Falling Apart; New Wounds And New Abilities

[clouds just clouds]

Calix smiled at the two of them and began flipping pancakes on the stove--after turning it on, of course. He cooled the chocolate pancakes first, and after he was done cooking them, he put on a bit of powdered sugar on each to help balance the chocolatiness of the pancakes. With those done, he moved to start on the strawberry ones.

"So," Calix said as he flipped more pancakes. "What's the third level? And the fourth?" He didn't bother with asking why she only reached level two.

Who would ever want to work with Rorik?

Or get closer to him?

Drexel walked down the hallways with a concealed face. The servants weren't allowed to see his anxiety. He half had the urge just to knock on the door and run away, but he didn't want the tea just sitting out, especially since it was at the perfect temperature.

When he came to their door, he slowly pushed it open and peeked inside to see if the two were awake.

Gods, if they were doing anything gross he would die and lock himself up like Calix.

[Bakery]

"Off hand, I have no idea." Khalida shrugged. "I haven't gotten to those levels and I really don't plan too- so asking Drexel or Seraphina would be better for you.." Khalida said quietly and stared down at her tea, now unsure of what else to say.



He didn't need I lock himself up- for if he looked, Drexel would find both the king and his Bondmate asleep in each others arms. Seraphina stirred to consciousness and lifted her head as the door opened however, and a small smile could be seen on her face.

"Hey." She whispered at Drexel quietly, "come on in.."

[clouds just clouds]

Calix wanted to selfishly let the conversation fall to an awkward silence, but he also didn't want to let it. Because, if it did, then his thoughts would gladly pick up on the silence. Swallowing, Calix finished making the pancakes and he moved to put them on the island, and then he set out everything for everyone to make their own plates--including three plates.

"There you guys go," Calix smiled up at Khalida. "Are you afraid of scary movies, Khalida?"

Relief poured through Drexel and he motioned Seraphina to be quiet. He didn't shut the door all the way, because he planned on leaving soon, but he couldn't help but feel his heart swell at the site of them. Quickly, he patted lightly over to them, but never has lightly as Callaghan, and set the tray on a night table. Then, he knelt down and reached to grab Seraphina's hand, his eyes filling with tears.

Seraphina was his older sister, someone who he looked up to and cared for. She had always been there for him, and now he felt like crying like a big baby because he made a big mistake, and it hurt her too.

It hurt everyone.

But he couldn't, not with the beast right there. A tear sneaked out and he shook his head, "I'm so sorry, Seraphina..." He croaked and leaned forward to peck her cheek. "You're doing alright, right? You're okay?" He searched her eyes, his brows pushed together. "C-Calix isn't doing well.. Khalida seems to be fine, but... I'm sorry..."

[Bakery]

"Hm? No, not really. They have always seemed silly to me. I can watch them just fine..Planning on running a marathon of them?" she smiled and glanced up from her tea. It was cute to see Calix and Erisanna together...They were adorable.

Seraphina gave a tired smile in return to Drexel coming to her side. She shifted slowly so her back was to Rucian.

"Oh, Drexie..." she whispered and brought his hand to her lips. "Don't cry...Here." she began to sit up- again following through with the slow movements so she didn't wake Rucian. She wrapped her arms around Drexel after he kissed her cheek.

"I'm fine. I've been through worse- there's nothing that bastard can do to me that will ever bring me down...How are you?" she whispered and pulled away, her purple eyes filled with concern.

She pressed her lips to his cheek as well, letting the tear be pecked away with her lips. "No tears, you're forgiven.." she whispered softly and frowned at his next words. "I was afraid of him being traumatized... I should go see him...Khalida's probably the strongest out of all of us right now- she's lived with that monsters tests all her life."

her heart hung heavily at the truthful words. Calix was hurt, Khalida being used to the tests...it was all terrible to accept. Terrible to hear, to speak of..

She pulled him closer to her for another hug, sighing as her arms fit around his broad shoulders. "Shh...It's okay." she assured.

If anyone noticed Rucian's tail tightening around Seraphina's, they must have had to be paying extreme attention.

For the beast was awake and listening, though his eyes were closed. Seraphina was strong- denying her own shattered sense of oneness to help heal others...Carefully he inched forward, if he could, and captured both her and Drexel in a hug.

A kiss was placed on both of their heads- for his love was there and his most trusted friends bondmate could be considered like a nephew to him. A friend of his own, as well- someone important.

And all he had wanted was to make them feel well again.

"Let's not cry, alright?" he whispered. "It's over now...And something will be done."

Ah, there it was. The kingly voice.

Just what would he do to Rorik, though? Seraphina wondered if he would be killed- if Rucian could even bring himself to do that..

[clouds just clouds]

Calix smiled lightly at Khalida and couldn't help himself. He started braiding Erisanna's hair, his eyes soft as he watched her. "Maybe. We're going to watch one and see how Erisanna does. And if she's too scared, I have a whole lot of romantic comedies lined up to ease her." A smirk twitched Calix's lips. "So, if you're not afraid of scary movies, then Drexel might be." Pausing, he pressed his lips together and then glanced up at her. "I know it's not my place... but I'm not really blind. The two of you seem... hesitant around each other. Did something happen?" Before they devoured each other with their eyes, and now they avoided looking at each other.

Drexel swallowed thickly and wrapped his arms around Seraphina. Even if he was taller than her, he felt comfort in the entire thing. Forgiveness.. it helped the guilt on his heart, but his stomach still twisted slightly at the discomfort of it. "I'm fine," Drexel croaked. "I'm just..."

Rucian's sudden attack made panic flash through him. For a few moments, he only saw white, but it slowly slid away when he felt the kiss. Right when Rucian told him not to cry, that's when all his tears slid out. He felt like he wasn't five-hundred, but ten.

Tears escaped his eyes and he let out a choking sob, "I'm sorry..." Drexel croaked. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't gotten so mad... I should have listened to you. I was so stupid... I'm sorry..." He gasped a shaky breath and then pulled his brows together. "Callaghan doesn't know... d-d-don't tell him, please... I want to be able to stop him if he tries anything..."

[Bakery]

Erisanna grinned at Calix's touch, beaming as he braided her hair. His touch was welcomed more than words could express- she loved it when he did things like this.

Khalida shrugged, glancing down a bit sadly. "I'm not sure..we'll have to ask when he gets back. I'd love to watch the romantic comedies with you guys though- despite their cheesiness I quite enjoy them." She grinned.

The smile quickly fell away at Calix's question.

Other than I'm broken and he should move on to find someone better?

"Things after what we had gotten back from have just been weird. We both just need time to adjust. I'm sure." She offered a sad broken smile- one even Erisanna could see was painful for her to attempt- but the youngest said nothing about it. It was Khalida's own trouble to deal with- budding in would be rude..


Rucian patted the top of Drexel's head with a small smile, "I won't tell him...but I will leave the two of you alone for a bit to talk.." He nodded and moved from his bed to his bathroom.

Seraphina still hadn't let Drexel go, his tears making her hug that much tighter as she comforted him. "We all make mistakes- and we're all fine. We're alive, we have our Bondmates...and we're all still together, Drexel." She smiled softly and patted his back gently as he sobbed. "Shhhhh.. He can't taint us- he hasn't and he won't...he's a coward and I promise you everything will be okay.." She whispered and pulled away to wipe away some of his tears. "This isn't your fault- don't shoulder all of this on your own. Let me help you lift this burden and together we shall destroy it." She assured.

[clouds just clouds]

Calix watched her and tilted his head. "Khalida.. I know you barely know me, and everything, and you have Seraphina, but you know, if you wanted, you could talk to me." Then, a blush filtered his cheeks and he began to look a bit flustered as he reached up and scratched the back of his head. "I mean, it's only because I don't really know Drexel that well, so I won't get mad if you complain about him, where I get the feeling Seraphina knows Drexel extremely well and..."

He gave up and let out a long sigh. "Erisanna, I'm going to go back to the room. If you want to come too, you should make up your plate now. I don't want to stay out here much longer..." Once again, his face darkened and his fingers fell away from her hair so he could wrap his arms around his small frame.


"I thought he was going to murder me," Drexel whispered through a teary smile. The guilt weighing on his chest lightened up even more, though it would take a while for it to dissipate. If it ever did. It really depended on if Calix got better or not.

Except, Calix seemed like a strong kid, so he should be able to pull through. Honestly, Calix probably has never really seen a battle like that, nor run into a royal so strong. "Phi," Drexel murmured, smiling lightly at her, "Calix made us breakfast, so I should hurry back down and eat with them before he bolts back to his room. They made a huge fort in there and everything. Are you sure Rucian isn't going to corner me and yell at me? Because, if he is, I rather have Callaghan near to calm him down."

[Bakery]

Genuine surprise flushed across Khalida's face- she hadn't expected Calix to offer such a thing- and yet...

"Thank you, Calix. That means a lot to me." Khalida smiled and looked down, "I might take you up on that offer at a later point."

Khalida made her plate- and Erisanna followed suit. "But what about Drexel? Shouldn't we wait for him too?" Erisanna asked, turning toward Calix with worried eyes.



Seraphina shook her head, smiling. "Nooo. He's not angry- and if he is, it's at himself and Rorik- but not you, don't worry." Smshe assured and stretched, leaning back against the bed lazily.

"That's adorable." She giggled and smiled, "I'm positive and even if he wants too- I promise I will hold him back." She grinned at Drexel with a sigh. "We probably won't be seen for a little while- I'm not ready to go and face everyone at once just yet..." She frowned, curling up in her blankets. "Thank you for the tea, Drexel.." She smiled softly and rand her had through his hair once. "Go enjoy breakfast."

[clouds just clouds]

Calix's gaze flickered over to Erisanna and tugged on his lower lip with his tea. "Um," his gaze flickered over to Khalida, his cheeks still blooming a bit red. "I..." A long sigh left him and he gave in. The food smelt too good. "I'll give him enough time for me to make up my own plate, but if he's not back, I'm going." Walking back over to the cabinets, he grabbed his own plate and waited for Erisanna to get done making her plate before beginning to make his own.

His stormy eyes watched the food as he artfully put his own plate together, "I'm sorry, Erisanna... you know you don't have to stay in the room with me. I am fine with being by myself. I mean, I've lived on my own for all these years."

But during all those years, he wasn't captured and kept by a madman that kept him awake.

Maybe it would help to tell someone in detail what happened.

Not Erisanna, no.

Maybe, maybe Rucian...

Maybe.

Drexel smiled lightly and slowly pushed himself up. "Thank you..." He gently squeezed her hand before pulling away. "Thank you, Seraphina.. um. When you're ready to be away from Rucian, I have.. something personal to discuss with you." His cheeks bloomed red--which rarely happened to him and he disliked the look on his cheeks.

Shaking his head in hopes of getting rid of the blush, he waggled his fingers at Seraphina. "Feel awesome. Because you are, and you're beautiful. The best big sister anyone could ask for." With a grin, Drexel slipped out of the room and then sprinted down the hallway.

Let the servants gossip about that.

He reached the kitchen, breathless, just as Calix was finishing his plate, "Calix, make my plate up like yours~?" Drexel grinned.

Pressing his lips into a tight line, Calix nodded and began to make his plate, too.

[Bakery]

Erisanna's guilt strengthened as Calix told her she didn't have to stay with him- she had even set down her fork slowly as the words processed. Tears threatened- but she quickly hid them behind a smile.

She was trying her best...Wasn't that enough? Spending time with him and helping him- but what good was all that if she wasn't pushing him? She knew she didn't have to stay there- but she wanted to. She wanted to help heal him, enough so that maybe one day he could step outside of the room and actually go back to living his life...

He wasn't really living now. He was surviving- just barely.

"I...I know." she mumbled as she stuck another piece of pancake in her mouth. Her tongue felt like cotton and her mouth was now a desert- void of the ability to chew her food.

Khalida kept silent- unsure what to say about the matter at all. It was obvious Erisanna was attempting to help. Of course, it was just as obvious that Calix wasn't fully ready to be helped this far yet.

---

Seraphina offered a small, weak smile and waved back to Drexel- her eyes almost watering at his words. Sure, they were simple, but with everything that had happened- Gods only knew what Rorik had done and what was going to.

"Sure." she nodded and turned over in her bed, facing away from the door as he escaped from the room.

Instead of sitting in misery by herself, Seraphina collected what energy she had left and padded over to the bathroom. She knew Rucian was in the hot springs. It was what he did in times of stress.

Seraphina also knew that he was waiting for her.

Changing quickly and wrapping a towel around herself, Seraphina made her way to the hot springs. Her purple eyes fell on Rucian, who was sitting dead center in the middle of the springs, and she slowly crept over to him. Her arms wrapped around his torso as she pressed her head to his back, the tears falling from her eyes faster than she could even process them.

No words sounded from the King. He only turned and wrapped his arms around her in return, pressing kisses into her hair.

Anger had been an emotion he knew well these past days. The swelling white hot fire it created making him enraged. The only thing keeping him from storming out like Drexel had was his bondmate...But just as fate would have it, every time he laid his eyes on her the anger grew.


It was a very complicated situation. All thanks to one bastard of a man.