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Felix gasped. Had someone in the castle been responsible for the assassination order?
"Well, I have a solution, I think. And it would be better for both of us."
He tried not to let his voice waver.
"Run away with me. I'll be credited for a nice, clean, and unsolvable murder. You'll be out of this place."
Eclipse blinked at him, his body instantly tensing up. At first glance the idea sounded amazing. But then he started thinking about what would happen if he got caught. His father might take his amulet again, and force him to act like the castle guard dogs again. Not to mention the entire guard body of the castle would find a way to beat him up to the point of death… again. And quite possibly much worse could happen…. Was it worth the risk?
To be honest, he didn't know. "W-What if we're caught?" he asked, his voice wavering with fear.
"Relax, I'm an assassin. If there's anything I'm good at, it's hiding and also well… killing, when I have to. After I collect on your assassination, I'll have enough money to get pretty far from here, and perhaps I'll be able to go do what I always wanted instead of killing for a living."
He paused for a moment. What am I saying?!
"Well, it's either that or end it here, it sounds like, Princey. You can always take the easy way out later if you were to get caught, but at least you'd have lived some along the way."
Eclipse could barely believe what he was hearing, but eventually he nodded in agreement, starting to undo the knot around his neck. "Just…. I-If we do get caught…. Kill me first… please…." he said softly, sitting down slowly, his entire body still aching.
"Of course, but with any luck and skill, it'll never come to that. Want me to take care of your injuries before we go?"
Felix leaned up against the bedpost. He was dripping water everywhere, but there wasn't much he could do at this point.
Eclipse blinked at him in amazement. It had been three years, almost four, since anyone had ever offered to tend to his wounds. And that person had been his mother. He could only stare at the other, wondering for the hundredth time in the last few minutes if he wasn't hallucinating.
At the same time he was also worried…. After all, bruises werent the only things he was carrying right now. There was also the aftermath of the lashing from yesterday. His own unhealed cuts on his arms. The sword wounds from the "dueling match" this morning. All of which lay sloppily bandaged underneath his clothing.
"I take that as a yes? Alright, then. Give me a moment to set up some things, and I will get right to it. This is a pain-relieving incantation. If you need any medicines, we can see to that later."
Felix pulled some sprigs of herbs from a little pouch in his bag and began to set them up in a pattern on the floor in front of Eclipse before muttering an incantation in some ancient language, then pressing the tips of his index and middle finger to his bruised jaw, then prompting him to guide his hand to anywhere else it hurt.
(I'm going to call it a night. Be back later!)
(Okay!"
Eclipse tensed when the other touched his jaw, not relaxing, even with the relief of pain. But he did cooperate, guiding the other's hand down to his ribcage and back, then his stomach. To be honest, everywhere hurt. But unfortunately, everywhere, can't always be achieved, and he didn't want to drain the other.
When he was done, Felix pulled back his hand. He was sure that wasn't everything, but of course, they did need to get out of here before anyone found them out.
"You think you can climb down this wall?" Felix asked, "I've been scoping out the whole place for a while, and this seems to have the lowest security. I'm not sure where else we'd be able to leave."
Felix stood up. He was a little out of breath, and figured he needed to loosen his binding a bit, but not in front of the prince. Felix pulled the hood back over his head.
Eclipse hummed softly, "I-I think so…" he said softly, taking a moment to study the other a bit more. "It makes sense that there would be less security…. they think I'm too scared to do anything.." Which is partly true at this point…
"Alright, then. I can give you a little help if you need. Hm… you think I should leave some blood behind to make it look like there was a struggle? If they think you left of your own accord, it could make matters worse."
Felix pursed his lips and pulled a knife from his bag, twirling it between his fingers.
Eclipse nodded, moving to tear up the bed with absolutely zero remorse, before coming back over to Felix, offering an arm. "I'm already injured… so one more won't do anythig…"
"Nah, friend. This one's for me," Felix replied, "I'm doing quite well, so one little scratch won't hinder me."
He held out his own arm and made a cut into it. Felix slung some of his blood onto the bedsheets and floor. As soon as he was satisfied, he bound up his wound in bandages and wiped off the knife blade on his clothes.
Eclipse frowned, "They'll know it's not mine…" he said softly, "The king and his guards are all part wolf…." he reached for the knife. "Please…"
“Oh? Well, if you insist…” Felix said, carefully handing over the blade, “Quickly, though. And I’ll get you some bandages when you’re done.”
Eclipse nodded, grimacing as he sliced his arm open, clenching his jaw at the pain before spreading it around the room, coming back to Felix whe he was done, wiping the knife off o his pants. "We should be good now…" he murmured.
“Alright, here,” Felix murmured, taking back the knife and pulling out bandages to wrap around the prince’s arm.
“We ought to get going.”
He leaned over the windowsill to see if the guards had moved any closer. They hadn’t moved an inch.
“Grab anything you might need. Anything extra, I can put in my bag.”
Eclipse didn't move, "I don't need anything from this hell…." he said softly, his tone near emotionless.
“O-okay,” Felix said, “No money, no change of clothes?”
He made sure his shoes were tied and the treads were clean, then closed up his bag.
"Nothing except me, myself, and I." he said quietly, watching the other, "Are wegoing?"
“Alright then,” Felix said, “So we go.”
He lowered himself out the window a bit to where the vines had helped hold him up. He figured he could assist Eclipse using them if needed, as he wasn’t sure the prince could make it down on his own in the pouring rain. That was a tough task for anyone.
Eclipse carefully followed him, turning out to be surprisingly nimble as he followed after the other, though his anxiety spiked tremendously.
Felix slipped his own fingers between the cracks in the stone and willed the vines on the wall to go up and assist Eclipse instead of him. Carefully and slowly, he descended, checking behind occasionally to make sure no one was watching.
Eclipse used the hand and oot holds to his advantage as they climbed, the shadows seeming to grow slightly thicker around them. When they finally got to the ground Eclipse was shaking out his cold fingers, "How are we getting off the grounds?" he asked quietly.
“Same way I got in,” Felix replied, “There are some loose stones in one of the barriers. Move them, and you can slip through.”
He flexed his fingers, took a few slow, deep breaths, and continued to scan his surroundings.