Chapter 7

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Dorrek roared as fear gripped his heart and filled his chest. He dropped down to Wiccan's right, his wings outstretched as he landed. Wiccan jumped back as Dorrek rushed to the rose and examined the flower. Once he was certain nothing had happened to it he turned on Wiccan with rage in his blue eyes. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO IT?"

Dorrek didn't know magic, the mage could have done anything. He could have made the curse worse, or spelled the rose to die sooner. He was trying to escape, that had to be it. Someone must have let slip the importance of the rose, exposing their secret to their prisoner. Smart, he had to admit, for Wiccan to seek it out and try to destroy it as revenge for imprisoning him.

"Nothing -" he mumbled baffled with wide eyes clearly afraid now that he'd been caught.

"DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE?" Dorrek shouted turning back to the flower in concern and fear. It still looked the same, that had to be a good sign though, right?

"I -"

"GET OUT!" Dorrek yelled turning back to Wiccan and swiping at him to keep him back from the flower. The boy gasped as Dorrek's claws cut through him leaving three thick lines through his torso that immediately started to bleed heavily. Wiccan dropped to his knees and Dorrek snapped out of his rage fueled fury. The young man groaned in pain as his hands clutched his bleeding stomach and chest. The red poured out of him like wine spilling from a pitcher, some of his lower ribs were probably broken too judging from where the slices were. Wiccan took a few deep breaths as Dorrek composed himself enough to shout for help.

"Cassie! Kate!" he bellowed before crouching toward the mage and reaching out a hand. He froze when the saw the blood on his claws, the bright red standing out against the swampy green of his nails. He pulled his hand back slowly as Wiccan looked up at him, his face contorted in immeasurable pain. He groaned again falling forward and catching himself on one hand as his breathing became ragged. Blood was now pooling on the grey stone floor and the puddle grew as more of the life giving liquid dripped from between Wiccan's fingers. The digits all coated entirely, not a speck of ivory skin left to be shown.

Dorrek looked on frozen in horror at the scene he'd caused. What had he done? He tried to reach forward again to help but a sting in his left shoulder kept him from reaching too far as he pulled back and the whole room faded away.

It was several hours later when Dorrek woke up. It was clearly early in the morning judging from the orange hue that was just starting to color the sky outside the glass door that led to the balcony; but the sun had yet to peek up from the horizon. His shoulder hurt, his leg too. There were a few other sore places but those were just bruises, it was the sting of the gouge marks that was what woke him.

He instantly thought of the nightmare. Of what had almost happened. How could he blame Wiccan for running when that had been the alternative? No wonder the young man had ran in fear of his life. In fear of Dorrek.

Dorrek might have been raised to always be prepared for war but he'd never actually seen battle. And he'd never in his life killed a man. But the image of Wiccan fatally wounded by his strike and dying before him filled him with a guilt that ached the same as his actual wounds.

He started shifting around in bed trying to find a comfortable spot, he tried his back using his wing to prop him enough that his shoulder wasn't pressed against the pillows and he kicked his legs to untangle the now twisted blankets. The places where the bandages were taped and where Wiccan had been forced to use stitches tugged uncomfortably against the skin it was all trying to hold together as he moved roughly; putting himself in more pain.

"You're supposed to be resting." Came a voice and he turned to his right to see Cassie collecting his dishes from dinner. Because of his injuries it had taken him longer to eat everything which explained why she was here at such an early hour. He huffed in annoyance turning away from her and her mothering as he looked down at the comforter. "And you'll wake him."

Dorrek turned to her confused before seeing where she was looking and he turned to his left and was hit with shock. Sitting in a chair but hunched forward with his folded arms on the bed and his head resting on his arms was Wiccan. His eyes were closed and he looked like he was out like a light. He was still wearing his torn and dirty old uniform and cape. He had dark circles under his eyes which was odd since he seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

"Why is he still here?" Dorrek asked Cassie though his eyes never left the mage. He was stunned, right to his core, and could come up with no logical reason for Wiccan's presence.

"He saves up his magic and uses what little he has to heal you as much as he can every hour on the hour."

Dorrek felt something warm in his chest at Cassie's response, something that he didn't understand. So he turned to something he did understand: logic.

"Why? I'm hardly in critical condition anymore. There's no need for him to be using his energy up like that."

Cassie shrugged, though Dorrek didn't see it, his eyes were still on the young man leaning on his bed.

"He must be concerned for you." Cassie pointed out as she collected the tray with the dirty dishes and left, softly closing the tall door behind her.

Dorrek watched Wiccan sleep, his mind now a flurry of questions. He'd been nothing but mean and cruel to the boy and yet he was there, at his bedside, worried for his health. Dorrek stayed sitting up as he stared at Wiccan trying to find answers to his questions. As he contemplated, part of his mind drifted to thinking about how innocent Wiccan looked while he slept.

Usually when he saw him the young man had fear or a glare in his eyes. And even fearful Wiccan had the capacity for great bravery. Dorrek remembered how he'd taken a step back in fright when he'd first seen Dorrek's appearance in the tower. Still, he didn't flee, even when given the opportunity. Instead, he'd taken his brother's place. At the time Dorrek had called him a fool and the memory made his heart cringe in regret.

More regret came at the memory of Wiccan's terror when Dorrek had swung his sharp claws at him. He knew he'd been acting out of fear, paranoid that something had happened to the rose. But when he thought about it, and thought about Wiccan's perspective, he knew he must have been a traumatic sight. A large inhuman creature, tall enough to tower over the boy, bellowing in rage. He looked down at his hand and stared at his green claws. The image of them covered in bright red blood, Wiccan's blood, was still fresh in his thoughts. He shuddered, he could have hurt Wiccan, he could be the one lying in bed with deep gashes in his torso if he hadn't jumped back when Dorrek slashed at him. That is, if they could have gotten him proper help in time. The more likely scenario was –

He shook his head making his blonde hair fall into his eyes as he tried to stop his thoughts before they could contemplate any further. That wasn't what had happened. Wiccan had jumped back in time. He was okay. Dorrek wasn't a killer.

He clenched his hand into a fist angered at himself. Because now, after all of that, Wiccan still stayed by his bedside and woke up each hour to use his magic to heal him. He could have been saving it to attempt another escape so he could reunite with his twin. Or saved it up in case he found himself at odds with Dorrek again and needed to defend himself from an attack. But he didn't. He wanted to help him.

Dorrek looked back at the dirty uniform he was wearing. Something like that only one kind of person wore. Dorrek knew it wasn't usual human attire. Only heroes wore suits like that. And now Dorrek could see why Wiccan was a hero. He cared, even when he shouldn't.

Dorrek's brows pinched together in displeasure. Because Wiccan did look uncomfortable hunched like that.

.

.

When Wiccan woke up to the first rays of sunlight that morning he immediately snuggled his head deeper into the plush pillow that was underneath him. It felt like a cloud that cradled his head just right. He felt warm and could feel the pressure of a blanket over him helping to create a cocoon of warmth that nearly beckoned him back to sleep. But then his mind woke up enough to realize something was wrong. He had fallen asleep in a wooden chair hadn't he?

Flashes of last night, the dark woods, the wolves, Dorrek injured all came back to him and his eyes snapped open. He sat up quickly, now alert and wide awake.

"Where –" he began as he looked around noticing he was still in Dorrek's room. But the part that made his pulse race was the fact that he had been tucked into the very bed the larger green man still occupied.

"You look better rested." Dorrek's deep voice said from his right and Wiccan stopped looking around getting his bearings and turned to his right meeting Dorrek's gaze. He was still sitting on his side of the bed and very obviously had been watching Wiccan's reaction which brought an embarrassed blush to the younger man's face.

Because the mattress was fit for a king the pair were still a fair distance apart but it still made Wiccan uneasy that technically, he was in bed with the Beast. Dorrek had a book in his hands but had his head tilted toward his prisoner who shimmied up the bed to sit up properly as he stumbled over his questions.

"H-how did I get into the bed?" Wiccan finally was able to get out in real English and not a jumbled mess.

Dorrek shrugged and looked back at his book knowing that if he answered while looking at Wiccan he wouldn't be able to hide his blush, "I moved you."

Wiccan's eyes bugged out in shock and surprise as his breath caught in his throat. He turned away to try and hide his expression and in his silence Dorrek continued.

"You looked terribly uncomfortable in that position."

"Why?" Wiccan asked then realized the single worded question made no sense. He swallowed to try and help his suddenly dry throat as he looked back over to the Beast. "Why do you care if I'm comfortable?"

Dorrek looked over at him, tearing his gaze from the pages of his book. His blue eyes were piercing, "Why were you using up all the magic you have access to for healing me each hour?"

Wiccan was silent and blinked rapidly a few times unsure of how to answer. The simple answer was obvious, he was concerned. But he couldn't state that aloud, mainly because it puzzled him so much. He knew he was concerned for Dorrek to recover but he had no idea why he felt that way. The guilt, he considered, it's only the guilt. It was his fault Dorrek had been out there, chasing him down. If Wiccan had fled to another room in the castle, his suite, or if he'd hidden with Kate or Cassie. Either scenario would have meant Dorrek wouldn't have gotten nearly fatally injured. It was just the guilt, nothing more.

But that wasn't something he wanted to admit to Dorrek either. So he broke eye contact and not answering the question he got out of bed, tossing the comforter off him. Dorrek didn't push the issue and instead changed the subject as he turned back to his book.

"I had Kate bring you something to change into." He stated plainly. It was then Wiccan noticed the pile of clothes neatly folded at the foot of the bed. "You should change so she can wash that uniform."

Wiccan looked down at himself and noticed the smears of dirt from when he'd tumbled across the forest floor. The attack had left him with a few new tears in his shirt but thankfully no one would notice extra rips in his cloak. He grabbed the clothes from the bed with a tiny 'thank you' to Dorrek and headed out of the room navigating his way back to his suite to change. As he walked through the halls and corridors alone he noticed he felt different. There was the natural relief of no longer being in Dorrek's presence but now it was accompanied by something else. This fluttering in his chest he'd never felt before and he wondered why the short conversation with Dorrek seemed to bring him both anxiety and . . . excitement? Nervousness and adrenaline? He couldn't pinpoint it, he just knew it felt good to have a real talk with Dorrek that didn't involve them screaming at each other or the large green man threatening him. And, possibly, a part of him was looking forward to their next encounter.

Unknown to Wiccan Dorrek had been pondering the same thing as he watched the mage's retreating back leave the room.

The questions continued to buzz through Wiccan's head as he walked across the castle to the east wing. When he'd decided that giving himself a headache wouldn't help solve anything he used all his energy to shut up the voices in his head and focus on washing up. He felt disgusting covered in dirt and sweat and knowing he'd slept like that all night.

For the first time Wiccan used the tub in the bathroom attached to his suite. The whole room was made of white marble and had gold embellishments like the rest of his room. There was a large clawfoot tub in the corner that he quickly filled with piping hot water from the faucet which steamed as he dipped into it slowly.

The warmth seeped into his bones and helped melt away the soreness from the night before. On top of the attack, the hours he'd spent sleeping in that chair only left his muscles and joints even stiffer and more aching. Giving himself a minute he leaned his head back and let his body relax. He stayed like that for quite some time, keeping his mind blank and allowing no thoughts other then how nice the warm water felt. Once the water began to cool he decided it was best to finish washing before the lukewarm water became too chilly.

He dunked his head under the water and found a shampoo that he lathered into his hair washing out the dried in mud. He used a damp cloth to get the dirt off the rest of him as he scrubbed and in the process he uncovered several bruises. A good half of his body was covered in them, the sizes ranging from as big as his fist to a quarter and there was one long one that splayed across all his right ribs. As sore as they were he knew it was nothing in comparison to what could have happened to him if it hadn't been for Dorrek. But if not for Dorrek you wouldn't have been in danger at all. Part of his mind reminded him. He sighed and leaned back again running a hand through his wet hair. He had a feeling that there would be two parts of him at war with each other for the remainder of his time in this castle. However long that would be.

When the water turned cold Wiccan got out of the tub, dried himself off with a fluffy white towel then wrapped it around his waist as he walked back into the bedroom. He changed into the clothes Kate had brought then piled his uniform on the bed before he left to get some breakfast. He passed Cassie on the stairs who had a tray in her hands she was bringing to Dorrek piled high with more food. No wonder the man was twice Wiccan's size, he thought as Cassie greeted him kindly.

"Good morning Wiccan." She bid and he smiled in return.

"Hi Cassie."

"If you don't mind waiting in the foyer for a moment, the kitchen staff are finishing setting the dining hall."

"I can just eat in the kitchen Cassie, you don't have to go to all this trouble." He politely protested.

But she only continued to smile as she turned away from him and headed to the west wing soon disappearing into the darkness of the deteriorating stairway. Wiccan shook his head and wandered over to the fireplace, using the opportunity to once again admire the grand scale and wealth of the room. He tried to memorize each curl of the gold trim along the tops of the pillars. They looked like when you splashed paint on a canvas, except someone used liquid gold instead and had somehow made it freeze mid toss leaving the beautiful organic sculpting that he saw. His eyes turned to the geometric pattern in the marble floor made up of triangles and diamond shapes in the black and white polished stone, then the elaborate floral patterns in the furniture. He knew when he left this place – because either Speed would come back and break him out or he would escape on his own – he'd miss the old world charm the castle did have.

He was about to take a seat in a wing backed chair when something on the mantle above the fireplace caught his attention. He walked closer and noticed someone had left a book there and it looked long forgotten covered in a layer of dust. Wiccan took it and blew the dust away as he looked at the title in the worn leather cover. 'History of the Skrull Empyre – vol 14'

He wasn't sure what Skrull was, it sounded vaguely familiar but he couldn't recall where he would have heard it before. So he decided to crack open the book while he waited for Cassie to return. He sat in the wing backed chair facing the fireplace as he began reading, doing his best to piece together the history since he wasn't exactly starting at the beginning.

Not much later he heard small footsteps patter down the steps and across the marble floor and a second later Cassie swept through his peripheral vision.

"Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes. Thank you for your patience."

"No problem. Don't go to too much trouble."

Cassie stopped and turned around to face him with a grin, "I believe Kate already informed you about our obsession with impressing our guests."

Wiccan chuckled as Cassie disappeared through the door and he was left alone with his book again. The history of Skrull seemed otherworldly and he wondered if this wasn't true history but just a science fiction book. It talked about different galaxies and planets, which ones were allies to the Skrulls and which were enemies. The Kree were mentioned a fair bit when it came to their many wars, which occurred closer and closer together throughout the years, until the inhabitants of Skrull were forced to leave their own home. The title of the next chapter made him raise a brow as that same familiar feeling came back, 'Mar-vell'. He was just about to continue reading the chapter when –

"Glad to see the clothes fit." Wiccan shut the book quickly in his surprise and placed it on his lap as he turned and saw Dorrek standing about ten paces behind the chair but enough to the side that the wing hadn't obscured Wiccan from his vision. The man's face was almost emotionless but Wiccan was just relieved that the usual surly attitude he normally had seemed to have vanished. He'd take no emotion over negative emotion, it was something.

Meanwhile Dorrek was looking over Wiccan's new appearance. His black hair was still a mess but somehow the young man made it work. He wore a navy blue button down shirt but had rolled up the sleeves to just under his elbows and he'd left the top two buttons undone exposing a white tee shirt. His pants were black slacks and he had a matching leather belt. Kate had somehow conjured up a pair of sneakers that were on the mage's feet that were navy but had red laces. Wiccan was silent as he watched Dorrek watching him; when his blue eyes met Wiccan's face again the corner of his mouth turned up in the slightest of smiles. Wiccan was too stunned by the change in demeanor to return the tiny grin but Dorrek again seemed unfazed by his silence as he went on.

"You look better without that ridiculous headband."

Wiccan quirked an eyebrow and the words spilled from his mouth before he could stop them, "Is that your attempt at a compliment?"

Dorrek stepped forward and rested his right elbow on the back of Wiccan's chair as he looked down at him. Wiccan had to crane his head back a little to keep eye contact but refused to look away, trying to appear strong even as the Beast covered him in his shadow. Dorrek noted the bravery that action took, especially when someone towered over you and his smile turned into a smirk as he shrugged.

"Interpret it however you wish." Then he turned and walked away knowing if he didn't get back to his room and finish the tray Cassie just brought he'd get an earful. But he couldn't help it, he'd had to get out of bed and stretch his legs. It had nothing to do with a desire to check on the young mage. None at all.

Wiccan wasn't sure where the courage came from as he watched Dorrek walk away. He just automatically called after him, "You look better without that awful trench coat."

Dorrek stopped and looked over his shoulder at him. He too now wore a pair of black slacks and a belt, though his were much larger then Wiccan's. He went barefoot seeing as he'd just gotten out of bed and he had a plum vest that hugged his body. The sleeveless top was sensible, since it had no sleeves that left the arm holes big enough to curve back enough for his wing joints. It also ensured the fabric couldn't rub against his still healing wounds. His shoulder was still bandaged and he had several smaller pieces of white gauze medically taped over smaller less lethal cuts. Patches of his skin were a dark green mixed with a shade of black that looked like ash but was actually bruises. As the two locked eyes Wiccan's mouth turned up in a small smirk, "Interpret that however you wish."

Dorrek couldn't stop the small smile that played at his lips as Wiccan threw his own words back at him playfully. He gave an amused chuckle before he turned back to the stairs and headed for his room again. Wiccan turned back in his chair too but he didn't return to his book, his mind was too busy thinking about what a nice smile Dorrek had. Then his grin fell from his face and he snapped out of the thoughts that were trying to think up ways he could bring that smile back. He rested his elbow on the arm of the chair and leaned his head into his hand running his fingers through his hair.

"What is going on with me?"