Cavaliere del Giardino Overture

July (Chapter 15)

A Year Ago.

The sickness moved from door to door like a button salesman and just as unwanted. It washed from the east-side, a slow-moving tsunami of fever that picked off both strong and weak in equal number. There was no greater leveler than this germ, impervious to wealth or pleading. The medicines ran dry in days and no medics would answer a call. All that was left was solace in the Lord and prayers for the souls of the departed.

The fever came fast, robbing Alicia of her strength. From a bonny lass to a curled up child, shaking and pale, the transformation couldn't have been any crueler. The sickness showed no sign of shifting, no hint of lifting to a more milder form, if anything the chills were intensifying and so the doctor from the big town was summoned, no expense would be spared. That doctor stood over her after pushing the royal family out. His pale skin and purple eyes focused on her, his hair was a dark brown, black at the tips as he hummed. "My came down with the plague didn't you," he looked at the ladybug below him. "Princess Alicia, might I suggest you go ahead and head to sleep," He put the mask on looking at the assortment of syringes below him.

"Doctor." She whispered. July turned to her. "Will I die?" She asked. July shook his head. "I'm afraid to go to bed," He said. "I don't want to sleep," July nodded grabbing the cure and sighing. He pushed it into her and smiled. "Ow!" She frowned.

"You're okay," He replied before putting the medicine in her and pulling the syringe out. "You'll be okay, the plague was just beginning for you," he said. "I'll stay with you until you're better,"

As the days went on he sat with her in her room. A week passed and the girl could sit up and eat again, her wings, however, were melted and gone. July watched her for a moment. Her hands were frailty and caution, shaking gently as she reached for the hot tea. In her movements were so much of the woman she was and still is. They were ashen where the sunlight caught them, not ghostly like a white person, just subdued and greyish. He grabbed the cup and handed her it. "Drink up," he said. "I don't want you spilling it on y-" he sniffed for a moment watching the servant left, the same one who made her the tea. The second she drank it, she coughed.

A noise of sizzling came from the princess as July turned watching her. "No no, Alicia," he grabbed her hand as she tightened her grip on his hand.

This was the first death he had ever witnessed and the only one that truly mattered to him. The servant was a fellow mosquito, one with yellow eyes, small wings and a house on the street just beside the castle. July found this out and grabbed his syringes.

Just a week passed and that servant was found dead, lungs and heart melted, much like the princess.

July stepped out of his doctor's office to find guards standing around him, aiming his swords at him. The king a large ladybug with blue eyes and a large beard stood with them. "What.....is this about?"

"We found evidence to suggest that you had a play in two deaths in our garden, the death of my daughter and death of the servant Micolash," The guard spoke.

"Wh- I saved your daughter!" He frowned. "Because of me she was getting better," He looked at the guards as the stepped closer to him. "Micolash killed your daughter, he was apart of a gang, I only killed Micolash,"

"You confess to the murder of Micolash?" The king stared before snapping. The doctor was knocked out.

He found himself stuck in a carriage as the carriage stopped in the dead of the forest and he was kicked off it. Hands shackled together a guard uncuffed him and turned around getting into the carriage leaving him in the forest. He rubbed his wrists and looked around hearing the call of a dragon.

The dragons were silhouettes against the orange-kissed heavens. Only an hour ago they would have been pale against a blue sky, but the twilight was advancing and soon they would be lost in blackness, roosting with head tucked under wing until dawn. July grabbed a carved stick and walked through the forest before hearing the dragons call it swooped down grabbing him by the face. The claws ripped and pulled his skin clean off. He hit the ground bleeding from his face as he gasped and coughed up blood.

He looked at his hands still bleeding. July's hands became slick with blood, the red fluid loosening his grip. In the darkness, they barely shone red, instead of under the flickering yellow light above it was almost a sickly blackish-gold. He closed his eyes for a while only to hear footsteps and the loud thud next to him. A green-haired tall vampire kneeled down holding the skin. "I do believe this is yours," he said before tossing it away. "Wake the fuck up," he kicked his side.

"For what?"

"For revenge," he said. "I will give you a place to stay if you can kill who wronged you," He said before smiling and watching the other vampire sit up.

"I don't have my syringes," He said as he watched the taller touch the dead dragon, green eyes and its wounds suddenly healed. "And what about my face!?" He stood up and pointed to him. "You don't have an answer do you, magic man!?"

"Names May," he said. "Address me as that," he said

"You can't just fucking offer people places to live for someone else's life!" He pointed. "Wait, You're the fuckers who killed Alicia aren't you!?" He growled. "You made me lose my livelihood,"

"You still have your life and your license." May pulled a mask from his suit pocket and handed him it. "To cover your mouth,"

"I don't have a-"

"You should be dead you know, We shouldn't be having this conversation, I was sent to kill you and turn you into a mindless zombie who only knows to heal the gang. Instead, I want to give you a chance now, take it or don't your call," He said. "Get on the dragon, he knows where to go," May's tone was strange, calm but angered as July got on the dragon and the two flew off.

The dragon perched itself on the castle top, its eyes shining a bright green as it looked at each bug in the garden. July climbed off him and fluttered down going to his doctor's office. He closed his eyes and saw her in bed. He grabbed his syringes and fixed his mask then adjusted his shirt. He looked in the mirror staring for a while before jamming a syringe into his chest, his eyes became a darker purple, his hair stained a pink. He felt numbness in his mouth, no longer pain. He looked at the mirror for a while before looking at the syringes in his hands. All healing, he dropped them, opening a new drawer grabbing golden syringes, poison. He started walking to the castle eyes focusing on it.

He didn't make a noise, killing each guard with ease as he opened the door to the king's room. He didn't have a wife, no queen, he stood over the sleeping king, slowly injecting him with the poison. He dropped the syringe and took a seat watching the other, his purple eyes were cold focused on the other.

The king didn't wake up, leaving the doctor to sit on the ground for hours. He stood and left without a word, joining the gang only a night later as the new hitman leader.