The rabbit hole grows deeper for John and Carson as they continue to be swallowed up in Lucius' world.
But a change is coming...for the better? For the worse?
Hmm...
Carson had tried to stop him...had even tried to use his voice to tell Sarek to stop; but the young healer would not listen to him and now they both stood before the Sovereign in his sitting room.
"News has traveled back to me Sarek, tell me what happened." ordered Lucius, his back to them as he stood by his open balcony doors.
It was a simple case of chest congestion; Carson knew that, his eyes widening as Sarek had started to crush the wrong herb to boil into a drink for the young boy who lay coughing in his family's small home in the center of the village.
Carson had grabbed Sarek's arm to alert him to the fact; shaking his head as he pointed to the herb, but the healer had pulled his arm away and continued, finally pouring some of the elixir for the boy to drink.
Worried, Carson had rushed forward and knocked the cup from Sarek's hand, spilling the contents onto the ground.
The child's parents were shocked as Sarek turned in anger to the silent man.
"You fool! Look what you've done!" Sarek shouted.
He turned to the parents. "I'm sorry, he's still learning; he's my apprentice but a little slow in the head." he muttered giving Carson a dirty look as he went to pour more of the medicine.
Apprentice? Thought Carson.
"Nay...I'm not...Stop! It's the wrong herb!"
It was only when he saw Sarek helping the child to drink the concoction that he realized he hadn't actually spoken out loud...but by then it was too late.
Within minutes the boy was seizing and then abruptly stopped breathing.
Carson had frantically moved forward...CPR! CPR! CPR! Echoing in his mind.
Though for the life of him he didn't know what CPR meant at that moment...only that he had to help the boy.
He didn't get far; in ignorance and misplaced anger, the young boy's father had shoved Carson back, then punched him in the side of the face throwing him into unconsciousness.
"Sovereign, the boy was too ill! I tried to help him, but he was too far gone!"
Sarek was terrified. It was only after he returned to his quarters that he realized he had pulled the wrong herb to use; he hadn't looked carefully and had picked up the wrong bottle.
Lucius turned and glared at Sarek, then looked over at John who sitting nearby watching both Sarek and Carson quietly…intently.
John reached over and pulled a notebook from a nearby drawer and held it up.
"This notebook was found in your room, Sarek."
My notebook! Thought Carson, his eyes flicking to Sarek in time to see the young healer pale noticeably.
"Th-that's my notebook." Sarek stuttered.
"And this one…" John pulled another book from the drawer, "…was found in Arex's quarters; same handwriting inside."
"I…he...he must have taken my book and..." Sarek was trembling now.
"Enough!" shouted Lucius and turned to Carson.
"According to some of the servants, the boy's family said it looked like you were trying to warn Sarek; that you actually knocked the cup out of his hand, is that true?"
Carson glanced at John, then Lucius then back down at his feet, nodding.
"You knew it was the wrong medicine?"
Carson sighed heavily and nodded again.
Lucius' eyes narrowed as he turned to Sarek.
"Sarek, ever since Arex joined us, I've been hearing stories about you. You've been strutting around as if with Arex's arrival you have suddenly gained the knowledge of the world…or of a healer with more experience than you ever had."
Lucius held up his hand when Sarek started to protest.
"I have ears everywhere boy; your mockery of Arex has not gone unnoticed. Neither has the fact that while you were boasting, Arex was learning." Lucius glared at Sarek for a moment, then went to stand by John laying a hand on his shoulder.
"We cannot have two healers, son." Lucius slowly rested his other hand on his weapon holstered to his side and Sarek's eyes widened in fear. "I'll leave it to you to choose."
John's breath was calm, eyes steady as he looked at the two healers.
"Wait…that's not fair!" cried Sarek. "He's friends with Arex!"
John eyes darkened at the sound of Sarek's whining; his eyes flicking to Carson who stood frozen in place, the bruise from the dead child's father still prominent on the side of his face.
"Choose." Lucius said. John stared at Carson for a moment longer, then nodded.
"I choose Arex." he said.
Lucius nodded and in one smooth movement pulled his weapon and shot Sarek in the chest.
Sarek went down hard, the sound of the weapon discharge echoing in the ensuing momentary silence.
With a gasp, Carson's first instinct had him trying to rush to Sarek's side, but suddenly the Sovereign's son was in the way grabbing him by the shoulders.
"Don't." John warned.
Carson's thoughts exploded into chaos.
This is wrong! My fault, my fault! Save him! Save him!
His hands fumbled in the air grabbing onto John's arms trying to steady himself...steady his mind.
"It was either you or him, Arex." John said bluntly.
When Carson only stared up at him, John grimaced slightly at the look in his eyes, and as Sarek's last gasp of breath seeped through the room; Carson couldn't help but notice a flicker of guilt behind the Sovereign's son's eyes.
"I think I made the better choice, don't you?" John whispered.
Carson stared at the dead man on the floor and wasn't sure of the answer.
"Hit me." smiled Lucius.
It was several days later and he and John were in the outer courtyard sparring.
The sun was warm on his face, the sky a cloudless blue and John was itching for a release of pent up energy. He had spent the past few days running errands for his father; going down to the village with some of the guards to collect the monthly taxes from the villagers, mediating arguments between the servants and sometimes the guards and doing day to day things to make sure the manor kept running.
He was the other Daravilus ruling presence when his father was not there and even when he was. Though at first the manor's household did not embrace this change, they were starting to learn that talking to Nahkhan was talking to his father and due respect was to be given, as their punishment was swift when it wasn't.
It wasn't often that he left the confines of the manor just for fun, so it was a smile that graced his lips as he circled Lucius.
He had spent the last few days in a funk, thinking about the healers.
It hadn't been difficult to choose; Arex was his friend, now...and from before. So why did a persistent feeling of guilt keep washing over him? Yes, Sarek was dead...but Arex was the better healer.
John looked at Lucius.
Even his father knew that…
So what was the problem?
John shook his head trying to focus and looked up in time to see a fist flying towards his face.
The brick wall of pain that ensued flattened him onto his back.
Sounds flooded out, then slowly returned as he saw his father leaning over him, hand outstretched.
Once on his feet, Lucius smiled at him, placing his large palm on the side of John's face.
"Pay attention." he admonished.
"Thought I was." John winced, a quick smirk on his lips.
"Evidently, not well enough." came the retort with a grin.
"Nahkhan. I'm going to remind you of something you seem to have forgotten. To win in battle, it's not always about the physical."
Lucius held up his fist to John's face.
"More often than not, it's about knowing who you are fighting. If you can tell what's going on in here…" he pointed to his head. "You have a better chance of knowing what your opponent is going to do before even he knows. I taught this to you and your brother years ago...though Khaval was the better student."
A twinge of annoyance flitted through John at those words.
"I'm a good fighter."
"Prove it, then."
Lucius stepped back and raised his fists.
Later that night, Carson lay in his bed, eyes wide in the darkness as thoughts of the past few days pressed down on him.
The Sovereign's son chose me.
I'm the better healer.
Sarek was too young to die!
I'm glad I was chosen.
He tossed and turned on his small bed, trying to find physical comfort, his mind not allowing it.
Sarek should have listened to me!
But I didn't speak!
Is this my fault?
Is Sarek's death my fault?
Am I to blame?
He lay in this limbo for another hour before sleep finally claimed him; and as rain began to fall outside his window; Carson dreamt.
He dreamt of a silver castle sitting on sparkling water, with turrets reaching towards the sky.
He dreamt of hair that looked like tree branches, of monsters with mouths for hands.
He dreamt that he was flying through space with the Sovereign's son by his side, and an overwhelming feeling of acceptance and regret swept through him.
He dreamt that he had belonged somewhere far from the manor, that he had had friends, people who cared about him.
And as the rain spattered loudly against his window pane, Carson groaned in his sleep; a tear sliding down his face as a word slipped from the dream and past his lips…
"Atlantis..."
-tbc-