I think more than one person is reading this now. YOU GUYS MAKE ME SO HAPPY ILY

Anger had raged and begging had bombarded. Now the room was startlingly silent, as if a twister had ripped through and now the winds had died to nothing. The prince stared at the door as if the girl might come back and try again to change his mind. Her absence took any hope of forfitting the challenge with it.
Aliza remained still as stone while the king silently began to address his wounds. The robes were discarded. They revealed the handy work of Duke's masterpiece of what had once been flawless pale flesh stretched over muscle. Most of the canvas was now splotches of black and blue and green. For the sake of appearance at the engagement ball, the queen's servants had dressed the bleeding cuts and gashes. But by now the bandages were soaked through with brilliant cardinal red. The worst of it spilled from the prince's shoulder. As Mino removed the red gauze, he cringed at the sight of exposed swollen muscle and bloody bone.
The queen had been clever to dress her prisoner with heavy robes and addithe cape covering his whole right side. It had hidden the wound well. As had the long gloves and pants to hide flesh rawed by chains, white powder to disguise a swollen lip and black eye, thick boots to cover a swollen ankle, long sleeves to keep scrapes and burns from sight.
Unlike his torturers, Mino left the prince the dignity of his shorts while the king cleaned the wounds. Even as gentle as he was, Aliza winced at every touch out the clothe. At least half of the flinches were less of pain and more of instinctive fear.
"There are servants for this," Aliza eventually pointed out.
"Like I would trust any of them with you, not even my own." He glanced up at the prince's face, whose eyes were squeezed shut and lips pressed thin. "Of course, I can have a nurse come if you would prefer it." The king was satisfied by the younger man's quick shake of his head. He hastened to do his best to wipe away the white powder, the sweat and blood, the pain and terror. As soon as he finished binding the prince's torso to protect broken ribs and securing the arm of his injured shoulder in a sling, the king helped Aliza lay back on the pillows.
The windowless room was kept cool from the desert city outside, but the prince's skin had already reacquired a sheen of sweat. Mino helped him to a cup of sweat cactus juice before Aliza let his head fall back onto the pillows. His eyes closed of their own accord. Mino thought him asleep until he managed to groggily admit, "A week ago, I thought I had no relatives left. Now I have two half-sisters, one who wants to control me and another who may never speak to me again."
"No need to be so dramatic. Ana will come around. She's a passionate thing is all."
"Why do I trust you so much? You're a stranger to me."
"I'm fairy. You can't help it."
"Mmmm..."
When the bed shifted as Mino stood to let the prince sleep, Aliza's hand once again grabbed his wrist.
"Are you leaving?"
"I thought I would let you sleep. You going to die tomorrow, Aliza."
"Then don't make me spend my last night alone."
The king was surprised by the plea. Nonetheless, he retook his seat and stretched out his long legs as he sat back against the pillows. The shell-shocked prince shifted closer to the warm body, pillowed his head on the king's soft sleeve.
"Goodnight, Prince Aliza," Mino whispered. The injured boy was unable to respond, already fast asleep.

This is the last part I had for this, but I had what happened at the ball written down? I could publish that later, idk. Also I really wnjoy drawing there characters, so I may or may not spam the club a bit with that...