The air within the Healers' sanctum had turned thick and heavy, suffocatingly quiet save for the soft rustle of linen bandage wrappings.
Adrian had finally calmed down from the shock of waking up. Thankfully, Cassian's holy mana had helped soothe him even if just a little, stabilizing the child within Adrian. Though the unborn child's heartbeat was recovering slowly, it was still there.
Now Adrian lay motionless atop a pile of soft furs. His breathing was shallow, barely lifting his chest. The external wounds were slowly beginning to heal under the steady magic of the imperial healers and Cassian, but the swelling across his pale cheekbone and jaw remained dark and bruised—a stark, painful testament to Thoris's violence.
And sitting right beside the bed, holding Adrian's limp, cold hand tightly between both of his own, was Cassian.
He was lost in thought, reflecting on how he had never lost a child at Thoris's hands in the previous timeline if the barbarian could go this far with his violence. This was a terrifying and uncharted nightmare. Cassian looked at his younger brother's hollow, bruised face, his eyes filled with an ache so deep it threatened to tear him apart. He didn't know what words could possibly mend a father's shattered heart, nor did he know how to comfort someone whose soul had been completely ripped open. All he could do was stay, hold Adrian's hand, and let his warm, steady holy mana flow gently into his brother's body.
Behind Cassian, standing like a silent silver wall near the curtained entrance, Lucien kept watch, his eyes shifting between the brothers with quiet protectiveness.
Just then, the heavy wooden doors creaked open. Emperor Cedric stepped into the room. The ruler of Edrath, usually a man of calm, unshakeable imperial authority, looked terrifying. His eyes were bloodshot, his majestic shoulders tight with a rage so volcanic it caused the very air in the room to vibrate. Behind him came Chieftain Tamil Madurai and his eldest son, Vikra Madurai. Tamil looked ten years older than he had that morning, his grand tribal cloak heavy on his bent shoulders. Vikra's jaw was set so tightly that the muscles in his neck strained, his amber eyes filled with absolute, burning shame for his younger brother.
"Father,"
Cassian whispered softly, not letting go of Adrian's hand as Cedric approached the bed.
Cedric stared down at Adrian's swollen, bandaged face. A sharp, ragged breath escaped the Emperor's lips as he reached out, his trembling fingers gently brushing a strand of blond hair away from Adrian's bruised cheek.
"My boy..."
Cedric rasped, his voice breaking with a dangerous, terrifying fury. He turned slowly, his sharp, golden eyes locking onto Chieftain Tamil.
"Is this the grand hospitality of the Iron Steppes? Is this how the Madurai tribe treats a prince of Edrath wedded to them?!"
Tamil closed his eyes, bowing his head deeply. He did not offer an excuse, for he had none to give.
"Your Imperial Majesty..."
Tamil's voice was hoarse, heavy with disgrace.
"There are no words in our language that can wash away this sin. None."
"A sin?!"
Cedric took a slow step toward the Chieftain, his aura flaring so violently that the oil lamps around the room flickered wildly.
"Your son put his hands on my child! He struck him! He thrashed him! He nearly murdered my unborn grandchild!"
Vikra stepped forward, placing a hand over his heart and bowing low to Cedric.
"Your Majesty, I swear on my blood and my blade as the eldest prince of the Steppes—Thoris will face justice for this. Our tribe will not shield him."
Cassian finally spoke up, his voice cool, precise, and heavy with lethal knowledge.
"He won't be able to escape it anyway,"
Cassian said, turning his head slightly to look at Tamil and Vikra.
Tamil looked at the Crown Prince.
"The Iron Steppes carry a harsh environment,"
Cassian continued, his crimson eyes cold as ice.
"Your birth rates have been deteriorating for decades. Because of that, your ancient laws place the highest sacred value on legacy and childbearing. To harm an unborn child in the Steppes is a crime punishable by exile or death."
Cassian stood up slowly from Adrian's bedside, stepping between his father and the tribal leaders.
"If a warrior loses a child by accident, he is stripped of his rank,"
Cassian's voice cut through the quiet room like a sword.
"But to do it intentionally? Out of petty, pathetic rage?"
Cassian looked directly into Chieftain Tamil's eyes.
"Thoris didn't just break my brother's body, Chieftain Tamil. He committed the ultimate crime against your own ancestors' laws. How does the Madurai tribe intend to handle a Great Warrior who acts as a child-killer?.....He had better pray that the child actually survives this ordeal."
Tamil flinched as if struck. The truth of Cassian's words hit the room with crushing weight. In the Steppes, strength meant nothing if it was used to destroy the tribe's future. The backlash from the elders and the tribal clans would be absolute and merciless. Thoris's standing as a warrior was completely dead; now, his very life hung by a thread.
Before anyone else could speak, a faint, weak gasp came from the bed furs.
"Ah..."
Cassian instantly turned around, dropping back down to his knees beside the bed.
"Adrian!"
Adrian's eyelids fluttered weakly, struggling to open. The swelling around his face made even a small movement painful. His pale hand reached out blindly into the air, trembling violently.
"C-Cassian..."
Adrian whispered, his throat raw and dry.
"Cassian... where..."
"I'm here. I'm right here,"
Cassian said, wrapping his hands tightly around Adrian's trembling ones.
Emperor Cedric immediately moved to the other side of the bed, his terrifying rage instantly dissolving into desperate fatherly tenderness.
"Adrian, my sweet boy... don't move. You are safe. Your father is here."
Adrian's swollen eyes slowly focused on Cassian's face, then on his father's. Tears began to overflow from his eyes, soaking into the bandages across his temples.
"He... he killed him, Cassian..."
Adrian sobbed, a sound so broken and agonizing that even Vikra turned his face away in grief.
"I begged him... I told him the baby was delicate... but he... he didn't care... It was all an act..."
"Shh, don't speak, please,"
Cassian whispered, pressing his forehead against Adrian's trembling hand, his own tears finally slipping past his lashes.
For once he could relate to Adrian's pain, he knows first hand to what brutality he was subjected to in this marriage.
For a moment he was nearly fooled that Thoris had changed and he treated Adrian so much better but it turned out he had only become worse.
"Your child still lives Adrians, so please don't talk like that, I beg you. And I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you..."
"I was just... a replacement..."
Adrian wept quietly, his chest heaving as the crushing reality of his misery swallowed him whole.
"I was nothing to him but a punching bag..."
Cedric smoothed Adrian's hair back, his heart bleeding as he looked up at Tamil with eyes that promised war if justice was not served.
"He will never lay a finger on you again, my son,"
Cedric vowed softly, his voice shaking with absolute conviction.
"After you heal, I am taking you home."
*****
Later that same day...
The tribal healers' sanctum had finally fallen quiet. The frantic footsteps, the desperate orders, and the cries from the night before had all faded, leaving behind a heavy, suffocating silence. Sunlight slipped gently through the narrow windows, warming the wooden floorboards, but doing little to banish the chill resting inside the room.
Adrian lay beneath thick fur blankets atop the wide treatment bed. His body still ached with every subtle movement, and his face was severely bruised and swollen—a dark, painful mark across his pale cheek and jaw. Every shallow breath he took served as a physical reminder of the violence he had endured, yet none of it compared to the hollow, suffocating ache inside his chest. He stared blankly up at the wooden ceiling, his eyes dry and exhausted, having simply run out of tears to cry.
*Creaaak...*
The heavy wooden chamber door slowly opened.
Adrian didn't bother looking up, assuming it was just another tribal healer coming in to check his condition or adjust his wrappings.
"Your medicine is on the table..."
Adrian whispered weakly, his voice raw and raspy.
But no answer came. Instead, heavy, hesitant footsteps moved across the floor. A familiar warmth settled right beside his bed, followed by a trembling hand carefully reaching out toward him.
And the moment Adrian recognized that hand and saw the towering figure beside him, his entire body stiffened. His breathing quickened into frantic, shallow gasps as terror seized him. He immediately dragged his battered body backward across the furs, pressing himself as far away as the bed would allow.
"No..."
Adrian's voice cracked in pure panic.
"No... stay back!"
His frightened eyes locked onto Thoris. The great warrior of the Iron Steppes looked completely shattered—far from the proud prince he usually was. Thoris's clothes were wrinkled and stained with dried blood, half of his face was dark and swollen from Emperor Cedric's strike, and his broad shoulders hung low. His bloodshot eyes were filled with desperate, raw regret.
"Adrian... my bride,"
Thoris pleaded, his voice shaking violently as he raised his hands in peace.
"Please... tell me, how are you feeling now? Please don't push me away. I need to atone for what I have done to you."
"Please allow me to at least apologize—"
Adrian instinctively wrapped his trembling arms over his stomach, curling around his bump to shield it. It wasn't his own safety he was desperate for anymore; it was the fragile life resting inside of him. The little life he had grown too fond of and is part of himself.
Thoris noticed the motion, and the realization hit him like a physical blow.
"Adrian..."
Thoris whispered, taking one hesitant step closer.
"Please..."
"Thoris... leave,"
Adrian rasped, his eyes wide with fear.
"You shouldn't have snuck in here... you shouldn't have come at all."
"Adrian—"
"Thoris... my child lives now, and the last thing that I want is for you to stress me, okay?....so please leave."
Adrian interrupted, his trembling voice rising in desperation.
"I can't risk my baby's life because of you again! So leave me alone! I want to be alone!"
"Adrian, I am so sorry. Truly, I am,"
Thoris begged, walking around the side of the bed. He dropped to his knees right beside Adrian, attempting to reach out and hold his limp, cold hand.
"It was so wrong of me to take out my frustrations on you that night. I—"
Adrian snatched his hand away before Thoris could even touch his fingers, pulling it tightly against his chest.
"That was not your first time hurting me like that,"
Adrian whispered, tears overflowing from his eyes and soaking into the bandages around his face.
"Beating me up and trying to get everything done your way through violence! For a moment... I was truly fooled that you had changed. I thought that for once, you actually cared for me and my sister. You even took care of your unborn child with all the care in the world, but that was all a lie! That night, you made everything clear to me, Thoris... about where I truly stand with you in this marriage. Elyria and I are merely Cassian's replacements, aren't we?"
Thoris looked up at him, his face pale and full of anguish.
"My bride, I only wanted—"
"No!"
Adrian cut him off, his chest heaving violently.
"You told me yourself, remember?! You said you were gentle toward me just to put up a show for Cassian! Just to convince him that you'd be a good husband to him so it wouldn't be so terrible if he married you! But with him rejecting you, you never needed to play along anymore! You didn't need to act like we actually mattered in your life!"
"And don't act like you have forgotten, you know exactly what I am talking about."
Thoris opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
"After all, Thoris..."
Adrian sobbed softly, the words tearing through his throat like shattered glass.
"...aren't I just a good-for-nothing prince of the Empire that was forced onto you?"
The room fell into a heavy, agonizing silence. Thoris slowly looked away, unable to meet Adrian's eyes, while Adrian swallowed back his heavy sobs and curled tighter into the soft furs.
"You have already shown me your true colors,"
Adrian whispered, his voice dangerously hollow.
"You showed me what I will be subjected to if I stay in this marriage, and I don't want that. I don't want you, and therefore, I am going to leave."
"No, Adrian, wait!"
Thoris pleaded, reaching forward again in panic.
"First things first, can you please at least allow me to apologize to you properly?! I truly want to make things right by you!"
"Just look at how much I am trying to humble myself in front of you Adrian!...this may be hard for me but I will do it over and over again just to make it right. So please don't push me away now, hear me out even if it's just a little."
"Why does it have to be when it only matters to you, Thoris?!"
Adrian cried out, the pain spilling over completely.
"Why couldn't it have been when you thrashed me on the floor like I was nothing?! What was so different then?! Or is this just another act because now everyone knows your true colors and you are about to lose everything?!"
"No, of course not!"
Thoris shouted back in desperation.
"THEN WHY?!"
Adrian roared, the sheer emotional strain causing a sudden, violent pang of physical pain to shoot straight through his abdomen. He flinched back against the furs with a sharp, painful whimper, clutching his stomach as his face drained of all color.
Thoris jumped up instinctively, leaning forward to help him.
"Adrian!"
Adrian firmly raised one shaking hand into the air, stopping him in his tracks.
"Don't..."
Adrian gasped weakly.
"Adrian, calm down! Please!"
Thoris pleaded, his hands trembling in panic as he hovered over him.
"You'll harm the child!"
Adrian looked up at him through tear-filled, swollen eyes, a bitter, broken smile touching his lips.
"How strange... hearing that coming from you. The one who landed us here in the first place."
Thoris looked as though he had been stabbed in the chest and he huffed leaning closer regardless.
"I would never harm my own child intentionally!"
he stammered out, his voice cracking with immense guilt.
"That night... I was just so–... I lost myself completely, and I regret it!"
"No... you never lost yourself that night,"
Adrian whispered, shaking his head slowly as tears ran down his bruised cheeks.
"You knew exactly what you were doing Thoris. You just weren't prepared for the consequences. You never wanted me, and you never wanted this child either! When I pleaded with you to consider my condition... when I begged you because of how delicate my pregnancy is... didn't you just brush me off and sneer down at me with these words: 'We can always try again, since it's not the end of the world'?"
Thoris froze completely, the memory of his own reckless, cruel words striking him with unbearable weight.
"So how dare you come back to my face right now..."
Adrian whispered, his voice dropping into a painful, empty tone.
"...how dare you face me with your fake self-pity after everything that you have already done to me?"
Thoris slowly leaned back, completely defeated. The truth settled over him like an iron cloak—he had caused immense, unforgivable harm, and there was no excuse he could offer that would ever fix it.
Adrian slowly rolled over on the bed, turning his back entirely to Thoris and pulling the fur blankets over his shoulders.
"Leave and never come back,"
Adrian murmured quietly into the pillow.
"I don't ever want to see you again."
Thoris remained kneeling beside the bed in the quiet room. He sat there silently for a long time, listening to the muffled, agonizing sound of Adrian crying himself to sleep. Each quiet sob echoed in the heavy air, sinking like a cold blade into Thoris's chest.
After what felt like an eternity, Thoris slowly forced his tattered, aching body up from the floor. He stood staring at Adrian's back one last time.
"Adrian.... I am truly sorry for what I had put you through."
"Both for fooling your heart and also for breaking your soul to pieces and hurting you the way that I did. I never meant to, trust me I genuinely never did. But now that the harm is already done and I have bled you to this point all that I can do is to only apologize. And I will continue to do so right until you find it in your heart to face me again."
"So please don't close your heart completely and don't give up on me just yet, I am willing to change and this is only just a start. I will even convert from being a barbarian to a nobleman of it means earning your forgiveness. And I will wait."
"So take your time and I truly am sorry."
With that Thoris took a deep breath before dragging his heavy feet toward the door and exiting into the stone corridor, leaving Adrian alone inside his bubble of grief.
Outside in the quiet hall, Thoris leaned back against the cold stone wall, his hands trembling as he stared down at them.
He didn't even understand what was happening to him anymore. The heavy ache inside his chest was raw and suffocating, and the regret was unlike anything he had ever felt on a battlefield.
He closed his eyes, asking himself the question he had avoided his entire life: What kind of life have I been living this whole time?
If his actions could break a person to this extent... if his presence brought nothing but terror to the person carrying his child... then it meant he was nothing more than a cruel, mindless monster who didn't even realize the destruction he was causing, isn't it?
"What can I do make him forgive me?"
*****