| Bouquet of Lilies | SBI Royalty AU | written by Lav |

25- One more time

               It was close. Death. Death was close. Theseus realized this that morning. He didn't stop throwing up blood until an hour had passed and he felt ready to pass out. Only then did it stop.

He wouldn't last much longer. He knew for a fact he wouldn't. The blood he was throwing up relentlessly was proof of that.

               So he had to do it one last time. Go to the gardens with his brothers, talk, drink tea and make flower crowns.

               Once he realized he wouldn't last much longer, he found that he needed to make the most of however much time he had left. And he thought it would be best spent with his brothers.

After he finished throwing up, he sat by the toilet for a while. Just in case he threw up again. But it didn't happen again. The only thing that happened was his coughing fits.

            He got up from beside the toilet and went back into his room as the last coughing fit passed. He gathered the letters he'd gotten from Puffy, and hid them under his bed. There were countless- he'd even burned some as to not be caught with some if the more fragile information. He made sure he couldn't see the letters from the doorway, and nodded to himself.

Then, he took his nausea medication and got dressed. Looking into the mirror, he noticed he looked terrible. The palest he's been. He frowned.

There was still an hour before he has to meet with his brothers in the gardens. It would be smart to go calm down somewhere in the sun; to try and gain some color back. He decided to go the library. It had plenty of windows; especially near his favorite spot.

           Walking into the library, it was quiet. The librarian wasn't even there. It always was quiet, as he was the only one in his family to use it other than Techno. But then again, Techno wasn't there often. He had his own personal library.

He decided on Grimms fairy tales this time, and sat in his usual corner in the library. Every once and while he looked towards the clock to make sure he wouldn't be late.

By the time he was done with the book, some color had returned to his face. Enough that Wilbur and Techno probably wouldn't question him. Looking back to the clock, he noticed that it was time to go.

So he went back through the halls. He glanced at the portraits on the wall as he walked by them. How many more times would he see them? He shrugged the thought off and kept walking.

Pushing the doors to the garden open, he noticed Techno and Wilbur sitting already with their tea. They both turned to look at him when he walked into the garden, and smiled.

"Oh, hello Theseus!" Wilbur said happily. Theseus smiled and sat at the third chair at the table and poured himself some tea.

They chatted contently for a while, drinking their tea. Today, Wilbur picked the flavor. Green tea.

           The whole time, Theseus had the thought of his death at the back of his mind. The one thing he hadnt told them.

He was counting on Puffy to get back before he died. But then again, Puffy was still traveling. She couldn't send another letter now. She could be days away. Even a-

"Theseus?"

Snapping out of his worried daze, he noticed it was Techno who said his name. They were both looking at him in a worried way. Probably because he'd been unintentionally ignoring them.

"Apologies. I didn't mean to... daydream." Wilbur nodded slowly, as if he didn't fully believe what he was saying.

"Can we go by the willow tree now?" He asked, hoping to change their focus. Techno shrugged, and got up.

Wilbur and Theseus followed. They sat themselves in the same place as before. The small area under the willow tree where the flowers thinned out.

And just like before, Wilbur made their flower crowns and Theseus braided Technos hair, working purple hyacinths into the braid.

        As they did this, they talked happily. About anything and everything. Mostly about stories they had to tell and Theseus telling them the meanings of flowers.

        Every time Wilbur finished a flower crown, he placed it onto whoever's head it was meant for.

A flower crown of lilies for Theseus, one made from pink carnations for Wilbur, and one made from purple hyacinths for Techno.

        As they sat there, Theseus realized something. He was content. He was content with the life he had- the life he lead. Even if he did end up dying, he could say he living a pretty good life.

       He came to terms with it. After all, he did prepare for it to happen. Even if Puffy was too late, at least she tried.

       As he came to this conclusion, the sun seemed to shine a little brighter on them. Theseus smiled.

       The sun shone on them; almost as if it was saying goodbye.

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Hello!

The finale chapters are next. Also with the bonus book.

Have a wonderful day!

-Lav