Heavy is the Head that Wears the Solemn Crown

Epilogue - Death and His Brother

Wilbur

She stands in the gardens, on a track of land smoothed over by loose gravel and packed dirt. On the opposing side of the track, a rather small circle made from mesh hangs tightly across a wooden easel, painted with hollow white and red circles but a full one in the middle. She wears white, as well, but she compliments her shirt with black high-waisted pants instead of red ones. Her hair, too, is as white as the clouds above, pulled back into a high ponytail. Her eyes shift with a cool yellow color, glowing with precision as she stares down the target. She shifts her body, pulling back on the string of her bow. The arrow's point gleams in the sunlight as she aims it. Her eyes narrow, and suddenly there is a release. As the arrow snaps forward, the bowstring snaps back. Luckily, she wears an arm guard and bracer to protect her thick clothing and fragile skin. The arrow lands in the center circle, cutting through with ease.

"What are you looking at?" A voice calls from behind Wilbur. He turns his attention away from the window to discover that the companion he has been waiting on to awaken finally has. Techno's piercing red eyes reflect back all the light in the small candle at his bedside, making him look inhuman in the darkness. He attempts to sit up, but he winces, lowering himself back against the many pillows trying to support his upper body.

Wilbur smiles gently as he stands up from the cushioned chair. He reaches over to take the damp towel off of Techno's forehead. He dabs it in a basin of water kept magically cool. After wringing the towel out, he places it back on Techno's forehead. All the while, he speaks, "I was watching Shubble. She has taken a liking to archery. It makes her feel closer to Lilka which in turn makes her feel closer to her gnomish heritage. She won't say this out loud, but I can tell that what she's really looking for is a productive way to spend her time. We're all floundering out here."

Techno winces again. Wilbur dares not speak about it. In all the time Wilbur has spent at this bedside, Techno has professed time and time again that he is fine. Remarkably, the poison is not progressing as quickly as it did in their first lives, which means Techno has a few more months ahead of him. Unfortunately, slow does not mean stagnant. Wilbur has looked at the wound many times to know that it is progressing and it is painful, regardless of what nonsensical standards Techno is holding himself to. Wilbur is afraid to admit that Techno's strong facade might entirely be his fault. Techno must know that Wilbur would be absolutely crushed if he were faced with the truth. The one thing keeping Wilbur going is that even if Techno dies, he will be reborn. Wilbur will scour all the nations to find Techno again. Hopefully, he will do so before...

"You're thinking about him again," Techno points out. Wilbur forces his face to relax. His eyes burn with the intention to cry, but no tears linger at the edges of his vision. He has given up on the useless pastime called crying. It brings him no closer to clarity or emotional stability. His expressions, however, could still use some work. Apparently, he always gets a particular face when thinking about certain subjects. Most of them are natural. This one, Wilbur wishes to get rid of.

"How can I not when I'm treating your wound?" Wilbur snaps, gesturing towards the blankets. Underneath, Wilbur can practically see the glowing purple cracks appearing across the skin like Kristin's Touch of Death. The memories associated with the color and shapes hurt his heart, but the fact that Techno is dying from Taint in this life- like their first- is disheartening. Wilbur can feel the phantom pains of what he went through. They linger across his body, never diminishing.

"He didn't mean it," Techno assures Wilbur as if the king doesn't already know. If a soul is lost- even temporarily like Tommy's was- parts of it chisel away. Even worse, Tommy was brought back by a champion of the goddess of chaos. Wilbur has done his research, and while she isn't an inherently evil goddess, she doesn't exactly stand for peace and virtue, either. Tommy has full access to his godhood and his memories, but he lacks the emotional depth to understand it all. He's a hollow husk acting on the real Tommy's watered down instincts. Wilbur wishes he could see Tommy again. He doesn't know if he'll be able to do anything, but he can try using his domain.