57. A Second Chance
fifty-seven
A Second Chance
*SHAYAN*
I quietly enter the room at the infirmary where Royan is being attended to. When Simin notices my presence, she stands up, ready to make way for me. “No, stay,” I reassure her. “I don’t want to disturb you.”
During the last couple of days, we all took turns to stay with Royan. His father is here too, now, and barely leaves his side. Simin takes her task very seriously. She has started her training under Aylin and the queen, and it seems like she truly found her calling.
Whenever she is free, she comes to sit here and reads to Royan.
For a while, we both sit next to each other. I stay silent while Simin keeps reading a fairytale to him. The poor pup is recovering very slowly, though, at least his bones seem to be healing properly. Simin coughs slightly and looks around for a glass of water. I hurry to hand her one.
“Why…” Royan mumbles all of a sudden.
We both halt in our steps, exchanging a gaze. “Did you hear that?” Simin whispers. “I didn’t imagine it?”
“I heard him,” I confirm.
“What’s wrong, Royan?” Simin asks gently.
“Why… did you stop?”
Her eyes fly open, and she looks at me happily. She takes a sip of water and then takes the book again. “Let’s continue the story.”
I nod at her. “I will alert Aylin,” I announce before hurrying out of the room. I don’t find Aylin immediately, but Eibhlin takes me to her. The witch is taking a break and is not too thrilled to see me. Once I deliver the news, though, her eyes widen in surprise.
“Eibhlin,” she says. “Go and tell your parents, and inform Royan’s father. I will go with General Shayan!”
Together, we return to Royan’s room where Simin is currently reading the last lines of the book. She closes it, smiling at Royan.
Royan coughs slightly. “Is there… no more?”
“The story ended,” Simin says. “We can choose a new book, Royan,” she suggests.
“Yes.”
“Which one do you want? I have one about a dragon who kidnaps the princess, and a knight saves her. Or a tale about a wanderer going on adventures.”
“Which one…” he seems to struggle, but eventually blinks his eyes open. “The dragon.”
Simin jumps up, making a place for Aylin. “I will fetch the book right away.”
She hurries away, giving Aylin the chance to check on Royan properly. With every passing minute, he seems to be more alert, more present. “Aylin?” he asks suddenly.
“Yes, Gamma Royan,” she answers. “Welcome back.”
“Everything hurts,” he groans. “What’s with my arm… and legs…”
“We had to steady them to prevent you from moving,” she explains. “Don’t worry, your bones are healing. Do you want to sit up a bit?”
“Can I?” he groans.
“Yes, and you should. It’s good for your circulation.” Aylin gestures to me to help, and together we carefully maneuver Royan into a sitting position. His legs and arms are still in a cast, firmly secured so that he won’t move them too much. Now that he is more aware of his surroundings, he will hopefully soon regain some of his mobility again.
“I can’t feel Donovan,” he mutters.
Aylin brushes over his forehead, her eyes sad. “He used a lot of his strength to heal you, Royan. Give it some time.” She looks at me. “I will fetch some materials. Please watch out for him.”
I nod, taking a chair and pulling it closer to Royan’s bed. I wait for Aylin to have left before looking at my friend. “It’s good to see you back,” I say quietly.
“Shay,” he says, his voice hoarse.
I chuckle softly. “Yes.”
“You are here.” He licks over his dry lips. “It hurts so much. Tell me why, please.”
“They had to break your bones again to make sure you heal properly,” I explain quietly. “There was so much wolfsbane in your body. It will take a while for you to heal completely.”
His eyes are drowsy, and he seems to have difficulties focusing. Eventually, though, he looks at my neck. “You are marked.”
“Yes, Tynan finally found the courage.”
He chuckles, but groans in pain and coughs. “That’s because you played quite a bit with him.”
“Ah, he is so confident.” I smile. “He needed it to be a challenge. And he is cute when he is flustered.”
“You will have your hands full.”
“Oh yes, I will.”
Royan looks at me for a long while. “I fucked up.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“I trusted her.”
“Royan, she was your mate,” I tell him. “You weren’t stupid. You just had faith in her, and she betrayed you.” I pause. “For all that it matters, I think she did love you though.”
“Yeah,” he mutters. “That might be true, but… in the end, she cost me so much.”
I nod sadly. He is so young, yet his trust was shaken to its core. It will take a while for him to heal completely, not just his body, but also his heart and mind.
“You didn’t mess up,” I insist. “When you were found out, they tortured you, yet you never revealed my identity or where you came from. You endured so much for the kingdom, for the wolves, and for me. Everyone here sees you as a hero for what you endured.” I smile. “Also, it was funny how you sent them to the wrong place first.”
“Right,” he smiles. “To the silent forest. There is an old friend living there. An eremite if you will.
He has some tricks up his sleeves, and he is living one to one with a few creatures.”
“So, that was how they got ripped apart,” I say.
Royan looks at me. “Shayan?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you. You saved my life.”
I have no chance to answer because the door flies open and Royan’s father bursts into the room. He
resembles his son so much. He was distraught to find Royan in the state he was in. When he sees Royan now, he bursts into tears.
“Dad,” Royan mutters. “I saw mom. She looks good. Wants us to watch out for each other.”
I’m not sure if he is aware of the gravity of his words. He probably doesn’t realize it means he almost passed over, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that he is back with us now.