BODYGUARD/ASSASSIN AU

[enigmaster]

Comments

[agoodname]

[Oswald's eyes are going to narrow at that, and he's going to lean in a bit, as if he could see to his wounds just by doing that]

Well...you should still rest. Doctor Thompkins said at least a week.

[enigmaster]

...Yes. She did. [he's not happy about that.] I do heal quickly, though.

[agoodname]

You're still human, as far as I know. [and he'll sit in that chair by the bed] You may heal quickly, but it still needs time.

[enigmaster]

A week just seems unreasonably long. [what. does he even do.]

[agoodname]

You'll just have to tolerate it. I refuse to leave here until you're declared well enough to travel by the doctor. [://////]

[enigmaster]

I... Yes, Your Highness. [There's not really any room for argument here. He sees that.] My apologies...

[agoodname]

...good. [he huffs a bit, folding his arms, settling into the chair and glancing out the window--it's all starting to flood back, now. Everything that happened, the knowledge he's unwittingly gained, what was happening all along...] ...you'll tell me next time, won't you?

[enigmaster]

... Yes, Your Highness. [Oswald was... clear about that, too.] It was never my intention to deceive you or anything like that.

[agoodname]

....right. [it still hurts, though. And he sucks in a small breath] I'll go ring for breakfast.

[enigmaster]

... [There are things he could say. Maybe wants to say, even. But when he tries to find the words, his mind just goes blank. Where would he even start...? What if he makes things worse again?] Alright.

[agoodname]

[breakfast comes. It's simple; an oatmeal/gruel-like substance with salted meats and a cooked egg. It's palatable. This is not a rich town, but they are good, solid ingredients. Oswald eats quietly for about half of breakfast...before he sets down his spoon in his bowl, half-finished] ...you've heard what they said I did to my mother, right? [the question is light, blase even, for such a topic]

[enigmaster]

[Edward will eat anything, to be honest. He remembers times without food, so the quality hardly matters to him, even if he became used to eating at the palace eventually. It's good food, as far as he's concerned. He pauses, when Oswald speaks up. Looking up.] ...Only rumors. I try not to pay them any mind.

[agoodname]

You should. They're true. [calmly, before eating another spoonful of breakfast]

[enigmaster]

...Pardon?

[agoodname]

I said, they're true. There's a strange, dark, evil magic that lives in me that killed my mother. [he hums, contemplative, still looking calmly down at that bowl] I figured they gave me a body guard so that, if something happened, my magic would go for you first. I've been repressing it so you don't get hurt. [the corners of his mouth curl upwards, but there's nothing happy about this smile] That was silly of me, wasn't it? You were getting hurt anyway, just by being around me.

[enigmaster]

Your Highness, I... what... [This is a lot, all of a sudden. Dark magic, inside Oswald? That's...] I don't understand...

[agoodname]

My magic feeds off poisonous, decaying, and dying things. You were poisoned in that fight, and I used my magic to draw the poison out of the wound. It's volatile and reacts to my emotions, so I actively repress it, because the last time my emotions got out of hand, it killed my mother.

1/2

[enigmaster]

[this is kind of a lot]

2/2

[enigmaster]

...Do you... [...] You don't have to tell me anything, of course, Your Highness. But... do you wish to talk about what happened?

[agoodname]

I'm afraid it's a rather short story. I don't remember much about it; I was young and a lot of it is a blur of emotions. I remember being angry and frightened, and my mother trying to comfort me, and blood. That's all. [he shrugs a shoulder] I simply figured, as long as we're putting all of our cards on the table, I might as well throw mine down. No real use in hiding it any longer, when that was a useless endeavor anyway.

[enigmaster]

...I'm sorry that happened. That's awful.

[agoodname]

It is. [he is.] But no matter. Simply so you're aware of what you're dealing with. And what kind of monster you're supposedly protecting.

[enigmaster]

...You're not a monster, Your Highness. [That's easy. Simple. All of this is complicated, but that part he knows.] As far as I'm concerned, this changes nothing.

[agoodname]

[There's a pause. Then, finally, after a long moment, he turns his head to look at Edward, eyes narrowed.] Doesn't it? The royal treasury can't be paying nearly enough to make it worthwhile to deal with dangers from outside and from the target itself. [d r y. as for that first part, well...he'll chalk it up to Edward having no idea. or not really conceptualizing it yet]

[enigmaster]

I don't... get paid, Your Highness.