A Nightmare's Honor

Concerns

{M} Quill/Yellow Apprentice POV:

I was worried about my king. I had never seen him so emotional before. I could tell that something must have happened. Something that had scared him so strongly that it had rocked him to his very core. I shuddered at the thought. What could have possibly been horrible enough to scare the Nightmare King?

I had ended up getting my desk brought into the Nightmare King's room, set up parallel to his with a large gap between them. While keeping a constant eye on me was his own wish, the king seemed a little unnerved by the sight of the desks. His expression made it feel like the desks would come alive and start eating us or something similar, which was absurd but concerning.

Sighing, I got back to the work at hand, glancing occasionally over at the Nightmare King. I wondered what he must have been like before he was crowned, before I even existed. My generation came barely a week after he became the new king of the Yellow Kingdom. From what I know, the Nightmare King is still very young, possibly the youngest Apprentice to ever become fully in charge. Despite that, there are only a handful of Yellow Steves older than his generation. Likely from the sudden abundance of Darkness...

It was strange to think that I had never seen the Nightmare King in his true appearance. I've only known him with his scars. I'm sure his personality is also different from what it was as an Apprentice. After all, he's gone through so much...

The double doors to the room slowly creaked open by a small amount, revealing a timid Green Steve peeking into the room. "I-I'm here to assess how you've been healing, Nightmare King," he stammered slightly, looking flustered by the attention he had brought. Not only were the Nightmare King and I watching him, but the mid-ranked Yellow Guards in the room were as well.

"Of course. Come in," the Nightmare King greeted him gently, gesturing for him to enter. My king held a friendly tone and expression, likely trying to calm the nerves of the Green Steve.

Embarrassed, he approached the Nightmare King, who was sitting at his own desk. The procedure went as it normally did: the Nightmare King was asked about pain levels, any other symptoms he might have from the injury, and then the bandages on his midsection were taken away. The Green Steve used his powers to further the healing process by a decent bit, then wrapped the wound in fresh bandages. It felt odd to be in the room while this happened, as though it were an invasion of privacy. The Nightmare King didn't seem to mind, however, as he watched the Green Steve's movements intently.

"Unless there's anything else you're concerned about, I should take my leave," the Green Steve bowed, waiting for a moment in case there was a response. When silence followed, he quickly left the room.

A question popped into my mind that I had been wondering lately but had forgotten to ask previously. "Your Majesty, why has your wound been healing so slowly?"

I was worried the question would upset him in some way, but he looked unbothered. "When the Darkness gave me these scars, it left an untraceable and noninfectious presence." he answered calmly. "That strange presence is enough to make it difficult for the healing powers of Green Steves to get through. My natural healing capabilities are fine, but slow. The best most Green Steves can do for me at the moment is speed up the process little by little. I should be fully healed in a few days, however. I can already perform most motor skills with little to no pain."

His words disturbed me. Even the stronger Steves are becoming weak to barely present Darkness... "...What will we do when the Crystals aren't enough...?" I asked, my voice small.

The Nightmare King gave me a look I couldn't quite decipher. He had a dark look in his eyes and a conflicted expression on his face. When he responded, his voice was quiet and his tone was somewhat bitter. "I think we both know what would happen."