Shi’chen laughed softly, then sobered again. “If the people wish to have an Emperor. It could be decided in time that they do not want someone to rule over them.”
“What will you do if they decide they don’t?” Lai asked.
Shi’chen shrugged. “No idea. I guess we’ll find out.”
Sa’ben glanced up at them from where he and his assistant were working. “Your Highness.” Shi’chen hurried over to him, drawing Lai along with him. Sa’ben’s face was calm as he said, “The kneecap is fractured in multiple places. We can immobilize it and try to let it heal, though, I am afraid…”
“What?” Shi’chen demanded, a little louder than he meant to, making everyone in the room jump.
“Afraid he may not regain full mobility of it,” Sa’ben said quickly.
In his head, Shi’chen cursed Hi’jan with every fiber of his being, but he just responded, “But you can do something.”
“Yes, Your Highness. We will have to see how it heals over time, and we may be able to do more in the future. Until then, we can bring down the swelling and treat the pain.”
“See it done,” Shi’chen replied before resting his fingers gently against A’bbni’s cheek. He did not know what the afterlife held, if it held anything at all, but he hoped that for Hi’jan it was endless torture until whatever fragment of a spirit he had was ripped apart.
Lai looked confused, and Shi’chen repeated back to him in Hanen-shii what Sa’ben had said. Lai nodded slowly. “I’ve seen this injury before. It’s not going to be easy.”
“Well, as you said, he has both of us,” Shi’chen replied. “After he has taken care of my brother, we need to have your hands looked at, too.”
“I told you, I’ll be fine,” Lai replied.
Sa’ben glanced over at Lai’s hands, and his calm expression did not change as he replied, “They should at least be cleaned and bandaged, ma’iir.”
Lai started to protest, but Shi’chen shot him a look. “I know you are used to being on your own, but you are not anymore. So let us help you.”
Lai gave him a small smile. “This is going to take some getting used to.”
“You picked the wrong partner if you don’t want someone to fuss over you,” Shi’chen pointed out, brushing his fingers over A’bbni’s forehead lightly.
Lai laughed at that. “You’re right. But now he has two of us to fuss over.”
“And the rest of the nation,” Shi’chen muttered under his breath, though he knew Lai would hear it.
Lai sighed at that. “Yes… We’re just going to have to support him.”
“We will,” Shi’chen said, resting his hand on Lai’s shoulder. “We will.”
Chapter twenty-six
A'bbni
Everythinghurtwhenhewoke up. A’bbni was sure he was dying as he shifted, feeling something soft under him. He opened his eyes to find a familiar green comforter over him, in a familiar room. His room, in the palace, in the apartments he shared with his brother. He sat up slowly, every muscle and bone protesting the movement.
“You’re awake,” said a voice nearby, and A’bbni turned to see Lai sprawled in a chair, as if he had slept there all night. A’bbni smiled, then winced as even that hurt his jaw where Hi’jan had hit him. In the next moment, Lai was by his side, taking his hand gently, his fingers reaching up to lightly touch A’bbni’s swollen cheek.
“Wh… where is my brother?” A’bbni asked softly.
“In the next room, with your bitch of a Cousin,” Lai replied, which made A’bbni laugh despite himself. “He wanted you to rest.”
“Did he get any sleep?” A’bbni asked, shifting to curl into Lai’s arms.
“Yes, I made him get some sleep,” Lai replied, tucking A’bbni’s head beneath his chin. “How are you feeling?”
“Terrible,” A’bbni admitted.
“I don’t blame you,” Lai replied, stroking his hair gently. “The physician delivered a bottle of hargren root this morning for you.”
