Kings [A Medieval AU]

Chapter Thirty - The Breaking Point

The burning in his wrist is what wakes Adrian up. He grits his teeth to stop himself from yelling out and sits upright, tugging his sleeve away from his skin and staring at the faint marking of a raven wing. Eyes widening, he throws his blankets off and stumbles out of bed, running into the hallway.

"PJ!" he yells, gripping his wrist with his hand. "PJ!"

The advisor rounds the corner, hair frazzled and eyes wide. "What's wrong, Prince Adrian?"

"When you came back from Divum, you said that Dan was safe. Clearly, that was a lie," Adrian replies, anger flaring in his dark brown eyes as he shoves his wrist into the advisor's face. "My brother is dying, PJ, and whose fault is that? The king of Divum's."

PJ's face falls and he observes the faint mark before looking back to the prince. "Dan is dying? But... he told me that he was okay and that Phil would never hurt him. That's why we ended up not sending an army. Because he was fine. Why, after all this time, would Phil choose to kill him now?"

"Phil? You're calling that monster by his first name?! I don't care why he did what he did. I care that he killed my brother and now, I'm going to kill him!"

Adrian storms past PJ and the advisor stops him with a hand on his shoulder. "Think rationally, Adrian."

Adrian scowls and rips himself away from PJ. "I am thinking rationally. If I am going to be king, you must let me do this. And no, I am not asking for permission. I am taking an army and going to Divum."

"But Dan loved Phil. And from what I gathered, Phil loved Dan too," PJ insists, following the prince.

"I don't care. If King Philip didn't kill Dan, someone in Divum did and for that, the kingdom must pay."

"Adrian—"

"Tell my parents that I'm going to Divum. Farewell, PJ."

"Adrian! Is this what Dan would have wanted? Would he have wanted you to start a war with another kingdom without a moment of hesitation?" PJ demands.

"Dan's not around anymore, so frankly, I don't care what he would have wanted. I care about making those Divians pay for my brother's life," Adrian spits back before storming off down the hallway.

PJ slows to a stop and exhales, his heart plummeting into his feet. He takes another deep breath, watching Adrian disappear around a corner, before ruffling his hair and heading off to the throne room to talk to Dan's parents.

~

The moment Phil wakes up, he knows something is wrong.

He lifts his head from Dan's bed, his back twinging from sitting on a chair and leaning against the bed all night. His stomach is twisting anxiously and immediately he looks at Dan. The king of Tenebris' breathing is shallow, and when Phil reaches out he can feel his pulse very faintly.

"Dan?" Phil whispers. He straightens up and moves to the other side of the bed, resting his hand gently on Dan's cheek. "Dan?"

His heart nearly stops when his gaze lands on Dan's wrist, the raven wing insignia fading from his skin. Phil presses his thumb to it, panic gripping him.

"Dan, you can't die. You're not allowed to die. I won't let you," Phil insists, tears welling in his eyes. He tries to brush them away, but they just keep coming. He chokes on a sob and leans down, pressing his lips to Dan's forehead. "I'll heal you even if it k-kills me, okay? It's gonna be okay."

Phil straightens up and presses his hands to Dan's chest, allowing blue magic to swirl around his arms and absorb into Dan's skin. Almost instantly, a little bit of colour returns to Dan's too pale complexion and his breathing gets a little deeper, which allows Phil to relax some. His mark doesn't darken at all, however, so Phil continues to heal Dan. The king of Divum's head starts to spin and his body aches, but he doesn't stop. He can't let Dan die. He continues to use his magic until Dan's mark gains a little bit of pigment, a sign that he's getting better and there's no risk of death, before retracting his magic, and the moment he does his knees crumple and he hits the floor, the world going black around him.

Dan actually wakes up for the first time in days, astonished by his own ability to breathe and not be in pain. He blinks, confused, and looks to the chair where Phil usually sits, seeking answers and comfort.

He's not there.

Dan frowns and looks around, his eyes going wide when he sees his boyfriend on the floor by his bed, far too pale to be normal. He bolts upright and the world spins, his sharp inhale making him cough. He can't tell if Phil is breathing and his brain is too frazzled to form words, so he just screams. He screams, and moments later a doctor rushes in to find Dan on the floor next to Phil, touching his face and arms and hair all while saying Phil's name and coughing so violently that he looks like he's about to pass out.

The doctor manages to separate them and sits Dan down on a chair before checking on Phil. Dan wraps his arms around his knees and watches with wide, tear-filled eyes, too many emotions and thoughts and feelings buzzing around his mind for him to be able to communicate effectively.

"King Philip will be fine. I believe he used his magic to heal you and exhausted himself in the process, and it will take a couple of days for him to fully recover." The doctor sighs and ruffles his dark hair. "I told him not to. He could have died."

Dan nods, calming down a bit with the news. He takes a deep breath and uncurls himself, his hands shaking. "That's g-good.  That he'll l-live."

The doctor nods and hums, moving to where Dan is sitting. He checks his pulse and the mark on his wrist, his eyebrows furrowing for a second when he sees it. "That explains it."

Dan frowns. "What?"

"You, King Daniel, were dying. That's why he healed you against my orders." He shows Dan the raven wing insignia, which is considerably faded, before letting the king's hand drop. "That mark will take several days to return, maybe a week. For now, however, you are still not fully recovered. King Philip's magic got rid of the disease and the fever, but your body is still weak. You should return to bed and rest until you are completely well again and not push yourself."

"Thank you, Doctor," Dan says.

"You are very welcome, your majesty."

The doctor helps Dan into bed and leaves them alone. Once the door is closed, Dan cuddles up to Phil and rests his forehead against his back, so exhausted that he falls asleep in seconds.