Chapter 45 Numbing News

Chapter 45 Numbing News
“You were too easy on him, Aizurah,” Zeidan scolded her, though his gaze remained soft. “I wanted to murder him when he carried you out of the caves. I thought—I thought that…” He visibly swallowed, and Aizurah felt her heart crack beneath her ribs.

“I told you I wouldn’t fall, my love,” she stated with a small smile. “I never promised I wouldn’t be injured. It is a war, after all.” They’d both known the risks. There were always risks.

“This wasn’t war,” he snarled, “This was that Rainfer cunt! I’ll murder his entire fucking family! Rainfall will burn—”

“Zeidan, no!” she exclaimed, forcing herself to sit up, even as her limbs protested.

“No?” he yelled, “They tried to kill you!”

“We don’t know who tried to kill me, other than Brendyn himself.” Aizurah insisted. “I’ve known Lord Bernyrd since I was a child; there’s no way he would ever be involved in such a scheme!” She recalled all the time she had spent in Rainfall when she had toured the kingdom as a child. Lord Bernyrd was an honorable man. He couldn’t possibly have known what his son had been plotting…

“Perhaps not,” the prince finally relented, settling beside her in the cot. “I will find out who is responsible and they will die screaming, I promise you, my love.” Aizurah couldn’t help but grin at his vicious need to avenge her injury. A groan of pain slipped from her lips, and Zeidan reached for the jug of water, pouring her a cup and adding a poppy tonic. “You must rest, my love. You need to heal.” Aizurah drank the tonic without complaint, her head falling back against the pillows.

“Tell me truthfully, Zeidan… Do I look as terrible as I feel?” She hadn’t given much thought to possible injuries before the battle, not when it came to her face. Of course, there had always been a chance,  but knowing she might bear scars for the rest of her life suddenly made her nervous.

Zeidan’s expression told her all she needed to know, despite him finally stuttering out that she looked beautiful, as always. “I want to see…” she insisted, the hesitancy in his reply making her stomach flip.

“Aizurah—”

“I want to see,” she repeated firmly. It was better to know the extent of the damage than be left to wonder. Her husband sighed and lifted the water bowl from the basin, carrying it over to her. Aizurah forced herself up into a sitting position once more, her entire abdomen screaming in pain, and leaned over. The water reflected her image as perfectly as glass and the princess gasped in shock. Her face was swollen and bruising, a long line of stitches running along her cheekbone where she had struck the wall of the cave. The area around her eye had gone deep purple and the eye itself was nearly swollen shut.

“Oh, my gods…” she breathed, running her fingers over her shattered cheek. Her skin was tender, and she gasped in pain when she touched the area. Without warning, Aizurah burst into tears. Sobs wracked through her and, despite the pain, she couldn’t stop.

“Oh, my love,” Zeidan breathed, setting the water bowl aside and wrapping his arms carefully around her. “It’s going to heal. Don’t think on it, darling.” The princess continued to cry, the toll of the last few days catching up with her, pushing her emotions to the surface. Eventually, her tears subsided as the poppy tonic began to take effect, easing the pain and making her eyelids feel heavy.

“What did the physicians say?” she finally asked, fighting the poppy-induced drowsiness that was quickly settling over her.

“We can talk about it after you’ve rested.”

“No, Zeidan, please. I need—I would rather know it all now.” She stared up at him insistently until he finally sighed.

“Alright,’ he relented, “The bones in your cheek were shattered. There’s nothing for them to do except let the injury heal on its own. They stitched the skin closed and said the scar should be minor.”

“And?” she asked, not missing the guilty look on his face. There was more—something she needed to know, but he was reluctant to divulge.

“And what?” he asked.

“There’s something you’re not telling me, Zeidan. What is it?”

“Really, we can talk about it—”

“Zeidan Bloodmane, you tell me what’s going on, right now!” she yelled, her words nearly slurring. Her body had gone numb, and she knew that sleep would be claiming her soon.

“The healer that sewed your wound closed said… There’s a chance you may not be able to bear children in the future.”

Aizurah heard the words; she understood what they meant, but the poppy tonic had dulled her mind. She blinked and lay back against the pillows, closing her eyes. Her energy was waning, and the world grew fuzzy around her. She would think on it when she woke…