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Radaxian may have been reclaimed, but that didn’t mean that she emerged unscathed. A lot of citizens remained traumatized by Janken The Great’s attack and there was still much damage that needed to be repaired. Most pressing was the manner of the King – well, former king at this rate: No matter how many of Janken’s minions they interrogated, all of them refused to give up the location of King Thor. It was almost as if they had no idea where he was.
If Janken was the only one who knew…
Igul shook his head and tried to continue with the meeting. He had more immediate concerns to worry about, as much as it pained him to think of his father that way. Thor would’ve preferred him to put the kingdom first.
His insistence did little to help him concentrate on meeting at present. Currently, the minister of finance was going on and on about the amount of Baum they’d need to rebuild Radaxian City alone. Some small part of Igul, back when he was a knight errant could not help but long for a more immediate crisis. One that could help him make up for – or at least take his mind off of – his failure to protect his wife and his kingdom.
That small part of Igul got its prayers answered.
By Princess Rooney screaming in the hall.
Immediately, Igul bolted out of the meeting room and into halls of Radaxian Castle. It was still in the midst of repairs, but all of the traps should have been removed by now. But if they overlooked one and Rooney…
“Igul!”
The prince – or king, rather – heaved a sigh of relief as he saw that his wife was unharmed. He was about to ask her why she screamed, but he did not need to. She pointed at the ground in front of them.
Blood.
A trail of it. Leading deeper into the castle.
Pausing only to get his magic hammer from the royal guards, Igul followed the trail. Whoever leaked it didn’t seem to know their way around well – it would circle in the halls, double-back on itself and even constantly lead into dead-ends. Was it a civilian? Some sort of hooligan?
Igul stopped breathing. A terrible, creeping hunch began to sneak up on him.
He moved with a purpose, Rooney following close behind. Igul didn’t bother following the trail anymore. He had a feeling that he knew where it would lead.
A hunch proven correct when he arrived at the same room the trail ended in.
“ALEX!”
The first thing Alex saw upon waking up was Igul glaring at him from across the room. He and Rooney were seated in chairs.
“Eheh. I guess I pushed myself a bit too much.” Alex admitted.
“A bit too much?! If Lora hadn’t spotted that trail you left – of your own blood – who knows what could’ve-!!!”
Alex looked sheepishly at Igul and it drove Igul up a wall. This was not the first time that Igul had been informed of Alex getting seriously hurt and he knew that it wouldn’t be the last. Part of it came down to Alex’s role as protector of Radaxian. Alex had more than proven himself by defeating Janken and his Shellcore experience made him a formidable fighter.
But Alex is far from invincible and Igul knows it. A shame Alex doesn’t seem to.
“I’m sorry Igul. But that’s just the nature of being a guardian. Of course I’ll run into trouble.”
“But what if you run into something that you can’t come back from. Just because you’re a guardian doesn’t mean that you need to drive yourself to the brink!”
“But Igul-”
“I’m serious Alex! You can’t keep ending up like this!” Igul was shouting now. Alex tried to move and Igul growled in response. “Alex!”
“Calm down, Igul! I’ve saved Radaxian before! You don’t have to worry so-”
“I’ve already lost Father! Do you expect me to sit here until I lose you again?!”
One could drop a pin in the room at that very moment and the resulting sound would be deafening by comparison. Lora and Alex stared at Igul in shock, but the prince – king, he’s king now – had enough. He stormed out of the room, leaving his wife and his brother at a loss for words.