A Delicate Balance

Prologue: Aftermath

I patrolled the hallway with my brother, sword in hand, wondering what had happened.

I'd never seen the king so distressed, and I could've sworn there was blood on his hands.

Bdubs, one of the kings two advisors, was by the door to the kings room, and he looked deeply worried, his face rather pale.

The door opened, and the king poked his head out, his face ashen. "Fetch them, I can't stop it." There was definitely blood on his hands, an odd look in his eyes.

Had there been an attack?

On who?

Bdubs nodded, and quickly zipped down the hall, my brother moving to follow him.

I sighed, before leaning by the door, very much on edge. I could see the rays of dawn by the window, and I vaguely remembered hearing loud howls in the night, but that was normal on the full moon, and likely just the hunting dogs.

Though... they had seemed louder than usual, more violent... I was probably just imagining that from being on shift all night again.

I looked up as Bdubs and Hels returned, a pair of healers right behind them, their blue robes clinging tightly to their thin forms.

Bdubs opened the door just enough for them to slip in, and I saw a glimpse of the other advisor on a table, the king desperately pushing his cloak against his face, scarlet blood dripping to the floor.

Maybe he'd hit his head on something sharp?

No, he'd be too short for that to be plausible.

I sighed, and resolved to just wait outside and do my duty.

It had been a few minutes, and the door finally opened, the exhausted king stepping out, missing his cloak.

By then, my brother had already headed off to guard his bed, as he'd always said, leaving me alone with a hyperventilating Bdubs.

I'd never got why he preferred the night shifts.

Bdubs moved to his side, looking worried. "Is he— did you...?" He started to ask, obviously scared of the possible answer.

He shook his head. "No, he'll be fine, but it may take a while for him to recover." The king responded.

Bdubs sighed in relief, before glancing at me with a guarded expression. "Well, what do the healers think?"

"I don't know. I didn't state the cause, and it would be hard to pick out the real cause. I just hope he doesn't blame me." The king sighed, rubbing his eyes.

I raised an eyebrow, glancing between them, but didn't say anything. It wasn't supposed to be my business anyways.

After another minute, one of the healers left, whispering something to the king, before heading back from where they'd come, their pace less urgent than before.

The king sighed, before turning to me. "Wels, can I trust you?" He asked, sounding grave.

I nodded. "Of course, m'lord."

He opened the door again, and led me and Bdubs in. "I need you to stand guard over my advisor until he can be moved to the medical wing." He ordered.

I nodded, and stood by, watching the healer as she carefully applied bandages to the advisor's face.

I got a glimpse of the wounds, and saw it was a few deep gashes on his face, almost like claw marks...

What had happened?

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Word Count: 543