Harem

Twenty

Civil war.

It pained Avi to even think the words, but there was no denying the fact that they were on the brink of it, and there was no other way to describe how utterly his world had changed in just a few hours.

He and Emmelia had been about to steal away and enjoy a late, private breakfast when Katie had blundered past them on her way to the laundry. She'd been in search of towels to stem the flow of blood leaking out of Kevin's abdomen. The news had brought around a new flood of questions, but one thing seemed immediately certain. Whatever fantasy fairy tale life Avi had been coasting through these last few days, it was almost certainly over.

As the morning progressed, some things began to settle and others began an upheaval. A doctor came and removed a bullet from Kevin's gut, claiming him perhaps the luckiest man alive as it missed almost everything vital. There was blood loss and infection to deal with, but he would survive. It was now the Queen's survival that was the main concern.

The appropriate officials were called and Kirstin was sworn in as Queen Regent before the sun set on that first day. Mitch had been confused by that, asking Avi why Scott wasn't given the title.

"Why wouldn't they just crown him early?" he'd asked, seeming to like and hate the idea in equal measure.

He had his answer soon enough. Kirstin's first official act as Queen was to mobilize a military task force with her brother at the forefront. Their goal was to venture into the unknown landscape of the south and retrieve the abducted monarch, and then reestablish law and order, squashing this rebellion once and for all.

Kirstin had crumpled after giving the order, looking equal parts frustrated and sad. It wasn't hard to see why. Queen Constance was fairly obvious about her dislike for Kirstin, and now the new Regent was sending her brother and seventy other brave men including her new flame, Captain Jeremy Lewis into danger for her. If that wasn't enough, there was the fact that Kirstin swore by a code of peace, and yet she was forced in her first royal act to enable violence within the borders of her own country.

Avi pitied her, but soon began to feel pretty damn sorry for himself as well. The task force was reaping the palace and the village of dozens of its able-bodied men, including most of the royal guard. And Alex, of course. It had been a knife to the heart to realize that both Scott and Alex would be called away to the front, that he could lose them both.

"Don't get me wrong," Mitch said tentatively. "I'm very glad you're staying here. But why aren't you leaving with the soldiers?"

They were busy packing crates with non-perishable food and some of Mitch's newly brewed beer, staples to keep the fighters strong. Emmelia was helping them and it was she that answered Mitch's question when Avi seemed unable to.

"All the boys in the academy undergo a thorough physical, to make sure they are fit for battle," she said. "Avi found out when he was eighteen that he has a condition called cardiomegaly. It means he has an enlarged heart and it's not safe for him to fight."

"Your heart is literally too big," Mitch commented and there was so much fondness in his voice. He put his little hand on Avi's chest and looked up, those big brown eyes wide with several layers of emotion. "I'm scared for them," he whispered.

"Me too," Avi admitted, covering Mitch's hand with his own. "But they are strong and brave and I'm sure they will have things back to normal before you know it."

"I'm starting to wonder if I've ever known what normal is," Mitch replied, and the others laughed because it was a little too true.

The only good thing about the three days between Kevin's return and the soldiers' departure was the fact that Avi was too busy to let himself sink into depression and worry. He barely even had time for sleep, slaving away at all hours to prepare food, not knowing if this offensive would take days or months to settle. He was able to use some of the surplus grain he'd ordered to make large batches of bread, and he dried as much meat and fish as he could to send along. He couldn't resist making some treats too, things that wouldn't last long, but would remind the Prince and the photographer of home, of him.