Guarding the Heart

Cadance hadn't come to visit Shield since he complimented her that night. It had been three days since he last saw her and despite frequent requests and questions to the doctor and guards that tended to revolve shifts through the day refrained from answering him whatsoever. At least his pain faded enough to stand, against the doctors orders as it would reopen his wounds, but he couldn't wait any longer.

Shield glanced about the room he has been locked to for the last few days, sliding to the edge of the bed and quietly shifting his weight up and off onto the floor. The moment his hooves made contact he felt the pressure build into his injured leg, the pain following soon after. Looking towards the window he could gauge the day to nearly be over, Princess Luna should be raising the moon very soon. Walking to the doorway of the room he pushed open the door, revealing the day guards stationed there.

"Sir! It is good to see you up" the unicorn guard to his right called with a salute. Turning to the left guard he noticed they were a pegasus, 'She isn't taking any risks with that threat in the clouds' Shield thought to himself.

"At ease" Shield replied, allowing the two to relax their posture. Looking back at the guard to his right he spoke up again, "Soldier, where is the Princess?"

"Her Majesty is in her study sir" the unicorn stated, motioning with his hoof down the hall.

"Thank you", turning to walk down the hall Shield noticed a faint glow of magic on him. The source, Shield found, being the unicorn.

"Sir I am sorry but you need to rest, you are not fully healed" the guard piped up.

Looking down to his leg Shield noticed the streak of blood seeping through the bandage that was wrapped around it. Then he realized just how matted his fur coat was with dried blood, his whole leg and stomach was crusted with a layer of thickened blood. 'An artery must have been cut' Shield's eyes widened at the thought, had he truly ran and caught up with Cadance losing that much blood?

Looking back at the guards Shield snapped,

"I have urgent business to discuss with Her Majesty and it cannot wait. It is imperative for her safety"

The guards looked at one another, both staring silently as if having a discussion with each telepathically, then turned back to Shield after a brief nod from the pegasus and sigh from the unicorn.

"Do not strain yourself, we will be coming to get you back to bed within the hour before our replacements arrive" the unicorn said sharply.

With the warning placed the unicorn released his hold on Shield, allowing him to go on his way. Shield bowed in thanks before trotting through the hall. The guards weren't wrong, his leg was most definitely not healed enough to be up. Shield smirked, 'A few loose stitches is a small price to pay to see her again' he thought. Then made his way to the study.

The hallway to the study was lined with guards, and most assuredly the balcony outside had more. They all nodded to him in understanding but a few did have am expression Shield couldn't quite gauge. When he tried to read them they quickly became stoic as stone, hiding whatever they were thinking.

Walking past the guards Shield walked to the door and knocked. No reply, Shield furrowed his brow and knocked again. Yet again more silence, the worry inside him raised to a breaking point before he pushed open the door without waiting for approval. There, asleep and slumped on a book and scroll covered desk laid the pink alicorn he was searching for.

Walking closer to her Shield looked down and inspected her, her eyes were puffy and she looked thinned. How long had she been crying and why? For him? Three days is far too long a time for her to worry like this. He turned back to ensure the door had swung closed, once confirming it had Shield knelt down to get his head more level with hers.

"Cadance?" Shield said in a soft tone, not to scare her awake. The alicorn shifted and blinked her eyes. She turned and stared at him still half asleep before jolting upright.

"Sir Shield!" Cadance started in a confused frenzy, "why are you up! You need to rest! How did you get in here who helped you?" She started rattling off questions so rapidly Shield had a hard time keepimg them sorted. He cleared his throat and started, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"I am alright, truly. I needed to see you" he spoke in a gentle voice, trying to calm her. "You hadn't been by for me to know you were safe so I had to come here myself to make sure" he finished.

Cadance stared at the stallion with a shocked expression before looking down at his wrapped leg. Then readying herself she spoke again, more professional and regal then prior.

"Sir Shield you must rest and this is an order. You are not to be up moving about until your leg is fully healed" she spoke with a stern tone, her face staring daggers into him.

"Your Majesty, I apologize for being up and about while injured. I had to make sure you were safe!" Shield proclaimed, then hesitently spoke up again, "and because I needed to ask you something"

Cadance visibly tensed as he spoke, her eyes shifting from a determined look to a worried one. She shifted back a bit into the chair she was in and stared out at him.

"Cada-" Shield was cut off by The Princess holding up a hoof and letting out a slight whimper.

"Shield I am sorry!" She spoke out, not letting Shield gain a moment to regain his composure she spoke again, "I have to apologize to you. I have been using you" The Princess squeaked out from a trembling voice. Shield stared confused at her in silence, before the Princess readied herself and started again.

"Let me explain," the Princess adjusts herself in the chair and stared at Shield with a saddened expression, "Shining Armor has been gone for some time now on his mission to ensure the further out settlements of the Crystal Empire are brought into our control safely and without worry from our citizens" the Princess stares at a painting on the wall depicting the Prince in his armor. "I have been left here to not only run this Empire but also raise a daughter. I was exhausted and frustrated. Then that's when I had the idea, the idea of bringing a earth pony I had met before that left a impressive impression on me" she stated looking back towards Shield.

"You asked me for personally?" Shield asked, his voice barely reaching the Princess in front of him.

"I did, I needed help. I needed company. I needed... Shining Armor. But I knew he had to leave to complete this task. As such I seeked a-"

"Temporary replacement"

"Yes. I figured you'd fill that role perfectly"

"So when you complimented me..."

"It was genuine Shield" the Princess spoke up jolting Shield aware again, his expression telling the Princess that he didn't quite understand the meaning behind her words. The Princess picked up once again,

"It was genuine. I had placed you as my guard to be a pseudo-husband to me. Somepony to rely on when it was all too much. I never intended it to go any further than that" the Princess closed her eyes and sighed, "then you had to be like that" she said in a exasperated breath.

"Like that?" Shield asked

"Good with Flurry Heart. Kind to me. Protective in every way. There when I need you. It was all a lot, I didn't think I had gotten so close to you until I asked you to call me Cadance..." she said defeated. "Then you saved my life, my daughter's life, twice" she emphasized the feat.

"I never actually intended for you to get hurt, I didn't think anypony would attack me this close to the Crystal Palace... until that day at the park" she spoke in a hushed tone.
"The way you jumped into danger, ready to die for me. It was too late, as soon as you did that I couldn't deny what I was feeling"

Shield looked shocked at the Princess, the idea that Cadance had felt this way for him. He steadied himself and got control of the butterflies in his stomach, as for the heat he felt flush his cheeks and his heart beating faster than in combat, those he had to ignore.

"How were you feeling... Cadance?" Shield asked, heart nearing shooting from his chest.

The Princess looked over the quivering stallion attempting to put on a calm bravado and smiled weakly. Before quickly wiping it away from her face and glaring at him again.

"I felt like you were my husband Shield. I felt as if you had always been" she said with frustration in her voice, "I realized it when I called you over to watch Flurry Heart perform magic for the first time. Just before we got attacked" she put her face in her hooves, "I realized as you looked at other families that when I wanted to share in the first moments of Flurry Heart's magic I didn't even think of Shining Armor. I thought of you" she said sadly.

Shield could barely stand as the revelations came flowing into him. His idiocy wasn't misplaced. He didn't necessarily need to fail. He could be with her. He could show her how much he cared for her. He could-

"All of that is the first reason, I am afraid, I need to remove you from your position as royal Bodyguard" the Princess spoke in a disheartened tone.

"What?" Was the only answer Shield could give.

"I am a Princess married to a Prince," she stated, her face turning red with frustration emphasizing each word, "also should I remind you that we have a daughter?" the Princess snapped.

Shield stood stunned from the turn of the conversation. The pain from his leg numb compared to the pain in his chest. Everything was falling apart. He thought back to his father's eyes locked on him, the disappointment and anger they conveyed. Shield was speechless, what had he been doing? 'Of course this was doomed to fail. I am such an idiot' his thoughts ringing in his otherwise empty mind. Then Shield remembered the phrasing the Princess had used.

"That's the first reason?" He choked up, holding down his emotions.

The door behind Shield swung open as the air from the hall blew back some papers the Princess had on her desk. The sound of a pony entering behind made Shield's reflexes turn him around, ignoring his mental state and readying for another attack.

Instead a guard sat in the doorway shocked at the ready and injured Shield. The guard then turned to the Princess sitting at the desk and called out,

"Your Majesty! His Highness will be arriving shortly!"