Sins of Lust Filled Love Pt 11

Shep is struck from his stupor. King Don dies.

-Betrothed-

Sins of Lust Filled Love

Part 11

Shep was floating.

He didn't know where, he didn't know how, but he was floating, and Ciaran was with him; that was the only thing that mattered. Ciaran turned to him, his dark smirk playing at his lips, tugging lightly at those pink corners, so perfect in his mind even when they were chapped, even when cut or bleeding, they were perfect. Shep sighed and followed. Who was he to deny Ciaran's command?

The Lost Prince was only a few steps ahead of him, but those few steps were too far, much too far, he was too far away if Shep couldn't hold him, couldn't feel him, couldn't touch him, couldn't feel the warmth from him. Shep reached out to him, closer, closer, closer... almost in his grasp, almost, then...

A sharp stunning pain to the side of his face.

He frowned, bringing a hand to his cheek, and the pain came again, harder this time, Ciaran was slowly getting further and further away; he had stopped trying to wave at him and now just walked on, leaving him behind.

"Ciaran!" He screamed, as another sting came to the other cheek. The raven haired boy didn't turn, just kept going, slowly fading out of focus, slowly getting to be too far away for him to see. "Ciaran!" He yelled again, but now he was gone, faded anyway into oblivion, probably never to be seen again.

Shep fell to his knees, defeated, dejected, crestfallen, and felt tears streaking down his face. Even now in his dreams he couldn't keep him safe, couldn't keep him close and that made a pain more real than the one he was already feeling.

Slowly the room swam back into focus and the scene in his mind faded away, replaced with the figure of his brother, with his hand raised ready to strike him again.

"What do you want?" He croaked.

"Father wants to see us."

It took Shep a moment, but finally the statement registered in his brain, and he slowly nodded. "Okay." He tried to sit up and failed, his arms giving out from under him.

Berrick rolled his eyes and hooked his arms around Shep, lifting him up off the ground. He was light. Too light. "You better stay awake." He growled as they made there way out of Shep's room and down the hall towards the room they held their father.

Shep's brow scrunched in confusion. This wasn't the way to his father's room... this was the direction of the infirmary. His eyes widened. Did something happen to Don?

He grabbed at his older brother's tunic. "What's wrong with father?"

Berrick looked down at him, silent contempt behind his eyes, of course Shep didn't know what was going on. "He was poisoned." He stated simply.

"By a poison we have no cure for." Shep finished.

Berrick nodded his head.

"How long?"

"About a week."

Shep sighed. "I see.."

As the fog continued to leave his mind he became painfully aware of his condition, yet again, only worse than before. He didn't even want to look in a mirror now, fearing the image he'd see, probably nothing more than a skeleton if his bony arms told him anything.

The two walked into the infirmary and they followed the sounds of coughing to the end of the room where Don lay, cut off from the world, a simple cloth screen the only divider. Berrick pulled that back now and called quietly into the dark space. "Father?"

Don coughed again, but this time he managed to lift himself up some and turn in the direction of their voices. His eyes, they almost seemed to be looking through them as if he was... "Is Shep with you?"

Shep felt his stomach drop to the floor, blind, his father was blind, the poison had taken his sight, and leeched the color from his body, his once black hair now startlingly white.

"Yes." Shep managed, voice cracking slightly. "I'm here."

"Good," He coughed and brought a hand to his mouth, before taking a breath. It sounded watery, like his lungs were filled with fluids. "Bring him here."

Berrick nodded, then remembering his father couldn't see said. "Okay."

Don waited patiently as he heard the sounds of footsteps and the scraping of a chair being drawn towards the bed. It was strange just how loud everything seemed now that he couldn't see, his ears seemingly wanting to compensate for the loss of his eyes.

"Is he comfortable?"

"I'm fine father," Shep stated, looking into his father’s sightless eyes.

Don nodded. "You must wonder why I've called you here." Neither boy responded to that so the King continued. "I am dying," He said simply, too close to death to want to sugar coat the fact. "I do not have much longer to live, the poison within me eats at my life as we speak." He paused to cough again, this time Shep could see specks of red on his hand. "Berrick, leave us. I've already said my part to you," He took a breath. "Remember my words, heed them, take Shep's advice when you are king, it would serve you well, and respect his wishes, do not deny him what he truly desires. Promise me you'll do this."

Berrick agreed with a shake of his head, though he looked anything but agreeable. "I promise."

"Thank you... now let me speak with your brother alone."

Don waited as he heard the sound of the bed creak at the loss of weight and the muttered curses of his heir. "Is he gone?" He finally asked, hearing nothing.

"He's gone," Shep confirmed, Don hummed in approval.

The room fell into silence as the dying King caught his breath. Shep waited, hunger gnawing at his belly.

"Death is a funny thing, isn't it Shepherd?" His father finally. "You fear it for all of your life, but when it finally comes, you welcome it, it means no more worries, no more cares, no more pain."

Shep nodded, not wanting to interrupt what his father had to say. "Shepherd, I know, Berrick will make a good king, a good one as long as he has you by side, don't let him push you away like I'm sure he'll try to... and Shep?"

Shep cleared his throat, he felt something change in Don's tone, something that called for him to respond. "Yes?"

"You did the right thing."

Shep's brow scrunched in confusion. "Wha- what?"

"Protecting the Biard boy, Sabien was it?"

Shep was shocked. "How did you know?"

Don laughed. "You forget Bas and I were friends, I'd recognize his boy, especially when he looks so much like his father did at his age." A wry grin crossed his lips, sightless eyes seeing into memory. "I wish you'd have told me, we could've done far more if I'd been able to interfere directly, but I suppose love makes even the smartest blind."

Shep shifted uncomfortably, he didn't like where this conversation was going. "Wh- what do you mean?" He seemed to be asking that a lot lately.

"You and the Biard boy? You shared... intimate relations did you not?"

Shep had another moment of confusion. "Y- you mean-"

"Yes Shep, I know you loved him, you weren't as subtle as you thought, and don't forget the token you gave him."

"The ring," Shep whispered, finally piecing something together.

Don nodded. "Indeed, he never takes it off." The king coughed again, this time more violently than before, obvious blood splattering his robes.

"Father perhaps-"

Don waved him off. "Shut up and listen. You and the Biard boy, your love set events in motion we can not predict, it paved the way for Thyme's rise to power." He coughed again, a spasming thing and blood dribbled down his chin.

Shep's heart was beating frantically in his chest. "I- I don't understand."

"Of course not, and I don't have time to explain things to you, just take this advice: Visit the Oracle of Thebes and follow your heart." He took a ragged breath. He motioned for Shep to come in closer. "I do not believe him to be dead."

Shep took in a breath, there was no mistaking who "him" was, but... how? How would he know? What made him think that. He didn't understand.

"Father! What did you mea-," He stopped mid sentence. His father had stopped moving.

"Father?" The king didn't move, didn't breath and a stabbing sinking feeling entered his being. He gained one but not the other, like some sort of sick trade off he wished he didn't have to participate in. Don, he had died. The Great King of Verlorene, his father, his teacher, his biggest advisor, was gone, never to speak again. No good-bye, no I love you, nothing but wisdom and a quest. A quest he would fulfill.

"Berrick," He called; he turned as he heard the older man walk into the room.

"Is he... ?" He asked motioning to the bed.

Shep nodded his head, wiping tears he hadn't felt fall down his face before continuing. "Can you get me something to eat? I have an Oracle to see."

Berrick, stood there for a moment, slightly shocked to hear that his brother was going to eat, but then nodded quickly, leaving the room to tell the maids the news.

Shep turned back around in his chair, his eyes falling on his father; he clenched his fists, face molding to something of determination. He felt a spark of something in him in that moment, hope, Ciaran might still be alive, but something else as well, something darker, a need for revenge.

He would see this Oracle and get whatever prophecy or wisdom she had to give him.

He would find Ciaran.

Shep reached across and placed a hand on his father's eyelids to close them.

Then he'd kill Thyme.

And he'd make sure he got nothing but hell for what he'd done.

-Betrothed-

Author's Note

Pt 11 #DemAwkDeathBedTalks

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