Ragna bit back tears as she knelt at Erling's side. As a lady, she knew how to hide her pain and fears behind the mask of a ruler, and as a mother, she knew when to be strong for her son. Falling to pieces at his side wouldn't do any good now.
But while breaking down and crying wouldn't help, she didn't know what would.
Heila, Empress Ashlynn's horned lady-in-waiting, was working rapidly, cutting away at Erling's clothing, exposing the mass of bruises across his torso. Some spots were darker than others, but the edges of one bruise overlapped with another enough that it seemed like half his torso was one big bruise running from his left hip to his right shoulder.
