Sonic Chaos Reboot 3: Underground Arc - Aleena Chapter 12: Disease, a sonic the hedgehog fanfic

SONIC CHAOS 3: UNDERGROUND ARC - ALEENA

(A/N: Second up today. Not my best chapter I think, but here's hoping my readers enjoy it.)

Disease

Sunlight streamed through the broken window. Slowly Aleena's eye fluttered open. Almost immediately, memories of the previous night crashed down around her, and she gasped. She wanted to run. Escape and tell her family everything! She was free, she remembered. She could get away! She could go home. Unexpectedly, she felt something stir at her side. Immediately her eyes darted towards it and she started, blinking in surprise. Sleet. He knelt at the side of her bed, his head and arms resting on the covers as he slept. She stared at him, hardly able to comprehend what she was seeing. In that state he looked so innocent… She tilted her head at him. He was handsome, she noted. She started at the thought, eyes widening, and scoffed in disgust, turning away. No. He wasn't handsome. He was her enemy, he was wicked, and he would be punished for his crimes. It would bring her nothing but satisfaction to watch him swing for his part in this kidnapping. She looked at him curiously again and shifted. On the other hand, he had saved her from Drago…

Quietly she recalled her talk with Dingo. Sleet was a bounty hunter. For him it was never a matter of good or evil. It was a matter of money. His side was whichever one paid the most. He had saved her life last night… Perhaps there was still a chance that she could save his in turn. She had already determined to try buying her freedom anyway. She sat up carefully and his ear twitched, cocking towards her. She paused, and an amused smile crossed her lips. The smile soon fell, though, concern overtaking it. The fight last night had been vicious, and the event preceding it traumatizing. In all the chaos she hadn't thought to check on his wounds. She reached out, drawing the back of her hand along his muzzle to feel for any injuries she couldn't see. She checked around his ears and was a little surprise when he moved his head closer to her, a pleased whine escaping his lips. She did a double take when she spotted his tail wagging from side to side, and stared at him in disbelief. Soon, though, she smirked in amusement. It seemed she had accidentally discovered a sensitive spot. She scratched behind his ears gently and the wagging sped up. She grinned softly to herself. It would be wise to stop before she woke him up. She would be able to check him more thoroughly when he was awake anyways. For now, though, she would let him sleep. Goodness knew he probably needed the rest after last night's drama.

With a soft breath, she slowly got up. She did her best not to wake him. She needed to wrap her likely broken hand and tend to it for a bit. She moved silently towards the door and slipped out of the room. She paused when she saw Dingo curled up on an easy chair fast asleep, the other two children at his side. "Oh," she said, touching her chest gently at how sweet it was to see the three children all curled up together. Perhaps they too had been afraid Drago would return. Dingo would have wanted to stay close to where he knew Sleet was. The other two, whose names she had yet to learn, would have wanted to help protect both her and their new little friend who had been wounded only last night. Her smile fell. She feared what would befall the little ones when Sleet awakened… She had no intentions of leaving them here to face the wolf alone. She supposed, then, that if she wasn't going to leave immediately, she might as well make herself something to eat. The children as well. Sleet also, she supposed. She hadn't had much opportunity in the palace to learn to cook, but she knew some fundamentals, and those would be good enough for a decent breakfast. First she would tend her hand, then she would cook. Carefully.

Dingo awoke to the smell of something cooking and opened a curious eye. "Bacon?" he asked aloud. He lifted his head curiously, looked on either side of him at his companions, slipped off the chair carefully to avoid waking them, and went towards the kitchen, peering in. He gasped when he saw who was there. "Princess Aleena!" he exclaimed.

Aleena smiled and turned around to face him. "Good morning, Dingo. I'm making breakfast. Sit down," she said.

"Um, okay?" Dingo said, completely lost. He went to the table and got onto a chair, watching her in confusion. "You didn't leave?" he asked.

"No. I have a better idea," she answered.

"What idea?" Dingo asked.

"Buying my freedom," she replied.

"That might take a lotta money though. Sleet ransomed you, remembah? Lotsa enemy rulahs and stuff will be tryin' t' pay too," Dingo said.

"I think I'll be able to persuade him," she replied, finishing the food and putting it onto plates. She brought one to Dingo, setting it down, got two more placing them at the table as well, lay out a third one for when Sleet woke up, then took her own and sat at the table also. "You should go wake up your little friends. What are their names, Dingo?"

"Oh, those are Vectah and Vanilla! They ain't me friends. I just met 'em yestahday. They was talkin' ta Sleet and givin' him some clothes for ya when I came runnin' up. They followed us back sayin' they wanted t' help, and I guess Sleet figured there was no time t' waste tryin' t' tell 'em they couldn't."

Aleena was quiet. He had risked it all to reach her in time to save her from her captor, she realized. Neither Vector nor Vanilla had had to stay. They could have fled. They could have alerted the guards. They could have cost him everything. They still might. "Bring them here, little one. I would like to meet them myself."

"Okay," Dingo said, slipping off the chair and hurrying to fetch them.

Soon the three children returned. Sheepishly Vector and Vanilla took seats, gazing up at the princess in awe. "You're pwitty," Vector said.

"Vector, that's rude," Vanilla chastised.

"It's alright, little one. I'm flattered," Aleena replied, smiling a bit. "I believe we have yet to properly meet. I am Princess Aleena. Thank you for coming to help fight the white wolf."

"It was our honor princess," the rabbit girl said in awe. "My name is Vanilla the Rabbit! This is my friend, Vector the Crocodile. He's only little."

"Little? He's as big as you!" Aleena exclaimed without thinking. She blushed at her outburst immediately after. "Oh, I'm sorry if I've offended you."

"You didn't. I mean little as in younger. He's strong too," Vanilla said. "And clever. He wants to be a detective when he grows up. He actually guessed that Mr. Wolf had you! No clues at all, just a hunch."

"Observant child," Aleena said, sounding impressed.

"Are you kidnapped? Do we gotta tell de guards? If he taked you he should face justice," Vector said, crossing his arms with a pout.

Aleena shifted a little. "I… No, little one. Sleet is… Sleet is my friend," she finally chose to say. Dingo looked quickly at her, eyes wide in shock.

"He called you his wife," Vanilla said.

Aleena shifted. "We… we're secret lovers, Vanilla. He was my tutor. He still is. He teaches me to fight with a sword and a gun. He teaches me how to read my surroundings. He teaches me to be a warrior. I-I suppose that at some point, well, attraction happened and…" She stopped herself and let out a breath, closing her eyes tightly. "It was a match that could never be. My father would have never accepted it. He was as good as a slave in the King's eyes, so it couldn't happen." She looked up at them again. "I went with him willingly. I followed him to this place, his home, so that we could be together. But his companion found us. His companion who desired me too and was angry that Sleet had won my heart instead. That's why the white wolf was here."

"So no kidnapping?" Vector asked, curious.

"No. No one must never know who took me from the palace, Vector, do you understand? If they ever learned, they would put him to death," Aleena said.

"Death?" Vector asked, eyes wide. Aleena solemnly nodded.

"We won't tell anyone, Princess Aleena. Not ever," Vanilla said with a smile. There was this look in her eyes, though, and Aleena started on seeing it, frowning curiously. The young rabbit knew, she realized. Her eyes widened ever so slightly. It seemed the girl was far more perceptive than she had given her credit for. Amused, Aleena smiled. Vanilla winked knowingly at her and said nothing. She would estimate the child to be anywhere between seven and twelve. Certainly Vector's senior, likely closer to Dingo's age. Whether older or younger was hard to tell. Aleena went back to eating her food, waiting for Sleet to wake up.

Sleet awakened with a groan. To say he was uncomfortable was putting it mildly. Where was he? Oh yes, Drago and the princess. He closed his eyes once more, but almost immediately after they flew open wide and he gasped. "The Princess!" he exclaimed in terror, jumping up. The bed was empty and the bedroom door wide open. She had gotten away! He was a dead man! Immediately he raced out to the living room. "Dingo!" he called. If they moved quickly, maybe they still had a chance to escape! Just then, though, he heard laughing. "Huh?" he said, looking towards the kitchen. Puzzled, he ran towards it and slid into the room. He gasped, eyes widening in shocked disbelief, when he saw what was inside. Aleena, Vanilla, Vector, and Dingo sitting at the table eating breakfast!

The three children turned to him when they heard him enter. Aleena looked up. He gawked in disbelief. "Oh, hey Sleet," Dingo said, sounding chipper as always.

Sleet felt his eye twitch and quickly shook his head. "What on…?" he began.

"Good morning my love," Aleena said, rising and crossing quickly to him, draping her arms around his neck and touching their noses together, softly nuzzling.

"Your what?!" he exclaimed in horror, cursing the heat he felt racing to his cheeks.

"Do you want to live another year, Sleet?" she murmured to him quietly. He started then seemed to catch on, eyes widening. "I've made breakfast," Aleena said, this time loudly enough for the children to hear. "Come. Sit and eat." She pulled away from him, sliding her hand down his arm and taking his own hand, leading him to the table.

"It's great mate! She's a good cook," Dingo said.

"But-but for what reason?" Sleet whined, completely lost as to what was happening. Why on earth wouldn't she have left? Why on earth wouldn't she have told the children the truth and sent them off to fetch the guards?"

"You stopped him," she solemnly answered, smile falling.

Sleet started and stared at her. He supposed he couldn't argue with that one. He had gone out of his way and nearly died for his little stunt, after all. This was the least she could do. Cautiously he sat, suspiciously eying up the food. Was it drugged, he asked himself? He picked up a piece of bacon and sniffed at it.

"It's not poisoned Sleet," she said, taking some of the food from his plate and popping it into her mouth to prove it before going back to her own meal. "Come now. It can't be that bad. By the way, it's quite endearing that you wag your tail and whine in your sleep whenever your ears are scratched." Dingo nearly choked on the food he was eating. Sleet dropped his fork, gawking at her in wide-eyed horror. She giggled a little. "I was checking you over for wounds. You whined and leaned into my touch," she explained.

Recovering from his shock, he scowled at her. "Don't you have a bed to be chained to?" he questioned.

"Why would you chain your lover, Mr. Sleet?" Vanilla innocently asked.

Sleet blinked at her in disbelief then frowned. Oh yes. The children. "For reasons far above your little head," he flatly answered. Aleena's smirk vanished, her muzzle going bright red but her eyes clouding in a mix of emotions distinctly opposite one another. He immediately bit his tongue, regretting his words. Thankfully, she let the remark slide. He looked at her again. "Why didn't you go?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Why didn't you ensure I stayed?" she replied. "If I had slipped away, it would have been your own fault."

He was quiet, watching her. "I don't know," he bitterly answered, wishing again that he could spit on the word 'why'.

"My answer is the same as yours," she said. He was quiet. She went back to her food. "Vector, Vanilla, won't you be missed by now?" Aleena asked.

Vanilla gasped. "Oh no, grandma!" she exclaimed. "I forgot to let her know we would be gone! She must be so worried. Vector, hurry. We have to go right now before she starts to search."

"Okay," Vector said. He picked up the plate, dumped the rest of his food into his mouth, swallowed it down, then put the plate back on the table. "Thanks for bweakfast Princess Aleena. I hope your daddy wets you mawwy him one day like you want to. Bye!" He ran out, Vanilla ahead of him. Sleet blinked blankly and cursed the fresh rush of heat creeping to his face. He groaned, face-palming and shaking his head. Why him?

For a while there was silence as the three of them continued to eat. Dingo finished first and looked at Sleet. "Can I be excused?" Dingo asked.

"Can you?" Sleet replied.

"Yep," Dingo answered defiantly. Sleet scowled at him. Dingo shifted. "May I?" he corrected a bit sheepishly.

"That's better. Go on," Sleet said. Dingo smiled and took his plate, sliding off the chair and bringing it to the sink. He left the kitchen to presumably go to his room, and just like that Sleet and Aleena were the only two left.

After a moment, Aleena lay down her fork and folded her hands in her lap, looking at him. He frowned warily at her in turn, waiting for her to say her piece. "Dingo mentioned something to me," she said. Sleet frowned warily. "He spoke of a prisoner you had had before me. A young woman." Sleet held his tongue. "You let her go," she said.

"No. I didn't," he answered.

"You were paid to let her go," Aleena said. He was quiet. "She offered you more money than you had already been promised," she continued.

Sleet stared hard at her for a long moment. Soon, though, a smirk spread across his lips and he leaned back in his chair, tenting his fingers and crossing one leg over the other. "It's about time you figured that one out. I expected better, Aleena. Now colour me intrigued," he said.

"Since your services are sold to the highest bidder, I would pay you to bring me home. I assure you, I can offer far more than Drago ever could," she said, ignoring his dig at her.

"Can you outbid rival kings and governments?" he questioned.

"I can try," she answered.

"Hmm…" he mused, resting his chin on the back of his hand and going into business mode. "What's to stop you from betraying me to your family the moment I've seen you safely home?" he asked.

"The fact you have yet to finish teaching me to fight," she answered, he raised an eyebrow at her. "My lessons have only just begun, Sleet," she said with a smile. "I did want the best, after all."

He was mystified at her response, but also impressed by it. "Hmm... Very well, Princess. What price are you willing to pay for your freedom?"

Aleena slyly grinned and opened her mouth to reply, but just then Dingo came in. "Um, S-Sleet?" he nervously said. Frowning, Sleet turned to him curiously. Nervously Dingo held a newspaper out towards him. Sleet was still for a moment. Soon he reached out and took it from the pup's hands, opening it up and scanning it. His eyes slowly widened in disbelief.

Aleena perked up curiously on noticing her captor's changed demeanor. "Sleet?" she asked. Silence. "Sleet, what's going on?" she asked a little more urgently. Silence. "Sleet!" she sharply demanded.

"You're not going home!" he snapped furiously back.

She started, looking like she'd just been struck. "Wh-what?" she asked.

"I said you're not going home," he repeated, standing agitatedly up. "Dingo, cuff her back to the bed!" Aleena scowled and lunged, snatching the paper from Sleet's hands and ripping it away. "Hey!" he protested.

Aleena turned her back on him and opened the paper quickly, pouring over it. As she read, her eyes slowly widened in horror and she covered her mouth, shaking her head in denial. "A-Aleena?" Dingo worriedly asked. She didn't answer. The headline was loud and clear, and for a moment she felt like her world had ended.

Unknown Illness Ravages Mobotropolis; Hundreds dead

Aleena read and reread the article numbly over and over, trying to warp her head around it. Thousands sick, hundreds dead, mass graves being dug and filled… She could hardly believe her eyes. Her people were dying en masse. Thousands were expected not to make it! How many had been taken already? Her father? Her mother? Her brother and cousin? No! No, she couldn't bring herself to think of that. Chaos, she shouldn't be here. She should be at the castle or in the city trying to do something! Find a cure, help them, anything. She couldn't stay here being useless! She had to go.

"Aleena!" she suddenly heard Sleet yell, snapping her out of her daze. She gasped, quickly looking up at him with eyes wide.

"I have to go," she finally replied, rising quickly.

"Oh no. You're not going anywhere, your majesty," Sleet replied.

"Name your price," she replied.

"There is no price," he growled.

For a long moment they stared intensely at each other. At last she broke the silence. "If you do not let me go now and I escape later, then rest assured I will make sure my parents know the truth about my abduction," she calmly threatened.

"You won't escape from this, your highness," Sleet replied. Aleena bristled and scowled.

She struggled against the shackles locking her to the bed. He had overpowered her in record time. She'd hardly had time to even attempt to fight back before she had been pinned and cuffed. She wanted nothing more than to spit on him, but he was too far away. He stood with Dingo off to the side, glaring at her. The pup looked guilty and uncertain. "Hey Sleet, do we hafta...?" Dingo began.

"Yes Dingo, we do," Sleet replied.

"Why?" Dingo asked.

"Because, you ninny! Don't ask questions!" Sleet barked.

"Don't you dare speak to him like that!" Aleena snapped.

Sleet sneered at her and chose to ignore. He turned his attention back to Dingo. "Tomorrow I'm going into the city to buy some food and check on the situation. We need medicine too, just in case. Can't have our meal ticket getting sick now, can we?" Sleet said with a pointed look Aleena's way.

Aleena felt rage welling inside her, a scowl blossoming across her face. "You worthless mongrel!" she scathingly spat. Gods, she had never wanted to watch him die a more slow, painful death than she did right now. "Never come back, you son of a dog! May that sickness kill you!" Sleet scowled at her, growling.

"Easy Sleet," Dingo pled.

"Silence! She's under your care while I'm gone, Dingo. Don't screw it up!" he warned. With that he marched passed the pup furiously. Dingo looked nervously at Aleena, shifted uncomfortably, then slipped out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

After a night of failed attempts to get Dingo to release her from her bonds, Aleena resigned herself to the knowledge that she would be trapped here indefinitely until either she was found, or Sleet deigned to let her go. Sleet who hadn't entered this room since trapping her in it. So help him if he didn't come tonight and face her like a man. If it wasn't him who came to feed her, and instead he sent the child to do his dirty work, the next time he laid eyes on her he would rue the day he was born. She looked anxiously at the door, desperately wanting to ask him what was going on with her people and the rampant disease assailing them. She should be out there helping her subjects, not chained up while they dropped dead left and right!

She saw the door open. "Sleet!" she furiously began. She trailed off, though, when instead of Sleet, Dingo peeked in. "Dingo?" she said in disbelief. That cowardly wolf!

"Uh, g'day Aleena," the child nervously replied.

"Not that I'm upset to see you, but where is Sleet?" she questioned.

Dingo looked suddenly nervous. "Huh? Wh-who? Oh, Sleet, he's, um, busy right now," the pup replied a little too quickly.

Aleena raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Dingo," she prompted in a warning tone.

"Uh, I gotta go," the pup quickly said, placing the tray of food down and unlocking one of her shackles, much to her surprise. Quickly he high tailed it from the room, leaving the princess to feed herself. Needless to say, the suspicious behavior had her a little on edge. For now, though, she let it slide and began to eat, as awkward as it was in her current position.

Two more nights passed by. Things remained stagnant. Sleet never came, but Dingo did, and each day the pup seemed to become more and more worried, nervous, and fearful. She felt her anxiety mounting. Where was Sleet? She had hoped he would ever come back, but hadn't actually expected him not to. He always returned. Finally, on the fifth night, she could take it no more.

As usual, Dingo came in with her food. "Here ya go Aleena," he said.

"Dingo, what's happening with the epidemic?" she asked immediately.

"The epi-who-now?" Dingo asked.

"The sickness," she clarified quickly. She couldn't wait for Sleet's information any longer. She needed to know.

Dingo started and seemed to become afraid. After a moment he shifted and said, "It's real bad Princess Aleena, and only gettin' worse."

"Dammit! That miserable cretin!" she suddenly exclaimed, making Dingo jump.

"Uh, who?" he questioned in confusion.

"Sleet! How dare he keep me bound here while my people are dying? I want to help them, to do something! What does he want? Money?! The man disgusts me! Never have I known a more relentless, heartless creature!" she furiously said. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Dingo wince and look away. Immediately she felt guilty, heart softening, and turned to him. "I-I'm sorry Dingo. I know he matters a great deal to you. All of this is just so hard for me to accept."

"Sleet's sick Aleena," Dingo suddenly said. "Real sick." Aleena froze, stiffening, and was rendered speechless. She stared at the pup in disbelief. "I-I think he's dyin'. Princess, I'm scared."

For a long moment Aleena was shocked silent "What?" she at last managed to say.

Dingo looked sadly down, arms behind his back. "I think he's dyin'. He came home fine a few days ago, but then the next day he didn't get up…" Aleena gaped at him in disbelief. Dingo continued. "I got curious and went ta see what he was doin'. I thought he was on the roof maybe, but I found him on the couch instead, wrapped in a buncha blankets. He didn't look so good. He was shiverin' and mutterin' about stupid sicknesses, dumb curses, and magical princesses named Aleena. Then he began t' cough and couldn't stop. When he did, I asked him if he was okay. He yelled at me to get out, so I ran. He didn't get up by night, though, and when I checked on him again, he was sleepin'. He woke up when he heard me. He just glanced at me then closed his eyes again."

"Did he say anything?" Aleena questioned in a slightly strained voice.

"As I was leavin', he whispered to me that I might have ta take charge for the next few days. It was strange that he was whisperin' though, considerin' all the yellin' he was doin' earlier. The next day I checked on him again and brought him some breakfast, but he didn't feel like eatin'. He looked… He looked scared, Aleena. That's never good 'cause Sleet don't get scared. He told me that somethin' was real wrong with him. I asked if he wanted t' see a doctah, but he said no. When I left, though, I heard him say somethin' about how it wouldn't help him anyway and that nothin' could help him. Since then he's just gettin' worse and worse, and I don't know what to do anymore! He hasn't eaten for days ever since he started feelin' wrong. He can barely move anymore!"

Aleena lay on the bed in stunned silence. Sick? The wolf was sick? He, the man that had fought off Drago time and time again, the man who fought back against fifteen men alongside her, the man who could defeat even the best swordsmen in battle, the man who never showed any sign of weakness whatsoever, could now hardly even move? Dingo shifted uncomfortably, waiting for direction. Soon she looked towards the young pup. "Release me, Dingo. I want to see him," she said.

Dingo looked surprised. "You wanna see him?" he questioned in disbelief. Aleena solemnly nodded. Dingo hesitated. "I don't know. He don't think it's a good idea to let ya wander around freely. Especially now."

"He's not in charge anymore," Aleena firmly said.

Dingo straightened up. "Hey, you're right! I am!" he said, sounding almost gleeful.

"Exactly. Let me go. I want to see if I can help him," Aleena prompted. Dingo looked hesitant again. "Please Dingo," Aleena pled.

"He ain't exactly a picture of health right now," Dingo warned.

"I have no doubt," Aleena replied.

"If you can help him, I guess so… He won't let anyone else near him, not even me," Dingo said. "Okay, I'll do it!" He pulled out the keys and unlocked all the other shackles binding her to the bed.

Aleena sat quickly up, rubbing her wrists and ankles. The moment she had the opportunity, she told herself, she would break for it. Before she did, though, she could help the pup at least a little. Sleet was important to him, after all. Standing up, she followed Dingo out of the bedroom. She paused when she saw the wolf lying there on the couch so utterly still, and her conscience began to prick at her. She shifted uncomfortably. Suddenly leaving the man to his fate didn't seem so appealing... "Dingo, go boil some water and put lemon juice and honey into a cup. It's a type of tea that can soothe a painful throat," she said.

"Okay," Dingo hopefully replied, hurrying towards the kitchen.

Once alone, Aleena looked towards the door. It was a clear path straight to it. If Sleet was as out of commission as Dingo believed, he wouldn't even notice her slipping away. She moved towards her escape swiftly. Her hand reached out for the knob. All at once, though, she heard a meek whimper come from behind her and froze. That was new.

Don't look back. Don't look back or you'll stay. Let him be. He'll recover. He always recovers.

Dying.

Getting steadily worse.

Hasn't eaten.

Can hardly move.

Scared…

She swallowed and closed her eyes tightly as the mental images crossed her mind. Uncertainly she looked back. She tried to tell herself to keep going. More lives than just his were at stake, after all, but what could she really do for her people anyway? She couldn't come up with a miraculous cure, that was Charles' jurisdiction. She couldn't use her abilities to heal them either. Her powers didn't work like that. She heard the weak, pitiful whimper again. She had never heard him whimper before. She watched numbly as he tossed, growled, and whined. She had never heard him sound so helpless and scared... Slowly her hand came away from the doorknob. He was suffering. He needed help. After everything he had done for her, how could she just leave him to die? "Why me?" she whispered to herself. Sighing deeply, she moved to his side.

Sleet was grimacing in pain. She sat next to him and placed a hand on his cheek. His shivering settled a little and his whining ceased. His head moved towards her palm. gently she stroked his muzzle to reassure and soothe him. Lightly she touched his nose. It was said that you could tell how sick a canine and a few other species were, by feeling how dry their noses had become. His was very, very dry and very, very warm. "I've got the tea Aleena," Dingo said, coming out of the kitchen. She looked up at him and smiled, taking it.

"Thank you, Dingo. Can you go fill up a bowl with cold water, get a cloth, and bring it to me?" she requested.

"He ain't injured," Dingo said, confused.

"It's to bring down his fever. He's burning up," she gravely replied. "It's very bad, little one. I've never felt anything like this." Dingo heard the solemnity in her voice. Wordlessly he left to obey. In only a few moments he was back. She nodded at him. "Thank you, Dingo. Now go to bed. Get some rest. Leave Sleet to me."

"Okay," Dingo agreed, looking worriedly at his mentor. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"I'm going to try and make sure he'll be," she answered with a smile, ruffling his hair. He gave her a small, nervous smile in turn and left.

As soon as Dingo was gone, Aleena turned her attentions to the weakened man lying on the couch. He looked so… so helpless. Helpless did not fit with Sleet. She bit her lower lip and reached for the cloth. Wringing it out, she placed it gently on his brow. She saw a scowl begin to creep across his lips and heard a guttural growl emit from his throat. He tossed as if trying to shake off some unseen enemy.

"Shh, shh," she soothed, stroking his head gently. The growl became louder, threatening to become feral, and suddenly he nipped at her in his sleep. She pulled her hand quickly back, concern written on her face. Whatever enemy it was he thought he needed to warn off, had to be very bad and very powerful. She recalled stories from the old days about skeletal death coming in a robe with a scythe in hand. Perhaps that was it. Perhaps he believed he was warding off death itself. "Shh, Sleet. You're going to be alright. I'm here." His ear twitched and he stirred ever so slightly. He was waking up. Good. Maybe she could convince him to drink a little and eat something.

The wolf's eyes fluttered open weakly and met her own. He tilted his head ever so slightly before slowly shutting them again. All at once they flew open as he gasped, realizing who was sitting at his side. He tried to sit up, but his arms gave out beneath his weight and he collapsed with a grimace of pain back onto the couch, hands going to his head. Concerned, she reached out and took one of them in her own, squeezing it reassuringly. He looked quickly at their entwined hands, surprised at the action, and his brow furrowed in confusion. He looked at her hard and cold.

"Aleena," he acknowledged, suspicion lacing his weakened voice.

"Sleet," she responded impersonally. Her eyes, though, were tired and stressed. He grimaced and turned away from them, disliking seeing them like that.

Aleena reached out for the hot cup of lemon honey tea that Dingo had brought. Sleet turned his head, watching warily. She reached out, good hand going behind his head, and lifted it a little. She felt him stiffen, and he shot her a panicked and confused look. He knew that in the state he was in, he couldn't hope to defend himself. He knew that if she wanted to, she could kill him right then and there. Fortunately for him, she had no such intention. Instead, she brought the cup close to his mouth. "Drink," she ordered.

He looked at the cup a moment. Soon, though, he glanced away, closing his eyes. "I'm not thirsty," he said.

"You haven't eaten for days, nor had anything to drink. Your ailment is playing tricks with your mind," she replied. "You will drink it." He looked sharply and defiantly up at her, but she wasn't going to waver and he didn't have the strength to argue. Reluctantly he took a sip. Only then did he realize how thirsty he was. After that, nothing could stop him from swallowing the lemon and honey tea. He finally finished, turning away from her and starting to cough, though he kept his mouth closed as he did. She felt a strange sort of heaviness in her heart. He leaned back on the pillow, chest heaving with pained and labored breaths. She took some food from a tray Dingo had left, and offered it to him. "Please. You must eat something," she said. "You must."

He looked at her and considered protesting, but her beseeching eyes melted the barrier he had erected as he was trying to distance himself from all those who might just give a damn about what happened to him. All he wanted to do was perish alone and in peace, as instinct led him to. He didn't want to die, Gaia knew he didn't want to die, but here he was dying all the same. As he watched her, though, he felt himself giving in, fortress walls crumbling to her onslaught. At last he nodded, relenting and allowing her to feed him. He'd never felt so helpless and humiliated in all his life, he dryly noted to himself. He inwardly grimaced. This must have been how she had felt all the time she'd been their captive. He didn't like it, so doubtless neither had she. He frowned to himself. He wasn't feeling sympathy, was he? No. He refused to believe that. Then again it wasn't like it mattered anyway. He wasn't going to last long like this. He was done. He couldn't fight it anymore. He couldn't. He was too tired. Too spent. Gods, how he longed to crawl off into the forest and just… just pass away beneath the peaceful canopy.

She watched his eyes. When his guard was down, you could find no eyes more expressive. When his guard was up, though, it was impossible to know what secrets they held. His guard was down now, and his eyes were ponderous, then disturbed, then bitter, then at last defeated. Defeated… It seemed so foreign a word to apply to him. Her heart sank. He didn't believe he would live, she realized, and she cursed the burning sensation developing in her eyes.

"I will get you medicine," she quietly said.

"Humph. Don't bother, princess. With or without it I'm going to die," he said.

"You can't know that," she said a little too quickly and sharply. She bit her tongue. Why did she care anyway, she asked herself? Not long ago she would have in fact wished it. What had changed between then and now that gave her any reason to start to care? If anything, her hatred for him should have grown. He had kidnapped her, bound her, ransomed her, and now had imprisoned her a second time, keeping her away from her home and her people. By all accounts she should want to spit upon the very ground he walked, and the thought of his death should bring her no displeasure.

But it did…

Sleet looked mildly surprised at her response to his words. After a moment, a wolfish smirk crossed his face. "Aleena. Always trying to play hero. If you go on believing you can save everyone, you're only setting yourself up for heartbreak," he said.

She looked away sadly, eyes cast down. "So you've said," she quietly replied.

"Do you believe me?" he asked as he had once before. She was silent, damning the tears now blurring her vision. She refused to look at him for fear he would see. She let out a soft gasp when she felt him take her hand, eyes quickly going to it. "Then why do you waste your breath on one lowly subject when there are so many others out there? They long for you. Cry out constantly for their ever gracious, ever beautiful, ever powerful queen."

A shiver raced through her body at the way he said those words, and her flesh tingled. She sniffed. The sound surprised her, and she reached up to her face, startled. She felt tears upon her cheeks. She was crying, she realized, and it scared her. Why was she crying? He looked just as surprised as she, if not more so. Before she could give herself a chance to second guess her actions, she let out a breath and brought her tutor's hand to her lips, kissing it tenderly. Sleet's heart all but stopped dead in his chest, and he gawked at her in blatant shock, damning the heat burning his cheeks. "I'm not a queen yet," she said in a whisper. She brought his palm to her face and held it against her cheek, sniffing again as she closed her eyes and let her tears fall freely, dampening his fur. "Don't give up. Don't leave me. Not like this. Don't give in to death. Please," she pled in a whisper.

A shaking, strangled breath escaped his lips, and he suddenly realized in horror that he was brushing away her silent tears. A surge of emotions tore through him that he couldn't begin to decipher, unsettling him to the core. No! He would not be flustered by her! Absolutely not! She was a mark. A worthless captive!

So then why did he shiver every time she touched him?

Another sharp breath escaped his lips at the realization, and he quickly withdrew his hand from her face. She let it go without a fight, hanging her head in shame. For a long moment he just stared at her. He could find no words to say. Soon enough he gave up trying to speak and just lay back on the couch, staring up at the roof in shock. She reached out, resting the back of her hand on his forehead, and he hated the shiver that went through him. As if sensing his discomfort, she withdrew her touch. He hated that even more, he decided.

"Why did you volunteer to go?" she whispered to him. He gave her a curious look, puzzled by the question. "When I told my father that I would be the one to go to the city and help to supply the shelters and the orphanage, you chose not only to stop me, but to offer to go into the city yourself."

"As I recall it, you're the one who volunteered yourself in my stead first. How about you give me the answer to that one." he said.

"It was selflessness," she replied.

"There's selflessness then there's stupidity," Sleet replied. "You're a cleverer girl than that, Aleena."

She was quiet. "I volunteered to go because my father is far less likely to risk my life than anyone else's. Least of all yours," she said. "I am no fool, Sleet. I see the way he looks at you. Even after you saved me, that look didn't change. For a while it softened, but it never lasted. Whenever you are in his presence, his disapproval permeates the whole room. He knew that sending someone out there would be as good as sentencing them to death. That was why he volunteered you without your consent. You knew that. You knew he was sending you out to die." Silence. "Then you went out anyway," she said, voice breaking as she wiped quickly at her eyes.

"I'm not dead yet, my lady," he answered coldly.

"But you know you're dying," she replied, voice wavering a little. He was quiet, looking away from her. "Why did you do this?" she whispered, voice breaking with emotion. "If you had just let me go. Let me buy my freedom instead of locking me away again…" She met his eyes, her own shimmering with tears. "Why couldn't you let me save you?" she asked.

He was quiet, torn between stubbornly keeping silent or answering her. "Because then it would have been you to die!" he at last spat out as if the confession was poison. He turned viciously away from her. "It might still be if you don't leave soon, so go, Aleena! Just go. Let me die in peace."

"I won't leave you to pass on alone. I can't," she said to him. "Don't ask me to." He was confused, she saw, and it was painful to know he was so puzzled by the act of anyone showing him such kindness or loyalty. "Why do my words confuse you so?" she asked.

He was quiet. "Because I grew up an orphan in the streets of the slums, and no one was there," he at last answered. "The orphanage had precious little luck keeping me in place, so I spent my childhood fighting to survive and working odd jobs for shady employers who thought nothing of using a child for their own gain. The few times I dared trust someone, I regretted it. There was nowhere safe for me to run, no one to turn to… When you have nobody, you learn quickly that trust is just an illusion. A luxury you can't afford. You learn also that it was precious, when you had it, and that, my Lady, is why I took in Dingo. So that he would have someone to run to, and not have to lose something so precious like I did. It's also why I showed some concern for the orphans in the orphanage despite not liking children. Because the very things I despise most about them—their trust, ignorance, innocence, naivety, ability to still love—are also the only things they have left that are worth preserving, after they've lost everything else. There are worse things to lose than your life."

She was quiet as she listened, hating the tears flowing from her eyes. "Since trust is so valuable a treasure, is it not worth trying to find again?" she asked.

"No, because you see Aleena, it's value is also what makes it not worth finding again. Losing it again would be far more painful and devastating than living without it could ever hope to be, so I'm through with trust," he replied. "But that doesn't mean everyone else must be."

"Without it, you aren't living. You're simply going through the motions," she answered.

"Then let me die," he replied.

"I won't let you die," she answered, running her fingers gently over his head and through his hair. He was silent, watching her, and didn't try again to get her to leave.

Aleena watched helplessly as day by day he only seemed to get worse. She had done everything she could, tried every trick she knew, to bring him back to health, but no matter what she did nothing worked! He only seemed to fade faster and faster. He still hung on, so clearly he was fighting to live for all he was worth, but it was a battle he was losing.

"Stop," he at last said to her one night as she was bathing his brow with a cold compress. "Aleena, let me go. If I live, I live, if not then fine. Don't keep risking your life for nothing." Immediately she dissolved into tears, falling over him and clinging to him tightly, burying her face in his neck as she wept against the stunned man, her shoulders shaking with her sobs. Though at first shocked, soon his own arms wrapped around her body gently, a breath escaping his lips. He knew immediately that touching her had been a mistake...

He couldn't remember the last time he had held or been held by another person like this, and the realization of that, the realization of how long it had been since he had experienced a touch so genuine and true and raw, almost broke him. Though at first his embrace was uncertain and nervous, it quickly began to tighten until it was almost painful around her, and he held the girl as close to him as physically possible, cradling her until her weeping slowed and stopped. But they didn't separate.

"You are more than nothing," she hollowly said as they lay there together, locked in one another's embrace. He let out a breath. She gritted her teeth, closing her eyes and holding him just as tightly as he held her. "Don't go," she pled, voice breaking. He was quiet. He would make her no such promise. He couldn't…

She gazed down at his sleeping form, the young man struggling desperately for his every breath, and realized she was crying. This time, though, he wasn't awake to comfort her… Dingo sat on the back of the couch, staring at his caregiver looking devastated. She hadn't summoned him. He had just come. Come as if he sensed that the end was near, and that this time Sleet would not come back. She heard the pup sniff.

Her hands were knit in front of her mouth. It hurt her more than she ever thought possible to see her young tutor like this. It wasn't him. He had never looked so weak, so helpless, so-so… she didn't know. She willed him to get up. He hadn't awakened since yesterday morning, when he had descended into this comalike state. It was now midnight of the next day. The only sign he still lived was his ragged, shallow breathing. More than once she had had to desperately feel for a pulse because she had stopped seeing his chest move. Every part of her dreaded that his next breath would be his last. Death was winning, overpowering the wolf, and she was watching him slowly suffer and die. Once upon a time she would have hoped for as much, but now… To watch it actually happening was another thing altogether, and she wondered how she could have ever hoped for such a thing… Now it was too late for regrets and apologies.

It would be death by means of illness that would finally take him, wouldn't it? She doubted anything or anyone else ever would, no matter how powerful. She smiled ever so slightly at the thought, but as soon as it had come, it disappeared. She drew a shuddering breath and reached out to stroke his head, gently scratching behind his ears and under his chin. The room was so silent she swore she could almost hear his heartbeat slowing down. She hated that Dingo probably could.

"Sleet?" she said as softly as a breeze. No reply. Not even a stir. "Please…" she entreated tearfully. He was at death's door, she knew it and Dingo knew it. What was there left to do but wait and see who finally would emerge victorious?

Dingo whimpered and buried his face in his raised knees. "Aleena? Ya did whatcha could your majesty. Thanks for tryin'," the pup said quietly.

Aleena shook her head in denial and buried her face in her mentor's neck once more, letting herself cry. Dingo whimpered and crawled onto Sleet, curling up on his stomach and listening to his heartbeat. Sniffing, Aleena lifted her head and looked down into the dying wolf's face. Cupping it gently with both her hands, she bent over him and pressed a tender kiss to his brow. What was she doing, she asked herself? At this point, though, she didn't even care. Sniffing, she nuzzled his forehead with her own.

"You must survive," she said in a whisper. "I command it."

He shifted ever so slightly. "My dear, sweet baby, no more tears. I haven't gone yet," he whispered in that voice now so familiar to her ears.

"Sleet?" Dingo asked, perking up.

Aleena was not so quick to hope. "People cry when the ones they care about may soon leave," she answered.

His eyes flickered tiredly open to look at her, and he took in her features. Her eyes he noticed most of all, blue as ice. They were grief-stricken and brimming with tears. After a moment he reached up, gently resting the back of his hand against her cheek and brushing back a strand of hair, "My ever gracious, ever beautiful, ever powerful queen… Don't cry. Mourning is too much your strong suit these days."

"Promise me you will make it and I'll stop," she replied with a smile.

He smirked ever so slightly. "I rarely make promises. It's rarer still that I keep them," he replied. She sniffed, covering the hand on her cheek with her own and lacing her fingers with his. He shook his head at her. "I give you my oath that I will pull through this, just like I always have. Only this time I have every intention of keeping that vow."

A small smile crossed her lips. "Survive the night and I will believe you," she promised.

"Will you?" he challenged.

"Without question," she confirmed, nodding and wiping her tears away.

He looked up into her eyes for a long moment in silence. "Tell me, princess. When and how did we come to be at this point?" he tiredly asked.

"If only I knew," she replied.

"Sleet, you gonna get bettah?" Dingo nervously asked.

Sleet looked towards him and summed the child up quietly. "Yes, Dingo," he at last said. "I have every intention of getting better. You won't get rid of me as easy as that." Dingo hugged him and he stiffened a bit before at last returning the embrace as he rolled his eyes and shook his head hopelessly. He started when he felt Aleena lay next to him, wrapping her body around his own, and felt heat race to his face more intensely than ever before. He glanced uneasily at her, but the unease soon faded away. He felt comfortable with her at his side, he noticed. It surprised him. Sighing, he closed his eyes and rested his head on top of hers. It wasn't long before the three were fast asleep...

Light shone through the window. Dingo awakened, yawning and stretching out. He looked around curiously, trying to figure out where he was, then became aware of the warm body under him. He gasped, sitting quickly up and looking down at his caregiver in hope. His ear twitched a bit and he lit up with an excited gasp when he heard the heart still beating. Stronger now than it had been last night. He looked around and spotted Aleena standing by an opened window, looking out over the city. "Aleena, he's alive!" Dingo exclaimed.

"Shh, little one. He's still sleeping," she replied. She turned to look at them both, and her eyes fixed on Sleet. "He survived the night… I can't believe it," she said more to herself than to Dingo.

"Now we can believe he'll get bettah, right?" Dingo hopefully asked.

Aleena looked at the pup, considering her answer. "I told him that I would," she soon chose to say. Dingo grinned. Aleena looked towards the kitchen. "I'm going to go make you breakfast. Watch over him. If he… If something happens, call me." Dingo nodded eagerly.

Aleena left the room without a word and went directly to the kitchen, thinking about the wolf lying so still on the couch. She let out a shaking breath. Would he make it after all, she wondered? Gods she hoped so. She checked her wounded hand. It was almost recovered by now, so whether it had been a break or not she couldn't be sure. Nor did it really matter, she supposed. She sighed then started bacon, eggs, and toast. As they cooked, she looked at a newspaper on the counter and picked it up, scanning through. A small smile spread across her lips. It seemed some incredibly prolific scientists, her brother among them no doubt, had discovered a vaccine. It was being administered as they spoke, and whatever the illness had been, it was dying off. They suspected the cause to be some kind of attempt at biological warfare from the humans. Her smile fell when she read this. If indeed it had been a biological attack, at least now it had been countered. She read the final statistics. Approximately one-thousand-three-hundred dead. All in all, two-thousand-six-hundred had gotten sick. About half of those who had contracted the illness had passed. One more may yet be added to the statistic... She swallowed over a lump in her throat and lay the paper down. She checked on the food to see if it was ready. It was, and she plated it quickly.

"Aleena!" Dingo suddenly cried.

She gasped, almost dropping the food. "Dingo?" she asked, eyes wide. She put down the plates and ran towards the living room. "What is it? Is he…?" she began as she raced in. She froze with a gasp at what she saw, though. Sleet was trying to sit up! Fighting to in fact. Dingo was trying to help him, but he kept batting away the pup's attempts. She watched in disbelief as he finally managed to right himself and lean back against the arm of the couch. It was clear, at least to her, that he was still in pain, a good deal of it, but the stubborn young man was determined to get better and live to fight another day.

Feeling her eyes on him, he glanced towards her and sardonically smirked. "I hate to lose, my dear," he said.

She cried out in delight and launched herself across the room into his arms, holding him tighter than ever before. He caught his breath in shock. Dingo looked equally startled. "Thank Gaia for that," she said, voice wavering with emotion. He blinked then held her tentatively back. It was yet to be determined if he'd pull through, but at the moment he was still here and still fighting. That was all she could have hoped for.