“Let’s have many children,” he said.
“Why many?”
“You look better when you’re pregnant.”
Cassandra chuckled, amused. She knew what he meant, but his way with words was really too much. She softly kissed him.
“I won’t suddenly go back to being skinny after our son is born, Kairen. But I am fine with having many. I would love a big family.”
She took a deep breath, feeling a bit better, and turned to her little table.
“Alright, time to go back.”
The Prince nodded and helped her take the medicine back to Kareen’s apartments. Kareen and Krai were still in the same position, Dahlia standing a few steps behind, but strangely, Missandra and Shareen hadn’t come back yet. Cassandra put her medicine down on a little table the Imperial Concubine had in the garden, and sat, worried.
It only took a few seconds, though. Suddenly they heard a commotion from the entrance of the garden. The servants went rushing, and Cassandra stood up. Shareen was carrying Missandra on her back. When she gently put her down on the chair, it was obvious the young girl had cried a lot. She looked exhausted, and the back of her dress was ripped open. Cassandra did her best not to cry again.
Her younger sister’s hair had been put to the side in a braid, so the first thing Cassandra saw was her back, covered in cuts, some deep and still bleeding fresh blood. As if it kept her from breaking down, Cassandra immediately ordered for her sister to be taken to a bedroom, and made to lay down so she could treat her. Before the servants even had a chance to move, Kairen gently lifted Missandra and carried her himself, followed by the little group.
“Your sister was brave. She didn’t even scream or beg. She endured it until it was over.”
“I…I’m fine,” Missandra said.
Her voice was so weak, she could pass out at any moment. Cassandra gently helped her take little sips of the medicinal water that could ease her pain, and kissed her cheek once she had drunk it all.
“It’s okay if you want to close your eyes,Linue. I will treat you,” she whispered.
“How did you…endure all that…”
But before she could end her sentence, Missandra’s tired eyes closed themselves, and she passed out, exhausted. Cassandra sighed, but it was half of a cry. She grabbed the towel that a servant had just brought, damped it in the clear water and started cleaning her sister’s injuries. The servant girl stepped forward, wanting to clean Missandra’s injuries instead of letting the concubine dirty herself, but Kairen glared at her.
“Get out.”
All of the servants cleared the room in a couple of seconds. Kareen sighed, caressing Missandra’s head and hair gently.
“Poor thing…”
Shareen nodded. She had been truly impressed with the younger sister that day. Her resilience to take the pain without complaining had been admirable. Most people would openly scream and beg for mercy, but Missandra had done none of that. She had closed her eyes and muttered things silently, waiting for it to be over with.
Once the injuries were cleaned, Cassandra suddenly took a strand of her sister’s hair, and started sewing her deepest and largest cuts, patiently. Kareen frowned.
“With her hair?”
“The body recognizes its own,” whispered Cassandra. “It lessens the risks of infection,”
It was a technique she hadn’t been able to use in the army, since the men’s hair was cut short, but Missandra’s hair was long and clean enough to be used to sew her injuries. With determination, Cassandra sewed each injury one by one. She was singing something softly, in their mother tongue, probably to soothe her sister.
“That song… Missandra was mumbling the same thing the whole time,” said Shareen.
“It’s the Water God’s prayer. It’s a very sad song.”
She kept singing, softly, while applying the ointment on her sister’s superficial injuries. At some point, she sang it again, in the Dragon Empire’s language this time, for them to understand it too.
Ô God of Water
Will you hear this prayer
Will you hear your children
