“Better,” A’bbni replied. “A few scars, but nothing permanent.”
“Good.” Shi’chen was silent for a moment before he pulled back so he could look into A’bbni’s eyes. “I know you don’t blame me, but I blame myself, and I am so, so sorry for what happened to you. That was my failing.”
“It was not,” A’bbni replied, reaching up to catch Shi’chen’s hand in his own and giving it a soft squeeze. “There was nothing either of us could have done.”
“I did not protect you, i-sha,” Shi’chen said, curling his fingers against A’bbni’s. “And for that, I can never forgive myself.”
“No,” A’bbni said firmly. “If anything, I was the impediment to you being able to escape.”
“You are not an impediment,” Shi’chen replied, sitting up sharply. “You are my heart. I would never leave you behind.”
“Then you cannot say you failed,” A’bbni said, sitting up to meet his gaze. “In fact, I forbid you from saying that you did.”
“Ah, you forbid it, Your Highness?” Shi’chen said, raising a dark brow.
A’bbni rolled his eyes. “I do.”
“As my lord commands,” Shi’chen said, giving him a playful bow, making A’bbni laugh, a sound that he had missed more than he could have ever imagined. “Have you heard any news from home?”
A’bbni nodded weakly. “En’shea has blamed us for killing Father and the Imperial Senate, and now there’s a reward for our capture.”
Shi’chen sighed. “Fuck… Well, not much we can do about that right now. How much damage do you think En’shea has done already?”
“A lot,” A’bbni said with a flinch.
Shi’chen brushed a stray hair off A’bbni’s forehead. “We will set it right again.”
“But how many people will suffer and die before then?” A’bbni asked.
Shi’chen’s ears drooped at that. Of course, A’bbni was more concerned for their people than he was about their situation. “I know,” he soothed, stroking his hand down A’bbni’s back gently. “But you can’t stop all the suffering in the world, i-sha, no matter how hard you try. And that’s not your fault.”
A’bbni nodded, his eyes brimming with tears, and Shi’chen reached up to wipe them away. As his thumb brushed A’bbni’s face, his brother jumped and pulled back, his hands curling into involuntary fists on his lap, and Shi’chen blinked in surprise. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“Y… Yes,” A’bbni said, using the back of his hand to wipe away the tears from his cheeks. “I am sorry.”
“You do not have to apologize.” Seeing his brother’s tears made his heart ache, but he was at least glad he could be there to comfort him now and take his mind away from everything for a little while. “I saw your notes on the desk. Tell me what you learned.”
“You don’t have to distract me, you know,” A’bbni said, giving a last swipe to his eyes with the back of his hand.
“I know. But I’ve missed hearing about all the autopsies and bedside rounds you used to do,” Shi’chen said with a playful smile. “And, I had to let you know that your experiment worked.” He held out his left arm so A’bbni could see that the cut from Hi’jan’s blade that he treated had healed and was now only a barely-visible white scar against his dark gray skin.
A’bbni’s smile warmed him all over as his brother moved to examine the spot, stroking his fingers over Shi’chen’s arm. This was all that he wanted, to be here with his brother, safe and happy, away from En’shea and Hi’jan and the dangers of the palace and the court. He would give anything in the world to just be able to run away with him, find a quiet place to live, let A’bbni finish his studies and become an amazing physician, and never have to think about any of it ever again. He knew that was foolish on his part, but just for now, being back with A’bbni was enough.
Lord Kella sent up meals for them, and somehow, all three of them ended up in Lai’s room to eat, sitting on the floor goblin-style while they did. Shi’chen tried very hard not to get jealous when Lai would say something to his brother in Cserethian, and A’bbni would laugh and say something back, his cheeks unusually red whenever Lai looked at him. The flirting was obvious even to him, but hearing his brother laugh again made Shi’chen’s heart flutter. A’bbni had been so hurt and frightened the last time he had seen him. His laughter and banter with Lai and the shy way he looked at the half-elf out of the corner of his eye when he thought no one was looking reminded him of the way their lives had been so carefree back at the palace. He knew those days were over. They had been over as soon as En’shea had murdered their Father and the Senate. But knowing that, somewhere inside, A’bbni was still the brother he loved was reassuring.
Eventually the conversation turned to the meeting A’bbni had a few days ago with the Council. Shi’chen felt his blood heat as he listened to the way the three nobles had talked to his brother and tried to manipulate him. “Can we trust any of them?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t,” A’bbni replied, shaking his head.
“I don’t know any of them, and I already don’t trust them,” Lai added.
Shi’chen sighed heavily. “But we need them for now. We don’t know anything about this rebellion or how to find them. And now there’s a price on our heads.” Just the thought of that made him feel sick. It was a quick and easy way to ensure that the entire country was looking for them and that they couldn’t trust anyone. If the Council were members of nobility, as A’bbni had said, they might not be as motivated by money, but who knew for sure? Currying favor with the ruler of a country was certainly not nothing either.
A’bbni sighed and squeezed Shi’chen’s hand. “I think for now we need to play their game until we can figure out exactly what it is that they want from us.”
Shi’chen couldn’t stop a groan. “You know I hate court politics.”
“I know,” A’bbni soothed.
