Chapter 7

The Great Khan's bedroom was in utter chaos. Physicians rushed around desperately trying to stabilize the Great khan. Servant carried in buckets of warm water and clean clothes while taking out bloodied clothes and now red water.The Great Khan lay on a large bed, his face pale and drawn, his bowls had been placed back on his stomach, he was bleeding profusely and there was nothing they could do but pack his organs back in after cleaning.Khojin, the Great Khan's wife, was by his side, her normally composed demeanor shattered by tears and cries of anguish. Their son, Vel, stood nearby, his tense.Ragnar entered the room, his heart sinking at the sight. He moved quickly to the healers, demanding an update on the Khan's condition."It's a severe stomach injury," one of the healers said, his voice grim. "We are doing all we can, but it's bad. He... he might not survive this."Khojin, overhearing the healer's words, let out a heart-wrenching scream. "Leave! All of you, leave!" Her voice was filled with such raw pain and authority that the room instantly cleared, leaving only Ragnar and Vel by the Khan's side."My Lord, why did this happen." Khojin cried holding his face, he was passed out from the pain and only groaned in response to her touch.Before Vel could respond, they heard footsteps from outside. Azul, with Arthur guarding her, limped into the room. Despite her own injuries and the turmoil she had just endured, she still had to show her sadness as Ragnar's wife."Azul, you should be resting," Ragnar said, his concern evident."I couldn't stay away," Azul replied, Ragnar approached helping her stand. "How is the Great Khan?"Ragnar's expression was grim. "The healers say it's a bad stomach injury. They don't think he will survive."Azul moved closer to the bed, her eyes scanning the Khan's wound. She turned to Ragnar. "Help me get closer."Ragnar nodded and supported her as she moved to the Great Khan's side. She looked at the wound, her mind racing with everything she knew about modern medicine.She looked to Khojin. "Khatun, I was trained as a healer in my tribe. I want to offer my skills, but only with your permission.""Azul.." Ragnar started, he didn't want her biting off more than she could chew. If something went wrong because of her it would give the unknown enemy and opportunity to cause trouble.Vel spoke up. "What do you need, Khatun?"Whether he genuinely wanted to save his father or push Azul to her death, Ragnar did not know and felt too uncomfortable."I need clean cloths, hot water, and some of the medical tonics in my room," she instructed. "Arthur, please find those for me."She had brought out her tonics from the system's stomach so no one would question where they came from.Arthur bowed and quickly left the room to gather the supplies. Azul took a deep breath and began to clean the wound as best as she could with what they had. Ragnar and Vel watched her, on edge.Khojin, who had been quietly weeping, looked up at Azul. "Please, save him."Azul met her gaze, the woman's eyes looked like they had given up hope despite her words. "I will do everything I can, Khatun. I promise you."Arthur returned with the supplies, and Azul set to work, feeding the Great khan with antibiotics and pain killers.Simply cleaning the wound would not be enough. She needed to perform surgery to close up the Khan's abdominal wounds and prevent further internal bleeding. She turned to Ragnar, her voice urgent."I need a needle and strong thread. I have to close these wounds from the inside."Was she really planning on sewing him up?Ragnar's faith wavered."I will go get them Khatun." Arthur spoke up as he quickly found the necessary items, handing them to her.Azul took a deep breath, steadying her hands. Either way, if she did nothing he would die."Arthur, keep the area clean and hand me the instruments as I need them," she instructed. Arthur nodded, ready to assist.Azul's hands moved swiftly as she worked to close the large ruptured blood vessels, there was no way she could repair the smaller ones as she only had crude instruments.Sweat beaded on her forehead, but she remained focused, standing despite her pain for three hours.Khojin watched with bated breath, her hands clasped tightly together in prayer. Vel stood by, his eyes never leaving Azul's hands as they worked to save his father.Hours seemed to pass in a blur as Azul stitched and repaired, her mind completely absorbed in the task. Finally, she tied off the last suture and carefully closed the outer wound, cleaning and dressing it with clean cloths soaked in tonic. The worst issue right now was the sheer amount of blood lost and the potential of an infection. He had been injured for hours before he got back so he could wake up tomorrow and die from fever.Azul stepped back, her body trembling slightly. "I've done everything I can."Khojin moved to her husband's side, taking his hand in hers. "Thank you, Azul," she whispered, tears streaming down her face.Azul nodded, they weren't out of the clear yet. "Tonight we need to watch him closely. Give him small sips of water often, feed him this tonic every four hours. Any slight change you should bring me back here."Khojin nodded and took the tonics from Azul."You should return, I will stay the night to watch over him." Rabgane said softly. Now she had done her best he couldn't let anyone else meddle and interfere, so he could only stay here himself and watch the Great khan.Azul nodded, it was already good he did not stop her from helping."Then, I will take my leave." She bowed and Arthur took her hand, escorting her out of the room.Once she stepped out of the room she felt the weight of the situation crash down on her, she felt light headed for a moment and lost her footing.Arthur grabbed her, holding her up. "You did well." He said noticing her more vulnerable expression.She didn't reply, only forcing herself to walk independently. "I need a bath and food.""Yes Khatun, it will be arranged."When she was in the new room a few servants were already there, seemingly to keep her safe. Arthur guarded her room and so she felt a bit better, at least it'll be harder to get assassinated."Help me take off my robes." Azul instructed. It was late into the night, she wanted nothing more than to sleep.And she did sleep soundly till noon the next day.·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙Azul woke up to the quiet whispers of the servant girls. She checked the bed beside her and found it still empty. Ragnar hadn't returned during the night. She sighed, pushing away her worry, and decided to get ready for the day.She avoided jewellery, not wanting to give anyone a reason to badmouth her behind her back. The palace was already rife with gossip after the events of the previous night, and she didn't want to add fuel to the fire.When she opened the door, she found Arthur asleep on the floor outside. He was sitting with his back against the wall, his spear held loosely in one hand. Azul couldn't help but snicker; he must have been exhausted after everything that had happened.A servant girl gently shook him awake. Arthur looked up, flustered, and immediately got back to his position, standing straight with his spear at the ready."I apologise for my oversight, Khatun!" he said, bowing deeply.Azul smiled softly. He was cute. "It's alright, Arthur. You must be tired after last night. Thank you for watching over me."Arthur straightened, his expression serious. "It is my duty and honour to protect you, Khatun."Azul nodded, laughing lightly. "Let's go check on the Great Khan. I want to see how he is doing."As they made their way through the palace corridors, the atmosphere was tense. Servants moved quietly, their faces facing the floor, to avoid the eyes of any of the aristocrats, they were scared of getting implicated in whatever storm was brewing. The events of the previous night had shaken everyone, and the uncertainty about the Great Khan's condition hung heavily in the air.When they reached the Great Khan's chambers, they found Khojin still there, and Sisi sat by her father with puffy eyes. The healers were quietly discussing his condition, their faces better than last night.Khojin looked up as Azul entered, her eyes brightened. "Azul, thank you for coming."Azul approached the bed, checking his pulse and temperature. "How is he?"One of the healers stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "Khatun, the Great Khan is stable for now. Your efforts last night have given him a fighting chance. We are monitoring him closely."Another followed: "Please enlighten us on your efforts last night, so we can learn. We are ashamed; we are unaware of the techniques you used." Azul looked at Ragnar, he wasn't smiling since he couldn't but his eyes were proud of her. She explained the best she could vaguely what she did. The healers exchanged glances, nodding in understanding. "We are grateful for your knowledge, Khatun. Your skills have indeed given the Great Khan a chance to recover. Please consider staying to teach us your tribe's skills."Ragnar intercepted, "she is my Khatun, requests as such should be directed to me.""Our apologies, Khan."Sisi stood up and took Azul's hand in hers, "thank you so much." She looked tired an haggard, she clearly hadn't slept all night. "I will forever remember this, I am forever in your debt. Please stay until my father wakes up, or I will be too unsettled to sleep."Azul looked at Ragnar, he nodded, it was his duty as the godson. "Of course I will, Sisi. We are all family." Sisi smiled, "I heard about the assassination attempt. It seems someone has been running around scheming under our noses." "About that, I think I have a plan on how to catch the spies." "What is your plan?" Ragnar asked, he was curious to know if they were on the same wave length. "We should announce the death of the Great Khan, let them become careless, we will be able to catch them." Ragnar couldn't hold his smile back. "Then let us do as the Khatun suggests."