Page 54 of Rise of a Fallen Man

Mother came to us, leaving Father in the healing team’s care for a moment.

“Please be frank,” she told the witch in a hushed voice for only the three of us to hear. “I need to know the truth.”

The royal witch crumpled a clean piece of gauze in her fingers. “The king has excessive internal injuries, Your Majesty, to his chest and...um, his groin.”

Mother swallowed hard, pressing her lips tightly together.

“Can you help him?”

To my relief, the witch nodded with a certain confidence. “As you know, I have diverse knowledge in healing arts. I have successfully dealt with similarly complex cases. In addition, I have already sent for lung and heart specialists. We will operate as soon as they arrive.”

“What kind of operation does he need?” I asked. “What exactly are his injuries?”

“Several of his ribs are broken. One has punctured his lung.” At Mother’s strangled gasp, the witch leaned in, speaking firmly, “With our combined skills, knowledge, and magic, the king is in good hands, Your Majesty.”

Mother inhaled a brief, shuddering breath.

“Will he live?” she rasped.

“We will do our best.” The witch blinked, the confidence in her voice cracked a little.

“What concerns you?” I prodded.

“Your Highness...” the witch addressed me hesitantly. “This may be best discussed with Her Majesty alone.”

Mother waved her off. “Princess Aniri has the right to hear the truth about her father’s condition.”

The witch inclined her head. “Very well. The king took a blow to his...um, male area. The damage is severe enough to require a...um, reconstruction of some sorts.”

“Can you do it?” I asked.

“We will do our best. However, that is a very narrow field of knowledge that hasn’t been thoroughly explored. Of course there are some options—”

“Do you not know a specialist who could successfully operate on a male’s penis?” I cut her short.

The witch seemed flustered.

“We will do our best,” she repeated the same thing again. “I do have to warn Her Majesty, however, that as a result of his injuries, the king may not...well... He may be unable to perform his marital duties in the future.”

“I don’t care about hisperformance,” the queen exclaimed. “I just want him alive. Please do everything you can. If there is anything you need from the crown—”

The lung and heart specialists arrived—both middle-aged, self-assured women. Their teams joined them, immediately making Father’s spacious bedroom feel cramped.

I could no longer come close enough to the bed to even see Father.

“We need some space here,” the royal witch announced. “Anyone who is not assisting during the surgery, please leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Mother declared resolutely, taking a seat at her husband’s side.

No one dared argue with her.

“I’ll wait outside.” I gave the queen a warm smile in parting.

A crowd had already gathered in the king’s front parlor outside his bedroom. Courtiers, servants, and Father’s gentlemen-in-waiting spoke in subdued voices, speculating on the king’s condition and waiting for updates.

Leafar was at my side the moment I closed the door behind me.

“Your Highness, I’m so sorry.” He stopped short of taking my hand and twisted a polished bronze button on his riding coat instead.

---