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After another half hour had painstakingly dragged by, one of the doctors came into the room. He approached me and Micah and wiped the sweat from his brows.

"You are Armani's brother?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I would like to speak with you alone."

"I'll be outside," I said to Micah, but he shook his head.

"Please stay with me."

The doctor sighed wearily. "The surgery on your brother can be considered a success. However," he continued quickly as we breathed sighs of relief, "His injuries are great. His body isn't able to heal fast enough to keep up. He's also lost a large amount of blood. We don't know if he'll make it through the night."

Micah stared at him and I could see the questions and fears in his eyes. His chest rose and fell as his breath came out in rapid bursts. "But he will right?"

"He has a thirteen percent chance of survival. We did all that we could do. If he makes it 'till tomorrow, he'll have a higher chance of survival." He sighed and shook his head. "He's lucky they found him in time. If it had been any later he would have been gone."

"Can I see him?" Micah asked softly. His moist eyes mirrored the sadness and hope in his heart.

"He hasn't regained consciousness as yet. It might take some time."

Micah stared down at the floor in despair.

"Thank you," I whispered to the doctor who nodded ruefully and disappeared down the corridor.

"Armani," Micah mourned as he brushed the tears from his eyes.

The corners of his mouth were uncharacteristically down turned. I had never seen him look so sad. I sighed and hoped against hope that Armani would be okay. A thirteen percent chance was slim, but it was better than nothing.

Kevin kept his distance at the other side of the room, because every time he came too close Micah became uneasy.

Jackson came in and whispered something to him. He narrowed his eyes and stalked out with a frown. Jackson took his place on the other side of the room and typed out something on his phone. He glanced up at me and gave me a tight smile.

I chewed on my thumb nail anxiously.

Another hour passed. It was almost eight p.m when the doctor returned. He offered us a small smile.

"He's awake. That's sooner than we thought. He's strong and determined. He really wants to see you."

Micah let out a shaky sigh and stood up. I got up to walk him to the room. We followed behind the doctor who led the way to the room that Armani was recovering in. His limp body covered in blood had replayed in my mind countless times tonight. We sanitized our hands and stepped into the room.

Armani's body was covered in gauze and plaster and he had an oxygen mask on. Various IV bags were lined up against his bed, providing him with blood and other fluids.

His eyes fluttered open as Micah and I stepped in. Micah wheezed forlornly as he went over to Armani's bed. I maintained my distance at the door and smiled at him.

I was so worried about him. I felt relieved that he had regained consciousness so quickly, but I still felt a bit uneasy. The dimmed light cast an ominous shadow on his face.

His eyes filled with relief and regret as he gazed at Micah, who was trying his best not to cry. A shaky smile rose to his face.

"Welcome back, Armani," he rasped.

"Micah," Armani croaked through the oxygen mask.

The heart monitor beeped rhythmically in the silent room.

"Elizabeth's here too," Micah said, motioning for me to come closer. "She's helped me a lot."

I hesitantly came over to them. "I'm glad your surgery was a success."

Armani smiled painfully. "Thank you... for taking care... of my little... brother," he said slowly, taking sharp pauses to breathe.

"Please don't push yourself to talk so much," I rushed. "You should focus on recovering."

"I have... to say this now," he breathed. "I'm sorry that your brother is so... stupid and hot headed," he said to Micah. "I always... mess things up... and make life harder for you."

"No! That's not true," Micah protested. "You always do your best to protect me, even if you get hurt. You're the best brother I could ask for. I love you!"

Armani smiled weakly and swallowed before talking to me. "Please... I know it's a lot to ask of you... but if you were serious when you told me that day... that you wanted to make this kingdom a better place... please try to do it. I don't want Micah... to end up like me."

I blinked back the tears that were beginning to rise in my eyes. There was no way I would cry in front of a patient. I had to be strong.

"The kingdom will become better," I told him. "For you and Micah."

"Good," he sighed with a small smile. A tear slipped from his eye. "It's so dark... in here."

"Micah... your smile is your superpower," Armani stressed. "Don't ever let them take it away from you."

"I'm smiling, Armani," Micah said, desperately getting closer to his brother. "See?"

"Good... you're a good man... our parents would be proud of you... I'm proud of you."

Armani's eyelids fluttered and he took some deep breaths.

"If you had a better brother... you wouldn't have to be so sad... right now," he mused.

"I already told you, you're the only brother I want. You're the only one I need," Micah said, trying his best to keep his smile on his face.

Armani groaned in pain as he tried to move. "Elizabeth... I'm glad I got to know you... watch over Micah... so he doesn't do anything stupid." He smiled.

I stepped closer to Armani's bed. "I will. And we're waiting for you to get out of the hospital too," I told him, and my heart squeezed in my chest.

"The sky... is bright now," Armani chuckled as he stared upwards.

Micah and I glanced through the windows at the dark night outside.

"It's probably the medication?" Micah asked me worriedly.

I didn't answer. My heart was heavy; it was time for me to go.

"Armani, I'm so glad I got to meet you too," I smiled as brightly as I could and he smiled back.

"Me too. I want to talk to Micah... alone... take care of yourself, Elizabeth."

I gently stroked his hand and smiled reassuringly at him as I left the room. I closed the doors behind me and walked back to the waiting room. I felt like I was just floating along. My legs felt numb and my head felt congested.

"Woah there," Kevin said, running towards me as I stepped into the room. Jackson looked up at me from the documents he was working on.

"Is she okay?" he asked, coming over to us.

Kevin sat me down in one of the chairs as a tear rolled down my cheek. I sniffed and a strangled sob escaped my throat. I buried my face in his chest as the tears kept rolling. Kevin just hugged me protectively as I tried to pull myself together.

I heard Ashton's worried voice a few minutes later. "What's wrong? What happened to her?" he asked apprehensively, kneeling in front of me. "Did something happen to Armani?"

I shook my head. "He's alive," I sobbed, "But I don't know if he'll..." I trailed off. I was feeling uneasy and it was gnawing at me.

"Hey, look at me," Ashton said, sliding into the chair beside me. I looked up at him. His eyes were brimming with concern.

"I can't tell you that it's going to be okay right now. But it will be. Micah's still here too. If you want to cry go ahead, I'll be right here by your side whenever you need me no matter what."

He pulled me into a strong, warm, comforting hug as I sniffled.

Raúl came in with some coffee for me. Kristof walked in behind him and was followed by Jun who looked annoyed.

"Can we leave now?" he scoffed at Kristof, who shot him a glare.

"No. A part of this is our fault," he sighed. "We should have known the king would have done this."

Jun rolled his eyes. "Seriously, can I go?"

"No!" Kristof yelled at him.

"Why did he call the escorts back?" I asked angrily. I was completely baffled as to what could possibly be going through the king's mind. Was he so completely twisted?

"Isn't that obvious?" Jackson said. "He wanted Armani to die. He let the rogues do his dirty work for him."

I held my head in my hand as I felt my anger rising. "I'm going to give him a piece of my mind when we leave," I hissed.

Ashton sighed. "I just did that. Then the next thing I know, Cav was throwing up blood."

I was horrified. "Is he just completely evil? Can he be trusted with this kingdom?" I seethed, "Armani almost died because of him!"

"Jun," Ashton said, transferring his glare to him, "What the hell did he mean by he'll get you to do what he wants no matter what?"

Jun sighed. "Don't worry about it. I already told him no. That's why I'm training with Kevin instead of him."

"That's not what I f*cking asked you," Ashton growled.

"His advisors want me become a trained assassin," Jun shrugged. "That's why he started training me himself. But I told him I didn't want to do it."

"What?!" Kristof roared. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Because I can handle it myself," Jun grunted as everyone stared at him.

"I think not," Raúl scowled, grabbing him by the hood of his sweater. Jun was always wearing a sweater.

"This is more serious than I thought," Jackson murmured. "My deductions were off."

"I said I refused his offer!" Jun yelled in irritation. "What's so fun about sneaking around and killing people? I only fight face to face. Fair and square," he snarled.

Beau sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is messed up."

"No kidding," Kevin groaned. "Raúl let him go. He's been training with me. I was wondering where you learned to fight like that. Strong but silent, they're assassination techniques."

Jun rolled his eyes as Raúl released him.

"Why would the king want Jun to do something like that?" I asked, horrified at the thought.

"Despite his age, he's already one of the strongest in the kingdom and he has an IQ of one hundred and sixty-two. He's the perfect target for the king."

"Your IQ is one hundred and sixty-two? That's incredible," I gaped at Jun.

"It's hard to believe with all the dumb stuff he's always doing," Jackson sighed.

"We need to find a way to get him to take his mind off Jun," Raúl sighed. "I'm not letting him get to him that easily. Rey o no (King or not). You're the one we listen to Ashton."

The others nodded and turned to Ashton, who sighed and ran a hand through his hair in concentration. "I'll think of something. I'll probably have to make a deal with him. Offer him something in exchange for leaving Jun alone."

"He has left me alone," Jun protested.

"For now," Kristof said, looking at him worriedly.

The guys lapsed into silence. I felt angry that the king was just abusing his authority to get them to do what he wanted. Jun didn't deserve any of this. I knew that deep down he was probably feeling troubled by the king's requests, but he didn't want to make his friends worry. We all brainstormed to find a way to reason with the king.

"Just use me," I sighed.

Their eyes flashed to me and I gave them a tight smile. "I'll accept you, Ashton. Isn't that what he wants?"

"That's out of the question," Ashton growled. "I'm not dragging you into this."

"But I'm already in this whether you like it or not," I pointed out. "If you have a better idea, I'd like to hear it."

"She has a point," Jackson said, calmly jotting something down on paper. "Even if she doesn't do it now, it will be leverage until we can figure out something else."

Kevin didn't look certain of that and Raúl and Beau hesitated. Jun and Kristof were in a deep conversation of their own.

"No." Ashton stood firm. "We'll find another way."

"Will you just listen to me?" I glared at him. "I want to do this."

He stared at me with a slight frown, trying to decipher if I was just trying to be brave or if I really meant it.

Another half hour of silence pursued. Jun, Kristof and Kevin were talking amongst themselves while Beau and Raúl got some rest. Jackson typed swiftly and calmly on his computer and Ashton was holding me close to him, deep in thought.

My mind drifted to Micah and Armani. It was almost an hour since I had left them inside to talk. I closed my eyes and relaxed against Ashton. I was still feeling pretty anxious.

Ashton sensed this and placed small kisses on my cheek and smoothed my hair tenderly. I was beginning to drift off to sleep when an ear splitting cry jolted me awake.

All of the guys tensed, alert at the sound. The cry came again and some nurses came running past us. They went in the direction of Armani's room. I jumped up and raced down the corridor towards the room. Ashton followed behind me, but I asked him to wait for me outside.

The nurses filed into the room and everything seemed to move in slow motion. Micah's anguished cries as tears rolled down his face in torrents, his screams at Armani to wake up. The heart monitor that had once beeped rhythmically now hummed a sad flat note. The doctors bustled around Armani, trying to revive him.

One of them tried to lead Micah outside, but he resolutely refused to leave his brother's side. My heart sank down to my stomach and seemed to anchor itself there like a heavy rock. A nurse flashed me an apologetic look as she closed the door.

After another hour it was official. Armani was gone.

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