Behind Those Doors (Pigeon x Silverwyn)

[Silverwyn]

Caelan has once again passed out with his head on the bed at the king's side.

He was woken up by the slight shake of the bed and rose in mild alarm to check on him.

The assassin was a little taken aback to find the king crying. "Your majesty, what's wrong?"

He pressed a hand to Hio's forehead to check his temperature and was relieved to find it was no longer overheated and clammy.

His hand slid down to wipe away the king's tears. "Are you well?"

[Kotorichan]

Hio shook his head as the assassin asked him what was wrong. For the moment it felt like nothing could possible be wrong, he could just forget about all the hardships that were left. He gently held Cael's hand to his cheek, giving the man a shaky smile through his tears. "Y-yes, I feel better than I thought possible... Thank you, thank you so much." His eyes shut as he tried to hold back another round of tears. "I am eternally in your dept, I do not know how I could ever repay you."

[Silverwyn]

Caelan relaxed, letting a small but rare smile grace his lips.

"You already know what you need to do little king. That's all the payment I need, and I'll be right by your side to ensure I get it. But you don't need to worry yourself about that for now. Now that you're past the worst of it, we can relax a little. In theory at least. I don't know what the situation is at the castle. Ideally they think I kill you and tossed you in the river for good measure. No doubt they've sent men downstream to look for you body. My biggest concern though is that I have no idea how long it took them to realize someone escaped out through that passageway or how well the rain covered our tracks. I can only hope there's nothing left for the hounds to pick up."

He sighed and carefully pulled his hand away. "Now that you're doing better, I'll probably need to step out in the next couple days to do some reconnaissance. You however, just need to focus on recovering your strength. Are you in any pain? I can make you a tea to ease it a bit if you like."

[Kotorichan]

"I am in pain... But I would like to experience it as much as possible... It has been far too long since I have been fully grounded in my body. I would like to stay this way as long as possible."

 

Hio let out a soft sigh, the slight smile disappearing from his lips. "But my comfort is of no importance... I do not even know the state of my country, only the orders that I spoke and the papers I signed." His hands clenched into fists as he tried to keep his voice level. "I deserve any pain I am put through. It is an inadequate punishment for my weakness but I will still accept it."

[Silverwyn]

Caelan gave the king a long, considering look before nodding. "If that is how you feel on the matter, I certainly won't dispute it. You should stay in bed for now. A couple more days of recovery should do you well. By then you may be well enough to be up and about. For now, I'll get you something to eat. We'll start with a light broth. If you handle that well I'll give you a bit of bread to try with it and we'll work our way towards heartier foods from there."

 

Walking away, the assassin remained mostly within the bed-ridden king's line of site as he set to work in the small kitchenette.

He'd ventured away from the safe-house only once in the last couple of days. Just long enough to stock the food supply with fresh meat and some wild produce. He'd already made bread and broth, now it was simply a matter of heating the broth up. Later when Hio was sleeping again, he'd use the broth as a base to make himself a heartier soup. Soon as it was clear the king could stomach stronger foods, he'd probably just turn the whole pot of broth into a nice hearty stew.

 

---

 

Over the next couple days, Caelan caught some proper sleep, made sure Hio ate regularly, and provided what assistance he could as needed. The broth became a hearty stew as he'd promised himself, and he'd had to step out to restock again. He waited until the king was well enough to move around on his own, and and heat up and dish his own food before finally setting about arranging his reconnaissance trip.

 

"I'll probably be gone a couple of days. There should be plenty of soup and bread to last you. Just make sure you actually eat. You need it to continue regaining your strength. I'll try to stock up a little while i'm in the city. Whatever you do, don't go outside. If you here any sound out there, be as quiet as possible. This place looks abandoned. As long as nothing catches anyone's attention, no one will pay it much mind."

 

He double checked his disguise and the various weapons he'd hidden about his person. Once he was satisfied, he turned one last time to the king.

"Do you need anything before I go? Or is there anything you need me to bring back for you?"

[Kotorichan]

Hio did his best not to stress himself too much. If he kept worrying then he would be slower to recover. But that didn't prevent the night terrors that haunted him almost nightly. He didn't mention them to Cael, unwilling to let himself worry the other man any more. But the king would constantly be wracked with terrifying visions then awaken paralyzed with fear and panic.

 

During the days he tried to focus on eating and taking rests. But his mind was always trying to come up with ways to fix the damage he had done.

 

He watched as Cael prepared to leave for a few days, unable to shake his unease. "I think I have everything. All I need is some news of what has been happening out there. But you do not need to bring anything back if it is too much trouble, just tell me what you see please." He bit his lip lightly before bowing deeply. "I know I have said this before, but I truly cannot thank you enough for what you have done. If there is any trouble I would not blame you for escaping with your life."

[Silverwyn]

Caelan gave him a wry glance, feeling rather bemused by the display.

"That's all fine and well to say my king. But you can be sure I'll be back. You won't be getting rid of me that easily. And I certainly won't be putting my own life over yours. You're the one with the power to fix this Country. I'm merely your dagger. Please remember that. And with that in mind, isn't it a bit odd for the king to be bowing to a mere dagger? Let's not make a habit of it yeah?"

He smiled a little fondly at the man.

"I won't be gone long. Take care of yourself. You've still got to ask me my name again, remember?"

Not giving Hio a chance to respond, he disappeared through the trapdoor, taking extra care to make sure all signs of having been in the area were gone before he headed for the city.

 

Things were oddly quiet on the surface when he arrived. People were going on as though nothing had happened. He soon figured out it was because somehow word about the King's disappearance and possible death hadn't gotten out.

Peeling back the layers, there were hopeful whispers of the king being bed-ridden with serious illness. The poor, ignorant masses still had vain hopes that the king's death would mark the end of their suffering.

 

It was a lot harder getting information about the movements about the castle. It turned out he was right about men being sent down the river to look for the king's body. Caelan knew that at best they'd find his bloody shredded nightclothes.

There was no indication that they'd noticed his escape through the hidden passageway yet.

His absence in conjunction with the bloody mess left behind in the King's chambers hadn't been missed by the brotherhood however. He was now fair game to every assassin in the city, with the added incentive of a hefty bounty.

 

For his outing, Caelan had washed the darkening agents from his hair, returning to his natural honey blonde color. It was a color that few in the brotherhood had seen on him, and those were only the few who'd known him as a child. He'd chosen a rather flashy disguise, one that was very much the opposite of his usual self, and it had allowed him to travel about his business fairly unrecognized.

 

Trouble only came late on the second day, just as he was about to head back out of the city.

People had taken note of the flashy stranger's interest in the gossip of the palace and the brotherhood. And word had made it to the wrong ears, sparking suspicions that had inevitably lead to confrontation.

It was a close call for Caelan.

He barely escaped the confrontation with his life if he was being honest with himself. Not that he'd ever admit it to anyone. He had no choice but to lie low, nursing his wounds as best he could for a couple more days before finally managed to slip out of the city and make his careful way back to the safe-house.

He'd been gone almost five days by the time he finally stumbled down through the trapdoor, pale as a sheet from blood loss and feverish. He collapsed to his knees as soon as his feet hit the ground, unable to even close the entrance back up. He was bleeding again, his chest wound had opened as he'd pushed himself to get to the safe-house.

 

 

 

[Kotorichan]

Hio had no idea how many days passed by in the basement. By the second day he felt as though he was losing his mind. His mental state was so weak that he was losing track of what was real and what wasn't. He would often see figures out of the corner of his eye or hear voices behind him, but there was never actually anyone there. Although he could never be sure about the sounds he heard outside of the bunker. Time and time again he would cower under the bed, hoping that it was only his imagination.

 

By the fourth day he was barely eating, fighting the belief that the shadowy figures were drugging his food whenever he looked away.

 

When Cael finally returned Hio was cowering under the bed, his arms showing fresh cuts mixed with the scabs. It took him a few moments to recognize the man who fell down through the trapdoor. When he did he hesitantly crawled out into the open, his eyes wide. “C-Cael..?”

He tried to push down his worries that this might not even be real and crouched by the man’s side, reaching out to touch his cheek. “W-what happened?” The king bit his lip, realizing that Cael was in no condition to explain.

 

“Just h-hang in there.” He rose to his feet and quickly closed the trap door before gathering supplies to treat the man’s wound, his mind racing in pure panic.

[Silverwyn]

Caelan couldn't help but laugh at the question despite the pain.

"Sorry... Got a little careless."

He sat a moment, breathing carefully as he caught his breath. Then taking a careful breath, he stood up. He winced a little as the world spun, and was rather unsteady on his feet as he moved to sit properly on a chair and began removing his clothing until he sat bare chested, frowning down at the bloody bandages. He'd been lucky he hadn't pierced his heart, or a lung. There would have been nothing he could do for himself in that situation. His usually steady hands shook as he removed the bandages.

 

He appreciated that the king was gathering the supplies he needed to tend to his wounds, but he knew the king's first aid knowledge probably wasn't much. He also knew he himself was barely conscious and would have no choice but to rely on the king's aid.

"Clean ...cloth..hot water then... hot blade...cauterize..." He tried to explain. It would be a world of pain for him, but burning the wound shut to prevent further bleeding was probably his best shot in the absence of a proper physician.

[Kotorichan]

"R-right." Hio tried not to shudder at the idea. It sounded horribly painful. He put a pot of water on the stove and grabbed a knife, resting the blade against another burner. As he waited for the water to boil Hio found a large piece of clean cloth and brought it to the man's side. "I am sorry, I do not know much about treating wounds." He helped the man remove the remaining bandages, his hands trembling. "I never imagined it would be so crucial..."

 

He quickly pulled away to check on the water. "I think this is ready..." The king brought over the pot of boiling water. "Um, t-the knife is red hot. S-should I use the water to clean the wound first?"

[Silverwyn]

Caelan nodded just enough to answer the question.

As the king washed the wound, Caelan raised a shakey hand to point toward one of the cabinets. "Burn cream.. Use.. after.. Then wrap.. clean bandage."

By the time the wound was cauterized he knew he wouldn't be conscious. He was barely cohesive as it was. Damn fever.

"Fever... cool cloth...tea.."

Fortunately everything was clearly labeled. Hio shouldn't have trouble finding what he needed despite the minimal direction.

[Kotorichan]

Hio bit his lip as he started to clean the wound, trying not to tremble at the sight of all the blood. "I-I understand." He replied to the other's words. "You... If you can then you should allow yourself to pass out. It would spare you a lot of pain." The king's words were from experience, fainting was often the only way he could bear his own suffering.

 

Once the wound was clean Hio stood and retrieved the knife, holding the handle carefully as he walked over. He took a deep breath and crouched before the man. "Are you ready..?" The question was not only aimed at Hio, but also himself. Be wasn't entirely sure if was prepared to do this. But he had to be. There was no choice.

[Silverwyn]

Caelen grabbed a wad of cloth to bite down on before he nodded. It kept him from grinding his teeth together and as the red blade was pressed to his wound he bit down hard, but made no sound. Before long he really had passed out. He slumped unconsciously against the king.

[Kotorichan]

Hio took another deep breath before pressing it to the wound. The hissing sound that emitted made the king's stomach turn. He wanted to stop right away, it seemed too painful. But he couldn't stop, he had to do this. He moved as quickly as he could, not wanting the blade to cool down.

Finally he was done and he tossed the knife to the side, his body shaking. "B-burn cream..." He mumbled, propping the man against the wall before pulling away. He returned and gingerly applied the cream then wrapped him with bandages.

Still shaking he brought a few blankets and a pillow over which he helped Cael lay down upon. He felt tears burning his eyes as he lightly touched the man's cheek. "P-please be okay..."

[Silverwyn]

Caelan had a pretty high fever, it lasted well into the next day before it finally broke. When he woke up though, his head was clear and he knew he was over the worst of it. From that point as long as he properly cared for his wound, he would be fine. He sat up slowly to look around, looking for Hio.

[Kotorichan]

Hio spent his time caring for Cael, doing his best to take care of the man despite his limited knowledge on first aid. He ended up falling asleep on the floor next to the man. His body shook slightly from his nightmares, his face wet with tears. In his dreams the trapdoor opened to have Cael's corpse thrown down by men who then came in to drug Hio again and take him away. The scene replayed over and over with slight differences.

[Silverwyn]

Caelan spotted the king beside him and almost let him sleep, but then he realized the man was having a nightmare and reached over to shake him awake. "His. Wake up. It's just a nightmare. You're okay."

[Kotorichan]

Hio awake with a cry of fear, jolting upright. For a few moments he looked around, gasping for breath. "A-ah... Cael..." Without thinking he pulled the other man into a gentle hug, pressing his face into the other's shoulder. "Y-you're okay... I dreamed... I dreamed that you..." He hiccuped softly, trying not to cry.

[Silverwyn]

"Of course I'm okay." The assassin responded, awkwardly resting what he hoped was a comforting hand on the King's back.

"We're both okay."

He sighed and shifted a little so he wasn't putting as much strain on his wound.

"And I won't be leaving your side again for a while. We've both got to recover now. And eventually once you're well enough, you'll return to the castle with me at your side and I'll do your dirty work as we set things right."

[Kotorichan]

Hio lightly bit his lip and looked away. "Cael... What if you were wrong about me? Of course I will try my best to fix the damage I have done. But what if I am not as capable as you seem to think? I have no experience and not even as much training as I should have had..." He paused for a moment. "I... I would not mind just appointing a proper successor and then... Dying..." His voice shook slightly. "But I do not know who I could trust to do such a thing."

[Silverwyn]

Caelan shook his head. "You don't need to worry yourself with any of that. Your life belongs to me. Only I can decide when you die and I'm here to make sure things get fixed. It doesn't matter if you think you'll be a good king. Right now, with me by your side you can't go wrong. Nothing you can do right now can make things worse so you have plenty of time to grow and learn. There's plenty of time to worry about successors and replacing you later if it becomes apparent you're no longer any good for this kingdom. But for now I won't let you go wrong."

 

The assassin pushed the king off of himself enough to look him in the eye. "I may have said you're the hand that wields me. But you belong to me poor king. And I won't let you forget that."

[Kotorichan]

Hio had to blink back tears at the man's words. It was somehow comforting to know that there was no way for him to ruin this. He just wanted to feel like everything was okay for once. His eyes closed and he lightly pressed his forehead to the assassin's chest. "Thank you Cael... I really do feel as if I was visited by an angel that night." His eyes opened again and he looked up at the man. "Ah... That reminds me. Can I ask for your name now?"

[Silverwyn]

Caelan laughed. "The only sort of angel I am, is an angel of death. And I don't know I'd call myself even that. My name is Caelan Coll your majesty. You may have heard boogey stories of my father Caedan Coll. 'The shadow man' I believe is what they called him. He was often used to scare children into behaving. Although I think he was probably far more frightful as the shadow man than the living will ever know. Even i only ever got a glimpse, and that was more than most people lived to see. In any case, he's dead now. Though no doubt he still haunts the dreams of many children. You can continue to call me Cael if you like. Or you can give me a new name entirely. Best not to use my full name when we return to the palace however. I'm afraid I've made myself public enemy no.1. At least among those in favor of your tyrannical puppet reign. Unfortunately that includes most of the brotherhood."

He smiled wryly. "They're thoroughly convinced I killed you and sent your body down the river. They're hard pressed to find your body. But as of three days ago, very little of what had happened had reached the general public. For whatever reason they're suppressing information until they have a body. I wonder what they'll do once they're forced to give up on finding it..." he mused.

[Kotorichan]

"Shadow man... I believe I have heard that name before, but it was so long ago..." Hio frowned deeply. "My memories are somewhat fuzzy... I hope that they will clear soon." He perked up slightly at the mention of returning to the palace. "Ah, of course. I will continue to call you Cael if you don't mind. But I did want to know your name... And even if you do not believe this, I will always think of you as my angel." He laughed softly, brushing his hair back.

 

The frown returned as he heard that there was not much news about his disappearance. "Why would the-" He cut himself off, his eyes growing wide. "Ah! I am such an idiot!" He cried, smacking himself on the forehead. "Of course they would try to hide it. It would be so much easier to simply find someone who likes like me and pretend nothing ever happened then it would be to allow the next in line to take the throne and have to figure out a way to control them."

[Silverwyn]

Caelan considered it. "Indeed, that seems like a very likely scenario. It also works in our favor. I think I'll improve upon the look of the disguise I used when I went to the city. I'll go by the name Caelendial. You calling me Cael for short will only seem natural. To others it will appear as though I am a pretty face you like to keep close. Perhaps we'll even let it be known that It was thanks to my assistance that you were finally able to free yourself of the council's strings and I am the one person you trust. A few of the brotherhood will likely recognize me for who and what I am. But no one else will ever even guess i'm the angel of death you're punishing them with."

Caelan grinned. "I rather look forward to seeing the looks on your council's faces when they're confronted by the ghost they'll assume you to be."