Illius

By the time that I finish with Duke Adolphus, I find myself catching a stumble as I ascend the Dungeon stairs, exhausted by the events that took place. As it turns out, there was not much more to learn. As Sandy had already deduced from the brief interaction he had with Adolphus earlier in the day, he was responsible for Mabon's betrayal, but there seems to be no one else in the castle who effectively turned against my Prince by the silver tongue of the Duke. I am quite certain that he would not dare tell a lie at the moment he confessed everything to me. Considering he could not even control his blatter, he certainly could not manage to hold a thought long enough to concoct one of his infamous fibs.

My silent arrival startles Talon, who waits outside of the door. He jumps in surprise when I force the swollen door open but quickly recovers from it, coaching his face into a neutral expression upon seeing me. He, along with the rest of my Guard, are quite used to my cat-like footsteps, though their reactions have yet to cease entertaining me. 

Talon has changed into a fresh uniform and the crust of dirt is scrubbed from his face. He managed the time to shave the stubble from his jaw, however, his brown eyes are still shadowed with clear exhaustion. I hate to send him back into the depths of the putrid Dungeon, even if it will be worlds more silent than it was before. I am not certain when the prisoners will gain the courage to speak again, to each other or otherwise. 

The ponderous Guardsmen looks me up and down as if searching for an injury. He knows better than to ask what went on in his absence, though the curiosity arches his brow and reflects in his eyes. "You look abysmal, Captain." He states matter-of-factly, taking his position beside the doorframe back.

I offer a weakened smile, drawing as much strength from it as possible. The light that shines into the corridor from the row of windows chases away what residual darkness lurks inside of my veins, and I soak it in like a plant. "Thank you, Talon," I wedge the water-logged door shut behind me, though it does little to seal the stench into the stairwell. "There is no need to go back down until meal time, they are no threat. You may stay on the upper level to keep watch for intruding visitors until Suilain comes to relieve you."

Talon's thick brows raise together for a moment, and he glances at the door behind my shoulder as if he can see down to the prisoners to glimpse their condition for himself. He gives a slow nod and drags his gaze back to my face, doing his best to control an uneasy expression. I can see the thought flicker across his mouth, drawing it into a tight line; I truly am a danger without Alex to pacify me.

I smile more fully at the thought and hand the whip back to Talon. He inspects its tail for a long moment, no doubt searching for crimson stains on the dark leather. He will find none, but I say nothing of it, allowing him to draw his own observations.

"I will be going now. Keep up the superb work, Talon." I pat his shoulder and turn to leave.

"To you, as well, Captain." He gives a respectful nod as I walk away, though I can feel his stare boring into my back as I disappear down the hall.

 On my way back to the Royal chambers, a voice calls out to me from a room I've just passed. I turn around, expecting to see Abby waving after me, so I am surprised to discover Bellamy on his way out of the Library. 

My expression visibly darkens. I did not want to deal with Abigor, but he would be a preferred disturbance over the foreign Prince. I do not stop walking, though slow my pace well enough for him to catch up to my strides. If he would like to converse with me, he will have to do it while we walk. I have already been away from Sandy for too long; he could wake up at any moment and he will not be happy to discover that I am missing. I do not wish to go into detail to explain what I was doing in the absence.

"Hello there," Bellamy repeats, unhappy to have had to jog to catch up to me, but not sounding unfriendly. "You must not have heard me the first time." Beneath the cheer, there is a strain in his tone.

"Hello," I feign politeness, though I am growing annoyed very quickly at his equally fake voice. He may believe that he is doing well at making it, but there is nothing but miserly intent beneath the unconvincing smile on his face. 

"I am afraid that I have yet to catch your name. You are Alexader's Captain, yes?" Bellamy keeps pace with me, his legs easily keeping stride with mine. 

I slide a sideways look, giving him a quick once-over as I offer my curt response. "Illius."  

For some odd reason, Bellamy sounds amused as he repeats it. "Illius. How unique." 

I finally stop walking, turning to fully face the irritating man. I do not bother restraining most of my indignation, making it plain on my face. "May I assist you with something? Otherwise, I really must be going." 

Bellamy holds a palm up in defense at the sharp steel in my voice, though his faux smile does not leave his mouth. "I mean no offense, Illius." Now that we stand side-by-side, I realize that he is nearly the same height as Sandy, about eye-level with my nose. He tilts his head back just enough to make eye contact, allowing me to see the lack of friendliness in them, despite what the shape of his lips suggests. "You really have eyes for no one else, do you?" 

I narrow my eyes, dropping my good manners completely. It is rare for someone to vex me enough to lose it, however, a guest has their limitations and he has been outrun by luck. "I beg your pardon?" 

Instead of answering me, he smiles innocently into my face as he holds my gaze, eyes glinting. "You have rather interesting eyes. Where did he find you?" 

Assuming that he insinuates I am some sort of slave or pet to Sandy, I bristle. It would not be the first time that someone suggested such a thing since I have an appearance unique to this Kingdom. The occasional high-class person mistakes Sandy and I's relationship to be that of Master and Servant, though it has been a few months since the slip was made. I make my offense to the racist comment apparent and begin to walk away, my lip lifting in disgust. 

Bellamy laughs infuriatingly at my reaction and continues to follow me, like an unwanted stray. "I do not mean to insult you. Do you really have no memory of it?" 

"Memory of what?" I snap, keeping my attention forward as I mount the stairs to the second floor. His inquiries are growing more and more strange and unsettling, and it is difficult for me to see through them. Is he doing this to make me wary of him? "I was brought here as an infant. There is nothing to remember." 

The amusement in the Prince's voice suddenly disappears as he seems to realize that I am not playing coy, and have genuinely no clue as to what he is speaking about. His tone is flat as if the toy he had been playing with has suddenly broken. "Is that so? So you truly have no idea then, do you?" 

My expression takes on a scowl as I try to discern his words, long since having tired of his game. "I have not idea what you are talking about."

Bellamy sighs, pulling me to a stop halfway up the staircase. He looks behind us to see if anyone else is around before continuing, his expression suggesting that I am foolishly overlooking something that should be obvious. "You surely do not consider your relationship with Alexander normal. Have you really never considered why?"

I narrow my eyes and shake my arm from his grasp. "You are making no sense. We were raised as brothers, there is nothing wrong with feeling the need to protect him. He also saved my life, so it is completely instinctive." 

Bellamy looks at the ceiling, seeming to check his temper. I find it ironic but hold my tongue against the sharp words on the tip of it. I have already done enough damage for one day, as the ache in my bones reminds me. I will the swelling darkness in my chest away. I need to get back to Sandy, I think, flexing my sore, burning fingers. 

 Eventually, Bellamy releases a sigh and fixes me with a collected gaze. "Right, then. You have no knowledge of anything, and Alexander clearly does not, either," His tone insinuates that we are both idiots for missing something, though he chooses to keep the answer to himself. "Ask whoever brought you to the castle how they found you."

More confused than have ever been, I turn to watch Bellamy turn and descend the stairs. Even after he is gone, I continue to stare after him as I try to make sense of his strange words. I have noticed the curious looks that his sister and he have been directing to me since their arrival, though I did not consider anything of it. I am no stranger to being stared at since many people are interested in my appearance, so I took their looks for the typical gaping and thought nothing of it. It would seem that I was wrong, though I still cannot figure out how. I do not see what sort of riddle this conversation was composing, but for the moment I cast it aside and continue my ascent to Sandy. The darkness in my bones burns.

-

Alexander

When I wake up, the room is dark. Sweat clings to my skin and my breathing is rapid, evidence of the dream I had just had. A cough makes my chest ache as I sit up, letting the covers drop from my shoulders. 

"Did you have a nightmare?" Illius' unreserved voice is comforting against the beating in my ears, smoothing it into something less deafening. The pounding in my temples is suddenly lessened by my change in focus.

I take a deep breath, slowing my galloping heart and controlling the itch in my lungs. "Not a bad one." I am pleased to hear the tremor missing from my voice, despite the shaking of my hands. I bury them into Sage's shoulders, refusing to acknowledge them until they behave.

Illius leans forward in his chair, tilting his head to one side with curiosity as he watches me. He keeps a wary eye on my face, apparently having noted the cough that surfaced with my startle and searches me for telling symptoms of another attack. "What was it about?" 

I fix him with my gaze, letting them adjust to the dim lighting. His eyes seem to glow like liquid silver despite the lack of light in the room, but they reassure me with their familiarity. They remind me of a feline's at night, reflecting eerily off of torchlight. "You."

Illius' smile is teasing as he reaches beside him to pour a glass of water from the bedside table. He hands it to me and watches me take a drink before speaking, his voice like the tinkling of small bells. "I would be flattered if you were not so upset because of it. What did I do?"

The cool water trickles down my throat, landing into my empty stomach the way that a waterfall cascades into a shallow pool. I drain the rest of the cup before handing it back to Illius, trying to recall the dream while I drained it. Distorted pictures are all that remain of it, while the rest has scattered like burnt offerings in the wind. "I am not sure. Your face was different..." My brow furrows thoughtfully as I frown into the dimly lit room, then correct myself. "No, you were different. You were angry at someone, but it was not me. I'm not certain, it is mostly gone now."

"Ah, that is quite remarkable," Illius says with an easy smile. His skin looks paler than usual in the shaded room, almost the same color as his hair. I decide it is because of the lighting, or lack thereof. "Your mind must be such an adventurous place, always coming up with something interesting to think about. How are you feeling?" He changes the subject, but since his voice is as smooth and nonchalant as usual, I quickly dismiss it and follow along.

Holding my hands out between us, I show Illius their steadiness as if to prove something. I pat Sage's head and toss the blankets aside, scooting to the side of the bed to sit on the edge of it closest to Illius to get a better view of him. "Fine. How long have I been asleep?" 

Illius leans back and drums his finger on the arm of his chair thoughtfully. "Hmm, I've lost count of the days. Perhaps five."

I cannot help but snicker at his teasing. "You cannot count past five? For shame, Illius." 

Our soft laughter fills the quiet room, and for a moment we are children again. More often than not, we were so loud at night that maids would have to come and hush us, only to have to come back to repeat themselves every five minutes or so. We used to laugh so easily, finding the silliest things to entertain ourselves with. I am grateful for those memories, especially when I need good things to focus on in my older years. 

The present, however, is a jealous mistress. It does not take long for me to sober. My eyes flicker to my Captain's clean shirt, noticing the white tunics saliva free replacement. He left at some point while I was asleep, no telling for how long. "What of our guests? I see that you went to your room to change. Have you checked on them?" 

Illius glances down at his clean, navy colored tunic, seeming to forget about it. "Oh, I did, yes. I met Prince Bellamy for a moment upon my return, but I was in a hurry to get back to you. He seems to be settling in nicely." 

I accept this with a nod and stand to change my own clothes. They still reek of the Dungeon, but I was so exhausted that I fell asleep before discarding them. Illius raises from his chair to poke about the fireplace, keeping his back to me as I rummage through a wardrobe in the opposite corner of the room.

"I suppose it would only be proper to eat dinner with them. They are guests, after all." My stomach burns with emptiness, reminding me that I have neglected to feed it anything all day. The thought of food allows the heat to leap into my chest, threatening to claw at my throat. I swallow hard and take my change of clothing with me behind a privacy screen. Sage follows me, unwilling to have me out of her sight for even a moment. 

I hear the acrimony in Illius' voice from across the room as I tug the soiled tunic over my head. "It would only be polite." 

After changing out every item of clothing that was on my body, I emerge from behind the screen to get a look at his face. Considering that he was the one questioning my feelings towards our guests this morning, I find it strange that our positions have suddenly changed. "Is something the matter?"

Illius' back is to me as tosses another log into the fire and jabs at it with the poker in his hand. The outline of his shoulders displays tension, but he wipes his expression off in the crook of his elbow as if it were a splatter of mud before turning to face me. He must be able to feel my eyes on him, knowing that I am analyzing him, so he also eases his shoulders from his jaw, forcing the agitation from his muscles. He shows me a half-hearted smile in place of whatever was present on his face before, swapping it without missing a beat. "I simply dislike that Prince's attitude towards you. I wish you would set him in line. He makes me irate."

I shake my head as I begin to lace up the collar of my clean shirt, acting as though I did not notice the subtle mask change. Secretly, a muscle in my jaw jumps at his telling body language. He is hiding something, even though what he says seems to be the truth. However, I feel that there is more to the story than what he is letting on. "What exactly happened between you two? You seemed fine enough with him this morning." 

I could have sworn that his jaw was set, though when he turns to face me more fully, his smile is painless. His voice does not reveal anything, either. It makes me more suspicious than if he was not pretending that everything is alright. "He is just a vexing personality. He acts like a stereotypical Prince and I do not appreciate the way that he treats you." 

I accept his answer, force my coiled muscles to unclench and decide to let the rest of the truth slide. Whatever is bothering Illius more outright than Bellamy's disrespect, he will tell it all to me whenever he feels ready. Knowing him as I do, I have little doubt that he is trying to protect me from something, even if it is something that I am quite capable of handling. 

 Once when we were children, Illius was playing with a wooden toy of mine and managed to break the leg off of the figurine horse. He knew that it was one of my favorite playthings, so instead of telling me right away, he hid it in his bedchamber and let me believe that it was lost. He waited several months until he was miraculously able to carve a replica of the broken toy before finally telling me what happened to the old one upon its presentation. He braced for my anger but was greeted by delighted laughter instead. The new horse that he carved in place of the one he had broken looked far better than the original, and I liked it so much more than before. 

Though he has never once lied to me, my Captain has a way of offering half-truths in lieu of the whole one. If I ask him outright what made him so upset in a way that is devoid of loopholes, he will tell me. He is not keeping secrets to harm me, so I smother my offense. When he does choose to enlighten me, if I have not already discovered the whole of it by myself before then, I will make a point of displaying my displeasure at his act in a way that makes him regret ever performing it.

I manage a snicker as I cross the room to open the curtains, leaving the partial veracity be until Illius is prepared to uncover it more fully, putting more faith in him that I ever have with anyone else. Hopefully, he is aware of it. "Lucky for me that I am not as conventional of a Prince." 

"Lucky, indeed," Illius remarks, setting the fire poker aside. His smile is jesting as he comes to poke me playfully in the side, every trace of agitation melting away. He is grateful that I decide not to press the truth from him like water from cloth, telling by the relief in his voice. He had noticed my observation, after all. "How dull you would be. I may have to find a new trinket to amuse me."  

The light that pours into the room from outside says that it is early evening. My stomach growls loudly in the silence that I leave, making Illius laugh in surprise. 

"I tried to get you to eat breakfast. Shall we extended them your invitation to dinner?" His tone is doting, despite the scolding nature of his words. He ruffles the curls on my head gently and lets me lead the way out the door. 

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