Scene: Blackwood Imperial Medical Center – ICU, King's Private Room
POV: Amara Blackwood
The door shut behind the doctor.
Silence again.
Except for the machines. The beeping, the humming, the soft exhale of the ventilator.
Chris lay still.
So still.
I stood by the bed. My arms didn't cross this time. They dropped to my sides—weak, useless. My armor… felt heavy. My crown—though I wasn't wearing it—pressed on my soul.
I walked closer.
The closer I got, the less he looked like the King.
He looked like the man I first met in the war room, standing over maps and bloodied reports, speaking with certainty no one else could mimic. The man who once lifted my chin and said, "You're not born to serve. You were born to rule—beside me."
I sat by the bed.
Reached for his hand.
It was warm. Still warm.
> "You said power is never given. But you gave me yours, didn't you?"
His hand didn't move.
My eyes didn't blink.
> "You left without telling me. You returned without warning. And now you lie here… not fighting."
I gripped his hand tighter.
> "I've started wars in your name. I've silenced ministers and raised nations to the ground for daring to question you."
> "So why won't you fight for me now?"
---
No answer.
Only the soft, traitorous beep… beep… beep.
---
I leaned forward. Rested my forehead against his chest, above the dressing. I could hear the faint rhythm. The stubborn pulse of a man who refuses to die—but also refuses to wake.
> "You're not allowed to leave me like this."
My voice cracked. Just once.
> "I built the world you dreamed of. I walked through blood to defend your crown. If you needed time, I would've given you centuries. If you needed space, I would've handed you the sky."
> "But silence?" I whispered. "No. Not you. You don't get to go quiet on me."
A tear slipped onto his chest. I wiped it angrily.
> "You once said only death could stop you."
> "So unless you're dead…"
> "—WAKE UP."
---
Nothing.
Still.
Silent.
But I didn't move.
I held his hand tighter. Pulled the chair closer. Rested my head beside him on the sheets.
> "I'll wait. But don't make me wait too long."
> "Or I'll start a war you can't stop."
---