Broken Aro (The Broken Ones) (6 page)

She stopped and knelt beside him and sat very still,
just looking at him for a moment while he did the same with her. Fair's fair
right?

Sitting in the corner, he rested his back against the
hull with his long legs stretched out. Aro could tell he was tall. She stared
at his pants. They looked soft and expensive. She forced her eyes up. It
surprised her he wasn't wearing silk, but a white cotton shirt, until she saw
the marks and nodded faintly to herself. So he had fought, he'd had mail on at
any rate. Regret spread through her that the slavers had taken it and she'd never
get to see it.

She noted he had his left arm stiff across his
abdomen. From the way he held it she guessed a broken arm. Her eyes went to his
face last, shyly. She didn't really care what he looked like, but she wanted to
make sure he wasn't glaring at her.

A little gasp escaped her lips before she clamped them
shut. He was beautiful. She shouldn't have been surprised. He was a prince
after all. Weren't they all handsome? She took in his long black hair, fine and
straight. Hers had never looked so nice. His skin was fair, except for a
purpled bruise high on his left cheek and curling over his temple. His features
were angular, but somehow slightly soft, too. Gentle. His nose was impossibly
straight and his eyes... his eyes were glaring at her.

She looked away quickly.

"Are you quite done?"

Even sharp with anger his voice sounded beautiful and
refined, with a slight accent she of course didn't know. A visiting prince,
Kendric had said. Where was he from then?

She looked at him again because she hadn't finished.
She'd only noticed his too long dark lashes and fine sweeping dark brows before
his glare had scared her. She wanted to finish the picture and see what color
his eyes would be.

They were blue, of course. Perfect, brilliant blue.

They were also glaring again.

"What do you want?" His pretty voice wasn't
friendly at all.

Her eyes dropped back to his arm. "It is broken?"

After what seemed like forever, he answered. Relief
flooded her that he didn't sound furious anymore, just irritated. "Yes. It
is."

She glanced back at him. "Will you let me look at
it?"

"Can you do anything if it is?"

His attitude began to irritate her. "Actually
yes," she snarled, making him start.
…..
His
blue eyes opened wide. He wasn't used to people talking to him in such a way. "Well,
depending on how mangled it is. I know how to set broken bones. My brothers
came home with enough of them."

"Fine," he said. He looked away and held his
arm out toward her as if bestowing some great gift.
No wonder no one got
along with nobility, bunch of arrogant asses
.

She stared at it a moment before shifting closer, and
had to move even closer to reach his arm. She gently took his wrist and slid
his shirt sleeve up to his elbow.

She grimaced. His fair arm was black and blue from his
wrist almost to his elbow. She looked up at him. "Shield arm?"

"Yes," he said in surprise.

She gently moved her fingers over his arm, testing the
swelling, feeling for the break, or breaks. "How much does it hurt?"

"Enough," he replied curtly.

"Did you hear a snap?"

He didn't answer and she looked up at him to see him
glaring at her again. She wished people would stop doing that. It was really
starting to unnerve her.

His lips pressed tightly together for a moment before
he finally answered. "Why all the questions?"

Anger rose within her again. Men were impossible.
Truly they were. Here she was trying to help and he was not appreciating the
fact at all. "Well. I'm trying to discover if you've a clean break or a
shattered arm. If it's shattered, it will have to come off. If it's just a
break I can actually do something about it."
Hopefully
. If she
could find something to set it with, and even then, if he was really unlucky it
could still go bad. If it did he wouldn't make it to port before the fevers
came and killed him.

He stared at her intently, his lips a fine angry line
before suddenly letting out an exasperated sigh and jerking his head away to
stare at the far wall. "Yes, it snapped."

She still had her hands on his arm and let out a sigh
of her own.
So then, time to find the break
. It didn't take her long,
even though she worked slowly, trying not to cause him more pain. She'd seen
what pain could do to people. Sometimes it made them crazy. She eyed the prince
again. He was big, a lot bigger than she was. It surprised her that his arm was
in no way soft. Under all the expensive clothes he was in incredibly good
shape.
Especially for a prince, considering they just sat around all day
doing princey things
. She felt around the area, trying to feel for
splinters but it seemed to be a truly clean break.

She let go of his arm and sat back, thinking. She
could set it, but it wouldn't do much good if he moved and the bones shifted.
She looked around the cell, trying to find a small board or anything else she
could use as a brace.

Nothing, nothing, nothing. Rot it, how could she fix
him?
She frowned, trying to think.

"Well?"

She shifted uncomfortably, knowing he was glaring at
her again without even looking. She sat up straighter suddenly and looked up at
him, raising a finger. "Wait, let me think."

Her greaves. They might work, if they weren't too
wide. She looked at his arm. Hers was scrawny in comparison. His, while being
well-muscled, wasn't bulky either. Maybe if she wrapped the arm in something…

She shifted position from her knees onto her bottom,
bringing her legs forward. She undid the buckles on one of her greaves and then
pulled the piece of hardened leather armor off. It wasn't like she needed her
shins projected now. Thinking, she stared at the other men a moment and doubted
they'd help. He was a rotting prince after all.

"Whatever are you doing?" He sounded both
angry
and
irritated.

She risked a look at him as she held up the old piece
of armor. "Something to brace your arm with."

He stared at her incredulously and shook his head. A
faint and beautiful smile came to his lips. "Clever."

She smiled slightly at the praise, and of course was
immensely happy he stopped glaring. She pulled at her shirt, un-tucking it from
her pants.

"And what are you doing now?"

She looked up. "It will need to be wrapped in
something."

He frowned and his good arm reached out, his hand
resting on her arm. "No."

Her brows drew together in confusion. "No?"

He tugged at his own shirt, easily pulling it free
from the waist of his pants. With a jerk he started a rip and then abruptly
stopped.

She looked from the rip to his face and saw it had
paled. Of course, he'd forgotten about the chains and the sudden motion had
jerked his broken arm as well. Her hands moved to touch him, to try to sooth
him...and froze when his body tensed. She yanked her hands away. "Sorry."

He jerked once again and a piece from the bottom of
his shirt came away. Her eyes widened in surprise. He was a lot stronger than
he looked to shred his clothing so easily.

"Will that be enough?" His lips pursed
together tersely, pain still etched across his face.

"Yes." She took it from him and set it on
top of the greave lying beside her. Concentrating on his arm again she let out
a long breath.
Now the hard part
. She moved her hands over his arm,
finding the break, and paused to look back up at him. "You want me to
count off or something?"

"Just do it," he snapped.

He sounded angry again.
Just what she needed
.
She sucked in a deep breath. One, two, push and pull and snap and the bones
fell back into place.

She froze, hands still on his arm. The prince was
snarling
.

She squeezed her eyes closed, hoping he wouldn't hurt
his arm. She didn't want to have to fix it again. On second thought, she hoped he
wouldn't hit her either. At least not too hard. Yes, that's what she should
have been wishing for first off, because she suddenly knew he would… just like
Sammy had the one time because it had hurt too much. She should have found
something for him to bite on. That would have been smart. Or maybe have had one
of the others hold him down. They probably would have agreed to do that. Fear
tightened her stomach because the prince was strong, too.

She heard him move and gritted her teeth, tensing for
the blow.

She wasn't prepared for gentle fingers cupping her
cheek and tilting her face up. The first thing she noticed when her eyes
flashed open at his touch was how he had suddenly become much closer. The
second was the pained look on his face.

"I apologize," he said very quietly, his
brilliant eyes staring straight into hers. "I did not mean to frighten
you. I will not hurt you."

A ragged gasp escaped her and she swallowed over the
fear in her throat.
Well then. So he was one of those noble princes.

Unfortunately, he now stared intently at her. His
fingers slid across her cheek, brushing her hair from her face. It was too
tender of a motion.
So maybe he wasn't so noble. She just couldn't win could
she?
Before she could move herself away she was yanked backward violently.
She turned and stared in shock at Kendric.

A very, very furious Kendric.

"Touch Aro again and I'll break more than your
arm." His quiet voice quivered with barely suppressed rage.

Too shocked to do anything but stare, her eyes went
first to Kendric and then to Prince.

Prince chuckled suddenly and leaned close to Kendric,
his voice a mere murmur, "You should tell her not to speak so much. She
doesn't sound like a boy." While they both stared at him in shocked
horror, Prince looked at her, a faint smile playing across his lips. He winked.
"Nor does she look like one."

She grimaced at Kendric, punching him in the arm. "If
your other plans are this bad you're going to get us all killed."

Kendric scowled at her.

Prince chuckled and held his broken arm out to her,
catching her eyes with his own as he did so. "I will keep your secret."
He looked over her shoulder to the other men. "Be quiet, and keep your
face hidden and I doubt they will notice."

Kendric snorted and she looked away with a deep sigh.
She picked up the strip of Prince's shirt and quickly and efficiently wrapped
his arm.

"You do know what you are doing."

She could hear the surprise in his voice and it made
her angry again. She scowled at him. "Go rot."

He chuckled and then winced. "Ow."

"Baby." She clamped her mouth shut.
Shouldn't
have said that
.

Prince only grinned at her before looking to Kendric
again. "Truly though. Aro will be just fine."

She could feel the soldier's gaze on her and ignored
him as she carefully set the greave as a brace.

"I did cheat a little," Prince divulged and
they both looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Kendric tensed as he
waited for an answer.

Prince looked over at him. "There was much talk
in court of the Mason brothers, their father, and…" he looked at her
again. "Of the youngest…sibling."

Her eyebrows rose as she secured the greave. "They
were talking about me at court! Why would they be doing that?"

"Many wondered what you would be doing come
spring. When you came of age. If you would be joining your brothers, or not."

She frowned. "Why would they care what I did?"
Yes, her family had become well known and respected but she was just a girl.

"Your brothers were not commenting and that had
everyone wondering of course."

"Of course." She rolled her eyes. Her
troublesome brothers again.

Kendric looked surprised. "You're considering it?"

"Idiot. Of course I am! They were still fighting
over it. Like they'd be able to stop me."

Prince frowned. "Why would you want to join the
army?"

"Why does everyone think I'd prefer to get
married off? Not a chance!"

They both looked at her like she was crazy. She
resisted jerking on the leather strap in her hands and clamped her mouth shut.
She sat back, finished, and sucked in a deep breath trying to steady herself.
Prince touched her knee lightly. "Well done. I thank you."

She nodded, sudden pain and loss choking her for a
moment. "It doesn't matter anyway," she said quietly. "The city
fell. The army's gone, dead, scattered, or slaves. My brothers…" Thinking
of them brought the terrible hollow pain to her chest again. She truly was alone.
They would not come riding back this time. She would not be protected or
rescued by them. They were dead. She couldn't try to delude herself into
thinking otherwise.