Blood for the Blood Gods: A Skepnoblade Fanfic (ON HIATUS)

Chapter Six

Dave woke up suddenly, jolting out of bed and staring at his reflection. It had only been three days since he had been crowned king, and already his eyes were baggy and his mouth in a permanent frown. He felt 20 years older.

Changing out of the clothes he's been sleeping in for the past week, he put on his trademark cloak over a white undershirt and brown breeches. He crossed the castle he now basically owned, and passed his mother's room.

He stared sadly at the his mom. She hadn't even acknowledged him since her husband's death, and by the looks of it had only nibbled on the meals the servants had given her. Quietly shutting the door behind him, he decided to come back to check on her later. He had something else to do.

Slowly opening the door to a guest bedroom, he found the boy he had rescued before, Vincent. He stared at the wall, hair a mess and the clothes he wore the last time he had seen him were still on.

Dave cleared his throat. "Vincent, a word?"

The boy turned his head, the skin under his eyes an ugly shade of black. Tear tracks still were marked on his face, and his eyes glistening. "What do you want?" He asked, his voice sounding like he had swallowed sandpaper.

Dave sat next to him on the bed, and the boy reared away, scowling. He quickly sat up, clenching his hands.

"Are you okay, Vincent?" He asked quietly, trying not to reach out and touch the boy.

"Of course not, King Dave," he said mockingly, hugging his knees to his chest. "I'm not stupid, I know she's not coming back."

The pig purses his lips, and he rubbed his sweaty palms on his cloak. "I'm sorry, Vincent. It was either her or you."

"Sorry won't bring her back!" He screamed, tears flowing down his face. "She was the only thing I had left. I would rather die with her than live without her!"

Dave clenched his teeth, slowly backing away. Vincent heaved, hugging his pillow so tight feathers burst from the seams. "I don't want her to leave me now..."

Dave closed the door gently, asking a passing servant to keep an eye on the boy. He went towards the infirmary, slowly opening the door. He had visited the prince every day since he had been put in here, and every time he had either been sleeping or too drunk on potions to notice him. This time, however, he was awake, and slowly sipping broth with the help of the nurse. As soon as he saw the pig king, he smiled and beckoned his friend over.

"Hey, Dave!" He said in his child-like voice. "Hanna was just telling me about her family back home! She's from Everdalia, did you know that?"

Everdalia was the only kingdom with full humans, a subkingdom of the Enders. Most people there move to another kingdom to serve the royal families as servants.

"Hanna, eh?" He asked, a bit embarrassed that he had never thought to ask for her name. He hadn't even noticed the girl before he had asked her to care for Zak.

She tucked a strand of hair onto her ear, giving a shy smile. "Yes, I am. My mother just sent a care package." She paused, glancing at Dave.

He started, realizing she was waiting for him to say if it's okay. "Uhm, sure, go ahead."

She smiled, taking out a box. When she opened it, there was a tin full of cookies, a letter, and a picture of a man and woman wearing old-looking but beautiful clothes on what looked to be their wedding day. She carefully took out the two papers, and offered the royalty some sweets. Zak's eyes brightened, and he took an iced cookie sprinkled with chocolate shavings. Dave accepted a plain one that tasted like lemons.

He nibbled on the cookie while watching Hanna read the note, and his lips curled up slightly as he watched her smile. "What's that?" He asked.

"Oh, my mother was just telling me about what had happened the past month, and she also said she found a picture of her and my father on their wedding day." She held up the picture.

"Oh." Dave scratched his head. "I'm sorry."

Hanna laughed. "He's not dead. The silly goose just lost the picture."

"Oh." Dave repeated. "Well then, when will Zak be able to go back to Adamantem? He's the last living royalty, so that means he's king now, right?"

Zak looked up, crumbs dusting his mouth. "Hm? Oh, yes, I suppose so." His tongue poked out through pursed lips, and he stared at his hands in deep thought.

"Should be about a week," Hanna replied, giving another potion to Zak. "There were slight traces of Sword of Shadows poison, but he'll live."

The king nodded. "Good. It's getting late, I should rest-"

"Wait!" Zak called out, the potion drained. His cheeks tinted red. "C-can you stay?"

Dave sighed, not in a mean way. "Sure."

Hanna left the two alone to rest, smiling as she shut the door behind her.

Zak and Dave fell asleep with hands resting together, a faint smile playing on the two boy's faces as they slept.