❝ 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 EIGHT
WHEN ATTICUS FIRST WOKE UP, it was to Jane's worried expression as the older woman leaned over him, dabbing a cold cloth over his forehead.
He frowned, pushing her hand away as he sat up, brows furrowing. He'd gone to sleep the night before, hadn't he? He'd . . . It was an early night. He'd felt faint, enough not to be able to keep his dinner down. Jane had sent him to bed and heard no protests about the work he needed to do. And then . . .
"It's been a week, Foxling," Jane said, sitting at the edge of his bed. Atticus looked at her sharply. "You fell asleep and didn't wake up. It's a miracle you're even alive with how high the fever got."
"Is anyone else hurt?" Atticus asked, moving to get off the bed. She put her arm out in front of him, stopping him from moving. "Jane, I have to check on things. I have a kingdom to run—"
"You have to rest," she said. "You just woke up. A week, Foxling. I don't think you're comprehending this." Atticus rolled his eyes, looking away. "As far as we're aware, it was just you. The Codfather said you touched the corruption?" Atticus frowned, looking at her again. The Codfather? "We've issued a warning to the citizens against touching the vines but didn't explain why. The Council has been ruling in your place, but nothing has come up that they couldn't handle."
"You told the Codfather about the fever?" Atticus asked, affronted by the lack of privacy and embarrassed by the thought of being perceived as vulnerable.
Jane sighed. "He's the one who saved you. He brought mushrooms and soup to the castle once he heard you were sick, though I don't know how he heard about it." She smiled thinly. "He's checked on you since. You just missed him leaving, actually."
"He saw me?" Atticus demanded, jumping out of bed. His head spun and he quickly sat down again.
Jane chuckled, standing up. "I'll bring you some soup. Don't get out of this bed again, okay?"
And so he stayed.
Atticus curled up under the covers once she'd closed the door, closing his eyes. He was sweating, a leftover symptom of the fever that had broken the day before, but feeling better by the minute. His stomach turned at the thought of eating, both because he wasn't sure if he could stomach food and because he was starving. The worst part had to be his limbs, which shook when he moved them or tried to hold them up; it would be impossible to write any sort of thank-you letter to the Codfather for saving his life.
Because that's what it was. The Codfather had saved his life. There was no other way to spin the tale. Vulpesterra was in debt to the Cod Empire, and Atticus wasn't sure that debt could ever be repaid.
