Lear didn't respond to her question. He was feeling woozy himself from the punch that had bloodied his nose, and she'd see why he needed it as soon as she walked through the living room.
She took off, and Lear took a deep breath. Thank you. He bent, and lifted Romulus's massive arms over his shoulders. Another deep breath, and he stood straight up, lifting the Prince in one fluid motion, which was the only way to do it.
By the time Elia returned, he'd managed to carry Romulus to his massive bed. Lear laid him across it, before going to grab some towels from the bathroom. He tucked them under his friend's head, legs, and ribs, keeping him from getting blood everywhere. He knew they'd left a trail of blood drops from the living room back towards the bedroom.
He heard Elia come in. "Close the door and follow my voice." He called. Romulus was still breathing funny, and hadn't woken up.
Elia shut the door behind her and locked it for good measure. They didn't need anyone else coming in and causing problems. She followed his voice into the bedroom and rushed over. She placed all the materials on the bed next to Romulus. She found herself climbing on the bed next to him. Her hands were shaky as they hovered above his face. She wanted to touch him, to reassure herself that he was okay. But he lokked horrible.
There was blood everywhere. He was bruised an beaten. She helped strip the prince of his clothing, to better see the extend of his injuries. She dipped a rag in hot water and tried to help clean the wounds as best she could. She had a gentle hand, nor wanting to cause further pain to him.
She looked at Lear and only said, "Why?"
Lear grabbed one of the other rags and began cleaning the Prince's wounds as well. He worked quietly for a moment, before answering her.
"The King has been leading a military campaign to the east for over a year. In that time, Romulus has appointed 12 Venian nobles from cities he's visited, and allocated literal millions in gold from the Crown's treasury to help rebuild infrastructure across the country, as well as feeding, educating, and housing hundreds of people pulled from the gutters. He's also boosted the economy of a ton of towns by cleaning up crime, while also visiting their stores, bars, brothels, and fight arenas and injecting gold into all of those industries. It's the same thing he's been doing for over a decade, but… the King had never looked favorably on it, and this time, with Calegon being the monumental mess it was, he'd heard about it already. Took it as an opportunity to punish the Prince, citing his bad reputation and his high spending as reasons." Lear's face hardened further. "I think he's mostly mad that Romulus isn't grinding the Venian people to dust under his boot, and has the audacity to try to put them back in good situations."
Without his clothes, the extent of the Prince's wounds was apparent. Bloody nose, swollen eye, broken orbital bone over the other eye, both lips split, bleeding from his head somewhere under the blonde hair. Several bruised and maybe broken ribs, small puncture wounds across the chest, slashes from before bleeding again. Wounds on the shoulders bleeding again, bruising across his shoulders and collarbones, blisters from previous burn wounds popped and oozing blood and pus. Left arm badly bruised, same shallow puncture wounds as the chest; right arm only bruised in one place, but clearly broken. His pelvic area had been left alone, for which Lear was glad. Wouldn't have been the first time the King had tried to really maim him that way. Thighs were largely alright, other than burns from the day before causing the skin to split under the assault, bleeding just a little. Lower legs were bruised and bloody, where he'd clearly been kicked with something very hard.
He still wasn't waking up.
Elia listened to his words but never took her eyes off of Romulus. Her heart broke every time she washed away blood to reveal another wound. She didn't even realize she was crying until tears splashed on his skin. When his skin was clean, she grabbed the salve and started applying it to his wounds and burns.
"Why doesn't he fight back? He could over power the king, could he not? Why doesn't he stop him?" She didn't understand how anyone could let this go on for so long. He may be the king but he was a terrible king, it wasn't that hard to tell. No king should beat his own son, much less anyone else. "Why hasn't he killed him?"
It treason to talk in such a way. She could be tortured to death for just saying it. But the king could not be allowed to stay on the throne. For her own revenge and for Romulus, and the thousands that have suffered under his rule, the king needed to be disposed of.
Lear's brow furrowed. "He probably could, although the King is a powerful figure of a man. He is the King though, well guarded, protected, sovereign- even Romulus can't just kill him with impunity. Until the moment the King actually died, the Prince would have the entire military breathing down his neck. It's also treason, and even if he would rule after, there are plenty in the Harad nobility who would make his life miserable."
He reached up to wipe Romulus's eye again, and applied a little bit of the plaster to his orbital bone, making sure it would set correctly. "But even all of that isn't why… it's because at some level, Romulus still loves his father." His frown deepened. "After everything the man has done to him, every atrocity he's committed, everything that Romulus is ashamed of about his father… he still loves the man. Still acknowledges him as father."
Lear didn't look at her, just kept working, but his voice changed a bit. "You and I have both suffered different types of trauma and abuse than Romulus has, but… I can't speak for you, but I know there were moments where my mind and heart were confused about the people who owned me. If they hadn't hurt me in a little bit, my brain just saw people who were feeding and clothing me and keeping a roof over my head. They made it worse by making sure I knew I was worthless, and then reminding me that I was worth something to them. A twisted sort of love, my heart reassured me." He swallowed hard, before setting the Prince's arm with a loud pop and bandaging it, before covering the bandage in plaster to form a cast. "I can only imagine the tricks and lies my mind and heart would have created if it was my actual parent." He began running his hands over the bruised and broken ribs, doing his best to set them before bandaging and applying plaster in various spots.
"I guess I can't blame him for his big heart. I wouldn't want him any other way, but… it costs him. Regularly."
Elia cared for his burns and open wounds while Lear tended to his bones. She finished applying the salve and started bandaging him where she could. When she finished, she leaned against the headboard and tucked her knees to her chest. She fully intended to stay up through the night to watch him and make sure he was okay.
"He's a prince. He needs to learn to harden. As much as I love his big heart, it's not doing him any favors. Court is a vicious game that only a few people know how to play. If he doesn't learn it, he's going to get eaten alive. His fists will only intimidate so far. He needs to learn how to out maneuver his father. Do it in a way the blame can't be placed on himself and there is no reason to punish him."
She carefully placed her hand on Romulus' head and began to stroke his hair. She prayed he would wake soon, only to make sure no sufficient damage was done to his head.
Lear nodded as he checked over every bandage, every cast, everything. "I've tried to tell him that, but he insists this is what he's built for. That if he shifts the blame elsewhere, innocent people will get hurt, and that's exactly what he's trying to avoid." He shook his head slowly. "He's got reasons for it, which I'll let him tell you if he wakes, but… No, court is fine. Handling the nobility is fine. Managing the military and the people is fine. He plays the game alright, but… his father is his father. That can be a huge blind spot."
Lear didn't look at her or in any way indicate he was thinking about her, but… well. He knew she knew how big a blind spot a father could be.
Elia only nodded. She didn't talk. Not anymore. She had nothing more to say.she curled her body around Romulus, careful not to touch him, as if she was going to shield his body with her own.
She couldn't understand it. But she could, couldn't she? She just needed to refer to her relationship with Madame Rosette. She still had scars on her back from the times she was whipped. And yet, the last couple of years in her employment m, they had gotten along rather well. She brought in the most revenue so the Madame did her best to keep her happy which in turn kept the customers happy. She had done her best to shift the blame from the younger ones to herself their had ever been a problem. She hadn't been punished terribly, at least not at the end. They had developed a sort of friendship.
Lear finished checking him over, before pulling up a padded chair near the bed. He cleared away the bandages, salve, plaster, rags, and the bucket of water, before finally resting in the chair, his eyes on the Prince's face.
"When he comes to, we'll need to check his eyes, reflexes, speech patterns, cognitive functions, all of that. He took several hard blows to the head." Lear shook his head angrily. "Man beats his own son on front of the nobility, and nobody has the temerity to say a damn word. Romulus left the situation after a bit, just trying to move out of his way, but he got chased all the way up here. You heard the final punch that knocked him out, probably." A guilty expression crossed his face. "I begged and pleaded the whole way, and the king finally left him alone once he was unconscious." He suddenly remembered his own bloody nose, which had crusted and dried, and tried to dab at it with a wet rag. He was just smearing blood on his face.
Elia turned her head to watch Lear. She sat up and took the rag from him. He was doing nothing but spreading the blood all over his face. He could likely go to a mirror and clean himself but she understood not wanting to leave Romulus' side. So she grabbed it and gently dabbed his face, cleaning the blood off of him.
When she cleaned it all off, she handed the rag back to him, not knowing what to do with it nor willing to leave Romulus' side for even a moment. Anything could happen and she refused to leave. She laid back down, supporting her body mostly against the head rest.
"He's going to be okay. He has to be. Just stay positive." Her words were meant more for herself than Lear necessary. She was trying to convince herself that it was all going to be okay.
Lear looked at her with a grateful expression when she cleaned his face. He touched her arm gently as she handed him back the rag. It was added to the pile of bloody rags on the ground.
"He will be. He always is." Lear had seen Romulus recover from worse than this, but it was never easy watching it happen.
The Prince didn't move or wake up. His breathing had stabilized when Lear patched up his ribs. It was deeper, slower, less shallow, as if he'd been in unconscious pain before.
They sat in silence for a while, before Lear quietly asked "Did you figure out where you'd like to live?"
(All I'm saying is, if Lear ever wanted sexy time, they would make a great threesome)
Elia watched his breathing slowly evened out. A part of her relaxed in relief. She hoped he was sleeping well, that he wasn't riddled in pain. Because he would be when he eventually woke. She stroked his hair with one hand but she placed a hand out on the bed for Lear to take should he want too. She would understand if he wanted something, someone, to hold on to during these times. And she wanted to assure him that he wasn't doing this alone anymore. She was there to offer her support.
"I don't want to talk about it right now. I can't, not with this. I don't want to talk about leaving." She wouldn't leave until she saw him completely healed. She would stay as long as she needed too. She didn't care about the potential consequences. She couldn't leave knowing something could happen.
( XD I'm glad I've played him that way and she likes him so much ;) )
Lear noted her hand and reached over to squeeze it, but didn't hold on. He didn't want to crowd her and physical comfort wasn't particularly his thing. He did appreciate what that meant, especially coming from her.
"You know when he wakes up, as soon as he's thinking straight, he's going to want to talk about it."
Romulus had an often one-track mind, and his concern with getting Elia safe was going to drive him to work through the location quickly. "If we tell him we already talked it through, and answer a couple questions, he'll stop worrying about it and he can focus on healing."
Elia returned her hand back to her side. "He should focus on himself, after everything he has endured." She sighed. "I want the vineyard, if it's possible. If not, I don't know. I don't particularly care. But I'm not leaving any time soon, before you think to ship me off and dump me somewhere."
She would have to be dragged out kicking and screaming. She wouldn't leave voluntarily, not while Romulus was so injured or while tensions were so high. If she could at least be there to attempt to soothe his worries, she would be.
This time it was Lear who reached across Romulus to touch her arm and offer comfort.
"I'm not trying to get rid of you, and I have no plans of shipping you off, Elia." He left his hand there, trying to reassure her.
"The vineyard lands are a good choice." He smiled at her, a tad bit of mischief breaking through his grief. "Although you still have to share the wine with everybody else." He didn't know how much she was used to drinking, but the way she reached for a cup every time she was stressed gave him an idea.
"That would make you Countess So-and-So of Morganshire. Generally referred to as the Countess or Lady Morgan. You could pick a new name, if you like, or we can stick with Elia." He kinda doubted she'd want that, with all the memories attached to that name, but it was entirely up to her. "The vineyards are a massive part of that estate. If I'm not mistaken, they provide 80% of the country's wine. There are also several hops and wheat fields dedicated to breweries on those lands, making you the largest producer of beers and other alcohols in the country as well. Lucrative and appreciated." It's a good choice. The land is decently far from the Palace, but not on the ouskirts of the country. It also means you would have plenty of excuse to be at court and near the Prince, as the Crown does a lot of business with the Morganshire estate."
Lear was glad she'd made a decision. It would make thing easier on Romulus when he came to.
He was also glad for the chance to ramble a bit, rather than sit there in the lengthening silence as the Prince didn't wake up.
Elia touched his arm as he touched hers. She gripped his forearm. Her lips turned up at his joke but only just barely. She let him ramble. She couldn't imagine how he was taking all of this and if talking to her made him feel better, she wasn't going to be the one to tell him to stop.
It was an awful name for the estate. She would have to think of something else to name it but her mind drew blank. She couldn't think of anything really. Her sole attention was on Romulus. She wanted to make sure he was comfortable. Perhaps she would get a tonic to help with the pain. It would make him drowsy but at least he would hurt anymore.
"Tell me a story, Lear." It would keep the young man talking and she could be left alone in her thoughts. "Any story you would like."
Lear looked down at the Prince, lying there bruised and bloodied.
"You wouldn't want to hear any of the stories going through my head right now." he said quietly.
The other times Romulus had looked similar to this played over in his head, the king's brutality a common thread. There had also been a few times Romulus had stood alone against marauding soldiers from other places, planting his feet and acting as a wall between them and the common people of Venia. He wasn't sure she'd want to hear more about Romulus acting as a buffer, given that she'd already expressed her dislike of that side of him.
And it wasn't as if he had a ton of happy memories that didnt center on Romulus. Before the Prince, his life had been miserable. After the Prince, it had been much happier, but not in any way that he thought would make her smile.
Elia just nodded at him. She understood that perhaps he was thinking of happy things. She wasn't necessarily thinking of happy thoughts either. "Then tell me about the two of you. Whatever you can think of. Good or bad. Just…tell me something."
She stroked his arm with her thumb. She glanced down at the prince under her. She pressed a small kiss to his forehead. They would be alright. Everything would be alright. They just needed to be patient. And she had some treasonous things to think about. The king. And what to do with him. Plans would have to wait but she could be patient. She needed allies. She was confident she could gain them. She just needed to abide her time. Things would workout in the end. She would have her justice.
Lear swallowed hard. He watched her kiss Romulus's forehead, and was glad to see she was still in the frame of mind to be gentle with him. He wasn't sure how entering the Palace would affect her feelings towards Romulus.
He thought for a moment. He decided to clarify to her something he'd seen that had bothered her, but as he opened his mouth, there was a loud knock on the door. He looked at her, before giving her arm a squeeze. "Stay here. That's probably the rest of our group getting back." He stood to go.
He was right. Carth was standing at the door, reporting they'd made it back, and the kids were looking for their new home assignments. Romulus had talked all of this through with Lear, so he had authority to do it, but he had one question.
He stepped back into the bedroom. "Do you want to sponsor Calvin and Lily? Not adopt them, per se, although Calvin would eventually be your heir, but be their financial sponsor and house them on your new lands? You'd be able to see them regularly, make sure they're getting along just fine, etc." He watched her reaction carefully. She was fully allowed to say no, they had another place for the duo if she refused, but they'd asked about her, and Lear wanted to check.
Elia just curled tighter around Romulus as Lear got up to check on the door. She was fully prepared to throw herself over him and take the brunt of any assault. She wouldn't let anymore harm come to the prince. Not while she was there.
She raised her head to look at Lear, thinking his words over. Then she nodded once. She had no intention of having children of her own. She had been through enough, seen what the world had to offer, and it was no place for a child. She had also seen the horrors of childbirth and decided that was not something she ever wanted to put her or her body through. Her line would end with her, one way or another. Callistars were no longer on the throne. They were no longer of royal blood. It would be best to let her line end with her as it should have all those years ago.
Lear smiled, a genuinely happy smile. The young couple would be very happy to hear her answer.
"I'll let them know." He had a thought, just as he was turning to go. "I'll be gone for a while, I think. If you get bored, or your thoughts grow too dark, my quarters and my library are through that door." He pointed to a door at the back of the Prince's bedroom. "They should still be locked from the outside, but this door is never locked, so feel free to snag a book or several, if you'd like." He gave her another smile, before turning and heading out with Carth. The door clicked locked behind him.
~~~~
30 minutes had passed since Lear left. It had been quite a while since the King had clocked Romulus in the head and laid him out flat.
The Prince finally stirred, and groaned as he began to come awake.
Elia nodded and thanked him. She was too anxious to read but she was happy about the invitation.
She only laid back down. It wasn't a comfortable position but she cared not about such a thing. She wanted to be his first layer of protection should anything happen. She had her temple pressed against his hair. One arm lay across his chest, careful to avoid any large wounds. The other hand was in his hair, brushing it out with her fingers and stroking his head.
She hadn't meant to fall asleep. She had every intention of staying up until the prince finally awoke. But it seemed everything crashed down on her. The effect of being in the palace after all these years. Seeing and caring for the prince. Finding herself a new home. It had exhausted her more than she had realized. She promptly fell asleep shortly after Lear had left the two. Romulus' string and groaning hadn't even awoken her, and she was normally a very light sleeper.
… Where am I…
oh, the Palace… Father was here…
must be why everything hurts…
Lying on something soft… guess I'm in bed?
Something on my chest… a girl, likely…
Anybody I invited in… Elitia…
Romulus was thinking slowly, trying to clear his head. He stopped moving, not wanting to wake Elitia, if that's indeead who it was. He managed to bite back his groans of pain, but he was so incredibly thirsty, there was no going back to sleep.
Elia shifted in her sleep, only to hit her head on the headboard. She woke up with a yelp. She sat up rubbing her head. She didn't notice at first that Romulus was awake. It was only when she looked down at him several moments later that she noticed his eyes were open. "Oh my gods, Romulus!"
She was moving her body so her face would be in his line of sight. Her hand moved to cup his cheek but she quickly retreated it. His face was a swollen mess. She didn't want to accidentally hurt him. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything? I can get a tonic for the pain if that's what you need."
Her words were running a mile a minute, frantic.
Romulus had only managed to get one eye open, but he could see Elitia freaking out. He went to wrap his arms around her, but one of them wouldn't move like he wanted it to. Must be in a cast…
He managed to wrap the arm that was just bruised around her, and pulled her down on top of him in a hug. It hurt, but at the moment, he'd rather have the hug. He tried to hold her close, but his arm wasn't responding well, and there was no power in his grip.
"Hey you…" he said softly, his voice raspy. He'd had a lot of blood run down his throat from his bloodied nose, and it had dried, and now his throat hurt.
He just held her for a moment, before attempting to swallow and failing. "Little water?" He asked. That was what he wanted most just now.
