They spent countless hours in the medical room, waiting and praying for Iciro to regain consciousness. Telemachus remained steadfast by his side, while Dimidius sat quietly at the foot of the bed. Hermes, standing by the window, silently berated himself for breaking a promise to someone he cherished.
"Please wake up soon..." Telemachus begged.
The room was filled with a heavy silence, everyone deeply affected by seeing Iciro in such a state. Dimidius began to worry that Antinous's words might be true. But then, breaking the silence:
"How did I... end up here?"
All eyes turned to Iciro, who was now awake and surprisingly alert.
"Indi... Indi, what happened? Are you okay?" Dimidius asked, quickly rising to his feet.
"Yes... I'm alright," Iciro replied softly.
He glanced around the room, seeing Dimidius standing to his right, Telemachus to his left, and Hermes moving from the window to the foot of the bed.
"Did you all bring me here?" He asked.
"No...Eurycleia did. And just in time too." Hermes replied.
"Oh...well thank goodness she-"
"What made you do that?" Telemachus interrupted.
Iciro glanced at Telemachus. Initially puzzled, he soon understood what Telemachus was trying to convey.
"He wanted me to do something for him... I refused, and he got upset—"
"There's more to it than that!" Telemachus shouted.
His voice wasn't filled with anger or frustration towards Iciro. It was laced with fear, confusion, and concern for his well-being.
"He wanted me to let him into your mother's room. When I said no, he got angry and threatened to bring pain and suffering because I wouldn't help him. I tried to avoid him, but he found me. At first, we were just arguing, but then... he said something vulgar about you and your mom. So, I drew my sword and threatened him. That's when he pulled out his sword, and we started fighting..."
"Iciro, we've talked about this... you could have died for real this time!"
"I know..."
Telemachus sighed deeply.
"Why...?"
"I can't—"
"Indi, please tell me! Why do you care so much? Why did you almost die for me and my mother? Why are you going through so much trouble? You're just another suitor. Why?"
Iciro glanced at Dimidius, who gave him a nod. Then he looked at Hermes.
"He deserves to know," Hermes said.
"Know what?" Telemachus asked.
"I'm not a suitor..." Iciro responded.
"What...?"
"I'm not a suitor..."
"Then why are you here?"
"My father left a note saying that when the time comes, I need to protect you and your mother. So, at fourteen, I promised to protect you and the queen while the king is away. Two years later, I spoke with your mother, and she allowed me to stay here, posing as a suitor and becoming your medic. I've been here ever since."
"You... what?"
"It's true... Penelope told me all about it," Dimidius added.
"And... he fought Antinous because—"
"He fought you. Antinous constantly makes rude and disrespectful comments about your mother. He's always finding new ways to get under my skin. I couldn't hold back anymore. Besides, I didn't want anything bad to happen to you two, so I had to at least try to put an end to it."
Guilt washed over Telemachus. For years, he had avoided Iciro, assuming he was just as bad as everyone else. But now, learning that at the tender age of sixteen, Iciro had chosen to face power-hungry, dangerous men—risking his life to protect him and his mother—Telemachus couldn't help but tear up.
"Why didn't you ever tell me...?"
-End of Chapter-
YOU ARE READING
WORTH IT ALL (The Second Part to A Game of Mouse and Wolf)
Fanfiction(AI BASED OFF OF MY ART) Warning: This may be a little sad, but I promise there are no trigger warnings except for almost Character Death.
