The Tiger Within

The Imperial physician ran into the room, his bag in hand . He knelt at their side and began rinsing out the b.l.o.o.d.y whole . "She is going to he fine your Majesty, give me s.p.a.ce to work . " The Physician ordered and the Emperor complied, still holding her hand . He didn"t dare ask him to let go of her .

The physician was skilled and stopped the bleeding quickly . There was no sign of poison that he could see but the wound bothered him . Jagged and round, unlike any knife he had sceen . "was the empress found with a hairpin?" he asked looking at the Emperor who frowned .

Advertis.e.m.e.nt"No . Well… I don"t know, Adela was the Empress found with a Hairpin?" he redirected the question realizing he had been second to her side . Second . She had almost died and he had not been there for her .

"No, the Empress did not have a hairpin and she didn"t wound herself . " Addie replied seeing where the physician was going with this . It was not uncommon for a woman sentenced to life in the cold palace to end that life prematurely . It was a unusual sentence to begin with, self imposed for the Empress who stood for righteousness and the law .

"I was just concerned . " he began but the Emperor cut him off, seeing no reason to discuss this right now . There was more important things to decide at the moment, such as how to make her more comfortable while she was in pain . Yes, who did this was important, but at the moment it was second to her health .

"Let me worry about the how, you worry about the her staying alive bit . Can we move her from the floor now?" The Emperor asked, running his hand through her hair . The Physician nodded .

"Yes, she should rest so her body can heal that wound . She should wake by tomorrow and I will look at her again then . I will send a in training physician to stay with her tonight and monitor her condition . He will alert me if anything else is amiss . " the physician replied and the Emperor nodded, picking Eve up in his arms . Her blood staining his robe, but as the physician tried to protest and point this out, he was shot a death glare .

"Then I will move her to my rooms . Adela, come along . I will need you to help me change her out of this b.l.o.o.d.y mess . " The Emperor replied striding out of the Cold Palace that had nearly taken her life . Adie was stunned by his words and how he held her mistress . She followed obediently, unwilling to let her out of her site . The physician followed, honestly relieved .

The Emperor set his wife into his bed, careful that her head landed gently on the soft pillow . His hand gently guided her hair from her eyes, the black strands curling around his fingers . She looked peaceful, though he knew in truth she was in pain . At least sleep dulled the edge of it and Eve seemed to truly rest .

"Emperor?" Adie spoke up behind him, her voice gentle and questioning . He didn"t bother looking at her and simply hummed his inquiry . "I have a dress for her and Queen Kira is at the door . Apparently she needs to see you urgently . " her tone seemed bitter as she spoke . He would abandon them again, and run to Kira as he always did . Addie had no doubt in this, no matter how tender he was at the moment .

"Kira? What could be more important than . . . . I will speak to her . While I am gone please change her clothes . If she wakes I don"t want the blood making her feel guilty . She"s odd that way . " The Emperor ordered walking to the door and into the main room where Queen Kira waited . She was dressed for a evening dinner, pretty as a rose petal, and yet he barely looked at her .

"What do you need, Kira?" he asked, the formality falling away . Tired, stressed and irritable summed up his current mood . The worry in her eyes softened his heart slightly, but his mind was still in the other room reluctant to join him .

"I heard what happened to the Empress . I am so sorry she"s gone, your Majesty . It is important we keep our heads held high during the morning time . I have had her son and daughter notified of the tragedy . " The First Queen told him, being calm as her voice was filled with sorrow . The Emperor"s eyes widened and he slowly blinked his eyes processing her words .