A royal bloodline gets divided by rebels' attempted regicide, casting Alvina from her throne and into hiding, as Quinn, the bastard brother, is forced to take her place.
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Alvina was supposed to be queen, but when her coronation is abruptly stopp...
I nodded and then tears started stinging in my eyes. "I lost my right arm."
"You did."
"I'm right-handed."
"That's gonna suck."
I burst out laughing and crying at the same time. Dy didn't move away or anything, she just sat on my bed and patted my knee through the blanket.
"Listen," she said when I had quieted down a bit. "We're going to get you the throne back, yeah? We might be pacifists, but we hate injustice even more. We do truly believe someone with holy blood should be on the throne. And you were chosen. You were branded with the holy marks too. Your brother might have the right blood, but he's not going to get the marks. An unmarked ruler is no ruler of ours."
I nodded and tried to dry my eyes with my right hand, once again forgetting it wasn't there. Dy leaned forward and gently stroked her thumb over my cheek, catching the tears. I looked up, meeting her gaze. "You saved me."
She gave me one nod.
"Thank you."
She offered another nod before rising to her feet. "So, the first thing we need is to get you back on your feet. And my aunt has already contacted the best engineer in town. They're working on an arm for you."
I glanced at Naaja, who had been trying to melt in with the wall it seemed. She gave me a small wave.
"We thought you would... Like that. If not, I'll cancel the order."
"No," I said and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "No, I... I'll have a look at it."
"We'll walk you through the procedure tomorrow. By then, you should feel more clear-headed. Okay?"
"Yeah, that sounds good. Thank you." I touched my fingers to my forehead, the official sign of gratitude.
She smiled and bowed before she left the room. Dy also got ready to leave, but I cleared my throat.
"Please..." I said with a very small voice.
She looked back over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow in anticipation.
"Don't... Leave." It hurt to admit, but I was terrified of being left here alone. I didn't know anyone, but her and I were so latching on to the only familiar face.
She nodded and sat down on the chair next to my bed. "How about I just stay here? You get some sleep. I have a book to entertain me."
I nodded and lied back down. I put my right arm on top of the covers as I eased down my left side.
"It'll be alright, right?" I whispered.
"Yeah."
I knew she was lying, but it was nice of her to do so.
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