Heir Apparent

Chapter 5

Jade

With a start, I jolted back to consciousness. The spasm sent a shockwave of pain up and down my side, stealing my breath away. There was an echo of pain in my forearm, but nothing compared to my battered and sliced ribs. It took every ounce of control to stay silent, biting my lip till I tasted blood. Even if I had wanted to struggle more, I couldn't. Rough rope looped around my wrists, pinning them to my sides. My feet were tied as one, thankfully my boots protecting my ankles.

The pain made my vision spin and it took a few moments, four or five shallow breaths, before things came into focus. We were in a small room, several lanterns lit casting a warm glow, so night must have begun to fall. I was laying upon a wooden cot, straw or something of the like, stuffed behind my head for a pillow. Hera was on her stomach on a similar cot, her wrists bound closer to her head. She was watching me, her eyes glazed over with pain or something else, I couldn't make out in the dancing shadows. What I could see was the way her eyes shifted when she saw me try to move.

"Stay still, General." Her young voice was reassuring. "That rib didn't look so good when they brought you in."

I blinked at her a few times. How could she be trying to comfort me in such a time? I was her general, even more so, I was her empress. It was my job to get her home, safe, and I was failing miserably.

"Oh, well." I didn't bother to even look down at my side. No doubt it was a few broken ribs which were probably bruising colorfully, and stitches through an angry red cut. If I was lucky, the scar would heal up attractively. If not? Well, I had plenty of others that it could join. "Did I tell you," I attempted to shift and sucked in air when my side objected too much, "about the time that Gil's stubborn horse threw me?"

Hera shook her head.

"Broke a lot more ribs than I have right now." The crooked smile I gave her, I hoped was convincing. "How are you?"

Hera glanced down the length of her cot. They hadn't bothered to tie up her legs. "I can't feel anything from my hips down," her breath caught, "I keep trying to wiggle my toes."

I swallowed hard. Even in the lantern light, it was easy to see that she was trying not to let the darkness take her. Brave, young Hera, cut down. A thousand thoughts must have been circling her head, and all of them were my fault. "I'm so sorry."

She lifted her head. "For what? I knew what I was signing up for when I joined you."

Her kindness was too much; I had to look away. "You didn't sign up for this."

"No," her voice dropped, "but you didn't sign up to wear a crown." I snapped my head back around as she continued, "Any fool can see you hate it. I saw it earlier. Swinging that sword? That's the general we love and follow. I follow.

"It's not fair what's happened to us. But when has it ever been fair? I know I haven't seen it. And I know you haven't seen it. We'll figure this out. The empire needs us."

The way she paired us together broke my heart. I had always walked a path alone with people either trying to pave a way before me, or watching my back, but never by my side. Hera had no other thoughts but to do just that: be by my side, even if it killed her. The problem was, I wanted her behind me, safe and well protected. If I did nothing else, and I had finally reached the end of my life, I would make sure that Hera returned home.

I opened my mouth to tell her just that when we heard steps outside the wood door. Instead, we shared a look and collectively braced ourselves. We were soldiers first and foremost, and it was plain to see the resolve on her face, which I knew mine echoed back in response, that we were not going to break. Our bodies may give in, but our minds never would.