Put back together

42. Stupid heart

Warning: Blood and Injury, mention of war and violence. Also feels.
Tell me if I forgot something!

Roman wasn't sure when he had begun to see beds as a luxury.
Probably somewhere between sleeping in the sallerowan forests and sleeping in a cold wet dungeon.

They had rented a room a small inn with the money the bandits had most likely stolen from other people but dropped when they had ran away.
Patton hadn't been too happy about using stolen money but had given in at the promise of a warm meal and a safe place for the night.

Logan sat on the floor studying the map. He had marked his and Patton's birthplaces and was trying to figure out where else they might find others.

From what they had discussed earlier and tested out it seemed that nothing could injure Patton anymore.
The baker had recalled that his and Logan's hands had brushed before the bandits had tried to kill him and Logan had noted that his eyesight had drastically improved all of a sudden so they guessed that touch was the trigger for... whatever exactly had happened.

It was weird to see Logan without his glasses. He had put them down since he didn't seem to need them anymore.
The librarian would move to push them up ever so often only to be reminded that he wasn't wearing them.

Patton sat on the other bed and tried to teach Elliott how to talk. The little dragon seemed to pick up the words quickly and Roman made a mental note not to swear infront of them.

He himself was lying on the bed he had claimed for himself and, now that he had switched out the bandages around his arm, was slowly dozing off.
The stitches hadn't ripped but the blood crust had broken and he had bleed through the old bandages.
He was still useless in a fight.

Even though he guessed it wasn't that bad now that Patton was more or less invincible he still felt guilty. Like a dead weight.
And now there most likely were teronan soldiers after them too.

Compared to when they had been running from the revolutionars they were at a disadvantage now.
They didn't know these lands, had no horses, couldn't fight and this time there were trained men on their heels.

He really ought to teach Patton how to use that bow...

He glanced out of the window. The forest was close by, there they could practice... And if they wanted to it be better to do it now than when it got dark...

--~--

So they had found out the truth.

Virgil bit his lip.

That wasn't good.

He wished Roman had listened to him, wished he had just given up.

Because now all three of them had brought themselves in the middle of the conflict he himself had been part of for years.

Now there was no way back.

Their fate was sealed.

He doubted that they had any idea what they had gotten themselves into.

He hadn't known either back then. But to be fair nobody had warned him and he had been five.

But this was war. It wasn't fair, it wasn't kind. It took and it took and still couldn't still it's hunger for blood. It forced people to dye their hands red to survive.
It had been quiet for a long time, slowly boiling and soon it was going to boil over.

There would be blood.

Another massacre most likely, similar to the one that had drafted him against his will.

Another king would fall and he already knew by whose hands.

The question was just if it'd really be only one king who was going to die.

As much as he rejected the idea of Janus being his brother, he cared about the other. Plus, he owed him a life debt.
Janus had insisted that it was nothing, that anybody would have done the same but Virgil had spent too much time living with fae to ignore his debt.

He had bribed Persephone into giving him the strongest healing potion she knew, using the fact that she had sent the letter against her.
Combined with his own magic keeping the wound closed and the pain small he was planning on leaving tomorrow.

If he didn't want most of his live to be in vain he had to be at the right place when the king fell.

The journey to Sallerow was a long one, especially when you had a hole in your stomach.

The sooner he left, the more time he would have to get exactly where he wanted to be. To set his plan into motion.

He hoped that they wouldn't head back to Sallerow. He'd hate for them to get caught in the crossfire.
But it wasn't exactly unlikely.

He'd just have to make sure of that himself then.

His hands already were bloody enough and it wouldn't matter much it the massacre happened sooner or later. He'd end up even more of a monster by the end of it anyway.

He had asked Roman if he'd use silver to kill him for a reason.

--~--

By the time Roman and Patton went back inside the inn it was getting dark and Patton was drenched in sweat. If he wasn't invincible his fingers would likely be bleeding considering how many times Roman had made him shoot.

"This is hard!" Patton exclaimed.

Roman chuckled.

"Believe me, I know."

Logan looked up as they entered the room. He looked exited. And he was wearing his glasses again.

"I thought you didn't need those anymore?" he asked and set the quiver he had offered to carry down.

"Oh, I don't but it's weird to not wear them so I removed the lenses," Logan pushed them up and Roman had to fight a smile. Logan simply was too adorable.

Patton let himself almost fall onto the librarian and nuzzled his face into his neck. Two different shades of blue lit up the room, dim but still bright enough for Roman to see Logan smile and run a hand through Patton's golden locks.

Oh.

So they were...

A knot formed in his stomach.

He needed to get out of here. He didn't want to see this.

"I'm getting us some food," he announced and left the room quickly, closing the door behind him a bit harder than necessary.
As soon as he was outside of the inn he let himself fall onto a bench.

He was being stupid. He shouldn't feel like this! Why couldn't he just be happy for them?
He wasn't even jealous or anything. Why would he be? It wasn't like he liked either of them!

He didn't.

He didn't.

He didn't.

Hadn't, didn't and never would.

Because if he didn't he had no reason to be sad. No reason to feel like his heart was breaking in his chest.

He couldn't like them.

He didn't want to break.

A sob shook his body and he hid his face in his arms.

Roman only came back with food much later and immediately went to bed. If Patton or Logan noticed the faint tear tracks on his face or how his eyes were a bit too red and puffy they didn't mention it.

Only Elliott crawled into his bed a little later and curled up against the prince's stomach.
They purred softly until he fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

This got kinda sad.
I didn't mean to, I swear.
Virgil's being very emo and Roman attempts to lie to himself so he wont feel heartbroken...
Why do I feel like they are the ones I'm the meanest to?

As always feel free to comment, ask questions or roast me for spelling errors!

Have a nice (gay) day!