❝ 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 THIRTY-SEVEN
WHEN HE OPENED HIS EYES, for the briefest of moments, there was a peaceful silence that greeted Atticus. If he had been fully awake, perhaps he might have even thought that it would be a good day. For once, the first thing on his mind wasn't paperwork, anxiety, or nightmares, a very rare occurrence for the young king—so he should have known, then, that something was very wrong indeed.
He was sitting at his desk, head resting on his arms. He must have fallen asleep there the night before—he remembered going over paperwork for the Council but did not recall falling asleep. It didn't shock him that he had—he knew all too well the sore feeling that came with sleeping at his desk.
Atticus was just beginning to get out of his chair when his door was thrown open, slamming against the wall with force. He startled, turning to face Jane, whose eyes held a frantic, uncontrolled worry. He was immediately on guard, standing up straighter and meeting her in the middle of his room. "What's going on?" he demanded.
"The demon! It's here, it's attacking the kingdom!" she exclaimed. Atticus' heartbeat stuttered in his chest before he forced his expression to look calm.
"Show me," he said, for once glad that he had ended up falling asleep in his clothes from the day before. No point in wasting time changing, though he was glad he wouldn't be running out of the castle in his nightwear.
She took him by the hand and they hurried out of the castle. They passed nervous staff members; Atticus was very tempted to stop and let them know that they had the rest of the day off, but knew there was no time for that. If Xornoth was attacking Vulpesterra—and Atticus trusted Jane not to lie about something so serious—then he knew it was only a matter of time before the demon made its way to the castle.
More staff members were crowded around the dark oak doors that were open to show the outside world. Jane and Atticus pushed their way to the front, stopping at the top step to get a good look over the kingdom. In the distance, fires were sending smoke into the sky; it seemed Xornoth had started at the edge of the kingdom and was working its way forward. That, at least, was a relief—they had time to get the kingdom evacuated.
Atticus blinked the sleep out of his eyes, hoping this was a terrible nightmare he would soon wake up from. He pinched his arm, just to check, and grimaced when he found that he was very much awake. Which meant that he needed to pull himself together, focus, and get his people to safety.
Atticus turned to the group of staff at the door. "Find a safe place to wait this out. Any other staff member that you see, tell them the same. Keep yourselves safe, whether that means hiding in the castle or leaving the kingdom entirely; you decide what's best for you. I will not encourage you to go look for your loved ones in the kingdom, but I will not stop you either. Just be smart about it," he told them.
