WARNING: This chapter contains a character death.
Lydia
Lydia was woken up by Caesar standing up from the couch he had been situated on for the last couple of days, her head jerking up so that her keen, blue eyes could follow his dark silhouette better. The movement didn't go unnoticed by the Ape King, and he turned around slowly, carefully, to look back at her.
"I will go upstairs. Visit… memories." He signed with calm movements.
It was night once again and the others were still asleep. Even Malcolm, who had relented when Lydia and Ellie had reasoned that the dogs would wake them if something was amiss, and that he, just like everyone else, needed a good night's rest.
Lydia nodded in understanding. Caesar had told her about his room in the attic and he seemed more than capable of getting there himself now. He had been getting up from his spot on the couch more and more in the past twenty-four hours and Lydia could only marvel at how quickly he was recovering once the bullet had been removed and the wound cleaned and closed. The antibiotics seemed to have helped too, as he didn't show any signs of infection.
Ellie had done an amazing job.
"Careful you don't fall up there." Lydia signed with a tired smirk and a raised eyebrow. Caesar rolled his eyes at her in response, and it struck the woman that the Ape King looked a great deal like his son as he did so.
Blue Eyes…
She really did hope the young chimp was alright. He had been gone for two days and Lydia was starting to get seriously worried. She knew that performing what was essentially a prison-break would take some time and planning, but still… Blue Eyes had been gone for too long, in her opinion. What if something had happened? Gone wrong, maybe?
What if he was still waiting for an opening in the guards' defences?
What if he had been captured trying to free the loyal apes?
What if Koba had killed him…. Like he had Ash?
Lydia supressed a shiver of carefully contained anger at the thought. Ash had been special to her and knowing that he had died, betrayed by one of his own, still managed to make Lydia seethe with rage and despair on the inside. He was such a good-natured, young ape – polite, understanding and mature for his age, despite his mischievous behaviour at times. He had never done anything that would warrant such a horrific death and the fact that he had been killed for standing up for Caesar's ideals only doubled the pain.
If the same thing had happened to Blue Eyes…
A low grunt brought Lydia out of her dark musings and she found Caesar staring at her knowingly from his spot in the doorway, one hand on the frame to support himself.
"Try not to worry. Nothing will come of it. Nothing but unnecessary pain." He signed softly before exiting the room and making his way quietly up the creaking stairs. She just sat there, dumbstruck by his insight, as his dark form disappeared from view.
Lydia had half a mind to go and ask him if he had taken some mind-reading lessons from Maurice, but decided instead to lie back down and stare up at the ceiling in thought.
Storm had been wakened by Caesar getting up from the couch and had lifted her head to follow the ape's movements as she lied on the floor close to Lydia. The heat radiating off the large canine meant that the woman hardly needed to shield herself against the cold of the night like the other humans did. The feel of fur against her hand as she held onto Storm in her sleep also provided Lydia with some comfort – Storm acting as a substitute for Roy and Orion as the dog curled up by her owner these past few nights.
Still, it wasn't the same. This fur, while familiar, was too thick, too soft and its scent was entirely different. Also, the heavy arm around her waist, grounding her to reality, as well as the calming kisses dotted across her shoulders that she was so used to by now… They were missing completely and it bothered Lydia… A lot.
Storm lowered her head to nuzzle at her owner's cheek, furry ears twitching in what Lydia could only imagine was worry. Really, it was funny how her dogs, and Storm especially, were so attuned to people's moods, no matter how subtle the change.
Dogs really were smart creatures.
She scratched Storm behind the ear and couldn't help a soft smile gracing her lips when the canine leaned into the touch with her eyes closed. It was the most content expression Lydia could ever imagine on a canine.
Another twenty minutes passed before movement to her left caught Lydia's eye as Malcolm sat up. He had been sleeping on the floor between Ellie and Alex (who Blaze seemed to have dubbed as his new, official bunk-buddy), and had, up until now, been snoring away quietly.
The room was, despite the late hour, just bright enough for Lydia to make out his features as he quickly scanned the room. Then, his eyes found Lydia's and she almost chuckled out loud when his entire silhouette seemed to give a slight jolt as he noticed her stare. He probably hadn't expected her to be awake, much less have her eyes trained on him like a hawk looking at a field mouse. Poor man.
"Can't sleep, huh?" Lydia whispered, her voice barely audible even through the quiet of the room.
Malcolm shook his head, though he didn't seem dejected by the fact.
"No. I've been staring out the window for the past couple of minutes now." Came Malcolm's quiet voice as he tried not to wake the others. Then his gaze landed on the empty couch beside Lydia. "Where's Caesar at?"
Before Lydia could answer, Ellie began to stir and turned slowly to lie on her back, rubbing her eyes before propping herself up on her elbows.
"Is something wrong?" She asked blearily, shifting her gaze from Malcolm to Lydia once she noticed they were having a conversation.
"Nah, nothing's wrong, Ellie, you can go back to sleep, if you want. Anyway, Caesar didn't say where he was going, but I'm pretty sure he's somewhere upstairs, taking a trip down memory lane now that he can walk around again." Lydia replied, folding her hands over her stomach.
Malcolm nodded in understanding before getting up with a quiet grunt.
"I'll take a round around the house and then I'll go up to find him, just to make sure he's alright." He explained, looking mostly at Lydia as he spoke.
Lydia held up her hands to show her palms and chuckled slightly.
"Hey, you don't have to look to me for permission to go talk to him or anything. He's a grown ape, after all." She spoke teasingly, making both Malcolm and Ellie crack a small smile at her. Despite the difficult situation they were in, Lydia's mood had greatly improved since her talk with Blue Eyes. Doubly so when Caesar had begun to recover from having the bullet removed.
"Right. I'll go check on him. If anything happens, you know where to find us." Malcolm replied as he headed for the hallway, casting one last glance at the women and his son.
"He's probably in his old room in the attic." Lydia called after him, still trying to be careful not to wake Alex.
Malcolm stopped just as he was halfway out of the room, turning his head to look back at Lydia in question. Out of the corner of her eye, Lydia also noticed Ellie turning to look at her.
"His room?" Malcolm repeated, to which she nodded. He still seemed confused.
"How do you know about that? It seemed even his son didn't know about this place…" The man continued.
Lydia shrugged as she got up to sit against the couch as she had done the previous night. There was no way she was going to sleep now, anyway.
"Simple. He told me. A long time ago." She replied nonchalantly. Then, she elaborated as she began picking at some dirt stuck to the couch's seat. "Not many of the apes know this. He never really did make it a habit of advertising that he grew up with humans."
Malcolm nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.
"Makes sense. Can't imagine that would be very popular among the apes." He replied, shrugging. "Anyway, I'll go and see if I can find him."
And with that, he left the room and Lydia was, once again, left alone with Ellie. Not that she minded much, as the woman had turned out to be quite pleasant to talk to.
Quite forgiving of past mistakes as well, Lydia thought as their conversation only a few days prior came to mind.
She really appreciated that about Ellie. Her softness and forgiving nature was something Lydia had a hard time finding in herself, especially after the events of these past couple of days. Also, there was an air of femininity about her that Lydia personally thought she completely lacked.
Lydia knew she was wild, rugged and quite a vigilante in the eyes of apes and humans alike. Many of the tasks she performed back in the Ape Colony were usually reserved for males, such as hunting, fishing and guarding the perimeter. She also knew she had a more hands-on approach to problems than any of the other females among the apes and that her temper was a thing no one wished to be on the receiving end of. Many of the apes who had seen her fight against that mountain lion all those years ago had told her so on more than one occasion. Even Caesar had told her so, in fact.
Really, it was pretty much only when she was with Roy that she felt truly feminine. When he engulfed her in his strong, fierce embrace or when he worshipped her body with his hands and mouth during those long, cold nights.
Goodness, she missed him so much.
She promptly squashed the little voice in her mind that reminded her of how feminine she felt when Caesar regarded her with those smouldering, green eyes of his.
"Can I ask you something?" Came Ellie's soft voice, breaking the silence, as well as Lydia's train of thought. Ellie had gotten up and was now sitting cross-legged in front of the other woman.
Lydia only nodded in reply as she turned her gaze from the window she hadn't realised she had been staring out of and towards the woman in front of her. Ellie bit her lip and quickly looked behind her, seemingly to make sure Alex was still asleep before she turned back to Lydia and spoke.
"Caesar… He seems to tell you a lot of things… Things he wouldn't even tell the apes…" She began, choosing her words carefully. Lydia almost groaned out loud as she knew what was coming.
"Tell me… If things had been different. If you guys hadn't both had someone already… Would you have… You know?" Ellie struggled. Lydia had half a mind to pretend she didn't know, just to make her more flustered than she already was. Instead, Lydia shrugged.
"Why do you ask? Not to be rude or anything, but you seem very fixated on the topic." She spoke, tilting her head to the side with a raised eyebrow. "It's not like I ask you about Malcolm's first wife or anything, after all."
She couldn't help the jab, even if it did sound slightly defensive to her own ears. She was just tired of discussing this subject. It was hard to put it in the back of her mind when people kept bringing it up.
Ellie nodded and suddenly seemed very intent on inspecting her fingers as her hands rested in her lap.
"You're right, sorry about that. It's just… It all seems a bit… messy." Ellie replied, grimacing at her own choice of words. Lydia didn't mind it that much. It perfectly described her current emotional predicament.
"And I suppose it's natural to wonder how things could have been. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." Ellie continued, looking at the floor in thought as she spoke. "I mean, I still wonder how things might have been if I still had Sarah around…"
There was a heavy silence in the wake of that statement and Lydia regarded Ellie with sad, blue eyes. The woman had briefly spoken about her deceased daughter the other day, so Lydia knew perfectly well who Sarah was. They had had another heart-to-heart when Ellie had noticed that Lydia seemed a bit put-out after Blue Eyes had left. Caesar had been sleeping at the time and Ellie had taken it upon herself to speak with her. It had led to another deep conversation in which Lydia had explained in greater detail about the loss of her family and her fear of losing her second one. Ellie had reciprocated by telling about her own loss, opening up to Lydia in a way she hadn't anticipated.
"I guess you're right…" Lydia spoke quietly. "But it's not like I'm in a position to choose or anything. Besides, I'm very happy with what I've got. Wouldn't have it any other way, really."
Ellie smiled, seemingly relieved that Lydia didn't dwell on how she brought up Sarah, knowing it was a sore topic.
Another silence followed in which Lydia leaned back to stare at the ceiling in thought. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ellie turn around to glance at Alex's sleeping form. He didn't make much noise as he slept – unlike his father, who Lydia had discovered snored quite a bit once he turned onto his back in his sleep. Not that it bothered her, really, as it disrupted the eerie silence of the abandoned house during the night.
Ellie's eyes remained glued to Alex as she whispered her next question.
"It's been quite some time now… Do you… Do you think Caesar's son will manage?"
Her voice was so soft that Lydia would not have heard it if she hadn't already been expecting it. She had felt it hanging in the air for the last day or so, and for good reason, too. Blue Eyes had been gone for a long time now, after all.
"If you had asked me that two days ago, I would have said 'yes, without a doubt'. Now, though… Honestly, right now I'm worried sick about him…" Lydia confessed, hanging her head to stare at the floor with furrowed eyebrows. "I have known him for most of his life, Ellie. The thought of him getting caught or hurt…"
Ellie nodded, letting Lydia know that she didn't need to elaborate on what she meant – Ellie knew only too well.
"Well, if he's half as smart as his dad, I suppose he'll be-" Ellie began, only to be interrupted by what sounded like hoots and subdued, searching calls getting closer to the house.
She looked slightly frightened for a moment, stopping mid-sentence to whip her head to the right and stare wide-eyed at the window, though there was nothing to see from where they sat on the floor.
Lydia knew that Ellie didn't have much experience deciphering the sounds the apes made and thus, she had no idea if what she heard now was from a friendly source or not. But Lydia… Lydia did know, and her eyes darted towards the window as well, though hers were full of hope and excitement. These hoots and call didn't sound agitated or aggressive, but searching, concerned and urgent.
The two women turned back towards each other and made brief eye-contact. Lydia saw how her own expression seemed to calm Ellie down immediately and a hopeful, though hesitant smile spread across both their faces.
At that moment, Alex woke and sat up to stare around confusedly, much like his father had done earlier, the only difference being that he didn't jolt in surprise at seeing Lydia. The dogs had also woken by the sounds outside and were quickly up and about the room in excitement, their fluffy tails wagging like there was no tomorrow. Like Lydia, they knew the meaning of the sounds outside.
In the hallway, Caesar and Malcolm's footsteps could be heard as they made their way down the stairs, hurriedly and yet laboured and heavy. Before they could reach the bottom of the stairs, and before Ellie and Alex had even managed to untangle themselves from their sleeping bags and get on their feet, Lydia was at the front door. In great contrast to her hasty exit from the living room, she hesitated for a brief moment before she opened it slowly, Storm and Blaze crowding around her legs in poorly contained excitement.
The cool night air swept over her as she finally pushed the door wide open, revealing the friendly faces she had missed so much in the last couple of days. It made her heart leap with joy.
Blue Eyes was the first to approach her, the gun still in his hand, but lowered as he saw who it was at the door, his pale eyes softening instantly. Before any of them had time to say anything, Lydia quickly went down the stairs and embraced the young ape, feeling how the arm not grasping the weapon went around her shoulders tightly to hold her close. She was so relieved to see him again.
He soon let go of her and she straightened up, quickly spotting the next person to be targeted with her affection: Her son.
Orion had pushed through the group and immediately thrown his arms around his human mother, clutching the fabric of her clothes tightly in his hands as he held her in an iron-grip. Lydia didn't mind. She released a relieved sigh as she returned the fierce embrace, quickly re-familiarising herself with the scent and feel of her adopted son. Had he always been this tall? This strong?
But it was him, no doubt about it, and Lydia almost, almost let out a relieved sob as the tension of these last few days completely left her.
Orion was alive.
He was safe.
He was here.
She didn't even notice how the dogs ran around their legs, brushing up against their thighs in an attempt to greet Orion as well. Didn't see how Blue Eyes went to his father to touch his forehead to Caesar's, or how Ellie and Alex emerged from within the house to watch the happy reunion together with Malcolm.
The happiness Lydia felt course through her didn't last long, though.
She had expected to be greeted by a tired but relieved expression on her son's face once she pulled back from their tight embrace. Expected to be met with teary, but nonetheless happy, emerald eyes.
Only that wasn't what she saw when she finally took the time to truly look at him as she drew out of his arms.
Though he did look happy to see her, his eyebrows were creased in concern, his shoulders were tense, his mouth set in a deep frown… And his eyes, once so clear and innocent, were darkened and pained.
Sorrowful.
Apologetic.
"Orion? Sweetie, what's wrong?" Lydia said in the most comforting voice she could muster, and for a brief instant, she almost cursed herself for already trying to coddle him like a child. Despite how close they were, she knew how he hated that. Also, he was, after all, almost an adult now and it had only been a few days, in truth.
But the look he gave her as those words left her mouth made her forget all about that as her heart ached for him. Whatever it was that had him looking like that, Lydia knew it must be something serious.
That's when she noticed how the dogs were now whimpering and Maurice was releasing a dark, sorrowful rumbling from deep within his chest just beside her.
Then, Orion began to sign.
"It's father… He's hurt badly… " The young ape said, the movements of his hands urgent and jagged. "Mother, they shot him when we tried to escape! The other apes shot father!"
The blood in Lydia's veins turned to ice in that instant as she just stared at Orion with wide eyes. Her hands, still placed on her son's upper arms, clenched slightly as fear and dread gripped at her heart.
No, she thought as she averted her eyes and searched the group, this can't happen… not again!
And then her eyes found him, after going over every other ape in the group, their gazes finally met.
And Lydia's heart sank.
There, hanging off Rocket's shoulder, slouched forward and panting heavily, but still with his kind, loving gaze set on her form, was Roy.
Caesar
Caesar had been relieved and proud to see his son return with the loyal apes, but had immediately realised something was wrong as he looked down from the small, circular window of his old room. One of the apes were leaning heavily on one of the others in the back of the group, almost to the point of him being carried by his companion.
The Ape King hadn't been able to see who it was from upstairs, but knew that whoever it was would be in need of immediate medical attention. By the looks of it, they were in even worse shape than he had been only a few days ago. This wasn't good.
And when Caesar came down and saw exactly who it was that had been hurt, his heart clenched so tightly in his chest that it felt like getting the air punched out of his lungs. Almost as if he had been shot in the chest a second time, only now, the bullet had gone through his heart.
At first, he had been solely focused on greeting his son, putting his forehead against Blue Eyes' and breathing a deep sigh of relief before continuing on to greet Maurice and Luca.
It was when he began to look for Rocket that Caesar saw it and felt his nostrils flare as the dreaded scent of blood hit his nose.
At the same moment, Lydia asked Orion what was wrong, and Caesar realised that she hadn't noticed yet. Being so focused on her son, who had approached her so quickly after she had descended the stairs, she hadn't had the time, nor the mind to register the slouching figure partially draped across Rocket's shoulder, blood dripping steadily onto the ground from between the fingers holding its abdomen.
It was Roy.
And he was in bad shape.
"Oh no…" Caesar faintly heard Lydia whisper as she let go of her son to hastily step forward, the apes of the group parting for her as she went. They all had their heads lowered as she passed them.
Caesar saw how Lydia approached her mate with quick steps and how the male ape reached out for the human woman with one long, shaking arm. It was soon draped around her shoulders as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. At that moment, he seemed to not be able to assist Rocket in keeping himself up anymore, and Roy fell forward into Lydia's arms.
The only reason Lydia didn't get crushed under Roy's limp body as she collapsed onto her knees on the walkway was due to Rocket still holding onto his friend's other arm. Caesar's old rival steadily lowered the younger male down to the ground, greeting Lydia briefly when he was down on his knees as well. After that, he rose back to his full height and backed off, nodding towards Caesar in greeting before his attention was once again directed at the odd pair on the ground.
The look on Rocket's face was one the Ape King had never seen before, and he imagined that his own features were probably arranged in much the same manner.
Caesar's eyes went to Blue Eyes as Orion, too, went over to Roy, cooing softly as Lydia seemed to survey the damage done to her mate.
"How. Did this. Happen?" The Ape King asked his son, who looked about ready to whimper in sympathy as he took in the scene before them. He straightened up immediately when his father addressed him, though the pained look didn't leave his pale eyes.
"Koba's followers saw us and started shooting when we fled the prison. Only Roy was hit, but it is bad. It is why it took so long for us to get here." Blue Eyes replied. Caesar could see in his eyes that his son felt partially responsible for what had happened and wanted nothing more than to offer some words of encouragement for his son in that moment.
But now was not the time for consolation.
Roy needed help. Immediately.
Maybe it was already too late, but they had to try.
Before he even had the chance to turn around and ask, Ellie had passed by the Ape King and gone straight for Lydia, who was now cradling Roy's torso in her arms to the best of her ability. The ape barely even had the strength to lift his own head anymore, forcing Lydia to shift their positions so that he was lying on his back on the cold, hard stone tiles of the walkway.
She didn't let go of him, however, and persistently clung to one of Roy's arms, holding onto the rather large appendage like it was a lifeline. Beside Lydia, Orion had crouched down and draped a comforting arm across his mother's shoulders, reaching his other one around her to also grab hold of his father's arm.
Up until now, Caesar hadn't been able to see Lydia's face clearly. But when Ellie approached her, the woman turned slightly, and Caesar drew in a sharp, though inaudible breath at the look on her face.
Though they hadn't fallen yet, tears had gathered in Lydia's eyes and her face was paler than Caesar had ever seen it – like all the blood in her body had left her suddenly, leaving a white husk of skin behind.
And the look she sent Ellie as the woman crouched down beside her almost had Caesar rush forward to embrace her himself. It was lost, hopeless and panicked, all at once, making his heart ache painfully.
He only held himself back because he managed to remind himself exactly how many people, apes and humans alike, were present to witness it. Also, considering who exactly it was she was cradling in her arms, the Ape King figured that such an act would be unwelcome right now, their conversation from the other night still a clear memory.
"I love him too much." She had said. And Caesar had understood.
"Can you help him?" Lydia's voice rang through the air as Ellie laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, the sound so small and vulnerable that Caesar barely recognised it.
Ellie seemed to survey the damaged as Lydia had done moments prior, her face falling when her eyes landed on the puddle of blood gathering on the ground. By now, the dark liquid had spread out on the cracked, lichen-covered walkway to the point that it had reached Lydia's knees, soaking her deerskin trousers.
"He has lost too much blood, Lydia. It's a wonder he's still alive as it is…" The woman spoke apologetically. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do…"
Caesar could see that it wasn't easy for Ellie to admit defeat like that when somebody needed her help. Creases appeared on her brow and the corners of her mouth drew slightly down into a soft frown, her eyes critically assessing the injury. Like she was still searching for a way to fix Roy up like she had done for Caesar.
Beside the Ape King and Blue Eyes, Maurice was still cooing sadly from deep within his throat as Alex and Malcolm came down the stairs too, standing beside the orangutan with matching, sad expressions on their faces.
Even in the dark of the night, Caesar saw how Lydia's knuckles turned white as she clenched her fist around Roy's, though the injured ape didn't utter a single protest. He only looked up at his family with an expression that seemed almost sympathetic.
Like he was feeling sorry for them.
Like he wasn't the one who was bleeding to death on a dirty, cracked walkway.
Caesar went forward to crouch down by the dying ape on the opposite side to Lydia and Orion. The least he could do was to pay his respects to the younger male in his last, fading moments. Roy noticed nothing, didn't even spare Caesar, or any of the other apes around him, a single glance.
He only had eyes for his family, staring up at their faces with a tender look in his eyes, even though he was probably in great pain.
"Lydia…" Roy's voice suddenly sounded, quiet and raspy as he breathed with difficulty.
It immediately got the woman's full attention and she nodded softly to indicate that she had heard him, words seemingly failing her for now.
"Do not… be sad. Ugh… I-… do not stop… living… loving…" He struggled, coughing mid-sentence. "Promise me… Please…" He added, his green eyes connecting with Lydia's blue ones as he weakly reached up to brush two of his fingers against her cheek. The moment was so intense that it made Caesar feel like he was intruding on something… intimate.
Something he and the other apes were not supposed to see.
It was only then that Caesar noticed that said cheek had become stained with fresh tears.
Now, that was something Caesar had definitely not seen Lydia do before. Crying.
She hadn't cried when she had spoken about her dead human family. She hadn't cried when she had left Roy and Orion in the care of the Ape Colony five years ago. She hadn't cried when she had had her wounds from her encounter with the mountain lion treated using her own, painful methods.
No. Lydia's go-to reaction had always been anger, humour or sadness.
But never tears.
She had always held those back if they ever appeared in her beautiful, blue orbs.
Caesar had never been able to figure out exactly why that was, but right now, right here, he knew that those tears were falling because she had, at last, found herself unable to keep them at bay. This, right here, was just too much for her to do so.
And it pained him greatly to see her in such a state, knowing there was absolutely nothing he could do to make it better.
Lydia shook her head at Roy's request, leaning into his touch as more tears fell.
"Please don't make me promise that, Roy…" She spoke in a quiet, strained voice. "I… I don't know if I can keep it…"
Curiously, Roy cracked a subtle smile at that as he stroked her cheek yet again.
"You… Already did… Years ago… R-remember?" He spoke, his eyes staring imploringly up at her. Like he was willing her to recall the moment he was speaking of.
It seemed to have the desired effect, because Lydia's teary eyes widened a fraction as her lips parted slightly. A quick glance at Orion revealed that the adolescent was completely oblivious as to what his adoptive parents were talking about, his sorrowful expression briefly exchanged for one of confusion as he looked back and forth between his mother and father.
He, much like the apes and humans around the pair, elected not to question it.
Lydia took a deep, stuttering breath before nodding her head slowly. "Okay… I promise…"
It sounded to Caesar as if she had just made a promise to do something impossible, her voice small and quiet, but sincere all the same. Like she didn't have a choice in the matter.
Roy seemed satisfied all the same and soon turned his attention to his son, who immediately straightened up once his father's eyes found his own.
"Orion… You must… Look after your… Mother." Roy spoke, sounding weaker with each word he uttered. Orion only nodded resolutely, tightening his hold around his mother's shoulders and patted his father's arm in reassurance.
Lastly, and surprisingly, at least to Caesar, Roy turned his head to face the Ape King, staring him straight in the eyes. The dying ape's gaze seemed hazy and ever more unfocused as his consciousness began to fade, but the look he gave Caesar was no less intense, compelling the Leader of the Apes to listen intently.
"Take care of-… Take care… of my family…" Roy coughed after saying it, further aggravating his wound and making him wince in pain.
Caesar, moved by the trust placed in him, even after he had already failed to protect this family once before, pushed his lips into a thin line as he nodded once at the dying ape in front of him. He owed him that much – Roy had paid for his loyalty to Caesar with his life and was now, with his dying breath, entrusting the Ape King with the safety of his family.
There was no way Caesar could have refused, even if he had wanted to.
"I will." He answered, his voice grave and full of restrained emotions.
Roy didn't seem able to focus his eyes anymore as he struggled to keep them open. He turned his attention back to Lydia, who was pressing herself into the crook of Orion's arm while still holding on tightly to Roy's hand, pressing the length of it to her chest. Caesar noticed absent-mindedly how she had begun to look small beside her son, but whether or not this was due to her crouched position or Orion having become bigger, he really couldn't tell right now.
Roy's fingers left Lydia's cheek to curl around her pale, thin fingers, unfocused eyes trained on her face as he uttered what would become his last words.
"Ape… Inside… Lydia…"
The tips of his fingers uncurled from around her hand, going limp.
The last remnants of his strength had left him.
Roy had died.
The world already felt a little bit colder to Caesar as he stared solemnly at the last two members of this strange family, huddled together as Lydia finally turned and buried her face in her adolescent son's chest, sobbing quietly in tune with Orion's mournful hoots.
