When the battle was over, Olli slowly slipped back into his original form, the wings folding away and the scales disappearing. His body grew smaller and his shape reverted. His dagger-like nails shortened and blunted, and his tail seemed to disintegrate into white dust. A part of his vampiric strength was taken away temporarily by his shift, but it didn't bother him too much. He'd still beat most of the people in this colosseum, even if they came at him simultaneously. His long white hair was tossed up messily and his clothing barely clung to his form.
He turned to see where Draka had gone. He'd made a deliberate effort to suppress his beastly anger in order to not kill the boy, but he didn't know whether that meant anything significant. There was a limit to how much he could rein in power in that state, so there's always a chance that there would be no Draka left at all. He could see Rayne waiting in the background to treat his opponent however, so he assumed Draka was somewhere around.
He turned around to look behind him, finding the boy. His body was charred but no limbs were missing. A few deep gashes spilled blood onto the floor around him, causing him to sway from side to side in a lethargic, bilious manner, before collapsing to the floor. His naturally vampiric pale skin was even paler than usual. Olli beckoned Rayne forwards, watching him with narrowed eyes as he approached Draka and went to treat his wounds.
The crowd, which had been roaring so energetically just before, was quiet now but still mumbling. The mumbles were soft, like fearful gossip. Olli knew he'd never been an overly favourable king. People took one glance at him and assumed he'd never seen a battlefield, or that his strength was a facade and he simply paid people to lose against him. His first challenge in over 300 years, against a young boy who'd just left his nest? Olli was sure the audience must've expected Draka to have been paid to ruin his reputation in such a way, in order to prove that Olli still had it in him to fight.
Perhaps turning into a dragon in a fight against a two and a half month old boy was a little overkill, and likely played into some of the rumours that were going around, but Olli hoped it was a good political move on his behalf also. People had clearly forgotten that he had such an ability, so it might be a good thing to bring it back to light again. And, if people fear him a little, it might be even easier to keep [Y/n] safe.
On second glance, Olli realised many of the spectators had left. Either they knew the outcome and had no interest in staying, or they feared Olli going feral and attacking them next. Olli sighed, rubbing the back of a neck.
There was a clear pause for a little while as no one seemed to move or think. Then, the crowd went silent. Wondering what had caused the sound to instantly vanish, Olli spun around to see Draka exhaustedly trying to heave himself to his feet. Rayne simply watched him with an annoyed expression, not wanting to have to do any more work than he was being paid to.
"Olli," Draka choked out, his voice filled with pain but also an odd sense of triumph. Olli didn't question the deluded boy's victorious smirk, instead gesticulating for Draka to continue whatever he wanted to say. Draka coughed, a small trail of blood trickling from his lip, the smell of iron thick in the air. "What did you do... what did you do to [Y/n]?" Olli had anticipated this question. He shook his head slightly at Draka's predictability.
"Sheltered her from you," he returned simply.
"Oh yeah? Do you expect me to believe that's it?" Draka hissed, staggering forwards a couple of paces, closer to the uninjured (but dishevelled) King. "What the fuck did you do? Tell me. Tell me everything. I'll know if you're lying." Olli sighed, deciding to turn around and ignore the already defeated boy. He then heard a throat clear from the raven haired male beside Draka.
"I'd fess up if I were you," Rayne shrugged, "the crowd are going to think you did something vulgar with her if you leave him unanswered like that." When Olli turned to face him, he was met with Rayne's signature knowing smirk. Something was going on. He didn't like it. Were they trying to turn the crowd against him? Surely they knew that vampires were more loyal than that? He'd been their ruler for nearly 400 years.
"I provided her with a home, a friend, food, clothes, and security from you. I taught her how to fight. I taught her how to not live in fear. Something she'd forgotten in her time with you..." he said darkly, his eyes narrowing. "Whatever perverted, cruel light you're trying to paint me in, I'd recommend you stop and take a look at what's around you, and perhaps yourselves." Olli's gaze, much to Draka's evident surprise, rested on Rayne instead of the brunette boy.
"Olli, excuse me for butting in, but isn't that little dragon manoeuvre a blood technique?" Rayne questioned. Ah, of course, Rayne had been there to explain how to take [Y/n]'s blood without biting her. Olli sighed.
"Yes, to ensure her safety, I needed to take a little blood every day. She was fine with it." Draka narrowed his eyes.
"What's a 'blood technique'?" Draka questioned, now lost.
"An elite ability that can only be used if the consumption of high-quality blood, such as [Y/n]'s, is regular. Of course no one's elite abilities are quite that magnificent; in fact, there are only a few in the kingdom who have them - Helena's gift allowed him to reach that level of power." Olli didn't like Rayne explaining the mechanics of fighting to someone who saw him as an enemy, but it would be rude for him to stop Draka learning, so he turned away to leave. He wanted to get back to her as soon as possible.
"Hey, Olli," Draka called after him. Olli turned around in confusion and slight annoyance. "Aren't you gonna have me executed? After all, I know a lot of shit about you... I don't plan on keeping it all to myself," he shrugged with a smirk. Olli shook his head, annoyed that Draka wouldn't just pass out already.
"You've proven that one day you will be strong. There's no benefit in executing you," he shrugged, "we all know the things you 'aren't afraid to spread' about me are ridiculous tales Nyais forged." The remains of the crowd muttered in surprise - it was clear that they'd taken longer to catch on to who the traitor was than some. "What is your ambition, Draka? Did you fight me to put Nyais on the throne? What good would that do for you?"
"I wanted to win," Draka said simply, "but it seems we drew instead."
"Drew?" Olli echoed, furrowing his brow at the mad brunette vampire before him. There was a large smirk on Draka's face, though he didn't seem able to say much more as the blood loss brought him to his knees once more. Rayne deadpanned at his foolishness, already working on stopping the bleeding. Suddenly, Olli realised what was going on.
Panicked, his eyes widened. He rushed to the gates of the colosseum, racing out of them and making his way through the holding cells that criminals waiting to fight would stay in. He didn't have time to think about history, however, quickly grabbing his cloak from the hook he'd left it on and throwing it over him as he ran.
He hastily traveled through Perion, then through Dimirov, then Ensley, then Raygen, before finally arriving at his destination.
Panting, out of breath, he stared at the double doors that concealed his abode.
The four guards who had been stationed here had arrows sticking out of them like pincushions. Gashes here and there were clearly inflicted by a second weapon. He pushes the doors open, fearful, yet adrenaline keeping him from shaking. He ran through the hallways of his home, making a beeline for the small inner complex he'd guarded [Y/n] in.
The first thing he registered was the blood. The scene before him, so gruesome. Jay - his marshal and ex King Regent - was on his knees, bent over by the doorway. Around him was a dull pool of crimson, and through his chest an arrow, just like the ones Olli had seen at the doors of his home. Further away from the door at the other side of the corridor, Ren laid splayed out on his side. His eyes were wide but glazed, his expression frozen in shock and fear. His neck was split, and his jugular spray was visible everywhere you looked. And finally, in between the two, the maid he'd assigned to [Y/n]. Hetti. The floor around her was stained and her neck was red, a dark hole in the side showing where an arrow had entered, only to be foolishly removed. Smears of blood on the floor beside her suggested that a second presence had been there.
Before Olli could think over it any more, the pain set in.
His back, which had been unscathed in the fight, now felt as though a thousand bullets had just lodged themselves in his spine. It burned and he felt every muscle contract and spasm in a less-than-helpful reflex. Leaving whatever penetrated his back in it's place to prevent any serious bleeding, he turned around to face his attacker, a small stagger in his steps.
"Kori, these arrows are getting kinda boring... aren't they?" he heard someone in the shadows laugh. Both Aytsa and Kori stepped out of hiding, Kori with [Y/n] held tightly against him, his hand over her mouth to stop her screaming. Olli met her eyes - her wide, terrified, crying eyes. He wanted to call out to her. He wanted to run over to her and kill the boys that stood by her. He cursed himself for saving Aytsa from Nyais. There were no traces of Leya in the boy. Only his sick, demented father. Unable to bring himself to move, knowing that fighting now - in his weakened state - might be suicide, Olli cleared his throat.
"Let her go this instant," he commanded Kori, who stared back at him blankly, clearly not willing to oblige. There was a vacancy in the boy's icy gaze that made Olli's blood run cold. Or maybe that was the pain from the arrow lodged in his back, he was unsure.
"Your Royal Highness," Aytsa began mockingly, "what a surprise, seeing you here on this fine, fine day. I take it you beat the living shit out of Draka?" he smirked. Olli could hardly see Aytsa - his vision was swaying, and for a moment he thought the boy was his father; their voices and manners of condescension were painstakingly similar. "Aww, did I put too much poison on that arrow? You're looking a little sleepy, Your Highness. If you'd like, [Y/n] can help you," he smiled.
Poison... of course, that's how the boy had managed to kill a guard like Jay so easily. Such a cowardly weapon.
Olli then processed [Y/n]'s name in the words Aytsa had spoken, which were now beginning to grow fuzzy and quiet under the piercing, high pitched drone that invaded Olli's mind. He focused his attention on her once more, watching her weakly, yet relentlessly, struggle against the grey haired boy that held her.
Aytsa turned to look at [Y/n], watching as Kori hesitantly let her go. Like a greyhound to a lure, she ran over to Olli, wrapping her arms around him. She stared into his eyes - which were getting duller by the second - and whispered to him. He couldn't hear what she was saying now - he couldn't hear anything - but with her there he couldn't help but feel oddly serene. Like everything would be okay, and he would wake up from this terrible dream soon. He'd be able to hold her in his arms and apologise for letting her get hurt in his mind. He'd be able to deal with the boys and keep them far from her; keep her safe.
For a moment, everything was fine. Everything was okay and he was going to be alright.
Olli felt her arms wrap around him, holding him close to her as she watched the light in his crimson eyes begin to fade. She watched his pale skin grow paler, and his lips tinting with the lightest shade of purple as the poison suffocated him from the inside.
[Y/n] watched the last traces of life slip away.
First Hetti, then Olli.
She bit her lip, trembling, drawing blood from the soft skin.
Aytsa tried to pry her away from Olli's body, but the girl was unmoving. She didn't have it in her to glare at Aytsa. She didn't have it in her to scream or wail.
She sobbed, holding Olli close to her.
There had been no warmth in his skin to begin with, but now he - and everything around her - felt like ice. And like an infection, just for a moment, she felt that same ice grasp ahold of her heart and freeze it, before shattering it into a million pieces.