[ota] I can't see the stars for the sun.

[heartafterheart]

Ceiro felt the first pains when he tried to relieve himself. And try though he might, nothing seemed to relieve that gut twisting, soul shattering pain. It honestly had come to the point that he'd excused himself from the office, making the excuse that he was seeing Mr. Browning off as he was finally returning home (with the assistance of the

Comments

You do not see this tag. Shh. I'm totally writing a paper.

[heartpursuit]

"Your Majesty." It was funny, Abby thought, how in these moments she was able to push past shock and horror and just be professional, and she laid a cool hand on the King of Hearts' brow. It probably helped that, unlike with the Two who had burst into the infirmary and babbled out something about King Ceiro and collapse that she barely knew the man; she'd only been here two weeks.

But she knew Johnny was very fond of him, and that was something, even after as many years as they'd spent doing their own things. She smiled slightly down at him. "I'm going to turn you on your side," she said gently, brushing back his hair. "And you're going to take a moment to catch your breath, and then we're going to get you to the infirmary."

[heartsthespades]

"I know." And...he was working on it, but he felt that, at least, was not something Ceiro should know. Not yet.

There were too many variables.

"Hadyn knows," he said after a moment. "And....he may have told King Elisha, but I can't say that for certain. I tried to warn Judith that it was a possibility yesterday, but...you know your wife's opinion of me, Your Majesty." It was suspicious, to say the very least.

[heartafterheart]

"Elisha is a good man. And will...be a good ally." Should things go badly for the boys. And he would speak with Judith, do what he could to protect them as best he could.

But nothing yet could be done without proof- no matter how angry he felt in the pit of his stomach. And he was- he was angry. He felt a rage that had been a foreign memory to him for over a decade now. And it warred with his morality, sense of right and wrong.

It was not, he thought, his finest of moments. But then he no more wanted to die, than he wanted to have anyone else die. He wanted to see his son grow up, fall in love, marry, have children of his own. He wanted to be there for those moments when a son needed his father....

And was that really too much to ask?

"Do what you must," he said after a moment, leaning against the exam table.

[heartsthespades]

They would get proof - somehow, they'd get it. His mother had, after all, taught both Jordan and Hadyn how to manipulate and twist things, how to get the information they wanted. And if, on Friday after Hadyn got her temper up with his monologue, Jordan still wasn't able to get her to confess...Hadyn had skills, too.

The Novaks would get what they needed.

There was a cool, focused light in Jordan's eyes as he nodded. "I will, Your Majesty."