223 - Sleeping Beauty
Three months.
Three months had passed since Lord Rosil had performed the healing ritual that had cost Valerick his blood and hers.
It had been three months since that had happened, and yet Zezi laid there, her skin drained of its colour, her eyes still closed, and her heart still with no beats.
His fingers combed through her hair as he sat on the floor next to the bed he had laid her upon. There were different scrolls littered on the floor with paintings on them. “I couldn’t find the right shade for the dark blue hue of your hair. If you would open your eyes, Zezi, maybe we can find it together?”
His question was met with silence as usual, tears welled up in his eyes, and a sad smile crossed his lips. “I miss you.”
After the healing ritual, Lord Rosil had been certain that she would wake up soon, that her body would heal in a month, and they would know who had survived. But a month had long passed, although her body had healed, she still hadn’t woken up, and her aura felt completely different. Many had advised Valerick to kill her, certain that his father had been the one to survive instead. But Vakerick did not listen; he kept her in their room and took care of her every day himself.
They all had no faith in her, but he did.
Words rushed out of his mouth, “I will let your people have weapons that can harm us, I will let my people have guns and phones and everything. We can have yearly banquets to celebrate, you can attend the meetings and implement laws, no one wants to harm you anymore, they know you have killed my father and survived, because that is it, because that must be it. My Heartbeat, you must return to me.” He sprang up to his feet, pacing around the room and treading on the paintings as he did. “You have to stop this, you have to wake already, stop sleeping and come back to me already, this is driving me mad!” He crumbled to the bedside, his fingers threading through hers. “There is still so much you have to teach me, there is still so much you want to do. We have so much to do together.”
It wasn’t only the words of those who doubted her that Valerick had to fight, but the nudging bloodoath that he had made to Lord Rosil. She hadn’t summoned it yet, but if she were to— he didn’t want to think about it.
Many things had changed in the Castle between those three months of waiting.
Nicholas had found George and Delice hiding in the walls, they had explained their situation while they begged for mercy. Nicholas had explained what happened while they were in the walls, further proving that what they claimed was true. The one who had killed Aunt Alice was Valerick’s father in Gwen’s body. It was concluded that George was innocent, however, the hybrid that he was remained a strange creature, and he was put under observation while living in a room in the castle. Next to his room was Delice’s, and she stayed there with Mira. Valerick had shown the trio mercy, but that was all because of Zezi; to her, they were family, also he had grown a little fond of Mira.
When George heard of Zezi’s condition, he had been devastated. If Valerick had not ordered him not to see her, stating that his presence – being a creature they had no understanding of - might worsen her situation, he would have gone to her, even if his life were on the line.
It seemed that between her and George, there would always be a bond of family. It was something he understood now, and that was because of Zezi.
Death should have been the punishment for Gwen and Zyon, but he was merciful and, for a crime they couldn’t control, he had put them in the dungeon instead. Mercy was something he had learnt, but his rage still existed, and there were limits to learned habits. If Zezi were to die, he would kill the couple too, and kill anyone who stood in his way. He feared that he would go mad with grief and unleash a reckless slaughter; he might kill everyone, then himself.
He sighed, humming to himself as he tried to find peace, while the black, webby ink crept underneath his skin.
He thought of their bats. Ever since he got to the Castle, he had not asked for them, and when they had been brought to him, he had turned away from them. He failed them as a father even before they were born. Zezi was in this state because he had not been fast enough. The boy had almost died because he had not gotten there in time. If he had been a better King, then he should have noticed the presence of his father long before it became a problem, and he should have killed Gwen. But he was not good enough, and he failed them! He couldn’t even look at them, he couldn’t hold them.
If— no, when— When Zezi wakes up, then he would earn their forgiveness and he he would be able to hold them, look at them and call them his bats.
“Come back to me, come back to us, your Family misses you.”
There was a knock at the door.
“Go away.”
But the door pushed open, and he turned angrily in that direction. He knew who it was that had such audacity to defy his orders that directed everyone not to come to his floor.
“It’s been three months, you need blood,” Nicholas said, coming in with blood bags.”
“Get them out of here at once! I ordered not to be disturbed! Who do you think you are to defy my orders?”
“Your best friend and I refuse to watch you disintegrate into nothing! You look terrible, your hair is a mess, your beard is a jungle, your are bones and whiff of disgust. You don’t bathe no more.
By the Blood, Zezi didn’t die for this!”
He slammed Nicholas into the wall, his grip around his neck tight as his claws dug into his skin. “She is not dead!”
Nicholas smiled sadly, his eyes passing over Valerick’s fading mark, but he made no comment on that. His friend was long gone, swallowed by depression. There had to be some other way to help him. “Alright then, she is not.”
“You believe me?” He arched an eyebrow at him. “Very easily. You take your King for a fool.” He laughed. “A mad idiot.”
“No. Your mark should have faded completely if she is dead, so I believe that.”
A moment of silence passed between them, and Valerick let him go, nodding.
“You want her to come back to you?”
“Of course.”
“Well, she won’t because you are not ready.”
“What?!”
“Many patients do not wake up when those who wait for them are not ready to receive them.”
Valefrick frowned.
“Remember, I am an expert.”
Valerick heaved a sigh. “So is it me?”
Nicholas nodded reluctantly. “To be honest, you really stink, Your Majesty, and you don’t look very inviting. If I were Zezi and this was what I was coming back to, I would never come back at all.”
“By the Blood, is it that horrible?” Valerick rushed to the mirror, staggering back at his reflection. “By the Blood, it is!” This was insane, he had passed by this mirror countless times and ge never saw what a horrible mess it was. “What is that smell?”
“It is you, Your Majesty. This room, too, is too stuffy and—”
“I have been the one stopping her all this while. I will move her out of this room immediately and take a bath.” He wasn’t certain if Nicholas was telling the truth, but he didn’t care. He needed the hope those words gave him. “Will you look after her while I have her out of my sight?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
With that, they moved to another room on the floor, and he freshened up while Nicholas watched her. Valerick had refused to feed, though, and maybe that was good because even though the blood had contained strong sleeping pills, Valerick was different from them, and his body might be able to overcome it, and the blood might work to his favour after all. His weak, unfed self, however, will not be able to stop Lord Rosil from killing Zezi and putting an end to this madness.
It was clear as day that ot was his father who survived. They would not go through the Dark Times again. Nicholas had made arrangements for that. This was all for Valerick and Zezi’s sake. It would haunt Valerick forever if he had to kill anyone in Zezi’s body, and Zezi wouldn’t want the King of the Dark Times surviving in her body.
This was for the best.
So, when Lord Rosil stepped into the room, Nicholas welcomed her silently and turned his back to her, as he kept talking to fool Valerick into a false sense of assurance. If they were all lucky, Lord Rosil would be done with this before Valerick would step out of the bathroom.
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