One year. It had been one year since Iris Gwenneth became the first heroine of Eldia --one year since her life took a dramatic turn for the better. And in this one year, she'd found meaning in the days that had once had none. Iris had a new job, one...
A/N -- Here it is, guys! Also, before I begin, I painted you guys a thing (Of which you should totally zoom in because I even went as far to draw pores and freckles, oh my)! I draw stoic Hench so much, yet I wanted you guys to finally see her smile to break up the sadness of the last chapter.
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Hench nearly vomited when one of the medics on hand popped Azabela's legs back into their sockets. Immediately after, her armor was removed and her clothing underneath in order for them to do a complete physical examination. Her little body was covered in bruises and burns. Gently, they rubbed salve on her burned skin, and turned her over. Her lower back was nearly completely purple. The medic clucked his tongue at that and ran a finger over the ridge of her spine.
"Turn her over. Carefully," he said to his assistant. "And I mean carefully. I want you to brace her lower back immediately."
Hench helped them turn her back over, where the medic checked her head, eyes, and ears. The medic sucked in a small breath when he looked in her right ear, but otherwise said nothing. After checking her head, he helped wrap the brace over her back. "How long has she been unconscious?" The assistant covered her body up with a blanket.
Hench swallowed, trying to keep the shakes out of her voice. "She passed out right before we came in." Things were quiet for a second. "Is she going to die?"
"I don't believe so. She should wake up within a few minutes. Her head injury was not severe... only appeared to be slight trauma. That's the good news." Hench took an easy breath at that, but held it when the medic was looking at her sorrowfully. "But there's bad news, too." Rhalla's heart stopped.
"What bad news?" she dared to ask.
"There... may be complications with the other injuries she received."
"What kind of complications?"
"The injury on her lower back, it looks... grievous. The force of whatever hit her did the most damage to the area around her hips. I've braced the area tightly, in hopes of holding everything still. I expect, by the look of things, that her spine has sustained a fracture in that region."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning we won't know until she wakes up..." the medic paused. "But with that kind of injury... well, depending on the severity of the fracture, there is a possibility that she may never walk again."
Rhalla's face went pale, and she couldn't stop the tears that fell from her eyes. At those words, she had to sit down. Her next words were soft, almost child-like in nature... "But... she likes to dance." She said it like that might change something, even though deep down inside, Rhalla knew it hardly mattered.
