The soft whisper of breath, rising and falling like a lullaby written by the night, swept across the room. Despite the gentle whisper it was, Ajab responded to it. His eye lids slightly opened to behold the ceiling of his room.
With each blink, his eyes turned a different angle to properly scan his environment. Ceiling. Chest. Sides, left then right.
The ceiling he woke up to, was his day-to ceiling—no news there. The gentle whisper of breath continued to waffle through the room, drawing his attention to it's origin.
Not far from his bed, was his maid, seated uprightly and on a chair few meters from his bed, far enough to give him enough space, but close enough for the space to be covered in a step or a step and half. She sat there facing him diligently, but delicately asleep, if not for the quiet night, her gentle breathing would have gone unnoticed.
Ajab's eyes narrowed as he began trying to make heads of his situation, his room had it's proper lighting for a night, and the cool of the night could be felt already, especially cause it came with nature's noise.
Speaking about lightings, as his squinted eyes swept across once more, they fell at a specific corner of the room that evaded the room lighting—the feet of his bed—were the brimming glint of the eyes of a seemingly bloody reaper stared right back at him.
A wave of shock ran through his body. His hands froze. His breathing seized. And whatever air that threatened to come out his lungs just remained in place. The hairs on his hands seemed to come alive as his heart almost skipped out of their chambers.
Just then the silhouette of whatever figure there could be recognized, as the figure started adjusting into the light and Ajab could recognize it before it basked fully into the room light, causing his heart to go back to its rhythmic beating, and his breath back to normal.
It was Elmah, and his eyes were locked on Ajab as he noticed their eyes meet.
Taking three steps from the dark space into the light, he drew closer to his Highness's bed feet.
Looking at this figure emerge from the dark corner of his room, Ajab slightly nodded his head, he was the one who messed up, it was his fault, all this matters were better solved with knives, with questions asked later.
If he had knives close to him, seeing as someone thought it was amusing or okay to stay in that sort of spot in his room, he would have first hurled knives at the direction, then ask for who was there later, after he was sure he had impaled the person. Some matters, he thought, really only becomes known after some experience, he nodded again in agreement with this realized universal truth.
Walking into the light, Elmah's eyes remained fixated on His Highness's, watching him closely as he had been doing since he regained consciousness and had come to see his Highness.
Given a normal circumstance he wouldn't look directly into his Highness's eyes, but he had to make sure not to miss a detail. And who could blame him after what he remembered seeing last before he went unconscious?
Looking at His Highness, he could tell His Highness's expression had remained the same since his eyes pried open, even when their gazes met.
It seemed His Highness knew he was there the moment he woke up. As expected of His Highness. Really impressive, it seemed he had a long way to go, before being this spatially aware.
'If only the air could tell tales to a particular aloof fellow '
"Your Highness is awake"
The face of Ajab contorted into a slight frown, seeing as the knuckle head Ecnes, after causing his skin to crawl, chose to start with stating the obvious.
"Does it not seem so?" He asked, his tone slightly annoyed.
Elmah bowed his head in response
"It was a formality"
"Of course..." His eyes still furrowed and his tone annoyed, there was a moment of silence between the two.
Did he not realize he should apologize for scaring the... The words died in Ajab's thoughts, as he came to a mental pause. He was who he was, who said he was scared?
He sighed after his little self 're-realization' and stroked his forehead, 'I guess apologies are only needed where they are needed, or double needed', he thought again.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"An hour"
"You've been standing for an hour?"
"No"
Ajab's left brow tilted upward, with the other tilting down, his mouth pulling sideways like he'd watch a real life plot twist or a deranged happening.
"I've been standing 'there' for an hour" Elmah clarified, tilting his head towards where he'd been standing.
Ajab nodded
"Of course, so how long have you been standing in general?"
"For how long in general your Highness?" Elmah asked with his face contorted as he began to intensively calculate how long in general he really has stood for.
"In 'general'..."He muttered to himself.
Ajab blinked "Are you being serious right now?"
Elmah blinked softly, devoid of any form of not being serious. What did his Highness mean, why would he ever not be serious?
Ajab's tiny eyes couldn't tilt more than they already had, so he just asked what he needed to, besides this was Elmah, and that in itself said a lot, he probably was thinking on how long he had stood all his life.
"For how long have you been in my room watching me?"
"Ah..." Elmah nodded
"That would be three hours your Highness" he said without premeditation.
The Prince's little lips parted slightly, seemed the Ecnes had employment boxed.
Then, like a jolt, his young face furrowed. His eyes glinted — sharp enough to cut a tower.
Wait. Three hours. Room lights. Sleeping Liah. Dark corner. His body—night garment. No, no, no...
His face darkened. Head bent. Fist clenched. Don't tell me, he thought.
Slowly he lifted his gaze to Elmah
"What time is it?"
"Almost midnight"
Almost midnight?!! No. No, no, no! He clutched his head, nearly pulling his hair. No way. All my schedule for the day —ruined. All my plans of doing me—nothing—gone
Noo...