"What?!" Henry jerked around, almost hitting his head on the wall he'd been leaning against.
"Don't look so surprised, it's not like I can stay here forever." Thanatos was unimpressed. He lied on the floor next to Henry and eyed him with half-closed, amber eyes.
The exiled prince looked at him. He tried not to let it show, but a lump now blocked his throat. "When?"
"Tomorrow, probably. Today I'll rest a little, and then I leave." The flier answered in an almost too calm voice.
Tomorrow. An unidentifiable emotion gripped Henry's heart.
"But why? Where will you go? What will you do?", there were so many questions on his mind, he was barely able to find words to voice them. "Why now all of a sudden? You were fine staying here for the last fourteen weeks. Why do you have to leave now?"
Thanatos opened his eyes again. "Why would you care? After all, you stay, Henry. Be happy I even told you ahead of time. Besides, it's not like you don't have enough things to occupy yourself with here, without me." With that he rose up and lifted off, flying in the direction of the hot spring.
Henry remained, leaning against the stone where they had loaded off their goods after they had returned from another errand for Lovelace.
Ever since they had successfully liberated the crawlers, the leader of the nibbler colony had apparently decided it was her turn now to make the decisions as to how Henry spent his time, and no longer Teslas'. In the almost two weeks that had passed since then, he and Thanatos had been out on trading missions or errands almost constantly.
On one hand, Henry missed working with Teslas the entire time – on the other hand, he missed being able to make decisions for himself. It's not like he didn't understand why Thanatos wanted to leave, quite the opposite. After all, he started to feel the same urge, slowly but surely. The part he didn't understand was, why he wasn't asking him to come with.
Was that really so hard to understand though? He had said it countless times himself – they were neither bonds nor had any real obligations towards each other. There was nothing stopping Thanatos from leaving – technically. And yet it still felt wrong for some reason.
The last two weeks they had spent almost all their time together on all sorts of missions. They had faced countless dangerous situations, explored the jungle more thoroughly, flown over parts of the waterway, briefly visited the Labyrinth, the part of the rats' land that lied further south, and the surrounding areas. They had also crossed the Vineyard of Eyes numerous times now, to the point where it had even started to get slightly less scary.
It had almost been like old times – like before they came to the colony. Only without the constant arguing. Henry had grown so accustomed to having the flier around, that he genuinely didn't know how to feel if they were separated now.
His feet carried him towards the curtain of vines and in the direction of Teslas' workshop almost on their own. Somehow, Henry had made it a habit to seek comfort in visiting the inventor, whenever he had any sort of problem with Thanatos.
He mindlessly tugged at the fur collar of the new coat he had made from the leather the crawlers had given him. It was nice and long – it reached down to his knees – and pleasantly warm. He usually only wore it outside the jungle and would have taken it off when they came back, if he would have had the mind to think about that.
The process of making it had had its complications – never having tailored before, Henry had accidentally cut a sleeve off when it was almost done. He had been furious at his own mistake, until Cevian suggested cutting the second sleeve off too, and wearing them separately from the coat, like gloves, only without the hands.
So instead of a long-sleeved coat, he ended up getting a sleeveless one. But that wasn't the only new clothing item he had made with the materials from the crawlers.
Henry had decided that sandals, that offered virtually no protection, were unfitted for a life as an outcast. Teslas had helped him make a pair of robust and surprisingly comfortable boots, using the soles of the old sandals and leather. For further protection, he had also tied layers of fur around the parts of the boots that covered his lower legs.
Remembering how he had wished for something that would help him tread more lightly, he had prepared pieces of fur, that were normally tied to his legs, like the rest, that he could unfold and fasten around the soles at will. That way he had the means to sneak far more effectively, and proper, protective footwear.
"Teslas, you there?" Henry called when he reached the curtain that covered the entrance to the inventor's workshop.
"If you come to check on your dagger, I am almost done, I promise." Teslas' voice sounded from inside.
Two entire weeks had passed since Henry had brought him the materials to reinforce it. But for some reason, every time he came to check whether Teslas was done, he wasn't.
"The hell is actually taking so long?" He walked towards the forge in the corner of the room and looked around for the black nibbler.
His head poked out from behind his table. "Listen, you want to use the thing as a weapon, right? In that case, bones aren't enough either. I need to stabilize it with metal, and make sure it doesn't break the moment you use it against anything harder than flesh."
He walked over to the forge. "I needed to make a bunch of custom molds for the metal frame, as well as take several other preparative steps, but I am done now. All I need to do is make the thing. I promise you'll have your dagger at the end of the day."
Henry grinned in anticipation, almost forgetting why he was here.
"And besides, it would take me much less time if LOVELACE would let you help me like before instead of sending you away all the time." He added with a crooked grin.
"Nothing I can do about that." Henry shrugged.
"I know, I know – eh, metal, metal, where did I leave my stash of spare metal..." Teslas mumbled to himself while walking over to a more distant part of the room in search for metal.
An idea suddenly flashed in Henry's mind. He bit his lip and his hand automatically reached for a back pocket of his belt. When making his new attire he had also been compelled to rearrange and organize the contents of all his pockets, and made a few discoveries he would have rater left untouched. But if he was going to use this item for anything, Henry decided it should be this.
"Teslas, I have metal for you."
The nibbler turned around and made his way back. "Oh really? Where would you get metal from? Besides, who cares WHAT metal I use. Metal is metal." He was now standing in front of the exiled prince, holding an iron ingot he had fetched from his stash.
Henry took a deep breath. "This metal is special."
With trembling fingers, he unfastened the clasp on a pocket and closed his hand around the item in it. Henry pulled it out, stretched the hand in Teslas' direction, and revealed an intricately ornated ring of gold.
The nibbler's eyes widened at the sight.
"Is that... your..."
"...crown? Yes. Or, it used to be." Henry averted his eyes.
"But you can't give that to me!" Teslas protested.
"Why not?" Henry's voice was indifferent. "It's not like there's anything else I could use it for anymore." In a quieter voice he added, "After all, I've lost the right to wear it a long time ago."
Noticing the curiosity in Teslas' eyes, he pondered for a second – then made a decision.
Henry sat the crown down on the table and turned away. "This was the crown that once belonged to prince Henry of Regalia, before he conspired with king Gorger to form an alliance with the rats and take over his own city."
Henry wasn't facing the nibbler, but he heard the shock in his voice when he uttered a single "...what?"
The exiled prince sighed. "He was a foolish teenage boy, who thought he could regain the feeling of safety, he lost when his parents died, by allying himself with the strongest species in the Underland. He made the mistake to think Gorger was a trustworthy ally and paid for it when he was dragged off a cliff by his new "allies"."
He finally turned back to Teslas, his expression was unreadable. "That was the day prince Henry of Regalia died. And the dead do not need crowns."
Teslas was staring at him with wide-open eyes. He slowly turned to face the crown on the table.
Another moment of silence passed before the nibbler finally spoke. "it... it all makes sense now. Why you can never go back, why you wish for me to not disclose your identity... I was afraid your secret was something like this, but a rest of hope always remained."
Henry took another deep breath. "So, will you take it? I can no longer stand the sight of it. May it at least serve a purpose again this way. It's solid gold – it will make a nice frame."
Teslas slowly nodded. "A dagger from the tooth of the rat king with a frame of gold from the crown of a prince. This is truly going to be an extraordinary weapon."
He was silent for a while, inspecting the crown. Henry was standing on the side, watching him. After a while, the nibbler raised his voice again. "So, prince Henry of Regalia is dead, then. But if that's the case, who is currently standing before me?"
The exiled prince took a deep breath. "That depends on what day you ask. On a bad day, I would say, the walking dead remains of what used to be prince Henry of Regalia – on a good day, a reincarnation of him, that received a second chance at life, a chance at not making his mistakes."
Teslas sounded a dry chuckle. "And what day is today?"
Henry pondered, before finally answering in a confident voice. "Today is the day I realize that not one of the answers is true, but both, in their own ways. I am the rest that remains of him, the small, resistant part that wasn't shattered to a million pieces at the bottom off that cliff, as much as I am his second chance at life."
Teslas' gaze was pensive and sympathetic. "I see why you hesitated to talk about this before, and I understand you are putting a great deal of trust in me by doing so now. I will try to live up to that trust."
Henry gave him a little smile. "If you could just help me spread it around the entire colony that my name is a secret that cannot be revealed to anyone – especially any humans – that would already help me a great deal. And if I could finally have my dagger."
They both laughed at that.
Teslas joined Henry the evening of this very day, while he was doing target practice with his new and improved slingshot, that the inventor and he had made soon after he had become his apprentice. It was now even more robust and could fire more effectively – and faster.
After the exiled prince had given him the crown, Teslas had sent him away, claiming he would finish the dagger on his own, and later bring to Henry, as a gift. The exiled prince had left, as frustrated as he had been when he came to Teslas, as he didn't have the chance to talk about Thanatos' decision to leave. So he had let his vexation out on the targets and the stones.
Henry was torn. He felt the pressure of the decision, whether his alliance with Thanatos should turn permanent, weighing on him, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to make that decision yet, on one hand. On the other hand, a part of him knew that he had already made it long ago.
"It is done, Henry." The nibbler's voice sounded almost solemn and his eyes shone with excitement.
The exiled prince shot a last stone, that hit the wall only a few inches away from Teslas' head, and the inventor winced. "Hey, it's not like I don't trust your aim, but PLEASE."
Henry sighed and put the sling down. "Sorry."
"Hey, are you okay? Did something happen?" Teslas finally noticed his bad mood. "Henry, you should be EXCITED! Wait until you see –"
"Thanatos told me he'll leave. Tomorrow. Without me." He blurted out, unable to hold it in any longer. "That's why I initially came to see you, I – I needed to... oh, I don't know, talk... ask you for –"
Teslas interrupted him. "What? He – he actually plans to... Oh. I should have asked you if something was up earlier, but then you showed me the crown and we got caught up in –"
Henry didn't let him finish. "No, it's fine. You're not my personal agony uncle. I already know what you'll say, I should deal with my problems like a grown-up and face them head-on. But I can't. Not this time."
Teslas couldn't help but chuckle. "You know what, actually, you're wrong. An agony uncle is exactly what I am, considering you have made it a habit to come to me with all your problems recently. I don't mind though, with a friend like Thanatos you need all the moral support you can get."
For a short moment, a small grin appeared on Henry's face, before he remembered the situation he was in. "I can not face this problem head-on, I already did ask him why he wanted to leave, and he didn't answer. Besides, he was right. What legitimate reason do I even have to care at all?"
Frustratedly, Henry shot another stone. It hit the wall so hard it resulted in a dent twice the size of the rock.
"Is that what he said?" Teslas asked. "That you have no reason to care?"
Henry nodded. "And he is completely right, I do not. But for some reason –"
"– you do care, hm?"
All Henry voiced was a frustrated sigh.
Teslas laughed. "You two are great, you know? I have never in my life seen two so unwilling to admit they care for each other. But the thing is, I did talk to Thanatos a while ago, and both my daughters have grown fairly close to him. Both said they sense he needs you as much as you need him."
Henry snorted. "Why in the world would HE need me. He's fine on his own, he's been for years."
"Because he enjoys it.", Teslas continued hesitantly. "He would probably rather die than admit it, but he does."
"Enjoys what?"
"Taking care of someone. He protects you, teaches you, smacks you over the head when you say or do stupid things. Aren't I right?"
Henry remained silent.
"He doesn't show it, but he cares for you like he would for a little brother. And that kind of bond – an unbreakable, reliable, familial bond – is exactly what he hasn't had in ages – and most likely longs for desperately."
The exiled prince still didn't utter a word.
Teslas sighed. "You said it yourself, he's been living in exile for almost seven years now – on his own, this entire time. What do you think he's starved of most?"
Henry had never even given a thought to whether Thanatos was feeling something along the lines of "lonely". The flier had never shown it, or otherwise given him any reason to do so. Though if Teslas was right, he might finally have a proper explanation as to why he had agreed to ally himself with Henry, all those months ago.
When he voiced his thoughts to the black nibbler, he broke out into laughter. "You know, prince Henry of Regalia may be dead, but – of all things – the selfish brat in him survived."
Henry threw the nibbler an annoyed glance.
"It holds such excellent irony, doesn't it?", Teslas continued, "Here, after all those years, Thanatos finally finds a companion, and that companion happens to have the empathy and social sensitivity of a rock."
"Oh, so it's all MY FAULT now." Henry's voice gave away his frustration.
"No, dammit, nothing is your fault. Except for the part as to why you ended up in exile. But that's not the point right now."
Teslas sighed. "Henry, in all those months, did you seriously never ask yourself why he went into exile?"
"W... went into?" The exiled prince raised his head in surprise. "What do you mean, "went into"?" Did Teslas imply Thanatos had run away on purpose? Not even for a second had he considered that. Nobody did that, at least not anyone with a healthy sense of self-preservation.
"So he didn't even tell you that. I only know of it because your mother told me, back when it happened. She and your father knew Thanatos, as did most people in Regalia back then. I assume you have heard of the incident at the Garden of Hesperides?"
Henry nodded. Of course, he had. Everyone who was old enough to have memories of it, had. He had had just turned six – old enough.
"Well, I have no idea as to what exactly happened, and even if I would, it wouldn't be my story to tell. The only thing I know is that after that, Thanatos apparently moved to Regalia permanently from the Land of the Fliers. And around three years later, he vanished entirely. Everyone thought he was dead, but apparently, he's as alive as you and I. Not that it should really come as a surprise to anyone though. He has always been, well – durable. I'm sure you know what I mean by this point."
"Oh yes." Henry gave a slight chuckle. He did, and too well. Before his exile, he had thought Ares extraordinary strong – which he without a doubt was, but Thanatos was on an entirely different level. The things he had seen the flier do, verged on impossibility.
After all, what kind of flier would successfully fight an army of rats with a forearm-long gash in his wing, after having been restrained on the floor for what presumably had been hours?
"So he... actually – ran away?"
Teslas shrugged. "I'm almost entirely certain."
"But who in the world does that? Exile is a form of execution! Running away verges on suicide!"
"Yes. It does", was all the nibbler said.
For a second Henry didn't understand what he was trying to say, but then the realization hit him like a bucket of cold water.
"You mean, he...", the exiled prince shook his head. "What in the world must have happened that could drive someone to leave everything he holds dear, to languish in solitude forever?"
"Henry, only he can tell you that." Teslas' voice was troubled.
"But he'd surely rather die than talk about anything from his past. I mean, it's Thanatos we're talking about."
"And that's exactly what I mean with "you two are great"!", Teslas exclaimed, "– a brooding lone wolf flier with trust- and commitment issues the size of his ego, and a selfish brat with an ego of the same size, who acts like he doesn't care about anyone other than himself."
Henry snorted and looked away. What did Teslas expect of him? To risk being insulted and screamed at, all for the sake of providing "emotional support" to someone who didn't even ask for it?
"That is not what I ask, it is what he needs." Was the answer Teslas gave him, when Henry asked.
"But... if what you say is true, and he is indeed lonely, why in the world did he decide to leave tomorrow then?"
Teslas sighed. "Boy, have you not listened to a word I said? I'll say it again, then – COMMITMENT ISSUES. He realizes he's getting attached to you and it probably scares him, so he takes an extreme measure to counteract that attachment."
"So... he'd rather go back to his solitary existence then admit he is lonely?" The moment he uttered it, Henry knew his question was futile. It was Thanatos – of course he did.
"Hey, if you truly care about him, you'll talk to him." Teslas urged. "But don't you dare mention it was me who told you the things I did – or I'll personally rip your head off, got it?"
Henry nodded, deep in thought. He was already getting ready to go and look for the flier, having regained some confidence, when Teslas stopped him. "Hey, Henry, aren't you going to claim your new dagger?"
The exiled prince stared at the weapon, presented to him, and was barely able to believe his eyes.
The tooth before him had, in a way, been transformed beyond recognition, and on the other hand, it had managed to retain the feeling of a tooth. The form and shape was one part, the color another.
Teslas had reinforced the previously carved dagger with two pieces of bone, to form a total of three blades, placed around the original tooth in a triangular shape. The blade was slightly curved and had two incisions, tightly wrapped in a thin rope, to help keep the bone reinforcements on the tooth.
Though they were made almost unnecessary by the frame of metal that held everything together and shone in gold. It was fastened around the reinforcements and shaped two of the three blades, as well as the tip. When Henry had a closer look at the blades, he saw all of them were honed razor-sharp.
After a more thorough inspection, he noticed the gold frame extended to the handle and that way, made sure the blade wouldn't break off. Why he hadn't noticed it immediately, was because Teslas had wrapped layers of fabric around the handle, to make it more pleasant to hold.
The former tooth hadn't just been made into a usable tool. No, this was a full-fledged, battle-ready weapon, as robust as any conventional, similarly formed, blade.
"Teslas, this is –" Henry was nigh speechless. "This is... so much more than I ever expected this thing could be turned into. Honestly, when I first cut it off, I didn't even have a plan or anything. But you – you turned this into the most amazing weapon I've ever seen!"
The inventor grinned. "I know. This IS the most amazing weapon I have ever seen either, and I've seen a lot."
"I'm sure it'll serve me well." Henry's eyes shone with excitement, for a moment he forgot he was essentially on the brink of losing his best friend, and still had to go have a talk with him.
Teslas soon handed him a fitting sheath as well, with a loop that allowed him to tie it around a belt. "Henry, you know what – I think this thing is so special it deserves a name. Something like that would emphasize it's uniqueness."
The exiled prince pondered for a moment. He inspected the masterly created weapon, then spoke "Well, what if I just call it... Mys?"
Teslas raised an imaginary eyebrow. "You want to call it... Rat? Is it because it's the tooth of one?"
Henry threw the weapon from one hand to the other, to test its weight and grip. "Well, sort of – but also because it serves the one the gnawers themselves mocked as the "Prince of Rats"."
Teslas understood. "A homage to past mistakes AND a wordplay on its origin... Henry, you might have found the perfect name indeed."
The exiled prince, at last, slid it into the sheath and tied it to one of his belts. "I know."
"I will come with you."
Thanatos, who had been resting in their bedroom-cave, looked up when Henry appeared before him and uttered the words.
"You will... what? Henry, why would you want to come with me?" He closed his eyes again, in resignation. "Okay, in all honesty, the reason I need to leave is because I have some business to attend to. Something I need to take care of, from before we met. Your presence wouldn't serve any purpose."
"So you intend to come back then?"
Thanatos opened his eyes again. He looked like he wanted to answer, but remained silent. In a way, his silence spoke for itself.
"You can not convince me otherwise." Henry's voice was firm. He gripped the handle of Mys and found it brought him comfort like he had so often done with the old dagger he had lost at the cliff.
"But why do you..."
The exiled prince interrupted him. "The same way you ask me this question, I could ask you, as to why you do NOT want me to come. Do you really want to start talking about that now? Because, you know, I'm perfectly fine not talking about it."
He sat down beside the flier. "I don't care where you go or what you have to do. All that's important is, that we are a team now. Mutual need, remember?" Henry thought about the things Teslas had told him and realized just how perfectly that phrase described them.
Thanatos scoffed, but he remained silent this time.
"And besides –", Henry tried to put on a cheerful tone, "this place is starting to make me feel trapped. It may be safe and comfortable, but it takes away the only things I appreciated about exile – the freedom to do whatever you want, and there not constantly being people ordering you around. Teslas and Lovelace and the rest may be nice, but I think I've had enough for now. Don't you agree?"
The flier actually chuckled a little. "And do you have a plan as to where you want to go?"
Henry faltered, "ehh... not really. But come on, these things are only any fun if you figure them out on the fly."
"Is that so..." Thanatos hesitated. "You are actually willing to come with me? Not even knowing where I am going or what my exact plan is? Or if I'm ever coming back?"
"Of course." Henry closed his eyes, leaning against the wall. "You'd do the same for me... wouldn't you?"
"So you are actually... leaving?" Cevian's voice was dejected, when she and her family, consisting of Teslas, Lovelace and Curie, stood at the beach next to the hot spring, the next day.
Henry was just about to pack a considerable reserve of fuel, supplies, cloths, a spare shirt, and as much ignifer as Teslas had made at that point, with his personal belongings into a new backpack. He had made it from the leather that hadn't gone into the coat or boots, and it was much bigger and had more pockets than his previous one.
He donned the new coat, made sure the sword was tied tightly to his back and the new dagger was secure at the back of his hip, where he'd decided to wear it, after some consideration. The last thing he put in the backpack was a torch – Thanatos would find his way without light, and he'd need to conserve the fuel.
"We'll surely meet again", he tried to keep his voice cheerful. "When I run out of ignifer, at the latest!"
Teslas smiled, but it was a sad smile. "I'll work on it", he promised. "I'll not only make more, but I will try to find a way to improve it. Mainly solve the problem of how long it takes to apply."
"Hey", he'd almost forgotten, "you will remember to keep my identity and name a secret, especially should you meet any humans, right?"
Lovelace nodded. "If that is what you wish, we will."
Henry mounted up and looked back at the four nibblers. He couldn't believe how fond he had grown of each and every one of them, and that he probably wouldn't see them in a long time now. But his mind was made up – belonging to a community again had been a nice experience, but Henry realized he had had enough for a while.
Curie was busy pressing her little snout against Thanatos' face. The two had grown so close and watching them say goodbye was more painful than Henry wanted to admit.
"Hey, you'll see him again, Curie." He tried to cheer her up. "Us both. I promise."
"We'll hold you to that." Lovelace smiled.
"Fly you high, Henry!" Teslas cried, and the others followed.
"Fly you hi-, eh, I mean, run like the river... wait... which one is it?" Thanatos laughed, as he took off and disappeared into the jungle in the direction of the Vineyard. "You're unbelievable."
"So, where exactly are we going?" They had left the jungle behind a while ago and just reached the waterway. Thanatos prepared to cross to the other side, in the direction of the Dead Land. It was only a flight of a couple of hours and for the first time, Henry asked himself what exactly their destination was.
"I need to meet someone close to the other side of the waterway, in the Dead Land. It's... eh, I'll explain the reason later, okay?"
Henry didn't press him for it. He was happy Thanatos had allowed him to accompany him at all.
They flew across the water silently, Henry spent the time looking out to the sea, in the direction of Regalia. Somewhere, across so much water that not a single flier had yet crossed it in one go, lied his former home.
"Do you miss it? Regalia, I mean." Thanatos suddenly asked. The question caught Henry by surprise.
"I... I do." He decided to be honest. "Oh, who am I kidding, I'd give anything to be able to return there. But it's impossible."
They were silent for a while again. Henry was okay with it though. Flying like this, over the open sea, made him almost forget all worries. It was this feeling of endless freedom that captivated him. Suddenly he felt, with Thanatos at his side, he could face all imaginable dangers with a smile. It was a feeling of security and certainty like he hadn't felt it in a long time. Henry smiled out in the direction of the open water. Who needed city walls anyway, when he had this all-consuming freedom?
The flier landed shortly after, when they reached the coast. Henry noticed his ears twitch nervously as if he felt uncomfortable.
"Hey, you okay?"
The flier nodded. "I'll be fine. The guy I need to meet isn't here yet. Care for a lunch break?"
Henry unpacked the loaf of bread the nibblers had given him and Thanatos caught a few fish. The exiled prince decided to conserve fuel and eat them raw, as the waterway gave off enough light to accommodate them – and he had actually grown accustomed to the taste. They were about to wrap up their meal when it happened.
Everything went so fast, that, in retrospect, Henry wouldn't have even been able to tell the exact order of events. One moment he and Thanatos were sitting atop the scaly stone cliff that bordered this side of the waterway, the next moment they were surrounded.
Not even Thanatos had heard them coming – most likely because he had not paid any attention to possible dangers. Had they both grown so accustomed to safety already?
The around dozen spinners descended from the dark ceiling, and within seconds had webbed up the flier entirely. Thanatos was able to give off a last, muffled "help!", then his mouth was covered as well. Henry had no time to react – as soon as the spinners had webbed the flier up and dragged him upwards, to from where they had come from, they turned to him.
An icy thorn of fear pierced his heart. Henry saw them approaching, threw a last, desperate, glance in the direction where Thanatos had disappeared to, and did the only thing he could – he turned around and let himself fall into the wet, black depths of the waterway beneath the cliff.