We The Kings: Book Two

Chapter 33

"Orion! Are you alright?" I dropped to my knees to be with him at his level. He let out a cough, spewing blood out with it. He slowly nodded. Words were incapable of coming out.

I rose back to my feet to deal with his abusers.

"What the FUCK do you think you were doing? Why did you hurt him?"

"We heard who he is, your majesty. He's the Vendov's boy, good for nothing scum."

"He's an ally. He's here to help us." I defended.

"That's a god damn lie and you know it. He's going to get us all killed. He's obviously working for his father!"

"He's going to betray us!" Said another man.

"Listen to me very carefully, I am not going to say it twice. Orion has come to help us as an ally. I believe him, as does my wife. By attacking an ally, you aren't only attacking him, but the crown of Lafayette AND Belmonte. Do not be an enemy of us, especially while you are in our home. Do you understand?" I shouted at them.

They fearfully nodded.

"Your majesty, we were just trying to help."

"Do not hurt anyone like this again without my permission. And if you attack Orion like this again, I will treat you like an enemy. Enemies of Lafayette DO NOT get to keep their heads. Understand?"

They nodded once more.

"Now go. Get out of my sight."

They scurried off to the castle like a small heard of scared rats.

I squatted down to Orion.

"I'm sorry that they did this to you." I gently touched his face. He winced in pain and was barley conscious. I scooped him in my arms and carried him back to the castle.

I took him to the tub in my chambers. His clothes were filthy, covered in blood and dirt.

"I'll have someone begin to boil water for a hot bath. I have clean clothes for you." I told him.

I took a cloth and began to gently wiped the blood off his face. He flinched as the cloth grazed his bruised face.

One of the few servants began to fill the tub with hot water.

"Is anything broken?" I asked him.

"Just my nose, I think." He wheezed his words out.

I helped him peel his dirty clothes off and prepared him for the tub.

"You don't have to help me. I'm fine." He wheezed once more.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before, remember?" I said to him as I removed his dirty shirt.

I helped him in the tub. The light, soapy water quickly darkened with dirt and blood. I began to rinse the blood off him. He moaned in pain with every sharp movement.

"I will not let this happen again. You have my word." I told him as I gently stroked his arm with a wet cloth. His scars ran down his entire body.

"I understand why they did it." He said with his head down.

"What?"

"My father did horrible things to them. I would want revenge too."

"You aren't like your father. You've more than proven that you're here to help. Let me know immediately if anything like this happens again. It will be stopped. We cannot have violence within ourselves before we've started the war."

"Let them take their anger out on me. It's deserved."

I gently put my fingers on his chin and pulled his eyes up to mine. His dark eyes shined in the candle lit room.