Roy was still in shock when he headed to the great hall. She'd accepted his proposal. Riza would be his advisor in all things to do with the kingdom. The only stipulation was that spreading her father's research came first. He understood immediately. He had a meeting set the next day with the highest scholars and most well known physicians in the city. Their apprentices sat at their sides, quietly listening to the woman's explaination along with their teachers, waiting for their opinions to be made for them.
The prince slipped in quietly, listening to the words fall from the woman's lips with grace, despite the scrutiny that came from the eyes of her audience.
"You expect us to burn the living to keep them from dying." A bearded man spoke first. Roy recognized him as the doctor living in the castle while treating his father. He was a well respected man, but he was stern in his practice. "They'd wish they were dead in that sort of pain."
The blonde never lost her calm. Riza simply shook her head. "There's a certain amount of pain a human body can stand, then it goes into a state of shock and-"
"I'm aware of the body's own defences." He interrupted. "People die from burns, miss Hawkeye. They don't live with their help."
"If you'll just read over the research. The subject studied still lives. They are able to resume a normal life thanks to the bleeding being stopped."
"This subject," it was a slightly younger man who spoke this time. Balding with a slight lazy eye, though his good eye was looking down at the papers in front of him instead of at the woman before him. "I'm aware that they lived. But these wounds could have been sewn. He chose to burn them close simply to test his theory. It was cruel. The other subjects were animals, which he removed limbs from just to burn the stubs. Your father was truly a dark man, Miss Hawkeye."
"My father was a well respected scholar much like the rest of you."
"Your father-"
"He hurt animals and healed them. But just as the notes show, those animals were as good as dead from infection due to the wounds in those limbs. He did not simply chop up living creatures to suit his research." She corrected, brows narrowed. The fire in her voice began to take over the room as Roy soaked it in. It was that adament form that knew he'd made the right decision.
"And this human subject? Why did he choose to burn them instead of sew them? Surely the scars-"
"They are the cost of living. The test subject was aware of the risks and the pain. They subjected to the treatment when asked."
"And what pain did they feel? Were you there? Do you know?" A large woman leaned forward in her seat. She seemed to be the most interested in the group on how the studies went. She'd listened carefully to each word spoken. "How was the poor subject able to stand it?"
Riza took a breath before speaking. "They screamed around the wooden spoon they were given to bite down on. But the bleeding stopped quickly. The scarring was intense. The pain was moreso, but they lived. They were bleeding too quickly for stitches to have been possible. "
"They were still at risk for infection after this new technique, weren't they?"
"Any wound is at risk for infection. But cleaning a closed wound over time is much safer than trying to suture such a large wound in such a short time as to save the subjects life. You are all aware how quickly someone can die from blood loss. How many patients have you lost? How many could have been saved by going through this technique. Yes there will be lots of pain, and it will have to be cleaned well, but they will live."
The room was silent for a few moments. Riza stood confidently in the center of them all, awaiting their next statement. Finally, the bearded man, the King's doctor, spoke. "This wouldn't be a first resort. Or even a second."
"No sir. This would be only for dire situations."
He nodded slowly. "I think I'd like to look over this more. Perhaps my own research would be in order. I hope you understand. I can't simply trust a dead man's notes. I need to see this for myself." She nodded before he continued. "I think this could be a valuable practice, even if not used often. Hunting wounds are common in court. War wounds are common on the field. We've lost many due to sutures not being enough. Tournequets, too, are only so effective."
"I thank you for your consideration, sir." Her shoulders were back, but a breath left her chest she seemed to have been holding the whole time.
"And I thank you for your information." He replied. "I'll keep these copies, if you don't mind. We'll have them bound for the records. You have the originals."
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you, Miss Hawkeye. I will continue this discussion with the others. Thank you for your time and for your father's work. He was once a well respected scholar, you are right. Though you must understand our hesitation."
"I do. Thank you." She bowed her head politely, picking up her own copies before thanking the others for their time as well. Roy watched her leave, stepping out behind her as quietly as he'd entered. She didn't even seem to notice him standing near the door when she passed.
"You did well."
She didn't jump at his sudden comment, but turned to him. "It wasn't the easiest thing to explain. I'm not my father and I'm not a doctor. I just hope his notes speak better than I did."
He chuckled softly. "Don't be down on yourself. You spoke wonderfully. That confidence is what we need in this court, after all, Miss Riza."
Habitually, her hand went to push her bangs from her face, a deep breath entering her lungs. "I hope you can still say that after you've officially assigned me to your side."
"Lady Hawkeye will be just as reliable as Miss Riza. I'm sure of it. I trust you."
"That could be dangerous, you know. Trusting a village girl with a bad attitude."
He laughed again. "I'm sure. I hope you'll advise me against it in the future. Though if you poison me, I'm sure I wasn't a suitable leader for this country. You will be so close as to get that chance. Though I don't believe it will come to that as long as I don't go astray."
Her eyes widened. "You could have me killed by even suggesting I could do that."
"I don't want you to let a corrupt man sit on that throne. I want you to want the best for this country. I told you, I trust you. I trust you to help me lead the kingdom, and if I stop being the prince, or the king this country needs, I expect you to do something about it." He made sure to keep her attention as he spoke, eyes locked to hers. Every word was an oath. "Do you still want the position?"
Riza never looked away. His dark eyes and his firm words kept her still. At his question, she nodded. A firm expression on her face, "I do. But don't get confused. I will advise, but you will lead." She told him. "You will lead this country, and I'll follow you wherever that path may lead."
He smiled at that. Her affirmation was all he needed, and he knew he'd never have to ask again. "May I join you for dinner?"
She took a deep breath, the fire in her eyes clouded for a brief moment. "Yes. There's something I wanted to tell you. So I'd like that."
His mind wandered throughout his lessons. He'd lost almost each fencing match, thinking about what she could want to tell him. In private, no less. It wouldn't be some girlish confession of love, he knew. It wasn't in her to do such a thing. He wouldn't even know how to respond to it. She was right in the idea that he barely knew her. It didn't stop the pounding in his chest to know that, nevertheless, but even so, she was to be his advisor. Being also his lover was not an option.
Her past with him, the alleged affair they shared years before, while he slept on a couch at night and she kept her distance. Few knew how well played an act it was. That alone would be hard to erase once he'd announced her, but he'd find a way. As long as their 'affair' was over, he could find a way to make it right.
He stepped to her door, a tray in hand as he knocked. No one questioned the prince's urge to carry the two meals himself anymore. Riza said nothing as she opened the door, motioning him to come inside. He stepped again to the familiar cafe table, setting the tray down quietly. "You had something to tell me?" He was right to the point, curiosity throbbing in his mind like a migraine.
"It's not really dinner conversation. If you wanted to wait until afterward..." She offered. It was an unspoken request for time.
He nodded, lifting the lid from their meals. "Then dinner first." He smiled, assisting her to her seat politely, pushing the chair in behind her. "They have already decided on studying further into your father's research. They will be testing it in a future hunt."
"I'm glad." Her voice was quiet. Neither of them spoke afterwards. The only sound breaking the air in the room was the moving of silverware. Her food moved back and forth, but little left her plate.
Roy finally spoke up, his stomach seemingly smaller from the foreign tension between them. "Miss Riza? What is it you wanted to tell me?"
She stopped moving, setting down her fork before looking up at him. "I was the human subject." She said it simply enough, never beating around the bush. "For my father's research, I was the test subject for his burn technique."
His blood ran cold. The screams she described before, biting down on wood, scarring... Riza was describing herself. "You... you chose that instead of stitches?"
"I chose the entirety of the experiment...he presented the option to me. To help him with his final test as he requested."
Dark eyes narrowed. "He asked you that... the entirety of the experiment. Riza." there was no title added, but his voice was firm. She never let her eyes wander from his as he continued. "What was the cause of the wound he treated?"
"A scalpal." She swallowed thickly. "The wound was created cleanly to prevent infection..."
Roy stood quickly, looking down to her. "He cut you open to burn you closed?" His voice was hard. "He made you-"
"He asked me. I consented."
"He shouldn't have even asked you." He growled. "What father asks that of his only child?"
She was quiet at that. Her chair slid backwards as she stood. "They are going to ask about the scarring. When you go hunting, when your men go to war... I want you to know how the injuries look." She told him, for once, her eyes avoided his. "I want to show you the last test. I trust you will tell no one who you saw this from."
His heart shook. He wasn't sure he was ready to see it, but he didn't want to let her down. The anger in him was washed away by pity. "Don't." She told him, pulling him from his thoughts. "Don't look at me like a wounded pet, please. I chose this."
The prince nodded, taking another breath. "Okay." He trusted her with his life, and with his throne. Returning that trust... he couldn't deny her that.
Roy knew that seeing it would hurt him. He knew he'd hate her father more than he ever had for defacing her back the way he had after getting her back home. She chose to return to him after he sold her. She chose to care for him. And she chose to accept his offer. He was the only parent she had, and she was willing to do anything for him, until his last days. He fought the pity he felt inside, with the hatred that burned inside him.
As she turned away from him, untying her robe, his heart lurched. He wasn't ready. He knew he wasn't. He knew she wasn't. However, they both bared through it. She lowered the sleeves of her robe to her waist, using one hand to hold the robe from falling further, and the other to cover her front after pulling her hair over her shoulder.
There was a line running diagonally from her right shoulder blade, to the top of her left hip. The deep scar was broken through the middle, an ugly red scar blotched across her spine. The burn covered all but a few inches on either end of the cut across her back.
She shivered at the cold in the room, waiting for anything to break the silence as she stood. Several moments passed, Roy standing in awe at the woman before him. She'd withstood so much pain... he'd never been more awestruck by her. Her will was stronger than any he'd ever witnessed, and she bore her back to him, trusting him with the image before him.
Riza had dressed before speaking again. "I told you not to look at me with pity." She told him.
"I don't pity you. I respect your decisions and I can't do that with pity." He told her. "I'm angry with him. I hate what he did to you. No matter the respect I have for his research. No matter how valuable this... this sacrifice was... I hate him for it." She was silent once more before he continued. "But you, Riza... I'm amazed by you."