Chapter Twenty-One

It was another week before Orion was considered healed enough to leave his room. A long and frustrating week at times – Orion had never been the type to laze around all day, but Mortrin was adamant. "Healing is a process and while magic is an invaluable tool, your body has gone through a major trauma and has to be allowed to heal at its own pace."

Knowing nothing about human biology or how the body systems worked, it was shocking for Orion to realize that the breaks in his spine could have rendered him immobile for the rest of his life. It made him all the more determined to get out of bed, even if it was just to prove to himself he could.

The very next morning, after sharing breakfast with Vincent and his husband had left for the mine, Orion had his first attempt at standing up. He was barely upright before the shaking in his legs forced him to sit back on the bed again. "Why is this happening to me?" he said, rubbing his thighs. His muscles wouldn't stop trembling.

"Some parts of the body's nervous system takes longer to heal than others," Mortrin explained. Orion had been forced to lie back down so his legs could get another dose of magical crystal power and creams.

It got better. Orion found out the human body was incredible in that regard. By the third day after he regained consciousness, Orion could stand without feeling as though he was going to fall flat on his face. "My left leg doesn't seem to want to work right," he grumbled as he tried to take a step. That resulted in yet another dose of magical healing to his left hip – which took hours – and more creams.

Orion did what he could to speed the process up, but he was pushed back time and time again when his body was a lot slower to respond to his commands than he was used to. "Maybe your body hasn't realized you're a crown prince consort and should be obeyed in all things," Mortrin responded drily to one of Orion's many complaints. It was in that moment that Orion learned another valuable lesson - that no matter the title a person might hold in life, it was the body that ruled how that person might live.

Vincent, to Orion's surprise, was the only shining light in those monotonous days. He bounced in like an overgrown puppy at the end of each day, covered in dust and so pleased with himself. He told stories about what the men were doing, and proudly showed off the blisters and callouses on his hands. More importantly to Orion, he shared every detail about what was going on and asked Orion's advice on the next steps every single time.

They talked well into the night every night, even when Orion suggested Vincent needed his sleep. But Vincent would just launch into another story, usually about how badly the men thought he was at handling a pickax, and it would be Orion, who was already in bed, who would fall asleep to the sound of his husband's voice. He was extremely surprised to find Vincent sprawled across the end of his bed when he woke up that first morning.

"I just like being near you," Vincent explained when he finally opened his eyes. "You should ask for a bigger bed." Realizing Vincent had "moved in" to his room, Orion did, although he had a quiet chuckle at the embarrassment on Vincent's face when Mortrin sternly lectured the crown prince on how there would be absolutely no activities of "that nature" while Orion was healing. There was something comforting about the weight of Vincent's arm around his middle while they slept.

But finally Mortrin declared he could go out. Orion could walk for about ten minutes before he had to sit down again, and navigating stairs were still difficult. Mortrin had vetoed Orion riding a horse for a while longer, so Vincent applied his crown princely powers and the men at the mine arranged for the trail leading to it to be widened to take the royal carriage.

Orion had been in two minds when he'd heard what Vincent had done. On the one hand, fixing up a track seemed like a ridiculous waste of resources when there was so much more needed to be done for the mine operation itself. But he kept his complaints to a minimum because his need to see what was happening there himself was bordering on obsessive.

"The track needed to be widened anyway to allow for transportation of the crystals once they've been freed from the rocks," Vincent explained, apparently not put out by Orion's concerns. "Doing this makes the mine a lot more accessible."

And it was. Orion and Vincent were alone, with the exception of four guards on horseback and the carriage driver of course. Morgan and John had been told to take the day off. So it was just the two of them in the carriage as they approached the mine. Orion leaned out the window, eager to see the project again and when the carriage rounded the corner, he gasped. "Vincent!"

"What? What?" Vincent leaned into him trying to look out the same window. "Didn't you like the sign? Your brother ordered it. I thought it was very appropriate."

Considering Orion hadn't even noticed the sign, he had to look at that first. "Orion's Mine Project 1" was done in simple white lettering on a dark wooden board. Orion squinted to read the lettering underneath as the carriage got closer. "The Founding Mine of the Orion Crystal Mining Project, founded and managed by Crown Prince Consort Orion of Faast, as ordered by Crown Prince Onyx of Tyrion."

"All the new mines are going to be called Orion's Crystal Mine Project, too. Just with different numbers on as the operation expands," Vincent said excitedly. "Onyx and I have been exchanging messages almost every day and we both agreed this was always your project. So he organized a whole new department in the Tyrion Court, with you as the ruling authority. That department will handle supplies, ordering, and when you come to distribute and export the crystals, your new department will handle all of that."

"Does the king know about this?" Orion could hardly believe his eyes. All the work, and the hoping, the dreaming…it was all coming true right in front of him.

"Bah, the king is telling people it was his idea, but no one is listening to him. This is yours, Orion. You created the excitement among the people that made this happen. Please tell me you're happy about it."

There was a spark of insecurity in Vincent's request, one Orion couldn't ignore, especially when his husband was usually so confident. Turning to his husband, he said, "We made this happen, Vincent. All this," he pointed to the hustle and bustle of the revamped mine, "was something we did together. I might have had the initial idea, but you're just as responsible for bringing my vision to life. This makes me extremely happy, more than I could ever put into words."

Vincent's bright eyes glowed. "I feel a moment like this should be celebrated with a kiss, but I believe Mortrin would banish me from the bedroom if I did that. But come on, let's see what you think of the new improvements. Wait there, I'll come around and help you down these steps."

Disappearing from the carriage with the same energy he did everything else, Orion could only smile as his husband reappeared around his side of the carriage, opening the door with a wrench on the handle. "Take it carefully," Vincent warned. "Honestly, the workers here would take my head off if you so much as get a scratch while you're here. They're so protective of you."

Orion didn't think that was likely, but he carefully stepped out of the carriage, taking Vincent's arm as they walked slowly through the compound. There were more huts, with the old and new ones shining under a pale sun with a fresh coat of paint. There was a new ablution block and where the firepit had been was a new large grill.

"One of the new hires only works part time in the mine itself. He was training to be a chef, but couldn't find work so he came up here when he heard Ryan was hiring. Ryan suggested putting in a grill so that he could cook for everyone. As he pointed out, men are more productive when they know they have a decent meal waiting for them when they've finished."

"That is an excellent idea." Orion was still struggling to take everything in. It wasn't only the new buildings, it was the machinery he could see and the new tools complete with a tool shed. "How did you get so much done in a little over a week? It's unbelievable what you've achieved so quickly."

Vincent looked embarrassed. "It was basically money and throwing my weight around as a crown prince," he admitted quietly. "Ryan always had the ideas. You know that," he went on quickly. "Most of the contacts were his, and a lot of the equipment and things were readily available to a cash buyer. The transportation was a bit of an issue, especially bringing in the huts, which were premade, but see – we widened the track, and everything just fell into place."

"It's all incredible," Orion said as they slowly headed to the caves. "You're incredible. I'm blown away by what you can achieve when you put your wonderful mind and your energies into something productive."

"We make a good team." Vincent gripped his elbow a little firmer. "But look, here we are, and you've been seen."

The next twenty minutes or so was bedlam. One of the men yelled, "The prince is here," and Orion was greeted with cheers and well wishes, the likes of which he'd never seen. Ryan came over, clutching his cap in his hand, looking so emotional Orion was compelled to hold out his hand.

Shaking it, Ryan just kept mumbling, "I can't believe it. I was so sure you were dead when we pulled you from that hole. I'm so glad to see you on your feet. So glad to see you."

"I'm recovering," Orion admitted. "It's a slow process, but you've all been working seriously hard in the meantime. I'm so proud of all of you. Please, show me what's going on. What have I missed."

There were old hands to greet, every one of the work-hardened men showing clear emotion at seeing him upright and talking again. New hires were introduced, mumbling and nodding at him, but clearly they were used to Vincent, and it wasn't long before they were laughing and joking as they showed Orion the exposed seam that glistened even without lamps.

Orion had a quiet attack of nerves as he first entered the caves, the memories of the fall still front and center in his mind. But Vincent was there, holding him steady, a solid presence as they slowly walked around. By the time he got back to the carriage, his back aching and his legs shaking under the strain, Orion was about ready to cry.

It was all so overwhelming. His mine project was operational, and that was largely thanks to Vincent. But the trip had highlighted his limitations as well. Limitations that had to be addressed, if only as a fairness to his husband.

"I asked the kitchen to prepare us a picnic," Vincent said as they were heading away from the mine. He pulled a large basket from under the seat facing them. "I didn't bring a blanket because we're already sitting on seats, but can I interest you in a meat pasty, or a sandwich?"

"Thank you. Look, forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn, but how long will this last?" Orion accepted a pasty and a napkin, but sat with them resting in his hands. "I mean, what you've done for the mine or for me is so amazingly wonderful and I'll never be able to thank you enough. But you saw how I was back there, having to use your arm for support and barely being able to walk for more than twenty minutes. What will happen to us when you're ready to head off to your social circuit again? I worry that I'm not going to be able to keep up. Please be honest with me. I need to know."