When Kings Fall

Five ⋆ Part 2

    The phrase 'we all bleed red' was in fact wrong after all. When I had studied King Thaddeus's blood in the infirmary, I noticed something highly unusual about his blood.

It was thick and dark, charcoal colored with no tint of redness. At first I thought it was just the lighting of the infirmary, but when I set the jar beside the one with Elora's, I noticed the undeniable difference.

I had compared his blood to both Elora and I's.

Luckily, Elora and I's were similar in color. A slight bit of relief for her child. I decided I wouldn't tell her though, not yet. I didn't want to give her any false hope if I am wrong since I don't fully understand the curse yet.

As I hurry through the halls, trying to contain my excitement, I think it all over. I had dropped a singular drop of my blood to the King's. Upon the contact, his turned back to a ruby color. I had redone the experiment, each time with more of King Thaddeus's blood and less portions of mine to find the perfect dilution.

I couldn't deny the evidence. It was clear my blood healed his. And, since I knew I couldn't touch his heart, and with the idea that blood passes through the heart, maybe I could heal his tainted heart from within.

I hold back a smile to myself. For once, I felt so close to figuring it out. So close to some epiphany that will make all this suffering make sense. But, as I stood in the empty dining room, my eyes were glued to a new large table covered in the most delicious delicacies. I realized something was off. It shouldn't be this easy.

The broken table from King Thaddeus almost killing his sister was gone and replaced. As if the incident never happened. I held my breath, reality washing away any smudge of excitement and hope I had.

I realized it wasn't this easy.

What would King Thaddeus do to me if he knew my blood did in fact cure him? I could only imagine me, hanging upside down with all my blood draining from my body and the King hooked up to a machine, allowing a transfusion.

I bring my hand up, chewing on the nail of my thumb as I think long and hard. I couldn't tell King Thaddeus my findings, not until I figure out how to get my blood inside him, that wasn't a transfusion or Kraujo dalmas. I quickly turn to leave the dining area, but I bump into something. More so, someone.

"Miss Kingsley, I just had someone sent to bring you dinner." King Thaddeus stood with his arms placed firmly behind his back. "Since you are already here, why don't you join me." He doesn't motion for me to sit down, seeming almost unwelcoming for me to join him with the meal.

I swallow hard. I watch as King Thaddeus takes a seat at the head of the table. Unsure of where I should sit, I decide to place myself at the side of the table, leaving the other end for Elora.

As my hand touched the wooden chair, King Thaddeus spoke out.

"Elora won't be joining us," he states.

I quickly snap my head to him. My hands felt clammy all of a sudden, the worst running through my mind. He set his napkin in his lap, not even bothering to look at me. He reaches for his glass of wine, smelling my hormones while doing so.

"She refuses to eat with me." He reassures me before picking the glass up to drink.

An audible sigh of relief escapes me before I sit myself down at the opposite end of the King. I had never sat at a table like this before. I was unsure what each utensil was for as the servants walked in with the main course in their hands.