The guard came back pretty soon with another fae, presumably the Vantas that the doctor had asked for. Vantas was tall, with blue-tinted skin and dark eyes. They ignored Indigo, heading straight for the prince and pressing their hand to his chest. They didn't even speak to the doctor, just stared down at the prince, brows gathering together.
Indigo wordlessly opened the door for them and followed them inside. They went back to her previous spot, hidden but watching. Her eyes roved over the new Fae, taking in all of the details and movements. She made mental notes to add to the letter for Lor.
Vantas kept their gaze fastened on Riven for a long moment, but their eyes eventually flicked to the doctor, staring at him for a long moment like they were communicating somehow.
Once Indigo had looked until they could look no more, her gaze moved to the prince. Sure, symptoms had appeared rather quickly, but how long had Arabelle said that it would take for death to take hold? The hours of the night had already passed, and the poison was supposed to be slow-acting.
Vantas looked down at the prince again, and the doctor brought out some ropes. They carefully tied the prince's hands so that he wouldn't hit himself if he convulsed again.
(Wjdskjdsxjkn)
(sbkfgj this is SFW not NSFW i swear)
(Um that was not what I was thinking but I’ll take your word for it-)
(askdfhgbkj it's just to keep him from hitting himself i promise–)
(Me: stares in confusion with an asexual flag looming behind me)
(Uh anyway lol it’s fine bro I just don’t know what to say, I was kinda grasping at straws in my previous replies tbh)
(oof)
(it's fine! we can timeskip if you like?)
(Uhh yeah that might be best ^^;)
(alright! want me to do that?)
(Yes pls)
In the end, they didn't end up saving the prince. It took him hours to die, his body trembling and convulsing, blood eventually leaking from the corner of his mouth and even from his eyes as he struggled to breathe. It wasn't a pretty death, and by the end of it there were multiple doctors, plus Vantas. His older brother came, near the end, standing out of the way and watching as his little brother died. The king did not come. Neither did Riven's mother. None of his friends, of course, knew, so none of them came.
No one outside of the doctors and the royal family knew, originally, but soon the word began to spread like wildfire. Riven Aurelius Briar was dead. Poisoned.
(Rest in pieces, my dude)
(afgbksjbgf)
Indigo watched through it all. She stayed the whole time, only moving to let doctors and the elder prince in, though at one point she left to eat something. They wanted to watch Prince Riven die with her own eyes, and eventually they forgot about the letter they had prepared for Lor. There was only cold indifference and mild fascination as they watched him convulse and shiver, as blood trickled from his mouth.
When Riven was finally declared deceased, Indigo’s mind sort of melted. As quietly and inconspicuously as possible, she went into their room. They shut the door and pressed their back against it, breath beginning to quicken. She had done it. She had actually done it. The room was dark, and Indigo’s skin began to glow. They sank to the floor, and eventually their breathing began to calm down. But this wasn’t over yet.
They got up, and stood on the floor, the loose tile shifting beneath her feet. Someone would find this, eventually. Or maybe not. She moved the loose tile aside, then looked into the hollow spot beneath. The bag of poison was still there, along with old herbs and other plants. Indigo removed the bag, then bent down to look underneath the floor.
It was dark, but her glowing skin illuminated more open space. Quickly, she rose and put the bag back inside, then pushed it off underneath tiles that wouldn’t so easily budge. Once they had pushed somewhere beneath the floor where their cot was placed, she rose again, and put the loose tile back in its place. Indigo stood, but after bending around and using her muscles like that, it became difficult to breathe. She quickly removed her binder, took it, their gray shawl and the letter, and went to the door. They allowed her skin to stop glowing, and peeked out of their room. Then she dashed away and out of the prince’s chambers like a frightened mouse. The rebellion would want to hear of this, if they haven’t already.
The prince's chambers were still filled with doctors, along with the prince's brother, who was demanding answers as to what exactly had happened. A sheet was draped over the prince's body, and he was soon taken away. The elder prince was furious, his gaze dark and angry as he sought answers from anyone who would give them. He didn't really care about his brother, not really, but he wanted answers. Riven was a royal, and should not have died in this manner.
At first, Indigo started out slow, nervous. She walked down the hall, afraid to look back to see if someone was following. Gradually, their pace quickened, and quickened some more. Then some electrifying terror struck her, emboldening her to sprint down the halls and corridors as the interiors of the palace seemed to age and dilapidate before their eyes.
The old tapestry hung before her. There was a pang in her chest, and suddenly they were paralyzed. They were so stupid. So utterly stupid. If she had brought the poison with her, then at least the chance of the wrong person finding it would be reduce to a solid zero. Indigo let out a breath. But then, would taking that large bag be too conspicuous? There was no way to know now. The thought of the bag just underneath the tile floor of their bedroom made her shudder, but she tried telling herself that it would be fine. It wasn’t a bad hiding spot, and after all, wasn’t the real damning evidence of this conspiracy the letter they held in their hand at this very moment?
They pulled back the tapestry, and not long after found the right stone and pressed it. Once the wall opened up, Indigo slipped inside. As her skin lit up with bioluminescence, and the stones across the walls began to glow, she pranced forward like some startled gazelle, but eventually they slowed, limbs shaking, and pressed themself against a wall, sinking to the floor.
The hidden corridors were empty, but the other hallways in the palace began to grow more and more frenzied in their activity as word of Riven's death spread through it. A prince, dead? The youngest prince? Especially when his manner of death had been as brutal as it had been; whispers and rumors were already spreading of what it could have been.
They hugged their minimal possessions against herself, breathing and letting the fear die down. She couldn’t let it get out of control. Light danced across her skin, but it gradually slowed down. Soon, they stood up, limbs still shaking but feeling significantly less panicked.
Could they find that room they encountered last time? Maybe, but everything looked so similar. Indigo started forward again, and decided to listen for where the most noise was coming from.
The rebellion likely would know soon, even if they did not tell the group, but it was still a good idea for Indigo to tell them herself just what had happened. The palace itself was simultaneously coming alive and shutting down, all servants barred from leaving, along with visitors, as they examined what had happened.
Indigo dreamed of coming across Arabelle or Lor again, and just having a one-on-one where they could tell them what happened, but dreaming was all she could do.
The door stood before her, imposing yet small at the same time. They weren’t sure if it was the same one they found last time, but it looked similar and it felt to be in the same general position. Indigo glanced around them, then pressed her ear to the door.
There was a low, but energetic hum of conversation within, accompanied by the soft sounds of people moving about, walking and talking and doing things. Soft clicks of various things, just…activity. They might know what had happened, maybe not, but either wa,y they would welcome Indigo's report.