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

Chapter Ten

Dave woke up with the sun, squinting at the harsh light. He blushed furiously, remembering the night before. Zak still was curled up in his grasp, looking strangely peaceful as he was spooned.

Spooned! Muttering a curse with red cheeks, he carefully got out of bed and slipped of his clothes, making sure to be away from Zak, even if the boy still slept soundly. Putting on a simple gray tunic and beige breeches, he shut the door behind him, but not before giving a final smile as he watched the other boy sleep.

First he walked to his mother's room, checking on her well-being after the disastrous night before. She slept almost as soundly as Zak, though her pale face was riddled with tear tracks. Sighing, he flagged down a servant and made sure his mother would eat and take care of herself before going down to the lowers floors and heading over to the training area.

He stood at the doorway, watching some men spar. He recognized Darryl amongst them, knocking the other's knife out of his hand with a quick blow of his bow. He flipped around, nocking a rubber-tipped arrow and striking the other in the chest. He staggered back, waving in surrender. Darryl smiled happily, noticing the king and straightening up.

"Hello, King David," he said politely, giving a quick bow.

He waved his hand a bit, grabbing a wooden sword. "Call me Dave. Never liked the formalities."

Green eyes widening happily, he smiled. "Alright, Dave. You up for a battle?"

Dave grinned, thinking, PvP, PvP. "Sure. Melee or range?"

Darryl shrugged off his bow, selecting a longsword from the mock weapon rack. "Melee, if you'd please. I prefer bow, but it's better to learn more than one weapon."

Nodding, Dave readied his stance, tightening his grip on his mock sword. With a flick of his wrist, the battle began.

He rushes forwards, slashing at the green-eyed man's arm. He dodged, using the flat of his blade to push Dave away. Rounding back, he swished his sword, hitting Darry in the shoulder.

Wincing slightly, the man shrugged it off, and they traded hits for awhile, neither yielding.

"So," Darryl said, trying to strike up a conversation whilst battling the pig. "How's it being the king of Porcus?"

Dave shrugged, parrying a blow to his leg. "...it has its ups and downs." He momentarily spaced out, getting his focus back when Darryl gave his a sharp jab to his sword arm. Good thing it was only a wooden sword.

The green-eyed man nodded. "Expected. Can't be easy ruling over bloodthirsty pigs." He jumped out of the way as Dave tried to stab his gut, eyes blazing cockily.

Dave harrumphed, pacing back a bit. "How is it in Everdalia?" He asked. "Always wanted to visit, never had the chance."

Darryl scoffed. "Which part of Everdalia? It's the biggest kingdom there is! I was part of the half called Overworld, which is your typical village area, green grasses, trees, the stuff. The second half is the Enderworld, where the capital of Ender used to be. Went there on a day trip once. The ruins are spectacular." He was distracted for a bit, and Dave gave him a small poke to his wrist, hitting the bone that juts out underneath his pinky.

Darryl shot him a glare, giving a silent hiss of pain. Raising an eyebrow, he sliced at his arm, cuffing his sleeve. "How's Zak faring?" He asked innocently. "Heard he was staying for awhile."

Dave narrowed his eyes, thrusting his sword a bit too hard and overshooting his aim. "He's not staying, just visiting."

Darryl sidestepped his lame attempt at an attack, his lips curling up slightly. "Didn't seem like it," he said plainly, twirling his sword. "You've been awfully close lately. Gee, anyone would think you would be in love, or something."

Dave's breath hitched, and his hands fell slack. Darryl sped towards him, fast as a whip, and struck him in the chest, sending the king sprawling to the ground with a face as pink as his hair.

Darryl's features softened as he saw the embarrassed king, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well-" he stammered. "Just meant it as a joke, didn't want to make you feel upset-"

"Didn't look like you were joking," he hissed, rubbing his chest where the wooden sword had hit him. "For the record, he's leaving tomorrow. So there's no need to joke about our love lives." He staggered up with difficulty, setting the mock sword back on the rack and shooting the man a final glare before stalking back to his room.

"And that, children," Darryl said, the first off-topic statement mentioned in a long time. "Was the very moment I knew that they were closer than friends or allies."

The boys snickered, and Nick elbowed the other two boys and made a kissing face. George socked his arm, and Dream narrowed his eyes jokingly.

"Well then, boys, shall we continue?" Darryl smiled, as if he could see how the boys had reacted, even in blindness. "This part is going to get interesting!"