Leon hadn't realized how comfortable he was getting with Riccardo until he was alone with other vampires again. He watched the prince's back as the servants that had been called to tend to him swooped in, but Riccardo didn't look back at him as he joined his family.
"Let's go," one of the vampires who'd swooped in at Riccardo's command said, pulling at Leon's arm to get him to walk forward.
Leon stumbled forward and instantly blinding pain shot up from his hurt leg in a dizzyingly overwhelming way. He thought he may have cried out from it, but the pain was loud in his ears and overwhelmed all other senses. Then, suddenly, there was nothing.
"He passed out when we tried to make him walk," a voice - the same one who'd commanded him to start moving - was saying, floating through blackness.
Passing out explained the darkness, and the almost out of body warm and floating sensation he was suddenly feeling. But he couldn't have been out that long. It felt like a mere few seconds ago he'd taken that step that had hurt him. In fact, it was hard to believe he'd passed out at all.
"He shouldn't have been walking on this leg," another voice - a child murmured. "I'm not surprised he did pass out."
"Fucking hurt," Leon said, thickly as he forced his eyes open. Spots swam in his vision, but it was immediately clear he was no longer in the courtyard.
The room around him was dimly lit - something he was resolving himself to putting up with when it came to the nocturnal nature of vampires. It was just lit well enough for him to see the richness of the decor around him from the details of the crown molding and baseboards of the white walls to the well-polished stone flooring that looked possibly very slippery under the right circumstances. Even the mattress he was laid upon felt softer than anything his family had ever been able to afford growing up and he could say about the sheets and blankets as well.
Despite the lavish decor, it was clearly some sort of clinic judging by the set up, though. There were four beds to the room, the other three of which were currently empty. Metal frames with linen curtains hung between the beds for some semblance of privacy when they were drawn closed.
Among these tell-tale signs of this being a clinic, Leon could see an IV stand next to his own bed, and a small, rolling cart on top of which were shiny metal tools he couldn't exactly give the names of, but that he knew doctors always set out bedside to their patients.
Two vampires - including the one who'd impatiently tugged at him to get moving before he'd passed out - were hovering over him. He hadn't paid them much attention earlier, but now that he was taking in his surroundings, he noted they were in some kind of uniform, both donning grey coats over navy-blue pants. Embroidered over their left breasts was a silver deer with a crown over its head that Leon realized he'd seen pinned over Riccardo's heart as well. The symbol of the Tenepri house, he had to guess.
There was one other person hovering besides him where he laid. He'd been right about hearing a child's voice earlier. A blonde haired boy who looked barely ten years old stood besides him as well. He wore a powder-blue button up shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and tucked into brown pants. He had on a pair of suspenders clipped to his pants. The boy had the tell-tale long ears and bright-red eyes of a vampire, Leon was also quick to notice. Up to seeing Riccardo's brother, he hadn't known vampires could have children, and he was just as surprised now as he had been to see the younger prince.
The boy chuckled softly at Leon's comment whereas the two adults just sort of scowled at him. "Well, I'm glad you're back with us already," the boy went on to say. "How are you feeling? I gave you something for your pain while you were out."
"Yeah, I'm feeling -" Leon cut off in the middle of his answer and raised a brow at the boy. "Wait. What now? You gave me something for my pain?"
The boy chuckled again. "Yes. Pardon me, I suppose introductions are in order. I'm Dr. Arthur Seavers, royal physician."
Leon didn't know what to say to that. He was aware his mouth was agape and could practically hear his mom telling him to shut it before he caught flies. And yet, he did not.
"I think I'll be more than capable of taking things from here, boys," the child said with more authority than he looked like he had any right to, clearly addressing the two full grown men in the room.
"If you need help with him, don't hesitate to call for it," one of the men said. And bizarrely, the two of them turned to leave Leon with the small boy.
"Now, then, I really do need to start tending to your leg," the boy - Dr. Seavers, apparently - told him. "I assume you have questions. Is it okay if we talk while I work?"
Leon looked back down at his leg, and only now realized his pants had already been cut away to reveal his bare skin underneath. It was swollen and bruised all the way down to his ankle. That couldn't be good. "Do I need surgery," he asked.
"Thankfully, no," the boy-doctor told him. "While you were out, I gave you something for the pain, but I already gave you a healing agent as well that should negate the necessity for surgery. All I would really like to do is give you a splint and bandaging now to provide it support while it heals. How does this all sound?"
Leon blinked at that and then nodded dumbly. "So long's I don't need an operation," he said. The sight of his leg made him feel a little queasy, and so he turned his head to look away, focusing his eyes on the privacy cutrain between his bed and the next one.
"No operation required," Dr. Seavers assured again with a chuckle. "Although, I promise you would have been in very capable hands had you needed it."
"Okay, I get you're probably older than you look," Leon started. "But you're still like young, right? How capable could you be?"
"I'm just over 400 years old," the doctor said with all the patience of someone who'd explalined this many times. "I've been practicing medicine for 300 of those years, and been the Tenepri's royal physician for roughly the last 75. I promise you're in good hands." Leon could hear the smile in his voice despite still avoiding looking his direction.
"Well... damn," Leon said. "You vampires age weird, don't you?" More and more he was discovering how very little he knew about the creatures he'd been told scary stories about as a kid. Many of those stories were still true, but it was actually intriguing to find out there was more to vampires than he'd thought. He wanted to know how someone like Riccardo - who didn't seem to have any interest in biting him at all - or this doctor - who was being very gentle and kind compared to other vampires so far - could come to be.
"It's not necessarily the case with me," Dr. Seavers admitted. "I wasn't born a vampire, but turned into one at 10 years old. My sire was a... hmmm... confused and disturbed woman." Leon could hear the distaste in the doctor's pre-pubescent voice. It was clear what he felt about this woman. "Sire meaning she turned you, I guess," he asked.
"Yes, exactly," Dr. Seavers said. "Thankfully, I was 'rescued' of sorts by another vampire who helped me realize my calling was medicine. I can help people this way, which isn't always something us vampires get to say we do."
Leon scoffed at that. "No kidding," he said. "I haven't really enjoyed being a blood bag to Mahvash and her wives or given over like a piece of meat to Riccardo. Not that he's taken a bite so far, but..." He scowled.
"Ah, I was wondering what your story was," Dr. Seavers admitted. "The guards were able to tell me Prince Riccardo had claim over you, but not how that came to be. No one's even seen a fae around this part of the world for a few hundred years. Your arrival is quite the curiosity and no doubt already being whispered about through the palace."
That was unsettling to Leon. "Sounds like that's a lot of vampires..."
The doctor was quiet for a moment before he responded in a grave tone, "It is."
"Shit," Leon breathed. He felt a sinking feeling in his gut, the realization that he truly was never getting back home weighing heavily on him once again.
He was quiet for a long moment after that, faintly feeling the doctor moving his leg through the way the movements went up into his hip. Whatever pain medication he'd been given was clearly strong stuff, though, as he didn't feel anything below that particular hip. It probably should have been alarming, but it was just a relief for now. Maybe it was the doctor's looks that made him so disarming, but Leon somewhat doubted he was a threat to him at all.
When the silence became unbearable to him, though, he found a reason to break it. "So Prince Riccardo talked highly of you," he said.
The small doctor chuckled. "That does not surprise me at all," he said.
"You've known him a while then," Leon asked.
"His whole life," said Arthur. "I oversaw him being delivered into this world. He was premature and a sickly little thing through his childhood. Sometimes it felt like I saw him more than his own parents did."
Leon took a moment to consider that, piecing some things about the odd prince together. "So... are born vampires more in control of their bloodlust or something?"
"Hm?" The doctor hummed his confusion. "Why do you ask that?"
"I'm not complaining or nothing," Leon set that straight before he went on, "But he wouldn't bite me and told me he doesn't like feeding on people. What's that about? It's coming at some point, isn't it? I mean, it has to. I was given to him because of my blood, right? So what's the deal there?" It still had him on edge: the not knowing when the biting was going to come, when he'd become the prince's personal vampire snack pack.
"I wouldn't worry too much about that," the doctor assured him. "Riccardo isn't overly fond of feeding live when he can help it. I don't foresee that changing anytime now."
"I need more than that," Leon pressed. "More assurance. Cause it's all well and good that you and he both say he doesn't like to, but knowing why would help a lot." He finally turned to look at the doctor at these questions, wanting to see his face even if it meant risking being a little queasy about his leg. The doctor had an uncomfortable tension in his face that Leon felt like he'd seen when he'd tried to get answers from Riccardo about this, too. It left him wondering what the big secret here was. He bit his tongue, though, waiting to see how the doctor would respond.
"I'm not sure how much you know or have learned about Demetri Tenepri, but he's very military-oriented," the small doctor said.
"Yeah, I'm figuring that out," Leon said. "What's that gotta do with Riccardo not using me like a wine skin?"
"There's a longer story behind it," Dr. Seavers assured. "You were right to think along the lines of higher control of bloodlust. However, that's not a trait we see naturally in our kind whether born or turned. For Riccardo the trait was intentionally made."
"Made," Leon asked, no less confused.
Dr. Seavers nodded. "Demetri, Riccardo's father, is always looking for ways to improve on the abilities of his army. The major problem with a vampire army traveling far from home is what to feed that army, and especially, what happens when a vampire goes too long without blood.
"The first problem was rectified with the development of a plant that was hybridized with the sole purpose of fulfilling blood needs. The Sangquat has been a miraculous scientific development to making vampires less dependent upon the rest of the races to feed ourselves. Demetri has used it to expand the reach of his army to places that were otherwise difficult to access without steady supply of blood. Blood doesn't travel nearly as well or easily as carriages of sanquat, you see?"
Leon made a face. "Yeah... But if Sangquats are a thing, why do any of you need blood at all anymore? You don't, right?"
"Yes and no," Dr. Seavers answered. "There's a little bit of a limiting factor to the use of sangquats as a food source. For one thing, it takes a lot more sangquat juice to feed a vampire than it does blood. For the other, vampires who live mostly on the sangquat juice seem to be weaker physically which affects speed, strength, and our healing rate."
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"Annnnnd..." Leon drew the word out as he put the pieces of this together. "Your king is military-focused, so he's not too happy about the weaknesses caused by sangquats?"
"Exactly," said the doctor.
"As if being a vampire wasn't enough, he's gotta have an army he wants strong," Leon said with a scowl. "Hey, but wait, you didn't say what you meant about Riccardo's bloodlust control being made!"
The doctor nodded. "Well, like I said, the sangquats help establish more independence which means farther reaches for the army. That was the first problem Demetri had our scientists rectify for his army. The second is what happens when a vampire goes too long without blood. The need for blood is heavily increased when we're more physically active or injured." He paused here to look at Leon as if making sure that sunk in. "Which happens a lot in battle. As I said, even outside of battle, we need more sangquat juice than we would blood, too, which often means there isn't enough to go around for this war Demetri's fighting.
"I'm not sure if you know, but injured vampires without enough blood are very dangerous vampires. In some evolutionary design to survive, we're prone to becoming rather - for lack of a better word - feral."
"Feral? Like... like what? you all get on all fours and become animals," Leon asked, raising a brow.
The doctor chuckled. "You're not too far off. We become reduced to our most basic natures and instincts for survival: creatures ruled by our bloodlust. Even our own friends look more like enemies and competition for blood in the eyes of a feral vampire. A feral vampire will attack others and can hurt themselves in this state. Transporting the army back home after really hard battles is increasingly dangerous the further away they are."
"No shit," Leon said. He felt a trickle of cold fear go down his spine at what the doctor was describing. He recalled the sheer strength Riccardo had displayed throwing him to the ground in Jongvale. If one of these fuckers around here went feral, he wouldn't stand a chance with strength like that behind them.
"Demetri has done his best to find a way to eradicate this as an issue," Dr. Seavers continued with a frown. "To the point of allowing an experimental procedure to be done on his own son."
Leon's brows furrowed, and he unwittingly leaned forward.
"It took 6 months of provedural increments of starvation and chemical injections to entirely be rid of the feral response in Riccardo. At the end of it, Demetri got what he wanted, of course, but it's left Riccardo a little - how do I -hm..."
"Left him kinda off, didn't it," Leon asked. "No bloodlust at all means... no bloodlust at all."
The doctor nodded grimly. "He's no interest in feeding live, and he often treats drinking from a cup like it's a chore."
As far as vampire princes he could be gifted to, Leon felt like he should have counted himself lucky it was Riccardo he'd been given to. However, Leon felt more disturbed than anything else. "His father starved him over 6 months? I mean... Hell. Was Riccardo like... willing at least as some sort of duty... to..." Leon's voice faded away as the doctor shook his head.
"There's very little in Riccardo's life that he does willingly," Arthur said. "I'm sure you have your misgivings about him, and I don't blame you. Our kind hasn't exactly been kind to you. Riccardo, though... Well, I can only hope you might give him a chance. You're quite safe with him as far as he has a say in it."
Leon nodded slowly at that. "Yeah. Yeah, sounds like it," he agreed. He sighed heavily. "Still would rather not be any vampire's pet, though."
The doctor grimaced in sympathy. "No, I would think not. If I -" The doctor cut himself off, though, with a shake of his head. "Well, I suppose you understand I'm not in the position to free you. I will gladly do my best to make your life more comfortable here while I can, though." He smiled hopefully. "And luckily with this leg, I know I'll see you again in the future for a checkup." He gestured at it.
Leon looked down at said leg and let out a weak chuckle. "You work fast, huh?" He hadn't even realized the doctor had finished wrapping the whole thing up while they'd been talked. "Looks good. You're sure it will heal right, yeah? My papa's got a bad leg from a break that healed bad in his youth. I don't wanna end up like that."
"I'm very sure," the doctor said. "The healing agent I gave you was synthesized from a natural chemical that occurs in our saliva. It's very powerful stuff. Your leg will be healed faster than it usually might."
"Did you just say your spit's got magic healing abilities," Leon asked.
"Hahahahahahaha," the doctor erupted in high-pitched giggles at that question. Before he could so much as calm himself again to get around to an answer, though, there was a knock on the closed door to the room. The doctor - still giggling a little - got up to go answer it.
Leon sat up straighter and leaned over to get a good look at the door when it was opened. He was relieved to see Riccardo on the other side of it. The prince looked worse for wear, as if the travels and injuries had suddenly caught up to him in the short span they'd been apart. Considering what Leon knew about Riccardo's father now and how he'd last seen him walking with his parents, he wondered if the terrifyingly violent king was behind Riccardo's current exhausted look.
"I was hoping you'd come join us, your majesty," Dr. Seavers said warmly to the prince. He stepped aside to let Riccardo in and then closed the door behind him.
Leon smiled weakly at Riccardo, but he only returned a furrowed brow expression back and was quick to look away.
"May I sit on any bed," Riccardo asked the doctor, already stepping towards the one across from Leon.
"Of course, of course," Dr. Seavers replied. "You're injured as well, arent you? Let's see about removing your coat and such so I can get a proper look. Are you sure you want to do things here?"
Riccardo seemed to consider that for a moment before he nodded. "Here is fine. Maybe... we could close the curtains if... at..."
"I won't look at you if you don't want me to," Leon promised the struggling man. He laid back and folded his arms over his stomach. "Just had to ask," he teased.
He heard Riccardo let out a breath in a weak sigh. "Thank you."
There was some finagling over on the other side of the room between Riccardo and the doctor that Leon could hear as they got Riccardo's coat off and the doctor began to take inventory of injuries. This was where Leon couldn't keep himself quiet.
"You mean a werewolf cracked up your arm and you still lifted a horse off of me," Leon asked, flabberghasted. He'd known Riccardo was hurt, but with an injury like that Leon wouldn't have been able to shut up about the pain. Riccardo had been borderline stoic about it.
"It's not that bad," Riccardo deflected.
"Not that bad," Leon asked. He almost lifted his head to look at him, but stopped himself and put his head back down on his pillow. "Man, I would have been hollering the whole ride or passed out or some shit! You're over there suffering in silence and all that. How the hell did you manage to also get me out from under the horse?"
"I... don't know," Riccardo said, sheepishly. "It just... You needed help, and so I... You needed help."
Leon snorted softly. "You're just casually a folk hero over there. Okay. Pardon me," he teased.
"I... Sorry." Riccardo's anxiety was palpable in those two syllables, an unspoken question there.
Dr. Seavers chuckled. "I don't think he was upset with you, Riccardo."
"Not at all," Leon said. "People don't tease you often, do they?"
"My brother does a little," Riccardo offered.
"That tiny kid?" Leon scoffed. "Yeah, no, little brother teasing doesn't count. Especially when they're that young."
"Dr. Seavers does, sometimes," Riccardo tried again, a question in his voice again.
"If you're talking about when I scold you for not taking better care of yourself, I don't think that counts," the doctor said, amusedly.
"I guess I don't get teased often," Riccardo finally relented.
"Yeah, didn't think so," Leon said with another chuckle. No one teased the warrior prince; they just starved him into a state of brokenness... Leon had to refrain from shuddering at that.
"Are fae not strong enough to do things like that, then," Riccardo suddenly asked.
"What? Lift horses?" Leon shook his head. Realizing Riccardo may not be able to see the motion, he continued, "No. I'm lucky when I can carry a whole armload of fire wood."
"Oh... So what... I mean, I hope it's not rude to ask... But what makes a fae different from a human," Riccardo asked.
Leon put one arm behind his head and frowned in thought. Not that Riccardo knew it, but Leon knew a damn big thing about him. Something he wondered if the small doctor was supposed to tell him at all. Considering Riccardo had also put a lot at risk to save his ass during the ambush, too, he figured he owed him some honesty.
"Lots of things," Leon answered. "Don't know if you noticed, but I have pointy ears," he went on, grinning crookedly to himself.
"Of course I noticed -" Riccardo stopped there. "Are you teasing me again?"
Leon snorted and heard the doctor join in with some chuckling at that. "Yeah," he said. "Can't resist now that I know how easy it is. Okay, besides my ears, though... I have, like, passive abilities, I guess? I don't know what else to call them, but it's stuff like gardens tend to do better around my kind. Fires last longer and keep homes warmer. Our pets live longer. Our food tastes better, too. Like... I gotta cook for you for you to understand that one."
"You're all just naturally good cooks," Riccardo asked.
"I know that sounds lame, but just trust me. Food tastes better. You'll never want anyone to cook for you again," Leon assured.
"I always read that fae food was cursed," Riccardo said, dubiously.
Dr. Seavers chuckled at that comment. "That is the common myth."
Leon huffed softly. "No, listen. That's just some dumbassery. I know that one. People try to say that we curse people by making all other food dissatisfying, yeah? It's fucking untrue. Our food's just so good that some people started complaining they couldn't replicate it."
"I see," said the doctor.
"I'm sorry if I offended you," added Riccardo.
Leon waved a hand. "Not offended," he said. "I'm just - uh - passionate." He snorted softly at his own word choice. "I know the cursing throws a lot of people, but don't think much of it."
"If I'm being honest," Riccardo started, and Leon could hear the way he was practically tip-toeing on this subject. "It's actually refreshing that you talk that way. I mean, the cursing is a little shocking, but you're very honest. I appreciate it."
Leon smiled. "Yeah?"
"Yes," Riccardo confirmed.
"Well there's a lot more honesty where that came from," Leon said.
Riccardo actually chuckled, and Leon grinned wider. Sullen-looking thing this tormented prince was, Leon didn't think he'd ever met anyone who needed laughter in their life more.
"Really, though, I'm pretty much an open book," Leon continued. "Especially now that I know you're not trying to chomp on me." Had he come too close to revealing what he knew? Had Riccardo picked up on it?
Riccardo only sighed in obvious relief again. "I'm glad you finally believe me."
"Speaking of, you should have some blood, Riccardo," Dr. Seavers interjected. "I shouldn't have to tell you, but you'll heal faster with at least a little blood in your system."
"Can you get me some, then," asked Riccardo with another sigh.
"Certainly. Let me just finish - almost - there we are..." Learn heard a snip and the doctor finishing up with bandages by the sound of it. And then it was quiet on that front. "You can put your shirt and jacket back on. I'll get you a bottle." Leon poked his head up just an inch to watch the doctor step away from Riccardo and towards the door of the room. "I'll be right back with your blood. You two just stay here and wait for me."
As the door closed, Leon let out a breath of relief he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and laid his head back down. Neither the doctor or Riccardo seemed interested in pressuring him for his blood. He'd thought with Riccardo's injuries that there might be some pressure, but... None at all.
"You can sit up now if you want," Riccardo offered after a few moments of quiet other than the sound of him putting his clothes back on.
Leon proceeded to prop himself up on his elbows instead, looking across at Riccardo who had not put his coat back on. The sleeve over his hurt arm was bunched up at his elbow, revealing a tight bandaging around it much like the doctor had done with Leon's leg.
For the first time, Leon got a really good look at Riccardo. Riccardo hadn't removed his coat much at all while they were on the road, and when they'd rested in Jongvale, he'd buried himself in blankets and Leon hadn't been completely interested in taking in this vampire who he'd been sure was just another threat to his life. He'd noticed before how thin Riccardo was, but without a coat on, the man sitting on the bed across from him looked frail. He wasn't just thin, but underweight and pale as porcelain. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Leon would find it hard to believe this was a trained soldier. Leon felt like one strong word would break this man.
"What is it?"
Leon's eyes snapped to Riccardo's, realizing he'd been staring. He grimaced in apology and rubbed the back of his neck. "Nothing. Just... You doing alright?"
"What?"
It was a genuine question, Leon could tell by his tone, but he didn't understand why Riccardo was confused.
"Are you okay," Leon asked again, sitting up straighter. Maybe his wording was weird to the prim and proper prince.
"I... I guess so," Riccardo answered. "Arthur gave me pain medicine and fixed my arm. So I'm alright, now. And you? Are you okay?"
It was a little more loaded to ask him, honestly. After all, he was still a bird locked in house full of cats. Surely Riccardo had to realize that, though. "I'm just hungry," he admitted to something a lot less intense.
Riccardo smiled softly at that and chuckled. "Oh... I can have someone bring you something. Our chef isn't a fae, but he cooks very well. What are you hungry for?"
"Think he could cook up some duck," Leon took a gamble in asking. He didn't know if duck was accessible up in these snow covered mountains, but the thought of duck made his motuh water. "And some vegetables?"
"I don't see why not," Riccardo said. He got off his bed. "Anything else? We always have puddings, custards, and gelatins ready to be made on demand."
"Oh shit," Leon said, eyes going wide. "Can I have... like... all of that?"
Riccardo tilted his head, one of his ears flopping crookedly downwards. "All of it?"
"Yeah, all of it," Leon repeated. "Just one of each. It sounds fucking amazing."
Riccardo chuckled. "I'll ask a servant to bring some up for you," he promised, and then disappeared out the door.
Leon was alone for just a few short moments before both the doctor and Riccardo returned. Riccardo had a dark, glass bottle in his hand. Leon couldn't even see the color of the contents, but he had to imagine it was deep red, and decided he was glad the bottle was so darkly colored.
"They're going to be here with your food as soon as they kitchen's done making it," Riccardo promised Leon. "I'm going to go back to my room and get some rest, now, though. Will you be alright?"
"Uh... I guess so," Leon answered. If Riccardo was going to his room, where was he sleeping? What even were the rules here?
"You're going to stay here and hold down that bed in the mean time," the doctor said as if he had read Leon's mind. "You need the rest with that leg, and a good, hearty meal I think will do you wonders." He glanced up to Riccardo. "You, too. There are a lot of guests milling about the palace and I know your mother has a full schedule planned for you with this party, so you be sure and finish that bottle of blood and get more if you can stand it."
"I will, Arthur, I promise," said Riccardo with a nod.
"Thank you," Dr. Seavers said. "Both of you keep being good patients for me, now. I don't want any complications while you heal up from your injuries."
"Heh... Won't have any problems from me," Leon promised the firm, little doctor.
"Rest well, Leon," Riccardo bid as he took a step back towards the door again.
"You, too," Leon said.
"I'm going to tend to some other patients of mine," the doctor, meanwhile, said. "I'll either be back myself in 8 hours or a nurse will to give you more pain medicine."
"Yeah, sounds good, doc," Leon said.
The two slipped away at this point, leaving Leon alone until his food came. In those moments of silence, though, he couldn't help but mull over what he'd learned about Riccardo. What other atrocities were committed here? And if Demetri Tenepri could do that to his own son, what could he potentially do to Leon? He shuddered at the thought. By the time his food came, he didn't have the appetite he'd had when he ordered it, too worried about what a future in this palace would mean for him.