Guarding the Heart

"Shining will be back within the hour Shield" the Princess called from behind, "tomorrow you will be sent off to begin your recovery process and be relieved of your duty to protect me"

"I am fine Princess!" Shield called out as he turned towards Cadance again, "my injuries are not enough to stop me from performing my duties" he pleaded. Princess Cadance stared at the stallion with a stoic expression. Shield's eyes snapped onto her horn as it began to glow a pastel blue, then a nearby rounded chest was slid over towards him and dropped. Cadance staring at it intently.

"Shield, jump over that chest" She asked, her voice more monotone than usual. The chest must be about half his height, under normal circumstances this wouldn't be a problem. Doing it with a hole through his leg is a different story.

"It is not my place Your Majesty," the guard standing in the doorway piped up, the same who brought news of the Prince's soon to be return, "but this task seems cruel" he look over at Shield's bloodied bandages then back towards the Princess. Shield turned and seen Cadance again, a expression of worry on her face.

"Quite!" Cadance barked before using her magic to once again move the chest away from Shield, "Sorry I don't know what had gotten into me. Guard," Cadance looked over, composing herself, "your name?"

"Risky Waters Your Majesty" the guard knelt into a bow revealing his pegasus wings, then standing at attention once again.

"Risky Waters, please see that Sir Shield be brought to bed immediately" the Princess ordered, waving her hoof towards the door.

Shield looked at the guard with an expression of fear, then back to the Princess.

"Your Majesty, I do not want to fail you" Shield begged while lowering his head. The sound of the guard trotting closer causing his heart to begin to race.

"You aren't a failure Shield, you saved my life, but you need to recover" the Princess said with a cold voice, her eyes locked on Shields. "Besides, once Shining is home then your protection will not be needed. I am sorry Sir Shield, I truly am" as she spoke she turned her eyes downward to her desk once again.

Waters wrapped a wing around Shield, obscuring his vision towards her. Finally the pain in his leg was too much to bear and Shield shifted and sunk, blood dripping from the bandage down his leg. Looking down at the line of crimson forming on his leg against his white fur before sinking to the floor, a sickening feeling overtook him. Leaning to the guard to keep upright, the pegasus gladly help hold him up. Then with a nod from the guard, they exited the room.

Each hoof fall Shield had place left another bloodied print on the crystaline flooring, marking the exact path they had walked from the study back to his temporary bedroom. With a huff Shield was hefted up onto the bed, his leg stabbing pain into him. 'It was foolish to approach her so carelessly' he thought as he sat back onto his bed, resting his side and head on the bed frame. Looking over Shield noticed the pegasus still standing near the bed, his blue fur caked with blood wear Shield's leg was pressing against him.

"I am sorry for the mess" he coughed from the bed, following the trail leading out of the room that he had left. "Perhaps I should have listened to Hey Majesty's orders the first time" he spoke out, reciting his own thoughts aloud.

"I have to disagree," Risky Waters interrupted, causing Shield to shoot a look in his direction before he started again, "at least it was necessary for the the rest of the guards" he stated. Then looking back down the hallway and stretching his wings quickly before the pegasus spoke without looking at Shield.
"You do realize we had heard you call her Cadance?"

If Shield's stomach wasn't already sunk to its lowest point, it would have been now.

"No, I didn't" Shield said, anger in his eyes directed at himself.

"We had also noticed how strange you two have been acting. The way you both looked at each other," Waters spoke out turning back to Shield. The only expression Shield could gauge on his mostly vacant face was disappointment, then he continued, "We all knew there was something going on. All while the Prince was gone too. Many of us were ready to spill the beans to His Majesty once he had returned" he said with a harsh tone. Shield winced at the thought.
"But it seems as if that's unnecessary now, you've both finished your charade" he finished staring at the injured earth pony.

Shield stared at him with a sadness in his eyes,

"We haven't done anything, despite my idiocy the Princess would never-" Shield was cut off as the pegasus put a hoof up and spoke.

"We are aware. Now at least. I was stationed outside the room before the messenger made their way to us to share the information of the Princes return. You both weren't being very quiet" he said cocking and eyebrow at Shield.

With a nod Shield then turned away from the pegasus, pulling a blanket closer to himself to attempt to cover the shame he was feeling.

"Soon the doctor will return to re-wrap your wound and ensure the stitches aren't pulled out. Stay still until then" Waters spoke, then trotted out of the room and closed the door. Shield was left alone.

Being left to his own devices Shield slumped into a heap onto the bed, the pain inside him too much to sleep and the shame to great to ignore. He sat, his eyes open, staring off the bed at the far wall to the right of his bed. As he stared his mind began to play scenes for him, as if he was the single audience of his mind's very own play. Himself and others from his memories the actors, and the plot was one he lived through already. A memory of the first time he failed.

Twenty Years Ago

Shield awoke from his bed and sat up as the birds chirped outside, the splintered wood didn't dampen the song allowing him to enjoy it to the fullest each morning. Standing up he walked over to his sister's bed. Reaching to the side and grabbing the bottle filled with the best food he could get for her. Looking down at the pastel pink pony in the bed a smile formed on his face, before he picked her up gently and woke her.

Her eyes flickered open and looked over at Shield, smiling and giggling as she seen him. He moved the bottle over and started to feed her before turning his head to the side and looking towards his brother's bed. Shield noted several more nails had crept up from the wooden floor and would need to be taken care of before somepony got one through the hoof.

"Sword! Wake up, father will be expecting us outside soon" Shield spoke with a hushed tone to not frighten the baby in his arms. With a groan, the dark blue form of his brother rolled over and stared at him. Then suddenly tears began to fill his eyes,
"Sword? What's wrong" Shield asked carefully, rotating his body to face him.

"I don't want to go to practice today... I don't want to hurt you again" he spoke, his pegasus wing stretching out from behind and covering his face.

Shield frowned at the sight of his brother, then he felt the tinge of pain spike in his side. Looking down he seen the scabbed over cut along his side that his brother had given him the day before. It hurt, but so did all the others he had gotten. He could get through another day, then taking a breath Shield smiled again.

"Sword. It will be fine, let your older brother take care of you alright?" Shield piped up, spinning the bottle in his hand to ensure the milk funneled out to his sister. Looking up he saw Sword's wing retract before the sad foal stared at him, "Father has hurt me plenty of times Sword, I am used to this. Just do what he tells you and then we will be done" Shield finishes as the sound of his sister crying startles him. Looking down he realized that the bottle was empty, and his sister had eaten all the food he could get her today. 'I will have to steal some more for her later tonight' Shield thought to himself before setting her gently down, onto the makeshift bed. Looking at her frail body he made sure to treat her like father's fragile crystal glassware, not wanting to break her.

"Has Father named that one yet?" Sword spoke out staring at the filly.

"He doesn't know she is still around," Shield snapped back, "and he won't know" he spoke with a glare in Sword's direction.

Sword flinched at the stare and sat up on his bed, "I wasn't going to say anything!" he said in a sharp tone back at his brother. Causing Shield to smile before they both heard the voice call for them.

"Get out here boys! You have a mission tonight!", their father was awake.

"Let's go Sword" Shield said quietly through his teeth, while moving towards the door of the shed. Turning he watched Sword leap out of bed and gallop over to the door with him, he opened the door and they both made their way outside into the sun.

Present Day

"At Ease soldier" the voice called beside his bed, Shield snapped his eyes open and rolled over quickly while sitting up. The white furred unicorn stood proudly next to the bed, his blue mane flowing down his back and accentuating the unicorn horn atop his head. The prince, Shining Armor had returned.