23. Chapter Twenty-Three #2
Laurent had nothing good planned. He assured himself he would fight against Laurent if he must, but then he thought of sinking beneath the floor.
All the dark crevices far below reeking of rot and decay where Laurent would push and push until Nicholas’ panic made him nothing more than a whimpering mess.
He would claw and tear and kick in his cocoon of roots and bones, pleading to be given fresh air while his lungs collapsed.
Lips fell on his cheek. Nicholas woke from his trance with a start. The group had taken the hall, but William lagged. He stood with Nicholas, his lips still brushing against his cheek.
“I fear I am nothing against Laurent, but should he try to harm you, I will put up an annoying fight,” said William with a sweet smile.
Nicholas chuckled, his worries having lightened. He pressed their foreheads together, taking in William’s scent. He still smelled so strongly of disinfectant, but somehow that brought Nicholas joy.
“I wouldn’t want you to put yourself in harm’s way, but I appreciate the sentiment,” he said before a kiss. They lingered there, enraptured by the other’s presence. “Stay close to me. I fear what he has planned.”
“Whatever it may be, we will face it together.” William went after the others, who took the corner of the hall.
The two of them caught up, overhearing Charmaine say groggily, “I don’t know if rest will do us any good. We’re in his castle in his territory. How can we be expected to sleep?”
“It sounds like you will have no issue sleeping,” said Evera, having become Charmaine’s walking stick. Nicholas expected Evera to play her pranks, to release Charmaine so she’d stumble, but the fae kept a firm hold on her. He found it odd.
“If I sleep, it will be a restless one from illness and fear.” Charmaine stumbled when Evera came to a stop. The fae settled a hand on Charmaine’s back to steady her.
A door greeted them, thus telling them which room was to be used.
Henry opened the first hesitantly, peeking in like a rabbit searching for a fox.
Then he waltzed inside the autumn room, where two wide beds settled against the far wall.
Windows rose high on either side, crooked and without glass.
One bed made for two while the other two were smaller.
Hill Castle even summoned a dining set of four chairs.
“It seems four of you are expected to rest here,” said Nicholas proudly. He knew the castle would be on his side. “Evera, Charmaine, Arden, and Henry, enjoy your room.”
“But there are only three beds,” said Henry incredulously. “Well, I can take the floor.”
Hill Castle groaned. Vines breached the soil to swat at his ankles. Henry yelped and stumbled until he fell onto the smaller bed. The vines waited, daring him to leave, but he kicked off his shoes and brought his feet onto the mattress.
“I will sleep here, it seems,” he half said, half asked.
The vines turned their attention to Arden, who took the second small bed without issue. He fell onto the mattress and shut his eyes.
“Then Charmaine and Evera can have the large bed,” Nicholas said, or rather, Hill Castle did, and he went along with its whims.
“Can’t the magical castle conjure another bed?” Charmaine glanced at William like he could help.
“Hill Castle will conjure a bed if it wishes. Right now, it does not, so take your rest. Remember, stay together.” He nudged William toward the door.
“I won’t bite,” Evera teased while Charmaine dropped on the bed. The mortal had a peculiar nervousness about her that revealed itself through the twiddling of her thumbs, which grew worse when Evera sat beside her.
“I should stay with Charmaine,” William argued.
His eyes fell on Henry. The mage had his eyes shut, but even Nicholas learned better. Henry was an observer and he no doubt took everything in. His notebook would be filled before the end of the trip. William probably worried about leaving with Nicholas and what that might imply to his brother.
“You must come with me. Hill Castle will be angered otherwise. It clearly wishes to meet you,” he whispered.
“Why?”
Rather than answer, he held a hand toward the door. William looked once more at his brother.
“We’ll check in later,” William muttered.
Henry waved a hand. “Don’t get into trouble.”
“Be careful,” Charmaine said.
He took William’s hand to yank him out of the room.
His bedroom door materialized. William stumbled after him through the threshold.
The room caught William’s attention. He swerved back and forth, inspecting the vines tangled in the root rafters.
A dozen rugs laid atop one another over the floor, each in varying styles because Nicholas frequently changed his mind on the style he liked best.
Hill Castle shifted beneath their feet, creating more of a high-pitched laugh than a groan.
Flowers bloomed along the vines and through the window.
Shelves lined the walls at odd angles, donning trinkets he wore once to the revels.
A large bed constructed of vines and moss grew within a hollowed out tree.
Beside that, an extensive wardrobe stood by a walk-in closet, bringing a chuckle from William.
“What?” he asked.
“Leave it to you to have a nearly endless supply of clothes,” William replied.
His arm settled around William’s waist. “You are welcome to them, if you’d like. I would enjoy seeing you in my clothes and feel less terribly about ripping them off.”
Pink dusted William’s cheeks. His attention continued to take in the room Nicholas grew up in. He imagined this happening hundreds of times. Now that William was there in his arms, he could hardly believe it.
“I like that you’re here, even if it isn’t under the circumstances I hoped for,” he admitted.
“Me too.” William settled his hand over Nicholas’. They stood like that for a moment, silent, basking in each other’s presence. Nicholas kissed his nape. A shiver passed through him, then he cleared his throat. “Faerie is more interesting than you described.”
“And you haven’t seen the half of it. There is so much I want you to see.”
“After we find my missing patients.”
Nicholas pouted, but sighed. “Yes, after we find them.”
“We should rest while we have the chance.”
“So long as you stay here with me.”
“You did say we should stick together and I think it’s safe to assume Hill Castle wants me here with you,” William answered.
They fell on the bed in a heap. William held him close where his head laid on William’s chest, listening to the racing of his heart.
There they laid in an embrace of warmth, cuddling and kissing until William’s breathing evened out.
William fell asleep while he did not. He couldn’t possibly, considering how close Laurent was, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t enjoying himself.
He quite liked being in William’s arms without those accursed gloves.
They laid somewhere on the floor after Nicholas tore them off, wishing to feel the skin of William’s fingers rubbing his arm.
He thought being like this every day until the world ended would be perfect.
Unfortunately, his dreamland was merely that, a dream, and reality found them in the form of steps pacing outside the door.
Nicholas heard them even if the trespasser did their best to be quiet.
He couldn’t fathom who it was. If Solomon or Percival wanted to cause trouble, they would have broken the door down.
If Laurent sought them, he would have sent someone to retrieve them.
There had been no signs of Laurent holding a revel, so there shouldn’t be more than a few unlucky attendants at Hill Castle.
After the twelfth pass, Nicholas removed himself from his sanctuary.
William didn’t stir thanks to his exhaustion and, no doubt, Hill Castle’s help.
He hadn’t missed the flowers blooming along the walls, the same ones that put him to sleep as an infant.
They weren’t as potent at his age, though seemingly strong enough to knock out an anxious medic.
He approached the door where the pacing continued, then threw it open, shocked to find Henry standing in the hall. Alone.
“Did I not say to go nowhere alone?” Nicholas hissed.
“I hardly went anywhere alone,” Henry countered, flushed from having been caught. “Charmaine rests and Evera has been tearing through my things for the last hour, claiming there was nothing else to placate her boredom.”
“And so you came out to pace?”
Henry shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Not exactly.” He glanced over Nicholas’ shoulder, relieved that William slept. “I was hoping I could speak with you alone.”
“I dislike leaving William unattended.”
“We may speak here in the hall. Keep the door open slightly if you’d like, but let me know if he wakes. He will be upset if he overhears us.”
He couldn’t fathom what Henry wanted to discuss, but Nicholas would listen.
He was William’s brother, a piece of the family Nicholas genuinely wanted to become a part of.
To think a day would come when he yearned to impress a group of mortals.
He would be a laughingstock of all of Faerie if others learned how smitten he had become, not that he would care for even a moment.
Once, he might have, and he didn’t miss that part of him even a little.
Stepping into the hall, he left the door open enough to glimpse William sleeping on the bed. He faced Henry, who stood stiffly, like he hadn’t any confidence in the world.
“What is it that you want to discuss?”
“Surely you overheard our conversation earlier? Our tiff before your father appeared,” said Henry.
“I did,” he replied. Mortals had horrendous hearing.
“I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.”
He was rarely rendered speechless, but Henry had succeeded.
“More specifically, I would appreciate it if you gave me advice on how to proceed,” Henry said after the prolonged silence.
“Proceed with what?” He checked on William. He understood now why Henry wanted to talk in private. If William woke to hear them discussing him, he would be out there in an instant.
“He seems to believe we think differently of him, but clearly telling him otherwise doesn’t work. You were with him during the war, and I am not asking for you to share any secrets. However, if you have advice, I would appreciate it.”
No one came to him for advice. He would be the last person to give any, too, and yet, he was unbearably excited to receive Henry’s request. So overjoyed, he hardly resisted the urge to jump and kick his feet.
William’s brother saw him as someone to confide in.
A part of him always wanted that with his family and now he had it, a little moment of it, but better than none.
Although that mirth was short-lived as he was the one lacking confidence in this area. Henry was right that William struggled with how his family perceived him as well as himself.
“I wasn’t at William’s side long,” he admitted, thinking of how his life changed from their first encounter.
He laughed, remembering how William shot him in front of everyone and how he so easily challenged Nicholas over everything. He had been drawn to William since day one, though for entirely different reasons.
“William thinks so highly of his family, so much so that I envy all of you,” he said.
“I wish he felt such happiness with me as he does with all of you, but that also means you can bring about his greatest sorrow. He believes he has done horrible things and that you’d hate him should you learn the truth, but if I am being honest with you, I think telling you the truth is exactly what he needs. ”
“Would he?” Henry whispered.
“Not without much toil.”
“As if we would expect anything less.”
Nicholas smiled. “Yes, he would not be William without a fight.”
“Broaching such a topic will not come easily to me, either.”
“Just ask,” he said. “Do not sugarcoat your words. Sit him down and tell him what you want to hear, so long as you truly believe you can accept whatever the answer is.”
“I can.” Henry had a sternness about him that Nicholas respected. He hadn’t known the man long, but Henry showed courage and strength in the face of adversity. He was no doubt William’s brother, even if they showed their merit in different ways.
“I will,” Henry repeated. “I have met many survivors of the war and I have heard their tales of horror. William has his. Our family knows it, has heard him whimpering in the dark and seen the hollowness of his eyes. There is sorrow in us too upon realizing that there is so little we can do, but we end up running in a circle exactly because of that. We don’t take a step forward and neither does he so we’re always ten paces away from each other and that must change. ”
Henry settled a hand on Nicholas’ shoulder, firm and true. “I appreciate you talking to me, and should you need advice when being,” he smirked impishly, “properly introduced to the rest of our family, I will help and intervene in case of a catastrophe.”
He suspected Henry knew more than he let on, certainly more than William believed. His reaction proved as such and eased Nicholas knowing that one of William’s brothers accepted their relationship, so much so that he would stand beside them.
“That is kind of you, but I am quite charming, so I am unlikely to need your assistance,” he replied teasingly.
“William is the baby of the household, so unfortunately for you, that means you have more than parents to win over.” Henry placed his hands in front of his waist, pointing his nose skyward in poised arrogance. “I am much more understanding than our brothers and more intelligent, of course.”
“Of course,” he mocked. Then the two shared a smile and a laugh that had William sitting up in bed.
Rubbing his tired eyes, he wandered to the door to ask, “What are you two laughing about?”
“Nothing at all.” Henry pivoted on his heel to head for his room. “I should make sure Evera hasn’t broken any of my things. She’s nosy as a cat, that friend of yours.”
“Friend.” Nicholas snorted, but couldn’t deny the accusation after what had transpired. Then, at the end of the hall, a mortal girl rounded the corner. Henry and William shared confused looks. Nicholas bit back a scowl.
The girl came closer, revealing her clouded eyes, nearly milk white.
She walked stiffly, her hands behind her back and hair falling in knotted waves.
She walked without shoes, showing bloody and bruised feet.
When she smiled, it was painful, though her voice held mirth.
“Lord Darkmoon demands your presence in the dining hall. I am to escort you to him.”
William looked at Nicholas with an unspoken question.
“Glamoured, all the attendants here are,” he explained. “Get the others, Henry. We shouldn’t keep my father waiting.”