In the Dark

Chapter 13

Leon couldn't say he was happy about being taken from the clinic. When Mahvash's servant had come for him, he had had to resist the urge to cling to his bed and make them drag him out of it. Instead, he'd bitterly complied to getting into a wheelchair. Idly, he wondered if Riccardo could or would back him up into being allowed to go back to the clinic. That hope was dashed when the prince had merely thrown him a confused look from up on the stage. Despite the crown on Riccardo's head, and the military decorations pinned to his breast, Leon was getting the feeling Riccardo didn't have a lot of power when it came to most things int he palace. After watching Riccardo fumble his way through a speech, Leon could see why. Leon wasn't well-versed in the ways of kings and nobility and especially not vampire nobility, but suffering from such anxious tremors did not inspire confidence from others.

"It seems the young prince still has much to learn in the way of public speaking," he heard one of Mahvash's wives quip behind him. He glanced back at her. The whole hall full of guests dressed in rich finery made him feel out of place, but Mahvash and her wives particularly so in the way they glittered with gold and gemstones.

"He is young. He will learn," Mahvash said. She rose from her seat and offered a hand to each of the two wives she'd brought with her for this journey. They took her hands and rose to stand with her. "Remember Frijella's first speech to other dignitaries?"

"Well, Demetri doesn't seem to be happy with the way it went," said the other wife, jutting her head slightly towards the stage.

Leon turned to look that way again, spotting the way the tall king had Riccardo by the back of his neck as he steered him off stage. That man had had no qualms starving Riccardo for great lengths of time; what else did Demetri do to his son when no one was around? Sons, Leon reminded himself, glancing to Riccardo's brother walking with his mother down from the stage. The little boy's eyes had followed Riccardo and Demetri off stage as well.

Leon didn't know Erik at all, but the child's worried eyes as he turned around to follow his mother couldn't help but remind Leon of his younger siblings: Louis and Celine. They were both older than Erik with Celine reaching the cusp of adulthood and Louis an adolescent. Leon could still recall when they were three feet tall, young and innocent and carefree - the way children were supposed to be. He could barely recall but a handful of times they were upset by anything bigger than a bee sting or being told they couldn't have a second cookie at dinner.

Leon felt his wheelchair grabbed at this point, and he glanced up at the same man from earlier who'd brought him to join Mahvash. The empress and her wives were following the rest of the vampires out of the room and Leon elected to remain quiet as he was made to follow them. He would have stayed that way, too, if Dr. Seavers did not suddenly join them out in the marble halls.

"Mahvash," the doctor greeted the empress with a familiarity Leon would not have guessed would be there. "I see you took my patient out of his bed," he said, glancing back at Leon. "I would have liked to have been asked first, you know?"

The empress smiled down at the little doctor. "Your patient here is my gift to the young prince," Mahvash said. "It did not do to keep him locked away."

Arthur huffed softly. "He was injured on the road and should be resting," the little doctor argued. "You've likely thrown his medication schedule completely off touting him around here for your own vanity."

"Vanity," Mahvash paused and Leon's chair was brought to a stop when she froze. For a moment, Leon thought she was going to have Arthur smacked or something of the like, but then she only laughed. "You are still as righteous as ever, aren't you, child?" She reached out and patted the doctor's head.

"He's not wrong, though," Leon piped up, seeing his chance to run from this party. "My leg's really starting to hurt. I was supposed to get more medicine soon for that, wasn't I, doc?"