Chapter 16 - What Lies Beneath The Surface

Holding the basket of flowers and the baked pumpkin pie she had brought for Cyrus, Aryana walked slowly and deliberately down the palace's peaceful hallways. She was troubled by what had happened before. Despite the royal physicians' assurances that Cyrus would get better, something unnerved her when she saw him asleep and battered. Her feelings were jumbled, and she wasn't sure if it was sympathy or a persistent feeling of betrayal. She inhaled deeply as she reached the physician's wing before entering. Herbs and subtle antiseptics filled the room. With his face swelled from Ramin's punches, Cyrus lay in the center of the room. He appeared weak, even frail, unlike the haughty, cocky man she knew. Aryana walked over to his bedside and laid the basket of flowers down carefully. There was a mixture of confusion and irritation at his sight. Was this really the man she would marry someday? The doctor came stealthily, "Your Grace," he said in a quiet voice, “He will be conscious by