The Neko and the Wolf - 13. Elfslayer

Finley awoke with a painful throb in the crook of his elbow, his mind a foggy mess. A quiet beep filled the room, a sterile smell making him want to sneeze, but if he did that, Finley had the feeling he’d be hurting even more.

He was in a hospital? What happened? When did he get taken to a hospital? The last thing he remembered was remarking to Zaddis about the strange taste in his ham. His first thought was food poisoning… but that wouldn’t have been bad enough to see him into a hospital.

As his senses returned to him, he noticed a weight on the bed beside him, and looking over, found Zaddis, also in a hospital gown and hooked up to ivs and monitors. He was sitting in a chair beside the bed, his hand gripping Finley's, his upper half laid over the bed, sleeping. He looked absolutely haggard, like he'd been crying for hours, and hadn't rested in days. The reason why was soon apparent, as a human doctor stepped through a seemingly solid wall, likely one of Zaddis's illusions.

“Zad…”

The neko bit off the name, not wanting to wake the wolf. He looked like he needed the sleep. The illusion around them was insane, blending seamlessly into the world around them, and Finley had the sinking feeling that this was why the werewolf was so exhausted.

“What… why am I in a hospital?” Finley asked quietly, not daring to move for fear of waking his friend. “What happened?”

Hearing him speak, the doctor came over quickly.

"My prince... it's good to see you awake... save your strength... everything will be explained once you're more recovered..."

The man gently roused Zaddis.

"Young sir... I'll need you to move so I can care for him..."

Zaddis lazily sat up with a groan, blinking a few times before realizing Finley was awake.

"Fin... oh thank the gods..."

Disregarding the doctor, he hugged him tightly as tears began to slowly run down his face, his body shaking as he held the younger neko.

"W-when I woke up first and you were still out, I was so scared..."

Gently, the doctor placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Please Zaddis... you shouldn't push yourself any further right now... your body cannot handle it... please sit down my boy..."

“Zaddis?”

He returned the hug carefully, trying not to bump any of the various wires and tubes sticking out of the two of them.

“I think he’s trying to get to me,” the neko breathed, gently dislodging the wolf. “We can hug again after the needles are out of us, okay? You be a good boy and let the doctor have his turn.”

He let out a weak chuckle, closing his eyes against the sight of needles sticking out of his arms. Gods he felt sick…

Nodding with a sniffle, he returned to the other bed in the room and quickly sent a text on his phone.

Meanwhile, the doctor slid into the spot he'd been in, beginning to take vitals.

"My name is Doctor Mitchell. It is an honor to make your acquaintance my prince... I only wish it were under better circumstances... tell me... what is the last thing you remember?"

“Nothing really… just talking to Zaddis about… about things,” Finley said, glancing warily at the wolf. “Er… werewolf things. My ham… was it bad? I don’t remember feeling sick, just a little worn out from the day, a little dizzy.”

He remembered exchanging his wine for water, thinking that he was just a little drunk, but even that wouldn’t have put him in here, unless he hit his head on something. And why would Zaddis be hooked up too…?

“Fuck, it was poisoned, wasn’t it?” he demanded. “Is everyone okay? Did they catch whoever did it?”

The doctor sighed deeply before nodding.

“Yes... it was poisoned... a compound meant to render those who ingest it unconscious for a long period of time... in your case, a little over a week... and yes, the culprit was arrested. She currently awaits your judgment..."

“A week?” he squeaked, throat suddenly feeling drier than the Ythin Desert. “Wait… my judgement…? But Queen Erin holds court, not me-”

The neko felt faint, the world closing in on him as he realised… the only reason he would sit in judgment of a poisoner would be if he was king.

“No… No, this… this has to be a nightmare. I’m dreaming, this can’t be real…”

There was no way he was ready, not yet. He hadn’t even been royalty for a year yet, let alone the ten years customary for a prince.

As he felt the world closing in on him, two figures entered into the room, Darius and Maia, both in civilian clothes. Seeing him awake, they both approached hesitantly, Dr Mitchell standing.

"I've got his vitals... the three of you should tell him... I'll be down the hall if you need me..."

With that, he stepped out, head hung defeatedly.

Stepping up to Finley's right side, Maia gave his hand a squeeze.

"Hey Fin... it's good to see you awake..."

Standing at the end of the bed, Darius wouldn't meet his eyes, but nodded in agreement.

“My prince... I-I have no excuse for my incompetence... what happened... is my fault..." the male neko said quietly.

“I… I don’t understand. We have werewolves and nekos to smell any poison in the food… how did it get through? Was it the whole table? Oh gods…”

He gulped in a deep breath of air, his entire body hunching up as he fought himself. A throbbing agony reminded him of the needles in his arms and he latched onto the pain, drawing it closer like some sort of comfort in his need.

The world muffled in his ears, blood pounding a thick tattoo in his head as he fought a wave of nausea, his eyes squeezing shut as he struggled with the rapid change his life had taken. This was worse than being plucked up by the queen.

Standing, Zaddis held a hand up.

"Alright... that's enough guys... I'll explain it to him later, but he's not strong enough yet... he's gonna pass out or have a heart attack at this rate..."

Not that this wasn't the pot calling the kettle black, but he was worried about just Finley at the moment.

Through it all, his voice was the one that broke through, Finley’s eyes seeking out the half elf, his arm reaching slowly toward…

“...Zaddis.”

Fuck the IVs, he needed the wolf, needed his guard. Zaddis kept him safe, he could drive away all these nightmares, the people trying to tell him he had just become the most wanted neko in Astara.

Sinking back into the chair, he scooted up alongside the bed, holding his hand again.

"I'm right here Fin... I'm not going anywhere..."

Darius stopped speaking, Maia coming over to him.

"C’mon... let's get some coffee... you boys want anything?"

Zaddis just shook his head.

"Nothing for me... but see if Finley is okay to have some water..."

Nodding, the two older neko stepped back out.

“I… I’m not king… right? They’re just… the queen can’t be dead…”

He was missing something, his mind sluggish, Finley trying desperately to push through the fog.

“The food… are you okay?” he asked, looking at the half elf. “You had almost as much as I did. How are you feeling?”

His arm straightened, reaching for the werewolf as he tried to hold onto just a little sliver of sanity. Zaddis needed to be okay, he was going to make sure the wolf was safe at least.

The half elf sighed deeply.

"I feel awful... between the poison and making the illusion, I feel like I've been stretched thin… I'll tell you everything tomorrow... okay? The doctor was right, we don't want to put too much stress on your system..."

“Come here,” the prince murmured, adjusting himself to make room for the half elf on the bed. “I need you, and you need me. Don’t argue, just come here, okay?”

He patted the bed, his eyes nearly begging the werewolf to lay beside him, to share his worries and be comforted together. Finley didn’t know what to think, what to believe. All he knew is they both needed a friend by their side.

Wordlessly, Zaddis stood and slipped into the bed beside Finley, holding the smaller boy close, running his fingers through his fur before giving him a loving kiss. Reaching down, he pulled the blanket over the two of them and let out a deep sigh before closing his eyes and soon, was asleep with his neko in his arms.

He was surprised at how exhausted he felt, and yet Finley couldn’t seem to sleep longer than maybe thirty minutes at a time. Every little bump in the room was an assassin coming for him, every cramp the poison finishing him off finally. A week asleep only made him more tired, the stress of trying to work out what had happened fraying on his nerves. Finley was terrified of what the morning would bring, and that alone made sleep difficult, even with Zaddis in his arms.

When the doctor returned, he was wide awake, holding his half elf carefully, just trying to find solace in Zaddis’ steady breathing. At least someone was still there for him.

Seeing him awake, Dr. Mitchell frowned and pulled a chair up beside the bed, speaking quietly.

"Have you gotten any sleep my prince? Do you think you're strong enough to talk about what happened?"

“I… I don’t think I’ll ever be ready… but if it’s as bad as I think, then it would be dangerous for me to wait any longer,” Finley sighed. “In other words, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

He stared silently at Zaddis, before carefully sitting up. Stroking the half elf’s hair silently, he did his best to keep his friend asleep. Zaddis definitely looked like he needed it more than Finley did.

Nodding with a sigh, the doctor removed his glasses.

"First of all... I'll rip the bandage off... the queen was killed... though the autopsy shows it was likely unintentional, as she had an allergic reaction to the compound that rendered everyone unconscious. She... simply stopped breathing... it was painless. Normally, the responsibility of ruling in this situation would fall to the queen's advisor until the prince or princess came of age... but..."

He sighed quietly, looking towards Zaddis with a sad expression.

"Unfortunately, Lord Lobos was among those killed..."

Silence ruled the room, the only sound the beeps of monitors as Finley tried to comprehend what the doctor was saying. Queen Erin… he had already figured that, slowly coming to terms with her death through the night… but Zaddis’ father?

The neko’s fingers curled in the werewolf’s hair, tears flowing freely as he realized what had happened, what he had done. Inviting Zaddis to the dinner… he may as well have signed Vincent’s death certificate himself.

“Fuck… I’m so sorry Zaddis…” he shivered, wave upon wave of guilt crashing over him.

Looking up, Finley tried to push his emotions aside. He had a duty to fulfill. Emotions had no place here, not now.

“Did… did everyone get poisoned? How bad is it?”

Nodding, the doctor took a moment before continuing.

"Everyone at the dinner... save for yourself... the Honorable Zaddis... Lord Riaedin, and your two guards were slain after the poisoning... it seems that a..."

He frowned deeply, trying to leave personal feelings out of it.

"A ‘disgruntled’ kitchen staffer poisoned the food, then took her time killing everyone else in attendance before torturing Lord Riardin and turning herself in..." handing him a folded newspaper, Finley saw the image of a blood-spattered Miranda on the front page with the title "Elfslayer" on the headline.

His heart dropped, Finley’s eyes widening in horror.

“She… she wasn’t in the kitchens…?” he said, trying to find some excuse, some way that Miranda was innocent.

But no… if she had turned herself in… and torturing Riardin… that was too much, even after what he had done. Finley still felt nauseous thinking about it, but to kill everyone…?

“I can’t… I can’t sit in judgment…” he breathed.

To murder the queen… there could only be one sentence for regicide. But he couldn’t pass it.

“I’ve been in here for a week? Who’s handling this? When can I be discharged?”

He couldn’t let the kingdom devolve into chaos. Granted, it was already chaotic, especially after the entire council was murdered… Fuck, why would she kill everyone?!

Sighing deeply, the doctor seemed to almost perceive his question.

"Apparently, she had a psychotic episode after finding that she was pregnant after what happened with Lord Riardin last month... those she slayed were the council members who oversaw her trial against him and didn't find him guilty… you should be able to be released tomorrow, once we're sure the compound is completely out of your system..."

“We… we’re sure Queen Erin’s death was unintentional?”

Fuck, he wasn’t sure why he was asking. There had been issues with Miranda after the trial; she had been labelled a risk. It was why she hadn’t been allowed back to work. There were so many questions he needed answered, questions a doctor wouldn’t be able to answer for him.

“Is Zaddis okay? He was awake before me,” Finley frowned, looking down at the half elf in his lap.

Dr. Mitchell nodded with another sigh.

"She’s the one death the girl was apologetic for... as for Zaddis... it seems his werewolf physiology is to thank for his bouncing back relatively quickly... he woke up three days ago and has not left you since... your guards only awoke yesterday morning."

He let out a deep breath, his mind sorting through this new information. Finley had to admit he was completely lost. Not only did he have to figure out how to rule a kingdom on his own, he needed to appoint new lords, try to figure out how to come back from this massacre… and sit in judgement of one of his only friends in the palace. It was overwhelming, but he couldn’t afford to break down, not now. No, Finley needed to handle this, he didn’t have the luxury of breaking down.

At the door, the doctor sighed.

"I don't envy you my prince... for what it's worth... I am sorry this has been thrust upon you... but I will do what I can to get you back on your feet as soon as possible..."

“Thank you Dr. Mitchell,” Finley said, not quite ready to force the customary smile on his face.

At this point, he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to do that again.

Sighing quietly, he carefully wriggled his way back down, laying under Zaddis once more as he tried to catch at least a little more sleep. With the lightheadedness that suddenly threatened to pull him under, Finley thought he might actually have a decent chance of getting some real rest.