The Vagrant King

Chapter 34

When Julian woke, a man was speaking to him. Julian was laying on the rug, and he ran his fingers over the fibers. The pain in his body had become a throbbing ache. He could only think of the agony he had just experienced, and the agony he still felt.

"Julian, you need to stand up," The voice said, somewhere to Julian's left.

Julian lifted his head and looked at Gregory, who was crouching beside him. Gregory forced a smile when he noticed Julian was looking at him.

"Just carry him," Another voice said, further away, less warm. "He weighs next to nothing."

"It'll hurt his back if I do that." Gregory said, moving to his knees next to Julian. "Julian, we're going to get you the help that you need. Sit up."

"Like a servant caught stealing silver," The voice sniggered. "I cannot believe the King did this himself, instead of letting one of us do it."

"But I didn't steal anything," Julian mumbled, woozy from the pain and loss of blood. "The ring, it's in my pocket, he can have it back—"

"Julian, sit up." Gregory urged. 

Julian took in a big breath, then pushed himself to his knees and gritted his teeth through the pain. His elbows shook, and he worried he would collapse again. He looked up at Aldric, who was sneering down at him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Very good," Gregory praised. He grabbed Julian's arm and pulled it around his shoulders. "Stand up now, and lean on me."

Gregory placed an arm around Julian's waist, careful not to touch any of his wounds. Gingerly, Julian leaned on Gregory and moved to his feet. Gregory rose too, and he walked Julian to Regulus' bed. Julian looked around the room and noticed Regulus was peculiarly absent.

"My bedroom. I want to go to my bedroom." Julian requested quietly, his blue eyes flickering to Gregory. His cheeks were still wet with tears, and his eyes were still watering.

Gregory grimaced. "The King asked that we keep you here," At Julian's horrified expression, Gregory corrected himself quickly. "He only wants you to rest and heal. We'll keep a careful eye on you."

Julian didn't have the strength in him to argue. Gregory helped him into Regulus' four-poster bed. He laid down on his stomach, the only comfortable position. The bed was warm and wonderfully soft, exactly as he remembered it. He turned his face away from Gregory and Aldric to hide how he wiped his wet cheeks.

"Aldric, go get Percy." Gregory said.

When Julian heard the door shut behind Aldric, he turned his head back to look at Gregory. "Where is he?"

"The King is spending the night with his wife," Gregory said, dragging a chair closer to Julian's bedside. He sat down in it and leaned forward to speak closely to Julian. His voice had lowered to a hushed whisper. "Julian, I'm sorry. I didn't think he would do something like this to you."

"S' fine, Gregory. You didn't know." Julian mumbled, pressing his forehead to his arms as he focused on steady breaths. There was some small relief in knowing that Regulus would not be back soon. The relief quickly faded. God, everything hurt.

"Would you like something from the kitchens? Anything you want. The King used to call for roasted pheasant for you. How does that sound?" Gregory said, resting his elbows on his knees. He was still watching Julian with concern. Julian wished he would look away, or leave Julian alone. Julian didn't bother to respond, shutting his eyes and willing himself to sleep.

The door opened, and Gregory moved to his feet. Percy, the old physician who had cared for Julian before, entered the King's chambers. He wore woolen robes and carried a small wooden chest. Percy stopped at the sight of Julian on the bed, with welts across his back, and his jaw slackened for a moment.