"Arthur!"

Arthur got out of bed, startled at the sight he sees. 

"Alice?"

The blonde girl whom he had not seen in over a month is panting, worrying, then running toward him.

"Wait!"

She didn't listen and immediately bumped to him, giving him a very tight hug. 

"Why did you suddenly disappear?" asked her in a very sore tone. 

The hug, the question, the emotion. Arthur wanted to respond to all of them, but he hold himself to answer. 

"What are you doing here?"

Then asked Alice back instead. 

At Arthur's cold response, Alice let go of her hand, then look at Arthur's face in guilty, but Arthur won't look back at her. 

"I am sorry. You disappeared from the outpost for over a month. I ask people, but their answers are always told me to wait for you. But I -"

"Then you should have wait!"

Alice shocked at that yell. Arthur seems mad at her appearance. He doesn't expect her existence. 

After that yell, Arthur turned back then get into bed, sleep. 

"Now you know where I am. Go, you don't belong here."

That was the last message - Arthur's order to Alice. He really didn't want her to be there, in that dirty place.

"I am sorry. Ok, I will go. Have a good sleep."

Alice left him to be alone again.

'But it's okay, this is for the best. To her.'

Even though he still worried that the girl would come again.

In fact, he had expected that Alice would try to find him. The girl had really stuck to him. That's why there was no way she would listen to the words of those who told her to wait.

But he had thought of that cold attitude to face the girl's arrival. With that, the girl would definitely think twice about coming again.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, I brough your food."

That's what he thought. But in reality, the girl came again the next day. Brought him food and a sweet attitude despite of what Arthur had give to her yesterday. 

"I will leave it here. Please, it eat if you hungry."

The girl left after putting the food plate on the table.

Meanwhile, Arthur is still in the bed the whole time. He won't wake up even though he hasn't eaten anything that day. 

That is because the food in that place is suck he is sick of eating it. So he prefers to hunger and let the food until its rot, then he will eat it.

But then his nose sniffs something smell good. Something smells so good and delicious, and that is real. 

Arthur immediately wake up to search the delicious smell and found two boiled potatoes in the plate. 

The sight is like an oasis for Arthur he immediately took the two boiled potatoes with two hands. With his left and bandaged right hand.

Quickly and still standing and very greedy, he ate the two potatoes like a very hungry animal. He even ate the skin from the boiled potatoes until there is nothing left.

The boiled potatoes disappeared in no time. He didn't have time to enjoy it, but at least his stomach filled and he didn't have to be tortured by rotten food.

Feeling full, he sat on the bed. Pensive, then feel sleepy. He immediately fell asleep by the time he closed his eyes. 

Somehow Arthur holding back hunger and did not eat the food the nurses gave him for a few days. Until one certain person came to give him a proper food. 

Until finally the person came after one week later.

"Hey, I am back."

Alice came in with a tray that has three loaves of bread and a cup of hot tea. She put the tray besides Arthur's bed. Looking at her sleeping knight for a moment.

"I leave it here. Please eat it if you hungry."

Then turned back, walking outside. 

When she at the door, the person who had slept on the bed got up and immediately ate the food she had brought, quickly and greedily.

The sight shocked Alice. Some of the bread she brought got immediately eaten by Arthur. Then Arthur unconcernedly picked up the cup of the warm tea to drink.

"Wait!"

Alice wants to stop Arthur. But Arthur drank it faster than Alice's move. Makes Arthur burn his own throat.

However, Arthur didn't seem to be in pain.

After finishing his meal, Arthur being silent, bowing his head, pensive.

In such an awkward atmosphere, Alice didn't know what to do. So she turned around again, intending to leave.

"Then, I will leave. But don't worry, I will come back next week."

There is a pain in her sentence. The pain she could not endure and made her have to immediately turned around and walk out.

"Did you buy all of that yourself?"

But that question from stopped her and gave her hope. 

"Yes. Once a week, the cathedral gives us students' pocket money to spend. So I thought I have to buy you something since you cannot go outside." 

The moment turned awkward again for a few minutes. Until Arthur finally opens his mouth. 

"Thanks."

It was just one simple word, but so meaningful to Alice.

"Can I stay – "

"No. Go. You left Elizabeth to come here, right?"

After telling Alice to leave, Arthur went back to sleep. It was a sign that they had enough time for that day.

Even so, Alice wouldn't be gloomy. Because at least her knights want to open his heart for her.

"Ok, I will be back next week."

That's why she left with a cute smile on her face. Then come back there again a week later with another meal. And Arthur would eat the food she bought greedily and in a hurry again.

"The food is not going anywhere? Slow down."

At Alice's words, Arthur tried to eat more slowly. Even by chewing the food in larger pieces.

After Arthur finished eating, the atmosphere turned awkward again. But that time Alice didn't stand up to wait. She sat on the bed to Arthur's right. 

There she peeked at Arthur's right hand a few times. 

Thinking Arthur hadn't really opened his heart yet, she didn't want to be there long.

"Ok, I will go and let you rest."

"Sorry."

Arthur suddenly said something that caught her ears. So she turned back again to see her knight feeling so guilty. 

"Sorry for yelling at you back then."

At that time, Arthur had completely lost hope of living. That's why he didn't think much to face Alice. But after seeing Alice's determination and sincerity, he felt that he was so stupid and did not deserve Alice.

"Don't worry."

Alice said that with suddenly hugged Arthur in his head. It was so sudden that Arthur couldn't respond.

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I can't help you any more than this."

For some reason, Arthur felt his head getting wet, even though there is no rain.

Alice is crying. Crying because of the fate he faced.

Even so, Arthur couldn't say anything to calm Alice down. So he let the girl cry until she satisfied.

Time passed, and somehow Alice leans her head on his right shoulder, tired.

Arthur looked into the slit of the window and found that the phantasm's sunlight is already golden yellow.

"Hey, you have to go home, it's already late."

Alice said yes and went straight home.

Their relationship improved after that day.

"Did you tell Eliz anything about me?"

"No. She knows that you are missing and no one could help us to help you. So every weekend I said to her that I am going to search you and she has to wait for me in the church."

"I feel bad for her."

"Don't worry, she will understand. She may still be a whiny little girl, but I'm sure that someday she will become a strong woman who can carry out big duty."

"Aren't your expectations of her too big?"

"She can do it. Because she is my little brother. I believe in her!"

"Up to you."

The infection in his right hand continues to spread and will probably kill him within half a year. But Arthur gave up. As long as he could spend the rest of his time with Alice, he is sincere.

Until one day, Alice came with shocking news.

"Arthur!"

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Hear me carefully."

"I'm listening."

"I can cure your infection."

In the end, Arthur was in disbelief until Alice did something to his right hand.

"Is that, Arts?"

Alice just smiled at the question and began to speak words he didn't understand.

Then suddenly, on Alice's two hands that were holding onto his right infected hand, appear an extremely bright light that blinded Arthur for a moment.

"What happened?!"

He didn't know what happened and could only close his eyes with his left hand. Until the light disappeared and he could see again.

Alice also released her grip on his right hand. 

At that moment, his right hand felt light, and he did not feel the pain that he had to endure every day.

"Wait?"

When his vision had healed and he could see, he found the tiny rainbow crystals – crystallization infection - that growing in his hand had disappeared.

"I recovered?"

He judged himself that he had recovered from the infection. Even so, that is very good news and is already like a blessing given to him.

"Alice, I'm cured!"

Of course it was because of a miracle performed by his savior, the girl who suddenly lay down on the bed.

"Alice? Alice!"

Arthur immediately rushed to lift Alice.

"Alice, what's wrong?!"

"I'm sorry, but, I'm just a little tired."

It didn't look like 'a little tired'.

A confused Arthur rolled his head, trying to think.

"Arthur, would you hear me?"

"Yes-yes! What should I do?!"

There was a pause of several seconds that felt like an eternity before Alice opened her eyes. 

There she sees her knight so worried about her. She smiled to melt away that worry, then asked for a request.

"Please, protect Eliz."

...

Alice closed her eyes, then dropped her head as the strength left her body.

"Alice?"

Arthur tried to shake the girl who had become so weak.

"Alice?"

And called her.

"Alice!"

But she didn't respond. 

"ALICE!"