Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 10

swept into the throne room. He stopped and held up his hand for the soldiers to halt their march. As the men of the upper realm looked on, the only sounds in the throne room was the broken sobs of their second in command and the faint, shallow breaths of a dying Ren.
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    Epilogue
    Con sat by the window, his gaze wandering over the mountain ranges below. A wistful look graced his face as he recalled the day he saw his boy, naked as the day he was born, sitting on the craggy surface. It seemed so long ago…a lifetime really. Con reached up and rubbed his leaking eyes, silly old man, losing himself like this in memories.
    He let his thoughts drift…and as always, they drove straight back to the throne room…and that terrible day two short months ago…
    Gael grabbed hold of Con's shoulder, careful not to jostle the boy that Con held in his arms. "Con, give over now. Let the surgeon take the boy. Con, you have to let Ren go! Let the man take a look."
    Con was nearly insane with grief. How could Gael possible think he could release his boy to anyone? The boy was his. No one was going to take him away from Con, no one!
    "Commander Aurelius, let go of that soldier now!"
    Somehow, the barked order from Gael managed to penetrate the fog of Con's grief and he felt the age-old call to comply. Straightening his shoulders, Con turned and handed Ren to the waiting medic and his assistants. Gently they removed Ren from Con's bloodied arms and placed him on a waiting stretcher and then moved swiftly from the room to the surgical suite. Right after Gael had seen Ren's condition, he'd called for Anzel's personal surgeon and instructed him to ready the surgery for Ren. It took only one look at Gael's expression to ensure that the surgeon would provide the best medical care possible. After a quick examination the surgeon had pulled Gael aside and told him that Ren's blood loss made his chance of survival uncertain at best. Time was of the essence if Ren was going to be saved.
    Gael reached down and grabbed Con's arm, helping him to his feet. While Con stood, limbs trembling from exhaustion, Gael checked him over, making sure that the blood which painted most of Con's body was not his own. Finally satisfied that his second in command was uninjured, Gael looked into the face of his best friend. The despair he saw there nearly made him pause; but he knew that was not what his friend needed right now. No, Con needed routine, discipline, and a job to do. Gael knew that the man standing in front of him would break wide apart and perhaps never come back to himself if he was allowed to remain trapped inside his grief.
    "Commander, secure the area and then return to the upper realm. Clean yourself up and report to my chambers for a debriefing."
    Con drew himself up and nodded his head in acknowledgement. Turning on his heel, he looked for the captain of the guard from the upper realm and then issued orders for the containment of the palace. Then turning away, he moved toward the door, stopping briefly to look down at the pool of blood on the floor. Con swayed for a moment, his face blanching and his body trembling. Gael moved to his side and grabbed his elbow, leaning in to whisper in Con's ear.
    "Steady old boy, steady. There's still hope for Ren. Trust me Con; everything humanly possible is being done to save your boy. Now go. Go and wash away the blood and try to rest. We'll meet later."
    Con raised his eyes and looked at Gael. Resignation clouded his face. Gael's heart nearly broke at the expression of absolute despair that crossed his friend's face. Con closed his eyes briefly and seemed to reach deep inside himself for the final reserves of strength and determination needed to move on. Gael watched his friend as he once more straightened up and walked away. Gael looked down at the blood pool and shook his head. Time to go check on Ren's prognosis and see if a miracle was for sale this day.
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    Ren lay still and small on the bed, hovering between life and death. Con sat at his side, his hand wrapped around Ren's. Gael wasn't sure that Con was even listening to the surgeon as he spoke in hushed tones. But a closer look revealed the rigid line of Con's back and the tense shoulders that belied the empty expression on Con's face.
    "We did all we could. Only time will tell now. He's young and healthy so there's a chance but I wouldn't get my hopes up, either of you. He lost a tremendous amount of blood. You can stay for a few minutes