OUR SPOT // SkepHalo

Chapter 17

Warning: Gore, mention of death, strong language

Mega caught up to Noa in no time. The blonde boy jumped a little at the sudden appearance of the gardener. " Oh, Mega, it's just you."

' You sound disappointed,' Mega signed. The servant sighed, scratching the back of his neck as he walked. He shook his head.

" Nah, I'm kinda relieved actually," Noa corrected. " The King has me running around so much these days. Now he's gotten me up at god knows what time to get someone we think is a traitor!"

Mega shrugged. The blonde servant smiled. " You're a great listener, Mega," he mused. He got a distant look in his eye, as if thinking of a far away memory. " The King is super nice when you catch him alone, but he puts on a really scary face in front of everyone else."

The boy stretched out his arms and yawned. " God, Schlatt's room is all the way across this goddamn castle. You gonna walk with me the whole way?" Mega nodded.

" Oh good, I get bored being alone," Noa joked. " Where's Zelkham? Aren't you two always together?"

' Still asleep, probably,' signed Mega. ' The castle could catch fire and he would sleep through it.'

Noa laughed, his voice bouncing off the walls. Mega smiled a little, amused by how optimistic the servant could be. Perks of being young, the gardener thought. The servant had his entire life to be upset, and it seemed he was making the most of the time in which he wasn't.

" I have fun as the main servant to the King, I really do," Noa said, seemingly out of the blue. " But sometimes I wonder what else I could be doing."

Mega felt a pang in his heart, remembering a time in which he'd asked those same questions. Noa continued, " I've always kinda considered quitting and just traveling the Kingdom. I already get paid enough to do that a million times over."

' That makes one of us,' Mega teased. ' Zelk and I still have to figure out how to quit!'

Noa snickered, " Yeah, I guess not everyone can just leave whenever they want." He ran a hand along a tapestry as they passed by. " Didn't you say you were going to move into the countryside and get away from all this?"

Mega nodded. Noa inhaled sharply. " I'd miss you guys. It'd be lonely all by myself here."

' You can't come with us,' the mute signed quickly, a smirk on his face. The blonde rolled his eyes, grinning at the joke.

" Of course not, stupid," he retorted. " I just appreciate you two."

They stopped in front of a door with a golden handle. The door of a noble. Mega fiddled with his shirt. The servant took a deep breath and knocked on the door. It was answered in a few beats by a tall man in a suit. Strange, Mega thought, wearing a suit to bed.

" The King requests your presence in the throne room, I have come to escort you," Noa declared, sounding like a perfect messenger. The man raised an eyebrow.

" Might I ask what this is about?"

Noa remained stoic. " The King would like to ask you some questions."

Mega thought he noticed the man's hand curling into a fist, but his face just pulled itself into a smile. " One moment."

The man shut the door gently and Noa glanced nervously at Mega. The door reopened a moment later and the man stepped out. Mega took note of how his coat hung lower than it had before, as if he had hidden something in its pockets. He decided not to mention it.

The three began their trek back to the throne room, in complete silence this time. But Mega didn't enjoy this quiet. There was a weight on each of their shoulders. Noa became increasingly aware of the fact that he was leading a potential murderer to see the King. Mega could feel the noble man plotting something as he walked a short distance behind them.

Every step taken was one step closer to the throne room. Mega heard the repeated drumming of three pairs of feet against the carpeted floor, until one stopped. Noa didn't notice, and kept walking. The gardener frowned and turned his head just in time to see a flash of metal in Schlatt's hand.

The noble rushed forward before Mega could even move to warn Noa. He grabbed the blonde servant's arm and spun him around. Noa started to speak, "What-"

Schlatt plunged a knife into the boy's stomach, and Mega let out a silent scream. The noble whipped around, releasing Noa and letting him fall to the ground. He focused on the gardener, his eyes flashing with bloodlust. Mega fell to his knees, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.

A shriek sounded from down the hall. Schlatt cursed and dropped the knife, rushing off down the hall. Mega let out a breath and collapsed to the floor, horrified to see a splattering of blood on the carpet. Someone ran to his side and shook him, but he could feel himself slipping into darkness.

~~~~

" Mega is still out cold, but he appears to be untouched," the nurse infirmed Darryl. " Noa is still in critical condition..."

Zak put a hand on his friend's shoulder. The prince had his head in his hands, curled in a ball on the infirmary floor. He hadn't known Lumboc as well as Mega and Zelk, but there was something horrible about seeing a teenager with a stab wound being dragged into his brother's throne room.

His brother was a different story. The King wouldn't leave Noa's side. He was a miserable sight. While the blonde boy was only a servant to the King, it was clear the older man had seen him as a friend instead of just an employee. Lumboc was always there when the King needed him, ready to follow any order or just listen. Besides Darryl, he was perhaps the closest to a best friend that the King would ever get.

" It was only in the stomach," Zak said gingerly, rubbing circles on the brunette's back. " I'm sure he'll be fine!"

Darryl looked over at his friend and smiled weakly. Tears brimmed in his eyes again, and he leaned his head on Zak's shoulder. If it had been any other situation, the butterflies in his stomach would've been going crazy. The raven-haired boy stroked Darryl's hair lightly, doing his best to comfort the chef.

The doors flung open and Zelk made his presence known with a loud, " What the hell happened?!"

A nurse ran up to him and asked him to keep quiet, but his eyes had already landed on Mega's infirmary bed. He sucked in a sharp breath and ran to his side. He put a hand on his friend's neck, checking for a pulse. He seemed to calm down a little at the confirmation that Mega was alive. He let out a low laugh and put a hand over his face. " Dumbass, you scared me."

Zak glanced over at Darryl, who had barely noticed his friend's entering. He stood up slowly and padded over to the new arrival. He put a hand on Zelk's shoulder, rousing a little jump from the taller man. Silently, he pointed to another bed. The blanket was stained with blood and the King sat wordlessly next to it.

The Head Servant's face fell and he stumbled over to the end of the bed. He gasped at the sight of Noa, his skin the color of death. Zelk fell to his knees, feeling the air leave his body.

Darryl put a hand on Zak's shoulder. His eyes were red and he looked exhausted, but he smiled nonetheless. " Come on, I should get you home before your mother starts to worry."

Zak took one last look at the room. Mega passed out in a bed, Zelk joining the King in his grieving, and the scent of blood filling the air. He turned back around, and Darryl led him out of the castle.