❝ I can't save us ❞
in which the Foxling and the Codfather exchange
trades, looks, and blue orchids in a world of war,
death, and political alliances.
❝ my Atlantis ❞
( male!oc x solidarity )
( empires smp...
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FORGOTTEN ORCHIDS | CHAPTER SIX
FOR A WEEK, THE FOXLING did not contact him, leaving Jimmy to wonder just how busy the younger man was. Thankfully, they hadn't had a reason to be in contact—the vines hadn't spread any further since that first day, and the guards had taken to using scaffolding to observe the lands in place of the uninhabitable watchtower.
But while he was relieved not to have a reason to contact the Foxling, there was still a spark of wanting to. He'd never had a reason to write to the mysterious ruler that lived next door to him; Jimmy supposed he had grown too used to their frequent contact over the past few weeks. It hadn't yet been a month since the start of their trade deal, but it was enough time for Jimmy to begin feeling attached.
Though, he supposed, he had always been drawn to the idea of the Foxling, since the first House Blossom meeting he attended after founding his empire. The man had never paid him any attention during said meetings, but that never deterred Jimmy's admiration of him—the way he stood up for himself and his ideals, even if the other rulers tried to convince him otherwise.
Jimmy had not been expecting correspondence from Vulpesterra until the next time the Foxling came by for more blue orchids, so he was surprised when he was approached by an errand boy in the town square at noon. He could tell it was a runner from Vulpesterra due to the necklace he wore, displaying the Foxling's sigil. While it wouldn't have been strange to see a runner passing through one empire to get to another—surely going through the Cod Empire made the journey to the Ocean Empire easier—it was strange for Jimmy to see one from Vulpesterra seeking him out.
The boy pressed a letter into Jimmy's hands. "Our king is sick," he said, looking just a touch worried. "Miss Jane wrote to let you know the trade deal will be postponed until he wakes up."
"Wakes up?" Jimmy sputtered, taking the paper from him. "How long has he been asleep?"
The boy chewed his lower lip in thought before shaking his head. "I believe a week, sir. He fell asleep and didn't wake up again and has been dealing with a high fever. The Council is really worried about him, but the citizens don't know how bad it is yet." He smiled, then, as though he hadn't just delivered devastating news to Jimmy. "I only know because Miss Jane was talking to Sir Thomas about it in the stables."
Jimmy clutched the letter tightly, not caring if it was crumpled. "Thank you for the information," he forced out, heart sinking into his stomach.
A week. That's how long the Foxling had been sick. That's how long it's been since the Foxling had woken up. That's how long it had been since the Foxling had come to the Cod Empire . . . and touched the corrupting red vines.
But that doesn't make sense, Jimmy thought as he made his way through the streets of his empire, heading back to his cabin by the ocean. Jimmy had touched the corruption as well! And he hadn't felt even a bit sick, so the Foxling touching it multiple times couldn't have had anything to do with it—
