my attention." Her answer couldn't have been vaguer, but her parents don't want anyone to know of her brother's mental condition. Only a select few people know of his condition. "Do you have plans before the ball this evening?" Belia asks before Timur could ask another question.

"Other than contacting my parents, no."

"After you talk with them, I could take you on a tour of a few bio-domes. Only if you're interested." Belia could sense his hesitation, but Timur accepts her offer much to the disgust of his guard. "Wonderful! Let me know when you're ready." Belia looks over at Timur's guard. She's tried being friendly, sensing he and Timur are fairly close, but all attempts to win him over failed. Karolek's mind had already been made up about her from the moment he stepped foot on the planet, and Belia knew it wasn't a good sign.

Belia starts to plan their trip after they finished eating, contacting the leaders of several domes to let them know she may be coming to visit later in the day. Belia, however, did not inform them that the Prince will also be accompanying her, but she assumed he would be safer that way.