"Well," Sella begins. "Since you're the only guests to arrive yet, we can move rooms within the hour. If you'd like, Bel, we coulr move you to the room and out of the infirmary by tonight." Bel ponders for a moment before nodding. The cot isn't comfortable and he doesn't quite trust the doctor to roam about where he's trying to rest. Luckily, he's feeling far more awake than he has in quite a few weeks. His chest aches from the pressure of the coughs and a headache is forming behind his eyes. Bels not dying and that's the most he could ask for.
"Fantastic, I'll get that squared away but then I have to return to the trabelling party. It'll be smart to inform Miran of Bel's condition before he breaks down a mountain or two," Sella smiles and stands, holding an arm out for Loven to take. "I'll see you in a few days. Please ask my lovely wife here if you have any massive questions." With that, the queens exit the room and take the stairs up to the throne. The pumas grumble and growl but eventually purr as soon as the Blakian queen arrives to pet their noses.
"Finally some alone time," Bel says gently. His mouth is dry and metallic. "Could you hand me that water?" He points to the glass on the bedside table that one of the assistants had provided earlier. After taking a few aided sips, he looks apologetically up to Nico. "Are you okay?"
Nico nodded at the queen. They had time. Bel was going to be stuck to this cot until he was feeling better to move. And that certainly wasn't right now. And even when he was feeling better, Nico was putting him on bedrest until further notice. He wasn't going to risk his life like that again. If Bel though Nico was bad before, he hadn't seen anything yet.
He watched as the two women left and he turned his attention back to Bel. He nodded, grabbing the glass and helping Bel sit up so he coukd drink the water. He set the half empty glass down kn the table. He blinked at Bel, startled by the question. "Me? You're the one I'm worried about. I'm okay. Let's focus on you."
"You're not okay," Bel corrects gently. "Nico, I almost died, it's okay to be at least a little upset." At me, at my family, at my father– Bel sighs and tips his head back against the pillow. He hates being sick. All he does is lay in bed and stare at walls. Nico won't let him out of his sight, and Bel knows that for a fact. While comforting, it'll be just like having a doting doctor taking care of every miniscule need. Bel isn't made of glass, despite what the universe wants to prove.
His dark eyes trail to the floor-to-ceiling windows allowing the early afternoon to breeze in. "I wanna take you to the waterfalls," Bel says. "My favorite is a little while away, but we can make a small trip out of it." A wistful smile crosses his face. "Sleep under the stars and beside a crystal waterfall. Me and you."
Nico stiffened at the words. His hand clenched around Bel's and he looked away for a moment. "No. No, don't say that. You didn't- You're fine now." He took a moment to breathe before looking back at Bel. Everything was fine. He was fine. It was going to be okay. "You're okay. I'm okay. It's all okay." And that needed to be true. Because he was going to go crazy if it wasn't.
He stood up from his chair and gestured for Bel to move over in the bed. It would be a tight fit but Nico knew he coukd fit if Bel laid on his chest. And right now, he needed to hold him. So he settled in on the bed and gently placed Bel on his chest. His fingers ran up and down his back soothingly. "We can go tonthe waterfall," he said softly, "once you're feeling a lot better you can take me."
Bel shifts, allowing Nico to slide into the cot beside him. They have to shift, move around until Bel's comfortably resting on Nico's chest with his head tucked beneath Nico's chin. Their breathing and hearts eventually sync and Bel is almost nauseous with how lovesick this makes him. "I'm glad you're okay," he says quietly even though he knows Nico is anything but. All this damn thing will be is more nightmare fuel.
Remembering the vial in his pocket, Bel suddenly sits up and rummages around until he finds it. He smiles upon finding the dark liquid secure in the vial. "My sister got this to me this morning. Sleeping tonic–" He hands it to Nico. "This can help you.
Nico kisses the top of his hair, pausing to breathe in his scent. He needed to remember this. The way he felt, the way he sounded, the way he smelled. He was going it engrave it to memory. He stroked his hands up and down his back gently. In these quiet moments, he realized he would do anything for Bel. Murder, death, fire. He would do anything. Even if it meant leaving his people behind to rot. And the thought scared him. He didn't like how that felt.
Nico smiled down at him and took the vial. He put it in his own pocket. "Thank you, my love. And thank your sister for me." He didn't think it would work but he wouldn't say that. Nothing had ever worked for him. No sleeping tonic or drug or drink ever worked. Only time.
Bel finds sleep pulling at him as soon as he rests his head back on Nico's chest. Warm, comforting, the calming cadence of his rising and falling chest with every breath. He just wishes, well, that he hadn't just almost died. He grits his teeth as he remembers the pain–how he saw a face when he was growing nearer and nearer to unconsciousness. His mother smiled at him and kissed his forehead but then he awoke and it was Nico holding his hand and sobbing. The guilt that washes through him makes Bel sick. How could he be so ready to leave Nico behind like that?
"I'm gonna fall asleep now," Bel mutters against Nico's chest. "I promise I'll wake up."
Nico looked down at Bel. He smiled at him gently even though fear gripped him at the thought. He was still worried Bel wouldn't wake uo. But he didn't voice any of that. He only hugged him tighter and nodded. "Sleep, my love. You need it. You've been through a lot." Anyone would need hours if sleep after going through that. But Nico wouldn't. He was going to stay awake, making sure that Bel was still breathing and that he wasn't coughing blood. No, he likely wouldn't get much sleep at all.
As Bel slept, he tried not to think of all the scenarios that could have happened. All the ones that might still happen. If the medicine ran out or if something happened and he couldn't get to it. Nico wasn't going to loose Bel. He wasn't. He would die before he let Bel run out of medicine. At least then they could still be together.
"You should sleep with me," Bel whispers just before he drifts off into the darkness of sleep.
Bel's nine years old. Across from him lay a box of blocks and dolls. A seven-year-old Val stacks them quietly on her side of the playmat. Five-year-old Treya hands her sister different blocks and provides quiet commentary of where they should go. The doors to the dark playroom open and in comes Miran, twelve-years-old and shell shocked from his first crusade. Bel watches his brother, movements careful, practiced, silent as he glides across the tile. The eldest says nothing as he collapses at Bel's side and cries. At this moment, Bel's sure this is a dream. Miran never cries, at least, not when their father had the possibility of listening.
Miran uses Bel's shoulder to wipe his tears, but it becomes clearer and clearer that they're much heavier than they should be. When Bel pulls away, his shirt is soaked in red. It's dripping from Miran's mouth and eyes. Bel recoils, hastily looking to his sisters to only find the blocks stained crimson from their bleeding hands.
Bel wakes quietly, pulling himself from the gory dream. He's still curled up against Nico's chest, but the sun has long set, basking the medical in dark moonlight. He doesn't have to look up to know Nico is awake. Nico would never sleep when Bel's in this state. "We can move rooms," he says with a whisper. "Find somewhere more comfortable."
Nico didn't sleep. He didn't even close his eyes. He couldn't. Not when he was terrified that something might happen to Bel while he slept. He lay there ridged, checking Bel's breathing and making sure his heart was still beating every few minutes. He was terrified. He had never been so scared in his life. Not even when he had been locked in that hole for months. This was entirely different. He couldn't lose Bel, he couldn't.
He noticed the moment that Bel woke. He had been hypervigilant about his breathing that the moment it changed he knew the prince was awake. He didn't say anything at first. He would let Bel make the first move. He looked down at him as heard him speak. He kissed his head before murmuring, "Are you up for walking? I can carry you if you need me to." Nico wanted nothing more than to get out of there. It was too sterile. He hated the smell. He hated the reminder that Bel had almost died in this bed. He wanted to get out of there. But he wasn't going to rush Bel.
"I think I can walk," Bel answers, carefully moving so he sits up. He's on Nico's lap, smooshed together in the small confines of the cot. Bel's mind momentarily wanders, but he immediately dismisses any sort of adventurous thought. Nico's not in the right headspace and Bel's recovering from a near-death experience. Hesitantly, Bel slides from the cot and stands on weak legs. He holds onto the nightstand to balance himself, trying to breathe through the momentary nausea that pales his face.
"We need to ask Loven where we're staying. It's been far too long since I've been here to remember where everything is," Bel informs after gathering his bearings. He gestures out the door, to the throne room that lay just up the stairs and down a hall. Loven, his cousin's wife and queen's consort, will likely be ruling in her absence.
Nico sat up as Bel did, his hands staying on his hips. He was reluctant to let him go. He was scared everything was going to fall apart the moment he released Bel. But he wasn't going to keep him from standing. The moment that Bel wavered, Nico was on his feet and by his side helping to steady him. "I've got you. Let me carry you. You've been through so much." Nico wouldn't admit it, but carrying Bel was more for himself than the prince. It was a sort of reminder that he was okay.
He nodded his head. He believed he could get them to throne room. But then again, in his frantic state, he hadn't paid too much attention to where they had been going. Not waiting for an answer, he slipped one arm around his back and the other under his knees and picked Bel up.
Bel doesn't object as Nico sweeps him off his feet, leaning his head into Nico's shoulder. His arms are much warmer than the air. Having large doors leading to balconies wide open can't be quite too sanitary, but Bel's no doctor, so he doesn't question it. Speaking of the doctor, they're nowhere to be found, their two assistants also disappeared into the night. Their shift must've ended while Bel was sleeping. "Thank you," Bel's voice is barely above a whisper.
They move from the odd-smelling hospital and up the stone and glass staircase to the hallway leading to the throne room. Loven's voice filters through the air, slightly heated as she argues with a man with a gruff voice. A puma growls. The man stops talking. "She's through there," Bel points in the direction of an open door near the end of the hallway. Once through, Loven looks up from where she's bent over a map with a man twice her age across the table. He wears the silver and platinum crest of the kingdom on his thick armor. A small herd of pumas surround them.
"Bel, Nicandros–" Loven says, her voice shifting drastically from the low heat it had been. "It's the middle of the night, do you need anything?" The man beside her grunts and Loven shoots him an irritated glare.
Nico was more than happy to care for Bel. His heart swelled as the prince accepted it and curled into his chest. Nico felt better this way. More at peace. Bel was in his arms and he would protect him at any cost. Everything was alright. he would make sure of it. And yet he had kept saying that and it hadn't been alright. Things kept happening and Nico couldn't control that. It was causing his anxiety to spike more. He never knew love caused so much turmoil but he wouldn't give it up for a second as long as he got to be with Bel.
He follows where Bel points and walks through the door. He's careful of Bel, making sure not to hit his head on the door frame. He has to walk in sideways to avoid this. He noticed the pumas and shifted a little bit on his feet. He didn't like the pumas. They made him uncomfortable. it was unnatural to have them for a pet and a mount. Maybe he was biased because he had been attacked by beasts far too often but he didn't think these animals could be domesticated.
He regarded the other man, subtly curling his arms around Bel tighter. He didn't like the way this other man was looking at them. Nico didn't want to have a problem. At least not now with Bel present. he had been through enough today. He didn't need to witness an act of violence either. Nico turned to Loven. "Bel and I would like to retire to our chambers if possible. Neither of us want to be in the hospital anymore if Bel is free to go."
Loven blinks, noting the slighted exchange between Nico and the man. "Excuse my father, he doesn't understand the concept of allies." He tries to object, saying that they have allies with Araniel, but Loven waves her hand and his mouth shuts with a click. It could've been magic or just a daughter's influence on her father. "And you all are free to go wherever in the castle. You're family of Sella, so you're family of mine." She looks over to her shoulder to her father and the pumas, nodding to the apparent alpha. He grumbles and paces around the man as another puma makes its way towards Loven.
"Let me show you where they moved you both to." Loven strides past them, her dark green suit pairing nicely with her red hair and the cool light of the night. She has to adjust her pace to keep up with Nico, still holding Bel. Even if Bel tried to walk on his own, he doubts Nico would let him. He's still pale from the blood loss. "I hate to say it, but you'll likely be seeing more of my father. He's the general of the guard here, and he's not too happy that I outrank him now." There's a spiteful smile on her face.
Nico's eyes flickered between the man and woman few times. He noted the resemblance. Her father indeed though it looked as though their relationship was severely strained. He didn't particularly care as ling as her father didn't get in his way. He didn't care if the man didn't think he needed allies. He did. They both did. Which was why Nico was here instead of Araniel. Each day was a step closer to securing his throne but he needed Blakkast to help with that and this man wasn't going to step in his way.
Nico followed Loven out the door, careful again not knock Bel against the door frame. He slowed his stride so that Loven could stay in pace with him. He didn't know where he was going so it was best not to charge forward like he owned the place. Which he most definitely did not. "I can handle your father," he said. Nico didn't scare easily nor back down.
Bel stares at the man from over Nico's shoulder. Tall, broad, decorated armor in countless medals. Surely an imposing figure that could pose a threat to whatever plans, but he has two women who outrank him. Who is a general to oppose the queens? The last Bel had seen Sella, a decade ago when she was twenty and still rising in the ranks of the Blakian military. She had a companion that went with her through everything–wait. Bel turns back to stare at the side of Loven's face instead of her father's.
"You were Sella's companion in the military–" Bel points out. Loven stutters in her step before looking over to Bel. "Yeah, I know you–you went to some fancy royal banquet with us."
Loven smiles, almost bashfully. "Yes, I've known Sella since we were girls. My father was her father's second-in-command and they both encouraged me to pursue the military. Sella refused to let me go in alone and, well, here we are." She rubs her face, wiping the smile from it as they go up another set of stairs to the third floor. A long hallway stretches in front of them. "This is one of our guest wings. It's empty for the time being. If you'd like, we could move others up here with you, but I figured you'd want to be alone." She stops in front of an ornate silver door, left ajar by whatever maids had finished cleaning.
Loven toes open the door, holding it open wide for Nico to carry Bel through. In the center of the stone floor lies a four-poster bed, complete with drapes, a heavy comforter and enough pillows to fill the upper half. On the far side of the room stands a floor-to ceiling window with double-doors leading to a large balcony overlooking the beautiful cliffs and canyons of the Blakian mountains. Attached to the side of the room is a marbled bathroom with a large tub and fluffy towels. Every detail is embedded with silver and gems, the wood dark and sleek against the stone.
Nico looked down at Bel as he made his revelation. He saw how Loven stumbled over her feet for a moment as she was discovered. He listened quietly as the queen consort spoke. It almost made him smile of he wasn't so worried about Bel, even as he was doing better now. Childhood lovers, what a life. He was happy that things had gone alright for the pair. And hopefully this would give Bel something to catch up on with his cousin. But not right now. Because all he wanted to do was help Bel bathe and then hopefully rest some more. Not Nico of course. He was going to stay awake as long as he could.
He stepped into the room, looking at it. It was more extravagant than he had ever stayed in before. He had lived all his life in tents and inns and that one house he had rented for a tome. But none of it had been anything like this. Nothing as grand. Nothing as beautiful. He wondered if his own palace would look like this when he finally took the crown.
Nico was almost scared to walk any further. He worried that his boots would dirty the ground. He worried that sitting on the bed would soil it. He had never lived like this before. And he was realizing now that Bel did. His room at the palace was likely something just as elegant and grand as this. He suddenly felt very out if place.
Loven carefully closes the door behind her as she leaves, reminding Bel that there's a key linked to their room on the small table by the door. As the latch clicks shut, Bel's hit with the silence. Nico's staring at the room, practically marvelling at it all. Times like these remind Bel that not everybody grew up like him, the room stretched around them a small step up from what he grew up in. The bed is larger, built for two instead of one, and there's access to a balcony in this one, a luxury Bel's father would never have granted him.
"Love, you can set me down now," Bel says softly, hoping to get Nico out of his small daze. "You won't break anything, and if you do, we all have more than enough money to replace it." Using Nico's arm to steady himself, Bel gets his footing against the dark marbled floor. The walls house teal siding until halfway up, where it gives way into black paint, the curtains and bedding a darker navy. Speckled around the hanging chandelier hang gems and diamonds, reflecting the night sky. "What do you think?" Bel asks quietly, tipping his head towards the rest of the room.
Nico blinked as he heard Bel speak. It took him a moment to understand the words and he slowly lowered Bel to the ground. He didn't let go of him completely, keeping a hand on him in case he was unsteady. At least, that's what Nico told himself. It certainly wasn't because of his fears that something would happen.
He looed around the room now, not really sure what to think. Other than one thing. This was too nice for him to be here. How was he going to be able to take over the palace if he was too afraid to soil his sheets? He felt his very presence was covering everything with dirt. This was much too nice for him. He didn't belong here. He looked at Bel. "I think it looks nice," was all he said. He didn't want Bel to think he was internally freaking out.
"It does look nice," Bel responds as he studies Nico's expression. Is the great Nicandros Castel intimidated by a room? Well… Not everybody is raised in luxury such as this. Not all Kings. "Here, let's go get clean." Bel doesn't waste time, leading Nico by the grip on his arm towards the provided bathroom. Usually, Bel doesn't have any issue with grand items, but a wall-length vanity is excessive even for him. He has to laugh at the outrageous mirror and abundance of drawers. "I don't know who would even need this?" He opens one of the drawers and finds an unused brush made of silver. "Why?" He holds it up for Nico to see.
After he finishes laughing over a hairbrush of all things, Bel makes his way to the bathtub and sits on the lip. Much to Bel's delight, there's no three-in-one soap.
Nico didn't say anything else about the room. There was nothing to say. Nothing that he woukd understand. Nico had grown up in the woods. He lived in tents, stole to provide for his people and himself. He'd never had such luxury available at his fingers. He let Bel guide him through the bedroom into the bathroom. He had to resist cringing every footstep he took, keeping his eyes forward instead of looking behind him to likely see the footprints he had left.
The bathroom was perhaps even worse than the bedroom was and that was hard to beat. The large vanity was gaudy. Likely a narcissist had occupied this room before then and wanted a floor to ceiling vanity to stare at themselves. He finally looked towards Bel who was sitting on the lip of the tub. A very nice tub that hold the two of them easily.
Its almost amusing watching Nico wander around the bathroom like a lost tourist. Bel should've known that these quarters would be unreasonably extravagant, but he forgets that his definition of modest has always been vastly different than an average persons. Perhaps he could scale it down a bit? Get rid of some pillows
Bel starts the tub, testing the temperature before leaning down to press the plug. The tub looks like an extention of the floor, the material a dark marble with silver fixtures. The different salts and soaps smell divine and Bel wonders if Sella would be mad if he stole a few. One smells like the ocean and it takes Bel back to the only time je had ever been with his mother and siblings. As the bath fills, Bel quickly strips his sliced shirt and pants.
Nico kept his eyes on Bel, watching as he tested the water before pressing down the plug. But while he watched, he didn't move. He was still stationed near the entrance of the bathroom, looking so out of place. Even Bel, with his cut shirt and stained with blood looked like he belonged there more than Nico did. Everything was suddenly a lot more real now and Nico didn't know if he could survive it. He felt like an imposter here. He didn't belong. Not here between these walls and rugs and furs. He belonged in his tent in the woods, always on the run. He didn't know anything else.
Nico stayed rooted to his spit even as Bel stripped his clothing. A sight that would normally have him ready to go and eager to touch, had him terrified to move. Bel had just almost died. He was afraid that if he even touched him wrong now that he was going to set off another attack.
"Love," Bel says softly, trying to jolt Nico out of his daze. He carefully beckons Nico over. "Love, it's alright. You don't have to worry about me." I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine–Please, just go back to how things used to be. Bel nearly wants to turn back time, but then what would he do? He can't prevent his ailment, he can't make Nico worry less, he can't hide his sickness any better–Gods. He just wants Nico to be over next to him, holding him. Bel's not made of glass, damnit, yet the universe is determined to prove him otherwise.
"Please," he tries again, just barely above a whisper, yet it echoes through the marbeled room. Nico should be next to Bel and not rooted to the doorway. This isn't how it's supposed to be and, while Bel has never been a violent or needy individual, he's tempted to throw something if Nico hesitates any longer.
