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Royalty and the Beast CH60

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Royalty and the Beast CH60

“you left me there.”
Evan groaned, sitting up. his head was pounding and the rest of his body was pulsing with a sore pain. He rubbed his eyes, reaching for a glass near by. He jumped in shock when he finally noticed the body standing next to him. “Kadeem?” he gasped.
Kadeem seemed hardly able to support himself. He had his clawed hand over the wound in his side, like he usually did. His yellow eyes burned into Evan, almost bringing pain. He drew a wheezy breath. “you left me.”
Evan sat up straighter, shaking his head. “no, Xeon rescued me. I didn’t leave you.”
“you left me!” he yelled. “you were right there. You were right under me. You. Were. Right. There!”
“They couldn’t waste anymore time, Kadeem,” Evan tried to explain, realizing the naga was speaking of his body. “they had to get out of there.”
“I was not a waste of time!” Kadeem yelled loudly, nearly lunging at Evan. Evan squirmed to the other side of the bed, holding his broken arm to his chest. The naga had his bloody clawed hands where Evan just was, digging them into the covers. He barred his teeth, glaring at Evan. A few seconds passed and kadeem started to shake terribly, his shoulders relaxing and his head looking down at the bed. “I am not a waste of time.”
Evan gulped, staying where he was. “no, your not. I am sorry, I should have worded that better. I didn’t mean any offense.”
“you were so close. I had watched you escape and then… you left. Without me.”
“it wasn’t my choice,” Evan insisted quietly. “Xeon and Vasson had risked their lives to get to me. they were very limited on time. They had to leave.” Kadeem looked at him but didn’t answer. His bright eyes seemed to dull. Evan moved a bit closer, starting to relax. “I’m sorry Kadeem.”
“come back for me,” the naga begged quietly. “please don’t leave me there.”
Evan hesitated, biting his lip.
“Evan, don’t leave me there. Don’t leave me behind.”
“kadeem, I-“
“please.”
Evan felt a pain in his chest. How could he respond? The ghost looked at him with desperate eyes. Evan looked away, trying to avoid them. what could he say? He couldn’t promise anything. He couldn’t comfort Kadeem. The ghost would see right through any lie. He took a long breath. “Kadeem, I-“
There was a loud knock, making Evan shoot up. he gasped loudly, as though he had not been breathing. He looked around in a panic. He was covered in sweat, still in his room. Kadeem was not beside him. Evan panted for a few seconds longer, running his hands down his face.
Again someone knocked, the sound echoing though the silent room. Evan closed his eyes and sighed, collecting himself. He cleared his throat. “come in,” he called. His voice was not as composed as he wanted.
The handle turned and the door opened. Evan had to turn away from the bright light that entered from the hall. A naga slithered in with a bag on his shoulder. He also wore a leather belt that was holding many different pouches and small bags. His hair was a bright blond, short and a bit unkempt.“Good morning,” the naga started. “How are you feeling today?”
The naga looked familiar, but Evan couldn’t place why. He blinked a few times, frowning. “who are you?”
“ah,” the naga smiled. “I had thought you might not remember. I am Shale. I am the reason you are alive right now. I was the one sent to tend to you when you were brought here a few days ago.”
“oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.” Evan tried to move to him but his body was too stiff. He was forced to stay in the bed.
“Do not apologize, you were asleep for much of the time. How are you feeling today?”
“stiff,” Evan admitted. “it still hurts to move.”
“Xeon tells me that you have been moving fairly frequently. I would advise against it but it seems to be doing you good. The stiffness will wear off in time. How’s the arm?”
Evan looked at his arm, making a face. “useless.”
“then I bandaged it correctly,” he laughed, moving to Evans bed. He shrugged off the bag, setting it by Evans feet. “I am going to look you over. Are you able to move at all?”
Evan hesitated. He didn’t want anyone seeing him when he was this helpless. He truly just wanted to tell the naga to leave. But he knew better then that. He might have been stubborn, but he was not dumb enough to send away help. So instead he swallowed his pride and shrugged his shoulders. “I'm sure if I get some time to stretch then I will be able to move around. but when I wake up, its always the worst.”
“that’s to be expected. Alright, well just stay still and I will look over your stitches first. Does anything hurt worse right now?”
Evan shook his head. the naga responded by pushing him down gently, pulling the blankets away. He went to one of Evans first wounds, turning him to his side and peeling away a bandage. Evan winced, gripping the bed with his good hand.
“these are looking good,” the naga commented.
“you sound surprised,” Evan grinned through the pain as the naga globed a strange smelling ointment on many of his wounds.
“you are the first human I have ever worked with. I must admit I wasn’t sure if there was much of a difference between our needs.”
“I think Xeon heals quicker than I do,” Evan looked back at him. “it always feels like I just blink and he is healed.”
That made the naga laugh. “you know, I think Xeon is just so stubborn that he just wills his wounds closed. He doesn’t have time to limp around. its all I can do to just get him to sit through some stitches being cleaned.”
Evan grinned, relaxing a bit. “so is that just Xeon? or are all of you nagas like that.”
“I would really like to say it was just Xeon, but I would be lying. We seem to be a hard headed race for sure.”
The naga worked very quickly and shocking gently. The only time Evan had been in any serious pain was when he rewrapped the bandages on Evans arm. But his clawed hands were very skillful and he worked almost too fast for Evan to keep up. finally he helped Evan to his feet, looking him over.
“how does that feel?” he asked, ready to catch Evan if he lost his balance.
“better,” Evan answered honestly.
“good,” he slithered over to his bag, digging in it and pulling out a vile of clear liquid. “take one mouthful of this every morning starting today. It will help fight any infection brewing. And this-“ he pulled out another bottle. The bright green liquid sloshed around inside. “take this once in the morning. Only a sip. It will help bring some energy back.”
Evan opened one of the bottles, making a face as a rancid smell rose up into his nose. “does it taste as bad as it smells?”
“oh no. its far worse,” the naga grinned. “now go on and take a drink right now.”
Evan waited to see if he was serious. The naga waited in silence and he knew it wasn’t a joke. He looked at the large bottle of clear liquid drawing a resentful breath. “bottoms up,” he muttered, pressing the jug to his lips. The liquid nearly made his tongue shrivel. His throat even seemed to try to close. He had to fight to convince his body to let him swallow it. finally he chocked it down, spurting and coughing loudly. Shale offered him the glass of water that had been on the nightstand. Evan drank gratefully, glad to wash down the taste.
“good. That wasn’t so bad, now was it?”
“do you want my actual answer on that?”
He laughed, closing up his bag. “the other one isn’t nearly as bad. Just take a little sip and you will be good to go. Also, when you are ready, Xeon would like you to meet in the conference room.”
“is he already there?” Evan turned to the door.
“yes, but don’t worry. He told me to assure you that you may come when you are ready. There is no need to rush.”
“Well, I guess I should try to look halfway presentable,” Evan made a face. “thank you for everything.”
“and thank you for being my first human to test on,” Shale only grinned. “it is not often that I am loaned out. Xeon much really have a soft spot for you.” he shrugged the bag onto his shoulder. “now, make sure you take a sip of the other bottle before you leave. I will be back tomorrow morning.”
“thanks again,” Evan nodded, watching him slither out of the room. When the door was closed and he was safe and alone, he fell onto the bed with a loud sigh. He was tired of feeling this helpless. And now he had to somehow find the will and energy to sit at the conference table and discuss the topic that make his heart start pounding.
What were the other nagas talking about now? It made a pit start to form in his stomach. He had to be there.
It only took Evan a few moments to wash up. he didn’t have time for a bath, so he just rinsed his face and hair, putting on a clean outfit. He quickly took a small swallow of the second bottle that shale had left him, shivering as he forced it down. it wasn’t as bad as the first. He set the bottle back down and turned to look himself over in the mirror, tugging on the jacket. “it will have to do,” he decided.
He tried to move at a normal speed, but he just couldn’t keep that pace. He was forced to almost hobble down the hall, thankful no one could see him. when he neared the conference room door, he straightened up. his hand hovered above the handle and he drew a long breath to calm himself. He turned the handle and pushed the door open, stranding as straight as he could as he walked inside.
All of the nagas from before were around the table. Xeon, Vasson, Yaw’na and the human were gathered together. There was a large map spread out in front of Xeon. everyone looked up as Evan closed the door behind him.
“there you are,” Xeon breathed. “I was getting worried about you.”
“can your pet not show up on time even for an event as important as this?” a voice hissed.
“Vale, you will not be a problem today,” Vasson warned.
“Evan was getting his wounds tended to. He is here now.” Xeon waved Evan over. “Steven was just showing us everything he knows.”
“he claims that Howards troops are camped out here,” Vasson reached over and touched a spot marked on the map. “for the morning of the attack, they will all gather around here, marching through this path.”
“you father and his troops were last spotted here,” Xeon explained, touching another mark. “this was before we had brought Steven here, so our best guess is that he is closer to here.”
“that would mean he is very close to the trap,” Evan noted quietly.
“just a few days away,” Xeon agreed.
“we are taking the bulk of our fighters to meet here,” Vasson reached over, tapping a place with his sharp claw. “there we can stop your father before he hits the trap. The rest of my men will be over here. The will be making sure that Howards army is unaware of what is going on. They will stop all messages, birds or any voices from reaching Howards men. After your father surrenders, I will leave you with half of the troops and meet the others at Howards camp. We will take them and force them to surrender.”
“you think they will?” Evan wondered.
“almost that entire group is made of people who were drafted,” Steven explained. “none of them know how to fight. That is why our job was to throw sticks and rocks. If you show up with an army of nagas, they will not fight you.”
“While Vasson is taking control of that small group, You and I will lead our men straight into Howards castle. We will take the same tunnels that we had before to get you. it leads straight into the castle halls.”
“Howard will just run,” Evan muttered. “he has no reason to stay and if we don’t kill him, we cant stop this.”
“yes.  We will need to lure Howard out for a fight. I believe if we take his castle, he will come out. He has a very large pride.”
Vasson looked Evan up and down, tapping one of his sharp claws. “you have doubts?”
“he is a coward,” Evan muttered. “I think he will run.”
Xeon crossed his arms, looking at the map. “if we block all of the exits, he can not run.”
Evan bit back his disagreeance. He knew that Howard would run, but that’s not what Xeon wanted to hear. He cleared his throat, looking back at Vasson. “and what are you going to do?”
“we are going to bring the troops we gathered back. If you need help, we will arrive shortly after you.”
“why don’t we just wait for you then?”
“we can not let Howard know anything is going on,” Yaw’na finally spoke. “we can do all in our power but even a whisper can get through a wall. This plan will only work if you all move as we have mapped out. Should you linger and wait, Howard might find out. We can not risk it.”
“How many bodies do you have?” Evan wondered quietly.
“just over a few thousand.”
“thousand?” Evan gasped.
“every man and many women in this city are taught to fight the moment they are born,” Xeon said quietly. “they train under Vassons watch.”
“so everyone is fighting?”
“not everyone, but many.”
Evans stomach started doing flips. He felt as though he was going to vomit. “can we supply that many?”
“and many more,” Xeon nodded.
“while Evan is here, this would be a good time to discuss your place Xeon.” one of the council stood up. it was a woman, close to Xeons age.
“what of my place?” Xeon frowned.
“I agree that you need to go with when you meet Evans father. Your presents there might make all of the difference. But I believe I am not the only one who believes that after that, you should return to the city.”
“return?” Xeon hissed.
“Xeon, there is no reason to risk yourself,” another man stood up. “this plan is solid and it doesn’t need you to function. Once Evan is in control of his army, we can loan ours out to him.”
“I will not-“
“it would be foolish to lose you to something as unplanned as a stray arrow,” another agreed. “there is no benefit of putting yourself at risk. Just swallow your pride and leave this to Evan, Vasson and Vassons generals.”
“enough,” Xeon barred this teeth. “I am not some child that needs to be watched. If anything, this is my fight.”
“Xeon, do not be stubborn,” vale finally spoke. “this is the best route. We have already lost you once, and we can not again. You have left no heir, no one to take your place. It is best for everyone that you let Vasson take this over.”
Xeon continued barring his teeth. “I am not some trinket to be stored away in a dusted glass cabinet. This is my battle. I will not leave my men and Evan to do my work.”
“Xeon-“
“no. you all have said what you needed to say. I have heard it and I deny your request. That is the end of this conversation.”
The room fell into an awkward silence. Evan avoided all of the eyes. He felt like somehow this was his fault. Finally Vasson started rolling up the map. “well, it seems we have spoken about all we have needed to. Unless someone else has something to add?”
“what of me?” the other human spoke. His voice trembled.
Xeon looked back at him, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “you will continue to stay in your cell. When all of this is over, we will send you back on your way.”
“that could be a week!”
“would you rather be killed?” Vasson asked casually. “its so easy to get your human faces mixed up. we wont know who to attack and who to leave.”
Steven hesitated, looking at the empty table. He looked back at Xeon. “you will not hurt my family, right? The city? anyone?”
“our goal,” Xeon explained quietly. “is to get in and out with as little casualties on both sides as possible.”
Steven stayed quiet, the worry not leaving his eyes. He finally nodded and Xeon nodded to Vasson. Vasson set the map down on the table, grabbing the rag on a seat. He yanked Steven back, tying it tightly around Stevens eyes. “alright, back to the cell you go.”
“see about getting him a bed,” Xeon insisted. “he is not a prisoner here.”
Vasson sighed, muttering something under his breath and pushing Steven ahead, leading him by his shoulder. Xeon looked back at the others, his hands behind his head. “is there anyone else that has anything to say before we separate?”
No one spoke, though the tension showed that there was still much to say. However they all stayed quiet, making Xeon nod. “then you are all excused. Come to me if any questions come up. I will see you all after tomorrow.”
Slowly, one by one the nagas filed out of the room. Yaw’na pressed to Xeon and kissed him gently, finally making him smile. But just like the rest, she left the room, closing the door behind her. only Xeon and Evan were left in the room. Xeon opened the map once more, looking at it.
“how do you feel about all of this?” he wondered, not looking up from the page.
Evan shrugged, wincing from the action and sitting in a chair beside Xeon. “I agree with them.”
“what? What do you agree with?”
“that you shouldn’t come.”
Xeon flashed his eyes to Evan, anger burning in them. “don’t you start too.”
Evan looked at the map. He didn’t want to start a fight. Instead he kept his mouth shut. Xeon slowly sank down into the chair with him, tapping his claws on the table with a sharp click. “I will be there beside you,” he said quietly, confidently.
Evan glanced at him, seeing the scar on his shoulder left from the arrow that had almost killed him before. He turned back to the map. It was easy to forget the weight of the topic when he was just looking at a bunch of dots. He focused on the area his father should have been.
Which dot was him?”
“so did shale look you over?”
Evan nodded. “yeah.”
“did he have anything to report?”
“no. he cleaned my wounds and gave me this terrible potion.”
“ah, yes. The clear one. Dreadful stuff. He made that on his own. Do you know how many lives it has saved?”
“really? How many more have died from the taste?”
Xeon laughed, rubbing Evans shoulder. Evan could see some worry in his eyes. “he only gives that out to the ones who really need it,” he explained quietly.
“and that makes you uneasy?” Evan wondered.
“…what will you do if your father demands you to fight him?”
Both of them fell into silence. Evan looked at his arm. “I don’t know. I mean, I don’t have a sword anyway-“
“what?”
“when I was captured, they took it and it was never returned. Don’t worry, I can just use anything you give me.”
“do you think you can hold your own against him?”
“Howard or my father?”
“either. Both.”
Evan put a hand on the bandage holding his arm. He drew a very long breath. “I don’t know,” he admitted quietly.
“I will speak to shale. Perhaps there is something more he can give you.”
“I think it is going to take a lot more then a terrible tasting potion to make me ready for this,” Evan shook his head.
“you will have me there. You know that, right?”
Evan swallowed down his worry, trying not to show it to Xeon. “How about you just fight for me?”
Xeon laughed, despite the mood and rubbed Evans shoulder. “if only I could, hatchling. Now, lets get something to eat. I am starving. Then I must speak to a few others.”
“for what?”
“well, if we are having a war, then we must first have a feast. A feast always gets the men ready for a challenge.”
Evan looked at the dots on the map once again. His eyes focused on a single speck. There was nothing in the world that would make him ready for this event.
Just another filler. 
so close to the end.

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Kakurosu's avatar
"Evan continued barring his teeth"  you mean Xeon right?
poor poor king Kadeem, how i pity him, how unfair it is
and how i look forward to see howard and edward get a beating
or have Evan put his father on the water wagon, no wine or nice treats at all, just water and plain bread and the like, that ought to piss him off.
howard has to be executed though, he is just too mean and greedy to keep around.