Fantasy The Golden Throne

[Debacle]

"Splendid," said Coal flatly in response. "Let's get going."

It was strange being without magic. Ordinarily he could just Shift from one place to another. Having no option but to slog along on foot left him feeling grouchy. "Walking is so slow," he complained after a few minutes. They'd made it to the cluster of little homes, but they were all dark and quiet, their inhabitants asleep. "We need a horse, otherwise it's going to take us ages to get to the city."

Unfortunately, he didn't exactly have any money on him. The only thing he had of any worth was his dagger, the hilt gold and jeweled, but that was a relic Coal was loathe to part with.

"I think we ought to steal one."

 

[GhostDash]

How long did that take? Victoria cast him a disbelieving glance, gaze narrowing a bit at him, though she remained silent for the time being. Walking was too slow? Was he planning to go on and travel through the night? Clearly this village was cast in sleep, quiet and peaceful, not needing to have him come and destroy all that slumbering goodness.

Or--he had no intention of doing any of that.

"Stealing a horse from a village this small?" she hissed, clearly against this whole idea; not that her opinion would at all matter to him. "You might as well burn their house down too while you're at it for all that would cost anyone who loses such a precious commodity."

 

[Debacle]

Coal scowled down at Victoria, crossing his arms over his chest.

"They ought to be happy to be of such assistance to their king," he said crisply. "Fine, then. Have it your way. We'll walk, and maybe one day we'll reach a city with a decent healer." He raised a finger, pointing at her. "But if I get assassinated before I can get my powers back, that's on you, love. Do you really think you can live with that?"

He huffed, then wandered off the trail toward a barn in the distance. The building was more of a shed than anything, made of pale wood with a rounded roof. They'd be sleeping with the cows, most likely, but it was better than possibly sleeping with a Freath. "If we're going by foot, we might as well get rested now."

 

[GhostDash]

Have it her way? Her mouth hung open a little bit in shock, brown eyes watching him with a difference glimmer of disbelief. Strange, was it not, that he actually decided to humor her in this? And when she assumed so strongly that he would ignore her and spit more spite her direction. Which, yes, he did, but she was not foolish enough to miss how he altered his plans.

Shaking herself from the stupor before he could see and make fun of her for it, Victoria caught him up, jogging a little in order to reach his side.

"Would you really be so easily assassinated after an attempt that already failed? Surely any other man would have died had he been wounded to the same extent." Flattery, then. She ought to at least give it a try.

 

[Debacle]

"Would you really be so easily assassinated after an attempt that already failed?" Victoria asked after catching up to him. "Surely any other man would have died had he been wounded to the same extent."

The edges of Coal's mouth lifted the tiniest bit. So, the little spitfire was more astute than she looked. Coal gazed at her from under his lashes, his expression haughty. "Very true, Nurse. Very true. But still, we mustn't get cocky. If Gibralter gets wind of the fact that I'm still alive and back in Alluna, I've no doubt he'll come to finish the job. Or try, at least. And what if he were to do something to you? You're so fragile and defenseless. Really, it's your well-being I'm concerned about. Not mine."

Victoria had coaxed out a monster, and Coal had suddenly repainted himself as a selfless knight in shining armor. Feeling rather impressed with himself, he slung his arm around her waist. "Worry not, love. I'll protect you. But the task will be easier once this poison is counteracted."

They reached the little barn and Coal opened the door tentatively, looking around to make sure there wasn't some farmhand sleeping in the hay. But it was only an old horse (that he wasn't allowed to steal) and a pair of goats. The animals looked at the two intruders curiously, the goats bleating at them. "Look," he said, pointing to an empty stall and a bale of hay that hadn't yet been pulled apart. "We've got a whole stall to ourselves."

 

[GhostDash]

It really didn’t take all that much observation and thought to reach that conclusion, but unfortunately the flattering appeared to work wonders for his attitude. From sour to the similar effect of a peacock flaring its magnificent feathers for all to see—except Coal did not have all that much with which to impress her with, at least in her mind. Victoria’s expression fluttered through exasperation and resignation before settling on a passive disinterest, and startling into offense when he hooked an arm around her waist as if he had the right. Even so, Victoria only smiled. A tense, joyless thing as she pushed briskly at his arm to get him off her.

“Be that as it may,” she began slowly, wanting to choose her words a little more carefully this time, as he was prone to misunderstanding and losing temper over it. “Please heed your own advice and refrain from getting too big of a head. I would hate for your hubris to bring harm.” To herself, mostly, because she was currently helpless and very much defenseless. She needed him, though she loathed to admit it. But she either allowed for the truth, or potentially died here in this strange and impossible land.

The familiar sight and smell of the horse, the sound of the goats making themselves known, washed Victoria in sudden, overwhelming relief. For a moment, at least, she could pretend that everything was still normal, that she was back at home on her own world. Though dark and small, the scent of hay and animals filling the barn made her muscles relax. Victoria loitered in the doorway for a moment before following him inside slowly, wrapping arms about herself. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying all over again and making him mad.

Alongside that familiarity came a wave of exhaustion, enough that Victoria did not protest his declaration but went to sit on the edge of the bale and sighed. Heavy, forlorn. A tear slipped down her cheek, which she hastily wiped away, hopefully before he noticed.

“This will be a good place to sleep,” she agreed. “And I really would like to sleep. You should too, to conserve your strength.”

 

[Debacle]

For all her prissy ways, Victoria didn't scoff at the idea of sleeping on the floor of a barn, just feet away from where a tired brown horse lay. Coal gave a nod of approval. He started to pull the hay bale apart, dropping hay onto the ground for them to lie on. When he was done, the hard-packed floor was suitably covered in something a tiny bit softer.

He moved to the far right corner of the stall and sat down, legs stretched out in front of him, the wall of the barn behind him. He crossed his arms over his chest and shifted until he was reasonably comfortable.

"Right then," he muttered, closing his eyes. "Get some sleep. We've got a long walk ahead of us tomorrow."

 

[GhostDash]

Prissy. Huh. At the moment, had he expressed such observation, she may not have so much as rolled her eyes. The tiredness drew her down onto the hay, lying on her side with practiced ease. He did not need to instruct her to sleep, as she fell into it fast, breathing even and deep rather quickly. In the past, she has spent much time sleeping in her family barn; this only made her feel even more at home. And thankfully she did not loiter awake with her thoughts. The morrow, when it came, would being her more than enough to ponder over, so why bother trying to stay awake and worry in the night?

And...in the morning, perhaps she could see about getting that horse Coal desired to travel on. If he truly was king, then he could have the animal sent back after its use passed. Or, even a younger, finer animal.

Yes. This she will ask him, should she have the opportunity upon waking....

 

[Debacle]

"What in the-- Who are you two and what are you doing in my barn?!"

That woke Coal rather quickly. The owner of the barn kicked Coal's outstretched leg, and Coal leapt to his feet, enraged.

"How dare you," he hissed. "Do you have any idea who I--"

He stopped himself. No, much as he wanted to, he couldn't reveal his identity to the old man glowering at him, pitchfork in hand. Coal eyed the sharp tines, pursing his lips. He cleared his throat, then looked down at Victoria. Unceremoniously he yanked her to her feet, drawing her to his side.

"This is my dear wife," he lied, beginning again. "She is... with child. We are travelling and needed shelter." His voice sounded flat to his own ears.

"My barn isn't an inn!" the old man croaked, pointing his pitchfork at them. "Now get out! Both of you! I don't care if she's having twins!"

 

[GhostDash]

The sound of sudden yelling startled Victoria awake so badly that her feet kicked out as if ready to begin running, and a heel slammed against the stall wall. Her hiss and tired whimper was lost on both men, though, apparently, and she was dragged to her feet anyway. As her foot throbbed--stunned momentarily she hoped--she wobbled and leaned heavily against the one holding her. Bleary and now watery eyes peered up at Coal. His whole body felt tense with irritation.

Only when she blinked at the other person, an older gentleman, did she notice the pitchfork hovering in front of their faces, and she jerked back a bit.

"W-who's having twins?" she stammered, utterly confused and hurting and certain that they have not slept the whole night through considering the tiredness that clung to her like a wet, thick blanket.

Evidently that was not the right thing to say, as that impromptu weapon edged a little closer and the man belted once more for them to vacate the premises. Though in harsher terms, Victoria had to admit.

 

[Debacle]

"We're going!" Coal yelled, edging past the pitchfork with Victoria in tow. Once he was to the door, he turned, pointing at the old man. "The king will hear of this," he assured the owner of the property. "He shall know how inhospitable you were, mark my words."

He stormed away, heading toward the road. "Unbelievable," he fumed. He glanced down at Victoria. "He could learn a lot from you. You at least set out to help a stranger in need. You did a piss-poor job at some aspects, but I can't fault you for the effort you put forth. And here, one of my own subjects, and he wouldn't even help a pregnant woman. Truly it's despicable."

 

[GhostDash]

She staggered along with him, one hand reaching around to grasp the front of Coal's shirt to keep her balance while he pulled her stumbling along. The cobwebs in her mind cleared by the time they stepped outside, and the fresh coolness she breathed in shook off any lingering drowsiness.

Though Victoria supposed Coal's words could be...construed as compliment, she did not dwell on whatever sideways insult he gave her in his obvious agitation. Instead, she tugged on his coat, looking up at him with earnest eyes (and some straw stuck in her hair). "Coal, don't blame him. He obviously doesn't recognize you. Most people would be suspicious of others sneaking into their private property in the middle of the night." Not to mention that his attempt at lying had been pretty poor at best. "Besides...your attitude can be very off-putting and suspect."

Just to be honest.

 

[Debacle]

"'Off-putting?" he repeated. The pitch of his voice rose. "Suspect? Why I--I never!"

She'd tugged at his coat, and he'd slowed, then stopped altogether. A sigh escaped his weary lips. "Victoria, sometimes you are so damn...sensible! And really, I can't decide if I find that trait fascinating or deplorable."

He brushed her shoulders free of straw, then reached toward her face, gently removing one of the bits that was stuck in her tangled locks. Then he reached down, taking both of her hands in his. "I do have a bit of good news though."

 

[GhostDash]

Her brow pinched, lips thinning a bit as if she prepared herself to protest, but Victoria refrained from outright complaining. “…Your compliments can be very backwards, Coal,” she muttered, closing an eye in a partial flinch when he reached towards her. Only to have him remove some bits of straw from her person.

She ought to relax…but his temper… She had no idea when he might actually follow through with some of the threats he has dealt her.

“What news is that?”

 

[Debacle]

"Backhanded compliments are the only sort I give," he told her, a hint of pride in his voice. "My mother was famous for it, so it's in my blood."

He pulled her along, walking further down the road as he chattered, swinging her arm like they were children. Though there was no sun in the sky to light the world brightly, the moon that had risen was incredibly bright, washing the world in a sort of silvery glow.

"But that's neither here nor there. The good news is, I woke up with a bit of magic this morning. Not much, mind you, but I can feel it. I ought to be able to take us to a city where I know a healer, at the very least. And then you're coming with me to the capital, and you can bear witness as I murder my brother." He dropped her hand, his smile beatific. "What do you think, pet. Doesn't that sound lovely?"

 

[GhostDash]

Victoria eyed him for a short moment, then shook her head. He was hopeless. Utterly hopeless no doubt. “Then the back of everyone’s hand is all you’re ever going to get,” she muttered, cutting him another glance, this one sullen, if a bit wary since she spoke her mind presently. Not always a good thing with him.

Looking down at their hands as he swung them so gleefully, it contrasted his words so spectacularly that his declaration of murder left her reeling yet again. She had no reply for him, not as her heart hammered wildly in her chest. How fitting that the world itself, cast as if coated in silver and brighter than before, seemed just as foreign still to match his happy attitude and apparent determination. Her mouth hung open at him, and she sought for some sign of wicked jesting in his face, but she found none. None that she could decipher, anyway.

“You’re serious.” How awful…. Her lips moved a few times, yet the words could not be found at first. “I will not watch you kill your own brother.” Though he’d let go of her hand himself, she jerked it from him as if he might suddenly set her appendage aflame just for the fun of it. “N o n e of that sounds lovely at all! You—I ought to have left you in that field!”

Oh, wonderful, now she was starting to sound like him….

 

[Debacle]

Her sudden ire didn't surprise him. Coal was now used to Victoria's outbursts; after all, most of what he did and said offended her on some level. Still, he wouldn't let her spoil his good mood. Things were suddenly going well for him, and there were good things on the horizon.

"Fine," he sighed, swatting away the hand she held out in front of him. "I won't make you watch. But you're missing out. Trust me, if you knew my brother, you'd be happy to see him slain."

There probably would be very little actual slaying, unfortunately. Gibralter was the crown prince, so execution required a bit of proof. Much as he would have liked to put a sword through Gib's heart or, at the very least, toss him in a dungeon for the rest of his very long life, doing so would cause an uprising. No, he'd have to be clever about this, and somehow gather evidence that Gibralter had poisoned him.

"Are you ready, then?" He held out his hand. "I'd like to get this poison matter taken care of, if that's alright with you."

 

[GhostDash]

She sighed, long and heavy. Weighted. If this brother truly was worse than Coal himself… Oh, what has she gotten herself into? Fantasy, that’s what. Strange fairytales and fae-folk; that’s what all of this sounded like to her, except she lived it. Although…lived ought to be the key word in this. She was still alive, and that counted for something. So she should stay that way until Coal was in a mood to send her home.

Squaring her shoulders, Victoria stood to her full height—which still was not much in comparison, but she looked him right in his dark eyes. “What you do within your own family is of no concern to me, Coal. And you can consider me weak and useless all you like, but I intend to survive this and return home. Mark my words.”

Looking at his hand, then to him, she shook her head. His snippy words and occasionally courteous gestures…they truly were confounding. Either way, she took his hand, if only so there would be no chance of accidentally separating from him. Assuming, of course, that they would be walking. She had not considered anything otherwise.

 

[Debacle]

For a moment, he considered leaving her. She was a spiteful little thing, after all, denying him any fun he might have. But then she reached out and took his hand. Her expression still seemed a little irritated, but Coal smirked.

"Actions speak louder than words, love. I can see you don't fancy the idea of being parted from me. A wise decision."

He clasped her hand more firmly, then drew a line through the air. The line shimmered blackly, widening, and Coal yanked Victoria through it. Through it, and directly into the front parlor of a small shop. The place was all of wood, the low ceiling made even lower by the bundles of herbs hanging from the rafters. It smelled of sage and tarragon and incense, the air thick. Curtains covered the windows, and scattered about the cluttered shelves and tables were candles of all shapes, sizes, and degrees of being used up.

"Persimmony!" Coal called, letting go of Victoria's hand. A wave of weakness flooded over him, and he stumbled toward the nearest chair. "Persimmony, get your arse over here if you know what's good for you!"

Sweat beaded on his brow, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand.

"Perhaps," he muttered breathlessly. "Perhaps using that much magic was not a good idea." He glanced around as flecks of black began to surround his vision. Where the hell was the Healer?

"Victoria--" he began. And then he collapsed, falling from the chair and onto the worn rug in the front parlor of the empty medicines shop.

 

[GhostDash]

She—she didn’t want to part from him because he was the sole being in this whole world who offered any semblance of somewhat promised protection. It had absolutely nothing at all to do with that cockamamie smirk and his rotten attitude. But try and explain that to him, he’ll likely turn her words around to feed his own exalted pride. Well, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a response, except a tension of his jaw and a flash in her eyes being the only warning she could give. And, unfortunately, a warning she could not back at present. However long until he took her home again, she will simply have to endure his child-like, craven behavior.

Watching him with some interest, Victoria frowned pensively as that blackened line appeared out of nowhere, and she resisted just for a second before he bodily pulled her through it. Similar to what he called the void, Victoria found nothing within her with which to scream. Or perhaps the travel took too short a time for her to actually let loose a noise. Either way, all she managed on the other side of it when she stumbled into some other strange building was a gasp. The heavy scent of herbs and spices assaulted her senses, forcing her to stagger again when Coal released her to solve her own dizziness issue on her own. Victoria cast him a glare, reached out and leaned against a counter until the world ceased tilting.

She heard Coal complaining about something to her side, but only looked to him when he faintly uttered her name, then promptly collapsed. For a second, Victoria stared at him, the strangest sensation of concern and satisfaction twisting in her chest, but in the end concern won out.

“Hello!” she called, pushed from the herb-riddled counter and moved to stand over Coal’s prone form. “Anyone?!”

A sharp crack issued from behind another door, startling her and rattling a wall full of dried hanging plants. Someone’s muffled voice hollered afterwards and continued to speak, totally unintelligible until that side door opened.

“—things to do, you know,” an older gentleman, hair barely touched with grey about the ears, shoved the door with his foot while toting a wooden box. “All these kids barely two steps into their hundreds and their demands—oh.” He caught sight of Victoria’s wide-eyed expression, and suddenly the man’s sullen expression shifted into one of joyful curiosity. “Hellooo, young miss, how can I tend to you?”

For some reason, his smile unnerved Victoria just a little; she pointed down to Coal without removing her gaze from the one she supposed Coal had been calling for. “He needs tending, not me. His name is Coal and he claims to be the king—”

Persimmony suddenly let the box drop and slam to the floor, muffling the last couple of her words and effectively cutting her words off. “Oh, pardon me, Miss! Let me just have a look and I’ll be certain to tell you myself what ails you!” The man scuttled forward, forcing Victoria to stagger backwards, nearly tripping over Coal’s foot in her haste to distance herself from the exuberant apothecary.

Evidently, Victoria need not explain a thing. In a glance it seemed as if this Persimmony knew exactly what to do. If he recognized Coal, he said nothing of it, only ripped through the material to reach the ugly blackness marring Coal’s chest, which had spread further even since the last Victoria had seen it. With a soft curse, the apothecary pushed to his feet in haste, gathering a couple jars set in a tall cabinet over which vines hung like a curtain. Victoria watched in utter silence as he administered both salve and some manner of light from his hands, beads of sweat breaking on the man’s forehead and he strained against whatever poison had saturated Coal’s body.

 

[Debacle]

Coal gagged, waking up with a horrible pressure on his chest and an even more horrible stench wafting toward his nose.

"What in Mother's name did you slather onto me?" he demanded, sitting up. "Ugh, it smells revolting, and--"

Coal had the decency to cut himself off. Persimmony was still hard at work doing one of his enchantments, the sweat of intense concentration beaded on his brow. Light flowed from his hands toward Coal's chest; the source of the pressure, apparently. But Coal looked down in faint surprise to see that the black lines streaking away from the silvery scar on his bare chest were slowly drawing in on themselves, as if being pulled back to the source.

"Ah, well, good job then, mate." It looked like Persimmony was almost done, but he had no idea. Healing magic had never been his forte. So he stayed still, grimacing against the pressure and the odor of Persimmony's concoction. "Good job, indeed."

 

[GhostDash]

Far too busy concentrating and the removal of all the junk in Coal's system, Persimmony hadn't the opportunity to protest outright the young man's waking and rising. Thankfully, however, he also showed the good sense to look before acting.

"Just...another moment," Persimmony muttered between clenched teeth. Like pulling water from a bottle, if it could be done, the apothecary siphoned all that poison more or less into the salve against Coal's skin, which then was scraped off in haste with a very dull blade and deposited in disgusting globs onto a clay pot for proper disposal later. It was not the cleanest method of removing poison, but it was certainly the fastest. Persimonny let out a sudden breath, then waved hastily towards the back of his shop. "Go wash the rest off. Quickly. There's a large basin in the back room. Young lady, be a dear and open the door for him."

Victoria, still standing off to the side like a cornered yet fascinated animal, stared at them both for a heartbeat or two, then scurried wordlessly for said door.

 

[Debacle]

Coal got to his feet and hurried toward the back room. Behind the door, the apothecary became an area customers clearly weren't meant to see. Dust lined the many shelves crowding one wall, and baskets full of dried plants and other questionable looking ingredients piled together in the corner. Against one wall sat an empty basin, and above it a spigot. Coal strode over, turning the tap. Warm water began to flow into the basin.

He pulled off his shirt and held it out to Victoria, who had followed after him. "Hold this for a minute, will you?"

A stool next to the basin held a bar of soap, which he grabbed. He turned off the water and leaned over the basin, cupping water in his hands. He washed the vile salve away, not satisfied till his skin was red and faintly raw.

Coal held his hand out for the shirt.

 

[GhostDash]

She'd only followed out of curiosity about the back room, not necessarily to help him. But, though her nose scrunched in disgust, Victoria did take the dirty, torn thing between two fingers, holding it away from herself as Coal scrubbed down. Keeping her gaze elsewhere for the most part, she surveyed the room itself with only the occasional glance cast in Coal's direction--but in the end she found herself staring at him, as if his chest might start glowing again at any second. None of what she just witnessed made sense to her, only that her companion appeared now in better health than mere minutes ago. Whatever that older gentleman had done--whether magic or some..form of something, none of which she could truly wrap her mind around fully just yet--it seemed to have worked wonderfully.

Perhaps Coal's attitude will improve now that pain no long plagued him.

When he stretched out his hand to her, Victoria stared rather dumbly at first, then stirred with a sudden small start. "You want this thing back?"